Most momentum trades fail because people chase the move after it already happened. Here's the framework I use every single week before putting real capital to work.

1. Volume confirmation before price

I don't care about the chart pattern until volume tells me institutions are paying attention. If a stock is moving on low relative volume, it's noise. I want to see at least 2x average volume before the breakout candle closes — not after.

2. Clean levels with room to run

Momentum without a clear target is just gambling. Before I enter, I map the nearest resistance above. If there's only 3-5% between entry and the next wall, the risk/reward doesn't work. I need at least 2:1 with a logical stop below the consolidation.

3. Sector sympathy

A single stock moving in isolation is suspect. But when the whole sector is rotating in — semiconductors, biotech, energy, whatever — that's when momentum trades have the highest probability. I check at least 3-4 names in the same group before committing.

These three filters alone have saved me from hundreds of bad trades. Simple, but most people skip them because they want to "catch the move."

I publish setups like this every week in The Momentum Brief — real positions, real capital, real levels. No recycled charts.