Two parts, two rules
Every conviction badge is two pieces of information glued together:
- Band = signal strength. Strong / Moderate / Emerging / Weak.
- Stance = direction. Bullish / Bearish / Neutral.
They're computed by different rules and answer different questions. How confident is the engine in this read? (band) and Which direction does it point? (stance).
How stance is determined
Stance is computed only from core factors (delivery, volume, price trend, deals). The four core verdicts get a directional tally:
- Bullish stance — majority of core factors are firing bullish, and the bullish tally exceeds the bearish tally by a margin
- Bearish stance — mirror
- Neutral — core factors are split, contradictory, or none are firing
Context factors (breadth, flows, events) do not influence stance. This is deliberate: a stock should be classified bullish because its own delivery, volume, and price action say so, not because FIIs were net buyers of the index.
How band is determined
Band is computed from the final composite score after all factors plus penalties. The engine requires both a high enough score and a minimum number of core factors firing in the stance direction:
- Strong — high composite score with multiple core factors firing in the same direction
- Moderate — moderate composite score with several core factors aligned
- Emerging — lower score with at least some directional core factors
- Weak — factors are mixed or contradictory
A high score alone won't earn a Strong band without sufficient directional core-factor agreement. This stops a stock from earning "Strong Bullish" off pure context (e.g. great breadth, supportive flows) without any stock-specific bullish action.
The four-by-three matrix
12 possible labels in theory, but in practice some are rare:
| Bullish | Bearish | Neutral | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | Common | Less common | Very rare |
| Moderate | Common | Common | Rare |
| Emerging | Common | Common | Occasional |
| Weak | Common | Common | Most stocks |
"Strong Neutral" is essentially impossible — Strong requires directional core factor count, which by definition isn't neutral.
Bands shift the read
Stance tells you direction; band tells you whether to act:
- Strong Bullish — high-conviction directional signal. Worth opening a research session over.
- Moderate Bullish — directional but with mixed support. Worth a 30-second scan.
- Emerging Bullish — directional but early. Add to watchlist, don't trade.
- Weak Bullish — barely qualifies. Background noise.
The opposite reading for bearish.
What changes day-to-day
Stance changes when core factors flip. This happens slowly — a stock doesn't go from Bullish to Bearish in one session unless something dramatic happens (a major bad filing, a -10% move on volume).
Band changes more often because it tracks the strength of fires. A stock can move from Moderate to Strong band on a single day if volume spikes hard and aligns with existing bullish trend.
Browse stocks by band and stance