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FreeIndicators·ThinkorSwim

Smarter Earnings

Earnings reaction context with expected-move guardrails.

How to install in ThinkorSwim

  1. In ThinkorSwim, open a chart, then go to Studies → Edit Studies.
  2. Click Create, clear the editor, and paste the code.
  3. Name it, click Apply, then OK, and it draws on your chart.

How to Use — WeTradePro Smarter Earnings

Marks every past earnings date and measures the move that followed, then reports how violently this stock typically reacts. Educational, not advice.

What it is (one line)

A daily-chart overlay that flags past earnings bars, bubbles the post-earnings % reaction on each, and labels the average and biggest reaction across all events shown.

Who it's for & best timeframe

Trader typeHow you use itBest timeframeNotes
Day traderKnow the expected gap size before an earnings-day tradeDaily (read), then trade intradaySizing/expectation tool
Swing traderBest fit — decide whether to hold through, or flatten before, earningsDailyAverage reaction = your risk if you hold over
Position traderGauge whether this name is an earnings-volatility minefieldDaily / WeeklyContext for long-horizon holds

Best overall: Daily chart. Earnings are a daily event; HasEarnings() only resolves on a daily aggregation.

What you see

  • A dashed vertical line on each past earnings bar.
  • A bubble on each earnings bar with the post-earnings % move (green up / red down).
  • Labels: number of earnings on the chart, the average absolute reaction, and the single biggest move.

How to trade with it

  1. Set expectations. If average reaction is 9%, a stock holding into earnings can gap ~9% either way — size so that gap is survivable.
  2. Hold-or-flatten decision. Big average reaction + you don't want gap risk = flatten before the report. Small average reaction = holding through is lower-stakes.
  3. Read the pattern. If the last several reactions were all green, the stock has been rewarded for results — but never assume the next one repeats.
  4. Post-earnings drift. Pair with WTP Post-Earnings to see whether the initial reaction tends to keep going or fade.

Settings (inputs)

  • barsAfter (1) — how many bars after the report to measure the reaction. 1 = next-day close. Raise to capture a multi-day reaction window.
  • showBubbles (yes) — toggle the per-event % bubbles.
  • showClouds (yes) — toggle the vertical earnings markers.

Best on

  • Liquid single stocks with a real earnings history (mega/large caps). ETFs and futures don't report earnings, so this study has nothing to mark on them.

Common mistakes

  • Running it on an intraday chart — HasEarnings() is a daily event; use a Daily chart.
  • Assuming the next move equals the average — the average is context, not a forecast.
  • Confusing reaction direction with a signal — a green past reaction is history, not a buy.
  • Data limitation (honest note): HasEarnings() flags only PAST earnings that your broker's data has on record — it does NOT predict the next date and can miss older events on a short data history. The reaction is measured to a fixed N bars after each event for comparability; a stock that keeps moving for days will show only the N-bar slice.

Video script outline (for your WeTradePro tutorial)

  1. Hook: "Should you hold through earnings? Let the stock's own history tell you."
  2. Add the study on a daily chart; point out the earnings markers.
  3. Read a bubble: "+8%, then -11% last quarter — this thing moves."
  4. The average-reaction label = your gap-risk number.
  5. Use it to size, or to decide to flatten before the print.
  6. Honest note: past dates only, not a predictor.
  7. Recap + "import link in description."

Educational analysis, not financial advice.

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