Momentum Top-20 Ranking is a Technical & Price Action screen. It checks every NSE-listed stock against 1 condition computed from nightly data, after excluding heavily pledged promoters and very small market caps. This page explains the rule, each figure and its source. It lists no stocks and is not advice.
What it does and why
The 12-1 month momentum signal — buying the top performers from 12 months ago to 1 month ago (excluding the most recent month to avoid short-term reversal contamination) — is among the most rigorously researched and replicated factors in academic finance. Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) documented the effect in the US; subsequent research confirmed it across India, Europe, and other Asian markets. This screener makes the momentum factor a standalone ranked output, showing the top 20 stocks by 12-1 month return across the NSE universe. This is a different product use case from the quant composite factor model, which combines momentum with value, quality, and other signals: that is a multi-factor score; this is a pure momentum leaderboard for analysts who want to see what momentum is saying on its own terms. The top 20 focus is deliberate — momentum concentration at the top decile is empirically stronger than momentum across a wider population.
The rule, step by step
A stock must satisfy every condition below. Conditions are grouped under the pillar they test.
12-1 Month Momentum Score
12-1 Month Momentum is available
Hard excludes
Promoter pledge above 30% of the promoter's holding
Market cap below ₹500 crore
Passes the screen
Ranked by 12-1 Month Momentum, highest first, top 20, keeping the top 20.
The figures it uses
12-1 Month Momentum
Used in a condition
Formula
(Close 21 bars ago − close 252 bars ago) ÷ close 252 bars ago × 100, skipping the most recent month
Input fields
close
Source of record
Upstox · public historical candles, NSE_EQ|{ISIN} (no auth)FinEdge · /api/v1/daily-quotes/{symbol} (fallback)
Corporate actions
Adjusted for corporate actions before use
Refresh
Recomputed nightly (06:30 IST job); rows older than 3 days are excluded from screens
Promoter Pledge
Hard exclude input
Formula
Pledged shares as a share of the promoter's own holding: pledgedSharesPct ÷ promoter holding × 100; blank when the quarter is not listed
Recomputed nightly (06:30 IST job); rows older than 3 days are excluded from screens
Market Cap
Hard exclude input
Formula
Close × paid-up equity shares ÷ 10,000,000 (₹ crore)
Input fields
close, paidUpEquityShares
Source of record
Upstox · public historical candles, NSE_EQ|{ISIN} (no auth)FinEdge · /api/v1/daily-quotes/{symbol} (fallback)FinEdge · /api/v1/shareholdings/summary/{symbol}?period=quarterly
Corporate actions
Adjusted for corporate actions before use
Refresh
Recomputed nightly (06:30 IST job); rows older than 3 days are excluded from screens
What each figure means
12-1 Month Momentum Return (%)
Percentage price return from the closing price approximately 252 trading days ago (12 months) to the closing price approximately 21 trading days ago (1 month), computed as (price_21d_ago / price_252d_ago - 1) * 100 using daily OHLCV data.
High is better
Current Price (₹)
Latest available closing price of the stock in Indian Rupees, sourced from daily OHLCV data.
Context metric displayed alongside the momentum return to give analysts an absolute price reference. Does not affect the ranking — it is purely informational for position sizing and market cap context.
High is better
Market Cap (₹ Cr)
Market capitalization in Indian Rupees crore, computed as current_price * total_shares_outstanding, sourced from FinEdge company profile data.
Context metric showing the size tier of each momentum stock. Momentum in large-cap stocks is more liquid and easier to trade; momentum in small-cap stocks can be stronger in magnitude but carries higher liquidity risk. This metric helps analysts assess practical tradability of each ranked stock alongside the momentum signal strength.
High is better
Try the rule
Type hypothetical values to see which conditions they satisfy. These are not real stocks and nothing here is stored.
12-1 Month Momentum is available—
Enter values to begin
A worked example
Loading the worked example…
Sign in with a completed risk profile to check any stock against this rule.
Evidence
What the harness measured
Early signal
In the past data we checked, the stocks this screen picked did better than the ones it left out, but a cost-aware, out-of-sample portfolio built from them did not hold up well against our deflated-Sharpe bar.
AI-generated plain-language explanation
In the past data we checked, the stocks this screen picked did better than the ones it left out, but a portfolio built from them did not clear our test after trading costs. Each month across 64 months, we checked whether the stocks this screen picked did better over the following month (21 trading days) than the stocks it didn't pick. We score that from -1 (the picks always did worse) to +1 (always did better); 0 means no pattern. This screen scored 0.0230. As a measurement, the score is very small, but clearly above zero. If the screen had no real edge, a score at least this far from zero would show up less than 1 in 1,000 by luck alone.
We also tested a portfolio of the screen's picks over 64 months, using only what was known at the time and after estimated trading costs: it earned 0.61 for each unit of ups and downs, per year. Because this screen has been tested 2 times, we mark down results that could be flukes. After that, the chance that it truly beats simply holding the index is 0.495, about 49 in 100.
A pattern can exist and still not be worth trading after costs. This is a record of the past, not a prediction. A screen is still a way to narrow a list by your own rules, whatever the measurement says.
This content has been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools by FINOME TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD. It is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a research report, or a recommendation under SEBI (Research Analysts) Regulations, 2014 or SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013. Not investment advice. Issued in compliance with SEBI circular SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-SEC-5/P/CIR/2024/149.
Show the exact wording we approved
In the past data we checked, the stocks this screen picked did better than the ones it left out, but a portfolio built from them did not clear our test after trading costs. Each month, across the whole period we have data for, we checked whether the stocks this screen picked did better, over the following month (21 trading days), than the stocks it didn't pick. We score that from -1 (the picks always did worse) to +1 (always did better); 0 means no pattern. This screen scored 0.0230. As a measurement, the score is very small, but clearly above zero. If the screen had no real edge, a score at least this far from zero would show up less than 1 in 1,000 by luck alone.
We also tested a portfolio of the screen's picks over 64 months, using only what was known at the time and after estimated trading costs: it earned 0.61 for each unit of ups and downs, per year. Because this screen has been tested 2 times, we mark down results that could be flukes. After that, the chance that it truly beats simply holding the index is 0.495, about 49 in 100.
A pattern can exist and still not be worth trading after costs. This is a record of the past, not a prediction. A screen is still a way to narrow a list by your own rules, whatever the measurement says.
Information coefficient0.0230-1 to +1; 0 means no pattern
IC p-value<0.001how often luck alone would do this
Net Sharpe (out-of-sample)0.61per year, after estimated trading costs
Deflated Sharpe probability0.495Deflated against 2 trialsthe chance it truly beats holding the index, after marking down for flukes
Annual turnover5.5how much of the portfolio is replaced each year
Out-of-sample months64months of portfolio testing, using only what was known at the time
Universe:
Today's Nifty 500 constituents (survivorship-biased: delisted names are absent)
Data window:
2019-04-01 → 2026-09-25
IC basis:
Pattern score: measured across the full period
Portfolio:
Portfolio test: out-of-sample months only; rebalanced monthly, 21 trading days, net of estimated costs, for a fixed position size per stock
Versions:
qp21f-nifty500-2.0.0 / 0.1.0 / 2.0.0
Record:
715bde1c-903
Live monitoring
5-day IC -0.024 · signal date 2026-10-14 · n 4447
22-day IC -0.022 · signal date 2026-09-12 · n 3840
This is a historical, statistical measurement produced by FINOME TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD's research harness on past data. It is not a prediction, and past results do not indicate future results. The universe is today's Nifty 500 constituents, so the sample is affected by survivorship bias. It describes how a screen's selections behaved in the past and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation.
1.0.0 · 2026-10-20 — First versioned rule: every screen's conditions, ordering and hard exclude were transcribed from the served definitions into one specification. No behaviour change.
Questions
How is this screen calculated?
Each stock is tested against 1 condition using figures computed from exchange prices and company filings, adjusted for corporate actions. The rule is versioned; this page shows version 1.0.0.
How often does the screen update?
The figures are recomputed once each trading day after the nightly compute. A stock whose figures are more than three days old is left out rather than shown stale.
Is this investment advice?
No. This is educational material describing a screening method. It does not recommend any security and does not consider your circumstances.
Educational use only — GoQuant is a research tool. This page explains a screening method and is not a recommendation. Investment advice is provided by FINOME TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD (AltQube), SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, registration no. INA000018373, under a signed advisory agreement and after a risk profile. Past performance is not indicative of future results.