Every instrument in the Strong Charts screener carries an SSX grade — a letter from A+ (strongest) to D (weakest). This grade condenses five separate market factors into a single signal so you can quickly identify the highest-quality setups without eyeballing each chart individually.
This article explains what each grade means, how the score is calculated, and how to use it in a practical trading workflow.
Grade bands at a glance
The SSX grade system uses ten bands:
- A+ and A — all major factors align strongly. The EMA stack is well-ordered, volume confirms the trend, price is positioned favorably, and there is room overhead. These are the setups worth prioritising.
- B+ and B — most factors align, with one or two minor weaknesses. Still actionable; worth reviewing individually.
- B− and below — the setup has meaningful weaknesses. May still trade, but requires extra care.
- C and D — multiple factors are weak or absent. Best avoided unless you have a specific thesis that overrides the grade.
The five factors behind the score
1. EMA stack quality (impulse factor)
The screener checks three exponential moving averages: the 10, the 21, and the 50. A full stack means price is above the 50 EMA, and the 10 is above the 21. Partial alignment scores lower. A reversed or tangled stack scores zero on this factor.
The impulse factor also looks at how clean the recent candles are — instruments with large wicks relative to their body score lower because they suggest indecision or distribution rather than conviction.
2. Volume signal
Volume is compared against the 20-day average. An instrument trading significantly above its normal volume earns a higher volume score. This distinguishes a breakout with real buyers behind it from one driven by low-liquidity drift.
Volume signals are classified as: CONVICTION (very high volume), ACCUMULATION (steady above average), NEUTRAL, DRYUP (declining volume during consolidation — often bullish), SUSPECT, or DISTRIBUTION.
3. Price pocket distance
A "pocket" is a zone of historical low resistance where price can move quickly if a breakout occurs. The score is higher when price is close to a clean pocket — meaning the instrument has fewer barriers between its current price and the next meaningful resistance level.
More pockets above price means more potential resistance. Fewer, or larger, pockets above score better.
4. Slope (context factor)
A rising EMA is worth more than a flat one. The context factor measures whether the 50 EMA is sloping upward and how steeply. Flat or declining EMAs reduce this score even if the short stack is aligned, because they suggest momentum is decelerating.
5. Buildup / consolidation quality
Instruments that have consolidated tightly — small-range candles for several bars — score higher on the buildup factor. Tight consolidation under resistance often precedes breakouts with unusually good risk/reward. The tighter and more recent the consolidation, the higher the buildup score.
How factors combine into a grade
Each factor is scored on a 0-to-1 scale and then weighted and summed to produce a composite score out of 10. The score maps to a grade band:
- 8.5 – 10.0 → A+
- 7.5 – 8.4 → A
- 6.5 – 7.4 → B+
- 5.5 – 6.4 → B
- 4.5 – 5.4 → B−
- 3.5 – 4.4 → C+
- 2.5 – 3.4 → C
- 1.5 – 2.4 → C−
- 0.5 – 1.4 → D
The thresholds are calibrated so that A+ is genuinely rare — on any given day across 500+ instruments on the 1D timeframe, fewer than 5–10 instruments typically hold an A+ grade.
Using the SSX grade in practice
The most effective workflow with the SSX grade is to use it as a first-pass filter, not a final signal. Sort the screener by grade descending, then open the detail pages for the top 10–15 results. From there, apply your own entry logic — a retest of a breakout level, a specific candle pattern on a lower timeframe, a volume trigger.
Do not enter trades based on grade alone. A high grade means the setup is structurally strong; it does not mean the price will move immediately or in any guaranteed direction.
The grade gate
The "SSX" toggle in the compact bar enables what is called the grade gate. When active, only instruments that pass a minimum grade threshold are shown. The threshold is dynamic — in a bullish BTC regime, it is B−; in a weaker market regime, it tightens further to protect capital from low-quality setups.
Enabling the grade gate dramatically reduces the number of results but significantly increases the average quality of what remains. This is the recommended default for most sessions: fewer instruments to review, each one worth your attention.