{ "scan_date": "2026-08-20", "macro_notes": "Run interactively at the user's explicit request (daily_scan_prompt.md invoked verbatim). active_mode=aggressive: all aggressive_overrides applied (RSI ceiling 72, leading-sector breakout ceiling 75; PE band 9-35 with Energy/Materials PE-up-to-45 exception gated on an active commodity trigger + >10% YoY EPS/FCF growth -- NOT active today, see below; 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). MACRO CONTEXT (drove most of today's scoring): TSX dropped ~300pts on 2026-08-18 as a 50% US tariff deadline on ~$28B of Canadian goods approached; a 3-day pause was announced the night of 08-18, and the TSX edged up +34pts on 08-19 with Materials (precious metals) leading a relief rally while Financials lagged. That pause is due to expire around 08-21/08-22. TODAY (08-20): live_prices.json (15:35Z) shows Financials selling off again -- BNS -1.99%, RY -1.78%, TD -1.79% -- while Energy holds up (CNQ +2.35%, CVE +0.40%) and Utilities/Industrials-adjacent names are flat-to-up (CU +0.87%, EIF +0.70%). Gold -0.81% and WTI -0.33% today -- neither exceeds the Phase D commodity-trigger magnitude in the bullish direction needed for the Energy/Materials PE-45 exception (gold's move, though >0.5% in magnitude, is a decline, which doesn't support the bullish-momentum rationale the exception exists for), so the exception was NOT applied to any candidate today. STOP HIT -- CJT: live_prices.json shows CJT at $87.38 (-0.47% today), below its $87.50 stop_loss_cad. Cross-checked via an independent search (returned $77.61, clearly a stale/mismatched quote with no supporting news of a ~11% single-day drop) and discarded per the same live_prices.json-is-ground-truth precedent used on 08-19 for this same ticker. Treating $87.38 as current and accurate: EXIT (stop hit), see signals.exits -- this is the first stop-hit flag for CJT (08-19's scan had it 'stop intact'), not a repeat of a prior EXIT call, so no escalation language applies. LESSONS APPLIED (retrospective.json generated 2026-08-19, all 3 active -- see lessons_applied below for detail). STEP 6: signals.new_buys is empty today, so Step 6's Questrade auto-execution had nothing to act on -- no MCP calls were made. WATCHLIST RESOLUTION (Step 1c): re-searched all 7 carried tickers (TD, BNS, EIF, RY, CNQ, CVE, CU) against their waiting_for conditions before any new sourcing. None crossed their mechanical trigger (BNS $126.87, EIF $136.75, CU $56.90 all still pending; TD/RY/CNQ/CVE have no single crossable trigger). CVE notably broke to a fresh all-time high today ($45.01, above the previously-noted 08-17 ATH of $44.60) but this is not itself a confirmed setup_B breakout -- '2+ prior touches' at that level and today's breakout-volume ratio are both still unconfirmed, so it stays on watchlist (score ~3: above 200MA, RSI in band, MACD positive) rather than being promoted. All 7 remain under the 7-trading-day carry limit (oldest carried since 08-18, day 3 today) and none lost their 200d EMA, so none were moved to excluded. SOURCING (Step 2): the 5 generic screener_sources queries (SwingTradeBot, Barchart, TradingView, Trade That Swing, Globe and Mail) again returned no concrete candidate lists, same recurring pattern as prior scans -- applied funnel_breadth.screener_outage_fallback with 4 additional fallback searches (52-week-high list, Real Estate/REIT, Communication Services/Telecom, Consumer Discretionary) plus the standard Sector ETF Constituent Check. This surfaced one genuinely new candidate, Aritzia (ATZ, Consumer Discretionary) -- initially promising on a stale 'surged 3.22%' headline, but a fresh price check showed ATZ at $137.63 against a 200-day EMA of $153.17 (price ~10% BELOW its 200MA, down from a 52wk high of $174.52) -- fails the baseline above-200EMA gate that both modes share, excluded outright. Real Estate and Telecom searches returned no TSX-specific technical setups worth carrying forward. RECURRING MEGA-CAPS: today is Thursday, not Wednesday, so funnel_breadth.recurring_megacap_handling's standard (non-reconfirming) path applies to BMO, CM, SU, AEM, ABX, WPM, FNV, NTR -- all individually reconfirmed-and-failed just yesterday (08-19, a Wednesday) for concrete reasons (bearish MACD, stale data, below-200MA, etc.) unlikely to reverse in one session, especially with Materials broadly softer today after 08-19's relief rally. A single batch price-lookup search was run per the 'no extra search needed, pull from the ETF-lookup result' intent, but only returned BMO's price ($258.87); the other 7 did not resolve in that same lookup, so their excluded entries carry price_cad: null today rather than burning 7 more individual searches on names just reconfirmed-failed 08-19 -- flagging this gap rather than silently leaving it unexplained. Technology names (CSU, X, SHOP, CLS, MDA, KXS) and 08-19's two fresh exclusions (ALC, ADW.A) carry forward unchanged -- their exclusion reasons (PE band, negative MACD, sub-scale market cap) are fundamental facts that don't shift daily, consistent with 08-18/08-19's precedent for not re-running searches on them. TOTAL: 25 distinct tickers evaluated across 7 sectors (Financials, Energy, Materials, Industrials, Technology, Utilities, Consumer Discretionary) today, clearing both min_candidates_evaluated_per_scan(15) and min_sectors_represented(5). Net result: 0 new_buys, 7 watchlist (TD/BNS/EIF/RY/CNQ/CVE carried with updated reads reflecting today's Financials-selloff/Energy-strength divergence, CU carried unchanged), 0 holds (CJT moved from hold to exit on the stop hit), 1 exit (CJT, stop hit), 17 excluded (8 recurring megacaps not individually reconfirmed today per the standard template, 6 Technology names carried forward on unchanged PE-fundamentals, ALC/ADW.A carried forward unchanged, ATZ newly excluded on failing the 200EMA gate).", "candidates_evaluated_count": 25, "sectors_evaluated": [ "Financials", "Energy", "Materials", "Industrials", "Technology", "Utilities", "Consumer Discretionary" ], "lessons_applied": [ "narrow_funnel (retrospective.json lessons_for_next_scan #1): only 1 distinct ticker (CJT) traded across the whole program to date, below the 15-ticker breadth target. Applied funnel_breadth's full sourcing requirement -- ran every screener_sources entry plus funnel_breadth.screener_outage_fallback (4 additional searches: 52-week-high list, Real Estate, Telecom, Consumer Discretionary) after the generic screeners again returned no concrete lists, reaching 25 distinct tickers across 7 sectors today, clearing both min_candidates_evaluated_per_scan(15) and min_sectors_represented(5). This is a breadth exercise, not a conversion one -- 0 new_buys today reflects genuinely weak/unconfirmed setups amid a tariff-driven Financials selloff, not under-sourcing.", "unconfirmed_volume pattern: persisted again today for every watchlist/new-candidate ticker (TD/BNS/EIF/RY/CNQ/CVE/CU/ATZ) -- no source returned a same-session-vs-average volume ratio for any of them. Same structural gap flagged on 08-18/08-19 (scan timing + megacap TA pages generally omitting current-day volume); this is now a persistent, unresolved process gap worth a prompt/tooling fix rather than continuing to re-diagnose it daily.", "unconfirmed_resistance_level pattern: directly relevant to CVE today -- it broke to a fresh all-time high ($45.01) but '2+ prior touches' at that level couldn't be confirmed, so it was kept on watchlist rather than scored as a confirmed setup_B breakout despite the price strength. CU remains watchlisted on the same unconfirmed-touches basis near its $56.90 ATH." ], "signals": { "new_buys": [], "holds": [], "exits": [ { "ticker": "CJT", "exit_reason": "Stop hit: live_prices.json (2026-08-20T15:35:03Z) shows $87.38, below the $87.50 stop_loss_cad. Cross-checked against an independent search that returned $77.61 -- discarded as a stale/mismatched quote (no news supporting an ~11% single-day drop), consistent with the 08-19 precedent of trusting live_prices.json for already-tracked tickers. This is the first stop-hit flag for CJT; 08-19's scan had the stop intact, so this is a new event, not a repeat/escalation.", "action": "EXIT full position" } ], "watchlist": [ { "ticker": "TD", "waiting_for": "Toronto-Dominion Bank: live_prices.json shows $160.71 today (-1.79%), down sharply from $169.91 on 08-19 -- part of a broad Financials selloff today (BNS/RY also down ~1.8-2%), likely tariff-pause-expiry jitters given the 3-day pause from 08-18 lapses around 08-21/22. One source cites RSI '70-plus, overbought' (unclear how current) alongside MACD 1.170 Buy and price above 50/100/200MA. Given today's negative price action and a possibly-overbought RSI, this is not a day to treat TD as strengthening -- re-check tomorrow for whether the selloff continues or reverses, and still no same-session volume ratio obtainable.", "trigger_price_cad": null, "trigger_direction": null }, { "ticker": "BNS", "waiting_for": "Bank of Nova Scotia: live_prices.json shows $118.80 today (-1.99%), down from $125.36 on 08-19 -- moved further away from the $126.87 resistance-reclaim trigger, not closer, amid today's Financials-wide selloff. MACD/RSI reads from prior sessions were mildly positive but are now stale given today's move. Same-session volume ratio still unconfirmed (4th consecutive scan on this blocker). Re-check tomorrow for whether the selloff continues.", "trigger_price_cad": 126.87, "trigger_direction": "above" }, { "ticker": "EIF", "waiting_for": "Exchange Income Corp: live_prices.json shows $130.12 today (+0.70%), still about 4.9% below its 52-week high of $136.75 -- trigger not fired. Average volume ~224.32K confirmed (stockanalysis.com), same-session ratio still unconfirmed. MACD buy signal persists. Earnings already passed (Aug 11), no near-term exclusion risk. Re-check tomorrow for the mechanical trigger cross and a same-session volume read.", "trigger_price_cad": 136.75, "trigger_direction": "above" }, { "ticker": "RY", "waiting_for": "Royal Bank of Canada: live_prices.json shows $281.80 today (-1.78%), part of today's broad Financials selloff. Prior 200MA figure ($253.31) and a stray high price ($293.47) were flagged 08-19 as internally inconsistent (~16% gap); still no source today resolves that cleanly. Missing: a confirmed pullback-to-EMA or defined resistance/breakout level (unclear which setup fits), and same-session volume ratio. Re-check tomorrow with a source giving a consistent current price plus a clearer chart-position read.", "trigger_price_cad": null, "trigger_direction": null }, { "ticker": "CNQ", "waiting_for": "Canadian Natural Resources: live_prices.json shows $70.09 today (+2.35%), notably stronger than the broader market amid today's Financials weakness -- Energy is showing relative strength this week (also see CVE). A stale (~08-06-dated) resistance level of $68.15 has already been cleared, so it's no longer a useful reference; no fresh, today-dated resistance/breakout level was found. RSI/MACD reads from 08-19 (54.62 neutral / 0.07 Buy) are now a day stale. Missing: a current resistance/breakout level and same-session volume ratio. Re-check tomorrow for a fresh chart-position read given today's strength.", "trigger_price_cad": null, "trigger_direction": null }, { "ticker": "CVE", "waiting_for": "Cenovus Energy: live_prices.json shows $45.01 today (+0.40%), a fresh all-time high, clearing the prior 08-17 ATH of $44.60. Above its 200-day MA ($33.87), RSI reads (67.49/52.06 from 08-19) were within the 72 ceiling. This looks like an emerging setup_B breakout but isn't confirmed yet: '2+ prior touches' at the $44.60-45.01 level and today's breakout-volume ratio (>1.2x avg) are both unconfirmed -- scores ~3 (above 200MA, RSI in band, MACD positive), one confirmation short of new_buy eligibility per Step 4's watchlist rule. Re-check tomorrow specifically for volume and a resistance-touch count; if Energy is confirmed as the clear leading sector, the RSI ceiling would rise to 75 under setup_B.", "trigger_price_cad": null, "trigger_direction": null }, { "ticker": "CU", "waiting_for": "Canadian Utilities: live_prices.json shows $53.52 today (+0.87%), still ~5.9% below its Jul 31 all-time high of $56.90 -- trigger not fired. RSI/MACD still not found in any today-dated source (same gap as 08-19). MarketBeat's Aug 14 200MA-cross confirmation still stands as the most recent structural signal. Next earnings Oct 22, no near-term risk. Re-check tomorrow with a more targeted RSI/MACD query.", "trigger_price_cad": 56.9, "trigger_direction": "above" } ] }, "excluded": [ { "ticker": "ATZ", "reason": "Aritzia (Consumer Discretionary). New candidate today, surfaced via the Consumer Discretionary fallback search on a headline claiming a 3.22% surge -- but that headline proved stale; a fresh price check shows ATZ at $137.63 against a 200-day EMA of $153.17 (price ~10% below its 200MA, down from a 52-week high of $174.52). Fails the baseline above-200EMA gate both modes share, regardless of RSI (50.9, neutral) or MACD (0.22, positive) otherwise looking constructive.", "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). Individually reconfirmed and failed yesterday (08-19, Wednesday) on bearish MACD + internally inconsistent MA data; not re-checked today since it's not the Wednesday reconfirmation day.", "price_cad": 258.87 }, { "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": "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 }, { "ticker": "CSU", "reason": "Constellation Software: unchanged from 08-19 -- PE 22.02 in band but RSI/MACD/volume unconfirmed, and at ~$3,089/share a $2,500 account's stop distance (2.5x ATR) would almost certainly exceed the entire per-trade risk budget regardless of setup score. No fresh search run today since the sizing ceiling hasn't changed.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "X", "reason": "TMX Group: unchanged from 08-19 -- RSI 42.87 in-band, price above 200d MA, but MACD -0.190 negative, failing every setup's MACD requirement. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "SHOP", "reason": "Shopify: unchanged from 08-19 -- trailing PE 101.52 clearly exceeds the base 9-35 band; Technology gets no PE exception. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "CLS", "reason": "Celestica: unchanged from 08-19 -- trailing PE 39.71 exceeds the base 9-35 band; Technology gets no PE exception. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "MDA", "reason": "MDA Space: unchanged from 08-19 -- PE readings conflicted (53.52 TTM vs 33.9 elsewhere) but even the more favorable figure sits at the 35 ceiling; Technology gets no PE exception. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "KXS", "reason": "Kinaxis: unchanged from 08-19 -- 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 search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "ALC", "reason": "Algoma Central (Industrials): unchanged from 08-19 -- MACD -0.040 (Sell), fails setup_B's MACD requirement despite trading within ~1% of its 52-week high. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null }, { "ticker": "ADW.A", "reason": "Andrew Peller (Consumer Staples): unchanged from 08-19 -- RSI/MACD in-range but at a ~$5.27 share price with ~$393M FY2026 revenue, this looks below the $500M CAD minimum market cap threshold; not individually reconfirmed via a dedicated market-cap search today. No fresh search run today.", "price_cad": null } ] }