Understanding the Close Above 20 EMA scan

The 20-period exponential moving average is the swing trader's reference line — roughly one month of trading, weighted toward recent prices. A stock closing above its 20 EMA is, by the simplest possible definition, in a short-term uptrend. This screener returns every stock in the universe whose latest completed daily close sits above that line.

The 20 EMA earns its popularity from how leaders behave around it: strong stocks in momentum phases repeatedly pull back to the vicinity of the 20 EMA and bounce, making it a natural trailing reference for entries, adds and stops. When a market-wide rally is healthy, the percentage of index constituents above their 20 EMA expands; when that breadth narrows while the index makes highs, trouble is often brewing underneath.

Because 'above the 20 EMA' is a broad condition, this list is best consumed with a second sort. Sorting matches by relative volume or by distance from the EMA surfaces two very different but equally useful groups — fresh reclaims that just crossed back above (potential new swings) and extended names far above the line (candidates to avoid chasing).

How to use this scan

• Use the list to define your tradable pool — many swing traders only take long setups in stocks above the 20 EMA.
• Watch fresh reclaims: a first close back above the 20 EMA after a pullback is a classic swing entry area.
• Beware of extension: matches trading far above the EMA are stretched and prone to mean-revert.
• Track the count of matches over time as a simple market-breadth gauge.
• Combine with the volume scans to find reclaims backed by real participation.