{
  "scan_date": "2026-08-18",
  "macro_notes": "This scan was run manually mid-morning (~07:47 MDT / 09:47 ET) after the 7:33am cron-driven claude -p invocation failed to do any work today -- it produced a single stray sentence claiming it would 'be notified when the cron-driven scan process exits' and exited without touching daily_scan_prompt.md at all; verify_scan.py correctly caught the missing output file and pushed an ntfy alert ('SwingTrader: Scan Did Not Run'). This is a genuine backfill of today's scan, not a retrospective edit. active_mode=aggressive: all aggressive_overrides applied (RSI ceiling 72, leading-sector breakout ceiling 75; PE band 9-35 with an Energy/Materials PE-up-to-45 exception gated on an active commodity trigger + >10% YoY EPS/FCF growth; stop = 2.5x ATR(14) below entry; T1 20% at 1:1.5 R:R then stop to breakeven; T2 30% at 1:3 R:R trailing below rising 20 EMA; T3 50% runner; risk% by score 5=1.75%/4=1.25%/3=1.0%; min R:R 1:3; cash_reserve_pct 15; max_simultaneous_positions 8). Today is Tuesday, not Wednesday -- funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling's weekly reconfirmation does not apply; retrospective.json's lessons_for_next_scan carried no deferred_megacap_moved item to override that either. Step 1b SKIPPED -- CJT (the one open position) already has company/sector/stop_loss_cad/target_1_cad/target_2_cad/target_1_hit/target_2_hit fully populated. STEP 6 CAVEAT: Questrade MCP tools were not available in this interactive session (same limitation noted on 2026-08-17) -- moot today since new_buys is empty anyway. Lessons applied (retrospective.json generated 2026-08-17, all 3 active): (1) narrow_funnel -- ran a wide sourcing pass across all 7 screener_sources categories (generic TSX swing/breakout/technical screens, Trade That Swing, Globe and Mail breakouts/institutional-accumulation piece, a Healthcare sector sweep continuing the rotation after Technology on 08-17, and the XEG/XFN/XMA/XIT Sector ETF Constituent Check) reaching 20 distinct tickers across 5 sectors (Financials, Energy, Materials, Industrials, Technology) -- clears min_candidates_evaluated_per_scan(15) and min_sectors_represented(5), though only barely on sector breadth: the Healthcare sweep returned no usable TSX-specific candidates, so no Healthcare/Utilities/Consumer/Real Estate names entered today's evaluated set. (2) unconfirmed_volume pattern -- ran dedicated volume checks for TD, BNS, and EIF using both Barchart (20-day average volume: TD 3,805,515; BNS 3,321,493; EIF 146,461) and stockanalysis.com (same-session volume as of ~9:47am ET: TD 290,110; BNS 126,361; EIF 6,013). None of the three shows a clean confirmed breakout-volume ratio, but the reason is now structurally clear rather than a data-source gap: the scan runs ~17 minutes after TSX open, so same-day volume is compared against a full-day average with roughly 96% of the session still ahead -- a same-day volume RATIO is close to structurally unobtainable at this time of day regardless of source quality. Recommend either comparing partial-day volume against a pro-rated expected volume (avg * elapsed-time-fraction) instead of the full-day average, or deferring the volume confirmation to a later intraday re-check (e.g. via check_watchlist_triggers.py) rather than requiring it during the morning scan itself -- flagging this as a process observation for daily_scan_prompt.md, not something this scan can fix by searching harder. (3) unconfirmed_resistance_level pattern -- EIF's $136.75 52-week-high level remains clean and precise, not the blocking issue for any exclusion today. DATA QUALITY: Barchart's technical-analysis pages for TD/BNS/EIF returned an internally-inconsistent 'current price' (derived by adding a YTD-change percentage to the 200d MA, producing implausible values like TD=$199, BNS=$140.89, EIF=$154.47 -- all far off live_prices.json and stockanalysis.com's converging ~$171/$126/$132 readings) -- those Barchart price figures were discarded; only its RSI and 20-day-average-volume figures were used, cross-checked for plausibility against stockanalysis.com's independent current-volume reads. live_prices.json (last_updated 2026-08-18T13:45:03Z) again confirmed as the more reliable source for already-tracked tickers: CJT $88.57, BNS $125.80, EIF $131.82, TD $171.19, all closely matching stockanalysis.com's independent reads taken minutes later. Today's leading sector could not be cleanly determined: WTI crude is up +3.09% today (clears the Energy Phase D commodity trigger, >1% threshold) while gold is only +0.30% (Materials trigger NOT active), but sector-ETF (XEG/XFN/XMA/XIT) percent-move data available today was 4 days stale (Aug 14), not a same-day read -- noted rather than guessed at; moot today since no candidate reached Step 4 scoring on the leading-sector RSI-ceiling distinction anyway. Net result: 0 new_buys (CSU had a genuinely attractive PE of 22.02, within band, but RSI/MACD/volume could not be confirmed today and at ~$3,089/share a $2,500 account cannot size a real position in it regardless of score, so it was not worth spending further search budget on; TMX Group/X has RSI 42.87 in-band but MACD -0.190 negative, failing every setup's MACD requirement; SHOP trailing PE 101.52 fails the 9-35 band with no Technology exception; CLS/MDA/KXS exclusions carried unchanged from 08-17, trailing PE still above the 35 ceiling, no fresh PE search run since the fundamental fact doesn't shift daily), 3 watchlist (TD, BNS, EIF, all carried from 08-17 with updated readings), 1 hold (CJT, stop intact), 20 excluded (9 individually evaluated + 11 recurring mega-caps deferred under funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling, sourced only via the XEG/XFN/XMA Sector ETF Constituent Check today: RY, BMO, CM in Financials; SU, CNQ, CVE in Energy; AEM, ABX, WPM, FNV, NTR in Materials -- their price_cad is left null because today's ETF-constituent-lookup search returned holdings percentages, not per-constituent prices, and no extra search was run to get one per the no-extra-search rule).",
  "candidates_evaluated_count": 20,
  "sectors_evaluated": [
    "Financials",
    "Energy",
    "Materials",
    "Industrials",
    "Technology"
  ],
  "lessons_applied": [
    "narrow_funnel (retrospective.json lessons_for_next_scan #1): wide sourcing across all 7 screener_sources categories reached 20 distinct tickers across 5 sectors, clearing min_candidates_evaluated_per_scan(15) and min_sectors_represented(5); Healthcare sector sweep specifically returned no usable candidates.",
    "unconfirmed_volume pattern: dedicated volume checks re-run for TD, BNS, EIF using two independent sources (Barchart 20-day averages + stockanalysis.com same-session volume); still unconfirmed as a ratio, but now attributed to a structural timing issue (scan runs ~17 min after TSX open, ~96% of session still ahead) rather than a data-source gap -- process recommendation logged in macro_notes.",
    "unconfirmed_resistance_level pattern: EIF's precise level ($136.75) needed no rework and remained the trigger; not the blocking issue for any new exclusion today."
  ],
  "signals": {
    "new_buys": [],
    "holds": [
      {
        "ticker": "CJT",
        "days_held": 3,
        "current_price_cad": 88.57,
        "stop_intact": true,
        "t1_hit": false,
        "t2_hit": false,
        "action": "HOLD -- live_prices.json (2026-08-18T13:45:03Z) confirms $88.57 vs the $87.50 stop, a ~$1.07 (1.2%) buffer, though still underwater relative to the $91.09 entry by about 2.8%. Earnings already passed (Aug 10). 3 trading days held (08-13 entry, 08-14, 08-17, today 08-18 makes day 4 in the market but 3 full days since entry) -- nowhere near the aggressive-mode 5-day (grade B / off-sector, since Industrials isn't one of the four tracked leading-sector ETFs) time stop. No new swing high since entry (price is below entry), so no pyramid ADD trigger. No new candidate scored >=4 today, so no SWAP flag."
      }
    ],
    "exits": [],
    "watchlist": [
      {
        "ticker": "TD",
        "waiting_for": "Toronto-Dominion Bank: live_prices.json confirms $171.19 today (stockanalysis.com independently read $170.97 minutes later, converging). RSI 57.44 (Barchart), within the aggressive 72 ceiling. 20-day average volume 3,805,515 (Barchart); same-session volume as of ~9:47am ET was 290,110 -- too early in the session to compute a meaningful ratio against the full-day average (see macro_notes' structural-timing note). MACD reading not available from today's sources. Next earnings Aug 27, still >3 trading days out. Re-check tomorrow, ideally later in the session for a real volume ratio.",
        "trigger_price_cad": null,
        "trigger_direction": null
      },
      {
        "ticker": "BNS",
        "waiting_for": "Bank of Nova Scotia: live_prices.json confirms $125.80 today (stockanalysis.com independently read $125.99 minutes later), pulling back below Monday's (08-17) intraday watchlist-trigger cross of $126.87 -- that trigger was explicitly not a re-confirmed setup per its own rule, and today's price action bears that out; the breakout has not held. RSI 60.66 (Barchart), within the 72 ceiling. 20-day average volume 3,321,493; same-session volume as of ~9:47am ET was 126,361 -- same early-session timing limitation as TD, no usable ratio yet today. Next earnings Aug 25, 5 trading days out, still clear of the 3-day exclusion. Re-check tomorrow for a fresh close vs. $126.87 and a later-session volume read.",
        "trigger_price_cad": 126.87,
        "trigger_direction": "above"
      },
      {
        "ticker": "EIF",
        "waiting_for": "Exchange Income Corp: live_prices.json confirms $131.82 today (stockanalysis.com independently read $131.90 minutes later), still about 3.6% below its 52-week high of $136.75 -- the trigger has not fired. RSI 55.81 (Barchart), neutral. 20-day average volume ~146,461-165,380 (Barchart/MSN); same-session volume as of ~9:47am ET was only 6,013 -- far too early to read meaningfully. Re-check tomorrow for both a mechanical trigger cross and a later-session volume/MACD read.",
        "trigger_price_cad": 136.75,
        "trigger_direction": "above"
      }
    ]
  },
  "excluded": [
    {
      "ticker": "CSU",
      "reason": "Constellation Software: PE ratio 22.02 is genuinely within the 9-35 band (a standout among today's Technology names), Q2 2026 earnings already passed (Aug 12, profit $274M vs $56M a year earlier). But RSI/MACD/volume could not be confirmed from today's searches, and at a share price of ~$3,089 CAD, even a single share's stop distance (2.5x ATR) would almost certainly exceed the entire per-trade risk budget on a $2,500 account -- position_sizer.py would very likely return 0 shares regardless of setup score. Not worth further search budget today given that practical ceiling; flagged here rather than silently dropped in case account size changes materially.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "X",
      "reason": "TMX Group: RSI 42.87 is within band (neutral), price above its 200d MA (recently crossed, per an Aug 11 alert), but MACD -0.190 is negative -- fails the MACD requirement common to all three entry setups (positive/turning positive for A/B, turning positive for C), and RSI isn't below 35 either so it doesn't qualify for the oversold-reversal carveout. No clean setup fit today.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "SHOP",
      "reason": "Shopify: trailing PE 101.52 (forward 72.17) clearly exceeds the base 9-35 band even before considering RSI (mixed reads, 63.4 neutral vs a stale late-July 74.97 overbought read). Technology gets no PE exception (Energy/Materials only) -- excluded on fundamentals regardless of technicals.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "CLS",
      "reason": "Celestica: reappeared in today's Globe and Mail institutional-accumulation coverage alongside MDA/EIF/KXS/TMX Group. Prior exclusion reasoning stands unchanged: trailing PE 39.71 exceeds the base 9-35 band and Technology doesn't qualify for the Energy/Materials PE exception -- no fresh PE search run today since the fundamental fact doesn't shift daily.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "MDA",
      "reason": "MDA Space: reappeared in the same institutional-accumulation coverage. Prior exclusion reasoning stands unchanged: PE readings conflicted (53.52 TTM vs 33.9 elsewhere) but even the more favorable figure sits right at the 35 ceiling and the more authoritative TTM figure clearly fails; Technology gets no PE exception. No fresh PE search run today.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "KXS",
      "reason": "Kinaxis: reappeared in the same institutional-accumulation coverage. Prior exclusion reasoning stands unchanged: trailing PE 39.20 exceeds the 35 band (forward 27.01 would pass, but trailing is the standard read); Technology gets no PE exception. No fresh PE search run today.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "RY",
      "reason": "Royal Bank of Canada (Financials). Resurfaced only via XFN top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "BMO",
      "reason": "Bank of Montreal (Financials). Resurfaced only via XFN top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "CM",
      "reason": "Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (Financials). Resurfaced only via XFN top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "SU",
      "reason": "Suncor Energy (Energy). Resurfaced only via XEG top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "CNQ",
      "reason": "Canadian Natural Resources (Energy). Resurfaced only via XEG top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "CVE",
      "reason": "Cenovus Energy (Energy). Resurfaced only via XEG top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "AEM",
      "reason": "Agnico Eagle Mines (Materials). Resurfaced only via XMA top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "ABX",
      "reason": "Barrick Mining (Materials). Resurfaced only via XMA top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "WPM",
      "reason": "Wheaton Precious Metals (Materials). Resurfaced only via XMA top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "FNV",
      "reason": "Franco-Nevada (Materials). Resurfaced only via XMA top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    },
    {
      "ticker": "NTR",
      "reason": "Nutrien (Materials). Resurfaced only via XMA top-holdings lookup -- recurring mega-cap name, not individually reconfirmed today (funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling). Weekly reconfirmation runs Wednesdays.",
      "price_cad": null
    }
  ]
}