Bitcoin

<p>Successful traders don't guess, they screen.</p>
<p>To find "hidden gems" before they moon, or to avoid "fakeouts", you need a systematic approach. This guide breaks down the three pillars of altcoin screening: <strong>Volume, Trend, and Momentum.</strong></p>
<h2 id="1-volume-the-fuel-of-the-market">1. Volume: The Fuel of the Market</h2>
<p>Volume is the total amount of a token traded over a specific period. In technical analysis, volume precedes price. It represents the conviction of market participants.</p>
<ul>
 <li><strong>The Golden Rule</strong>: A price move without volume is a "<strong>fakeout</strong>." A price move with a volume spike is a "<strong>breakout</strong>."<br></li>
 <li><strong>What to Look For</strong>: Look for altcoins where the 24h volume is at least 2–3x higher than its 30-day average.<br></li>
 <li><strong>The "Relative Volume" (RVOL) Factor</strong>: Many traders use the RVOL indicator to spot unusual activity. If you’re scanning a large list of assets, tools like altFINS can automate this by filtering for "Unusual Volume Gainers," or RVOL which highlights coins where current volume significantly exceeds historical norms, often signaling institutional accumulation. Watch<a href="https://youtu.be/T8i1nRv75xQ" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> tutorial video</a> on RVOL.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="2-trend-finding-the-path-of-least-resistance">2. Trend: Finding the Path of Least Resistance</h2>
<p>Screening for trend helps you avoid "catching a falling knife" (buying a coin just because it’s cheap).</p>
<ul>
 <li>Screening Criteria: Look for coins trading above their 50-day and 200-day Moving Averages (MA).<br></li>
 <li>Trend Ratings: For a more comprehensive view, altFINS provides "<strong>Trend Ratings</strong>" across multiple timeframes (Short, Medium, and Long-term). This allows you to quickly see if a coin is in a "Strong Uptrend" across all horizons, which is the ideal scenario for swing traders.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="3-momentum-the-speed-of-the-move">3. Momentum: The Speed of the Move</h2>
<p>While trend tells you where the price is going, momentum tells you how fast it’s getting there. It measures the rate of change in price.</p>
<ul>
 <li>The Goal: Find coins that have just started their "engine." You want to catch the velocity, not the exhaustion at the top.<br></li>
 <li>Key Indicator, <strong>MACD Histogram</strong>: While many look at the RSI, the <a href="https://altfins.com/knowledge-base/crypto-momentum/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">MACD Histogram</a> is excellent for spotting "momentum inflection." When the histogram bars stop declining and start rising, it indicates a bullish shift.<br></li>
 <li>Automating the Search: Instead of checking hundreds of charts manually, you can use<strong><a href="https://altfins.com/crypto-screener" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> pre-set filters </a></strong>like "Uptrend and Fresh Momentum." This specific logic, identifying a coin in a confirmed uptrend that has just had a bullish MACD crossover, is a staple for many professional screeners to find high-probability entry points.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="the-perfect-setup-screener">The "Perfect Setup" Screener</h2>
<p>Using a tool like altFINS, you can combine these three pillars into a single scan. Here is a "Cheat Sheet" for a high-probability altcoin setup:</p>
<p>Filter Criteria:<br><br>Liquidity Vol &gt; $1M &amp; Mcap &gt; $50M .... Weeds out high-risk "micro-caps" <br>Trend Trend Rating = "Strong Up" .... Ensures the overall bias is bullish <br>Volume RVOL &gt; 2.0 .... Confirms the move has "real money" behind it <br>Momentum MACD Histogram Rising .... Captures the start of the price swing</p>
<p></p>
<h2 id="final-pro-tip">Final Pro-Tip:</h2>
<p>Once your screener provides a shortlist of 5–10 coins, don't just click "buy." The final step is to look for market structure. A powerful way to filter the "best from the rest" is to look for coins that are not just trending, but are breaking out of a known chart pattern, such as a Symmetrical Triangle or a Channel Up. <br><br>If you aren't an expert at drawing lines, platforms like altFINS use AI to automatically identify these <a href="https://altfins.com/chart-patterns" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">patterns </a>and even provide a "Target Price" based on the pattern's height. By combining a Volume spike with a Trend rating and a Pattern breakout, you move from gambling to professional-grade probability.</p>

How to Screen Altcoins Like a Pro: A Framework for Volume, Trend, and Momentum

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