Oversold Bounce Strategy

Catch potential reversals in quality stocks that have been sold off too far.

What It Detects

Stocks that are:

  • Oversold (RSI below 30)
  • Still in long-term uptrend (above 200-day MA)
  • Large enough to be liquid (market cap > $1B)
  • Potentially ready for a bounce back

The Formula

rsi(14) < 30 and c > sma(200) and f.market_cap > 1B

How It Works

  1. rsi(14) < 30 - RSI below 30 indicates oversold conditions
  2. c > sma(200) - Price still above 200-day MA (long-term uptrend intact)
  3. f.market_cap > 1B - Large cap stocks with liquidity

When to Use

Best for:

  • Bull markets with normal pullbacks
  • Mean reversion trading (hold 3-10 days)
  • Quality stocks temporarily beaten down
  • Risk-defined entries

Avoid when:

  • Bear market (catching falling knives)
  • Stocks breaking long-term support
  • Fundamental deterioration
  • Low volume (can't exit easily)

Parameters You Can Tweak

Very Oversold (Extreme)

rsi(14) < 25 and c > sma(200) and f.market_cap > 2B
  • More extreme oversold level (RSI < 25)
  • Larger caps only for safety

Earlier Entry

rsi(14) < 35 and c > sma(200) and f.market_cap > 1B and c > sma(50)
  • Less oversold (RSI < 35) catches bounces earlier
  • Adds 50-day MA filter for shorter-term uptrend

Add Volume Confirmation

rsi(14) < 30 and c > sma(200) and f.market_cap > 1B and v < sma(v, 20)
  • Low volume on selloff (exhaustion)
  • Wait for volume spike on bounce day for entry

Example Columns to Add

Price: c
RSI: rsi(14)
200MA: sma(200)
Distance from 200MA: (c - sma(200)) / sma(200) * 100
Chg%: roc(1)
Vol vs Avg: v / sma(v, 20)

Entry Strategies

Conservative (Confirmation)

Wait for:

  1. RSI < 30 (scan finds it)
  2. Volume spike day (accumulation)
  3. RSI turns up (> 35)
  4. Enter on first green day

Aggressive (Earlier)

  1. RSI < 30 (scan finds it)
  2. Price tests key support level
  3. Enter immediately with tight stop

Exit Strategies

Take Profits:

  • RSI reaches 50-55 (neutral)
  • Price returns to 20-day MA
  • 3-5% gain (typical bounce range)

Stop Loss:

  • Price breaks below recent low
  • RSI makes new low below 25
  • 3-4% below entry

What to Watch For

Strong signals:

  • Clean downtrend channel (orderly pullback)
  • Holding key support levels
  • Low volume on decline (no panic)
  • Overall market stable or up

Warning signs:

  • Breaking 200-day MA
  • Accelerating decline
  • High volume selling (distribution)
  • Negative news/fundamentals

Common Mistakes

  1. Fighting the trend - Only trade oversold in uptrends
  2. No stop loss - "Oversold" can get more oversold
  3. Holding too long - Take profits at RSI 50-55
  4. Ignoring volume - Need volume confirmation for bounce
  5. Averaging down - Don't add if first position fails

Variations

Quality Filter

rsi(14) < 30 and c > sma(200) and f.market_cap > 5B and f.pe > 0 and f.pe < 30

Adds P/E ratio filter for profitable, reasonably valued stocks

Short-term Bounce

rsi(5) < 20 and rsi(14) < 35 and c > sma(50)

Uses 5-period RSI for very short-term (1-3 day) bounces

Pro Tips

  • Best time: End of day scans, enter next morning
  • Market context: Works best when SPY is also oversold but holding support
  • Size smaller: Mean reversion has lower win rate than trend following
  • Set alerts: Get notified when RSI turns up from oversold
  • Chart patterns: Look for bullish divergence (price lower low, RSI higher low)

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