Stock vs 50/200-Day MA Filter: Trade Above or Below the MA

Why "above the MA" matters

A stock trading above its 200-day moving average is, by definition, in a long-term uptrend. Selling cash-secured puts on uptrending stocks is a higher-probability trade because the long-term tailwind is on your side.

The screener gives you two independent filters:

• Stock vs 50-Day MA — short-term posture (Off / Above / Below)
• Stock vs 200-Day MA — long-term posture (Off / Above / Below)

Both default to "Off" so nothing is filtered.

Where to find it

In the sidebar of both screeners under the technical filters group:

• Put screener
• Call screener

Recommended setups

Conservative wheel — long-term uptrend only:

• Stock vs 200-Day MA = Above
• Stock vs 50-Day MA = Off (any)

Pullback hunter — buying the dip in an uptrend:

• Stock vs 200-Day MA = Above (uptrend confirmed)
• Stock vs 50-Day MA = Below (short-term pullback for richer premium)
• RSI = 30 – 50

Covered-call exit on a downtrend:

• Stock vs 200-Day MA = Below
• Sell calls to harvest premium and exit

A worked example

You own AAPL but it's been weak. You want CCs while waiting for a recovery:

1. Open the Call screener.
2. Type AAPL in the search.
3. Set Stock vs 200-Day MA = Below (confirms the downtrend).
4. Set Moneyness = +3 to +10%.
5. Sort by Premium descending.

You'll see calls priced richly because the market is bearish, and you'll be exiting at a higher price than today.

Common mistakes

1. Using both filters identically. 50-day and 200-day measure very different time horizons. Use them for different purposes.

2. Treating "above MA" as automatic safety. A stock can be above its 200-day MA and still gap down on news. Always pair with Exclude Earnings.

Where to go next

• Pair with MA Crossover filter for full trend picture.
• Add RSI filter for momentum on top of trend.
• Read Conservative Wheel preset for the full conservative recipe.