Metric Glossary
Every number should explain what it measures and what it does not.
Stock Analysis Desk uses metrics to organize research context, not to promise performance or issue personalized instructions.
Quick read
Stock Analysis Desk uses metrics to organize research context, not to promise performance or issue personalized instructions.
Watch for
Stale data. Missing contradiction. Weak sources.
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Review methodologyHow to read metrics
Read every score, rate, range, and label beside its horizon, source class, and limitation. If those details are missing, the metric should be treated as a prompt for more research rather than a conclusion.
Numbers can make a page easier to scan, but they should not hide uncertainty. A useful metric points to the next question: source freshness, contradiction, option friction, sample size, or thesis invalidation.
Definitions
Evidence strength
- Definition
- A heuristic summary of how much visible support exists for a research idea.
- Horizon
- Current research session unless the page states another window.
- Source class
- Model-assisted and rule-based research context.
- How to use it
- Use it to decide whether an idea deserves more review, not whether to trade.
Limitation: It is not a probability of profit and may be weak when source freshness or sample size is poor.
Historical directional outcome rate
- Definition
- The share of mature, decisive observations where the later directional outcome matched the recorded directional model output.
- Horizon
- The observation horizon documented by the specific report or methodology panel.
- Source class
- Historical or shadow-tested outcome review.
- How to use it
- Read beside sample count, exclusions, baseline, and model version.
Limitation: It is not personalized performance, executable trading history, or proof that future observations will behave the same way.
Risk score
- Definition
- A heuristic risk flag derived from exposure, liquidity, volatility, news, source quality, or page-specific inputs.
- Horizon
- Current saved portfolio, contract, or research view.
- Source class
- Calculated app heuristic.
- How to use it
- Higher risk means more review is needed before relying on the idea.
Limitation: It does not measure suitability, maximum loss in every scenario, tax impact, or account-level financial capacity.
Option-contract quality
- Definition
- A review of whether an option contract has enough liquidity and realistic execution context to be studied responsibly.
- Horizon
- Latest available option-chain snapshot or recorded paper-trade timestamp.
- Source class
- Market-data-derived contract review.
- How to use it
- Check spread, volume, open interest, quote age, expiration, and size before paper tracking.
Limitation: Displayed quality does not guarantee fills, slippage, available size, or future liquidity.
Data freshness
- Definition
- A label describing whether a source appears live, delayed, cached, stale, fallback, or unavailable.
- Horizon
- Timestamp or cache window shown by the page.
- Source class
- Source health and request metadata.
- How to use it
- Use stale or fallback labels as reasons to slow down and verify primary sources.
Limitation: Fresh data can still be incomplete, wrong, or already priced into the market.
Observed price range
- Definition
- A historical or modeled range used to frame uncertainty around prior movement.
- Horizon
- The page-specific lookback or model horizon.
- Source class
- Historical market movement or model output.
- How to use it
- Use it as context for uncertainty and review thresholds.
Limitation: It is not a price target, forecast guarantee, or personalized entry/exit instruction.
Invalidation condition
- Definition
- The evidence or event that would materially weaken or overturn the current thesis.
- Horizon
- Defined by the user or research page before outcome review.
- Source class
- User-entered or model-suggested research note.
- How to use it
- Record it before paper tracking so hindsight cannot quietly rewrite the thesis.
Limitation: It is a research discipline tool, not a stop-loss, order instruction, or suitability assessment.
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