Methodology
How HornScout reads the market
HornScout gathers market data and organises it into readable context: what state the different parts of the market are in, and which names are worth a look. We don't predict prices or give buy/sell advice. We give you data and context; the decision is yours.
Last updated: 16 May 2026
Data in migration
We're updating our historical database; some figures may vary while the process lasts.
What Context is (and what it's for)
Context is a snapshot of the market's state by layers: trend, breadth, sector cycles, stress, credit, rates and liquidity. It helps you get your bearings before looking at a specific stock — to know whether the wind is at your back or in your face. It is not a ranking or a buy signal.
Where the data comes from
We use market data (prices and volume) and regulatory data (filings and insider transactions) from official providers and registries in the US and Europe. We store and process it ourselves: what you see are internal reads over stored data, not a live market lookup at that exact moment.
The layers and what they measure
For each layer we tell you what it measures and why it matters — not the exact formula. The formulas are the least of it; the value is in the curated universe, the data cleaning and how it's presented.
- Trend and breadth — whether the market is rising or falling and how many stocks back the move.
- Sector cycles — which phase of the cycle each sector is in (leading, improving, cooling, lagging) and how long it's been there.
- Stress — how much instability there is in the market.
- Credit — whether financing conditions are tightening or easing.
- Rates and liquidity — the backdrop of interest rates and available money.
Confidence and freshness (Data Health)
Every read carries a data-health indicator: how fresh and complete it is. Data health changes confidence, not market direction: if something is out of date, we say so rather than making a read look cleaner than the data allows.
Percentiles and history
When you see a percentile (p80), it means where today's value falls against its own history: a description of how high or low it is, not a prediction of what will happen. The history is built on our price database; we use it for perspective, never as a forecast.
The universe we look at
We work over a universe of stocks curated by us, not over an index like the S&P 500 or the IBEX. That means what you see reflects our selection and cleaning, not 'the whole market'.
Honest limits
- Survivorship bias — history tends to over-represent what still trades.
- Limited coverage — if a layer or a stock has little data, we flag it.
- Zero flags is not zero risk — no alerts means our data found nothing, not that there is no risk.
- Beta and migration — we're migrating the historical database; some reads may shift during the process. We flag it where it applies.
What we don't do
HornScout is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. It is a data and context tool for your own analysis. Investment decisions are yours and your responsibility.
FAQ
- Does HornScout tell me what to buy or sell? — No. We don't give recommendations or investment advice. We show you data and context for your own analysis; the decision is yours.
- Do you predict price or returns? — No. The reads, including percentiles, describe the current state and its history; they don't anticipate what will happen.
- What does 'zero flags' on a stock mean? — That our data found no alerts, not that the stock is free of risk. Coverage is limited to the data we hold.
- What does data health mean? — It indicates whether the information is fresh and complete. It affects the confidence of the read, not the market direction.
- Which markets do you have data for? — Mainly the US and Europe. The universe is our own selection, not a full index.
- Why do some figures change these days? — We're migrating the historical database; some reads may adjust during the process. We flag it where it applies.
Questions
Questions about how we read something? Write to us at [email protected].
Questions about how we read something? Write to us at [email protected].