July 11, 2026·8 min read·By WideRadar

A Breakout Checklist Using the Full WideRadar Dashboard

Before entering a breakout, five data points should align. Here's a multi-tab checklist — using the Breadth, Leaders, and Charting tabs — that helps you separate high-probability setups from low-quality ones.

Most failed breakout trades have one thing in common: the trader checked the chart and ignored everything else. A quality breakout isn't just a stock clearing a resistance level — it's a stock clearing a resistance level in the right environment, from the right sector, with the right internal metrics confirming behind it. Here's the checklist that integrates all of that.

Check 1: Breadth environment — is the market in a buying regime?

Tab: Breadth → Summary row

Before looking at any individual stock, check the market regime. Ask:

• Is the 5-day breadth ratio above 1.5:1? (Buyers in control)
• Is the Market Tone indicator reading Bull or at least Neutral?
• Is the VIX below 25? (Manageable volatility)
• Is the surge count (20%/5d) expanding or stable? (Not contracting sharply)

If the breadth environment fails — ratio below 1:1, VIX above 30, Market Tone Bear — this is not the time for new breakout entries regardless of how attractive the individual setup looks. The macro backdrop must be supportive first.

Check 2: Sector leadership — is this stock's sector leading?

Tab: Leaders → Sector panel

Identify the stock's sector (Technology, Health Care, Financials, etc.) and check its RS Score on the Leaders tab. The stock's sector should have an RS Score above 50, ideally above 65. A breakout in a sector with an RS Score of 20 is swimming against the current — even if the individual setup is perfect, the group headwind reduces the probability of follow-through.

Also check the trend of the sector RS: is it rising (good) or declining (warning)?

Check 3: Leadership Score — is this stock institutionally sponsored?

Tab: Leaders → Stock list, or Gainers/Losers → Leadership Score column

Check the Leadership Score for your candidate. Target stocks with a score above 70 — ideally above 75. A high score means the stock has multiple confirming factors (trend, RS, momentum, volume) aligned, not just one. A low score on a stock clearing resistance usually means the move is news-driven, speculative, or isolated — without the institutional buying that sustains a breakout.

Check 4: Chart pattern — is the setup technically clean?

Tab: Charting → Select ticker

Open the chart and evaluate the setup quality:

• Is the stock in a recognizable base (flat base, cup, handle, ascending triangle)?
• Has it consolidated for at least 3–4 weeks? (Shorter consolidations are lower quality)
• Is the price approaching a clear resistance level, not an arbitrary round number?
• Is the stock trading above its 50-day and 200-day SMAs?
• Are the moving averages trending upward (not flat or declining)?

Check 5: Volume — is the breakout being confirmed by volume?

Tab: Charting → Volume bars

Volume confirmation is the final and often most decisive check:

• On the breakout day: volume should be at least 150% of the 50-day average — ideally 200–300%+
• During the consolidation: volume should have been declining (drying up) as the stock coiled in the base — this indicates sellers have been exhausted
• The first day of the breakout move should be a close near the highs of the session, not a reversal that closes in the lower half of the day's range

A breakout on below-average volume is the single clearest warning sign of a false start. Wait for the volume before committing size.