Price breaking out above the upper Bollinger Band after a period of low volatility (squeeze), confirmed by high volume.
Bollinger Bands (20, 2) are set at two standard deviations above and below a 20-period Simple Moving Average -- roughly 95% of closes fall inside. A close above the upper band is a statistically unusual event indicating price has pushed beyond its recent distribution to the upside. The 1.5x volume filter is the critical differentiator: upper-band breaks on normal volume reverse back inside the bands at a much higher rate than those accompanied by a volume surge. Volume above the threshold signals institutional or momentum participation, not a thin-market drift. The squeeze context -- bands at or near recent low width before the break -- amplifies the signal because the longer and tighter the compression, the more potential energy is released.
on the 5-Min timeframe this screen is used by intraday traders for momentum trades during high-activity windows (first 90 minutes after open, post-news). on the 5-Min chart, it targets multi-day to multi-week swing moves. Failure modes differ by timeframe: on 5-min, the main risk is chasing after the initial burst is over -- the bar after the break often opens inside the bands again. On daily, the most common failure is a "Bollinger Band walk" where price hugs the upper band during a strong trend, generating repeated signals at increasingly poor risk/reward. The screen does not filter for whether the squeeze was extended (a 6-month compression break is higher quality than a 3-day compression). Combine with NR4 Squeeze or NR7 Squeeze to identify setups where the compression preceded the break. For range expansion after a breakout, see the Range Expansion and ATR Expansion Break screens.
Educational references. Videos may not match this screen's exact filters.
This screener finds stocks breaking above the upper Bollinger Band after a squeeze, with volume exceeding 1.5x the 20-period average. The squeeze -- when Bollinger Bands contract to unusually narrow width -- signals a prolonged standoff. A breakout above the upper band backed by heavy volume means the standoff resolved bullishly with conviction. Currently 10 stocks match, making this one of the more active volatility screens on the platform. Momentum traders and breakout traders use it to catch the early stage of a directional expansion. Common search phrases: "Bollinger Band breakout above upper band", "volatility squeeze breakout stocks", "Bollinger squeeze breakout strategy".