EverHint Signal — Momentum Swing: Volatile High Beta — December 11, 2025

What This Signal Is (Quick)

The Volatile High Beta scanner identifies stocks with extreme price volatility (60-150% annualized) that are breaking out to new highs with strong volume confirmation. These are momentum continuation plays designed for risk-tolerant traders who can handle large intraday swings and rapid directional changes.

Signal criteria:

• Volatility: 60-150% annualized (3-4x higher than market average)
• High beta: Stocks that amplify market moves—when indices rise 1%, these can move 2-3%+
• Volume confirmation: Trading volume 1.5x+ above 20-day average (institutional interest)
• Price strength: At or near 52-week highs (momentum continuation)
• Holding period: 1-4 weeks (swing trading timeframe)
• Risk level: High

What makes this signal:

• Stock showing strong momentum near or at all-time highs
• Increased volume confirms institutional buying
• High volatility creates explosive profit potential (and equally explosive risk)
• Breaking out or consolidating near resistance with room to run

Ideal for: Aggressive swing traders comfortable with 5-10% daily moves, tight stops, and rapid position management. Not suitable for buy-and-hold investors or those with low risk tolerance.

This is an experimental scanner focused on capturing momentum in volatile names. Signals are for educational use and back-testing—not financial advice. Always conduct your own due diligence.

How We Ranked Today (Reader Version)

Breakout signals are ranked by composite score (0-100 scale), which weights:

• Momentum strength (rate of change over 10, 21, and 63 days)
• Relative strength vs. SPY
• Volume thrust
• Proximity to 52-week high
• Technical structure (moving average alignment)

Higher scores indicate stronger technical setups with better risk/reward profiles. A score of 100 represents the ideal combination of all factors; scores below 30 suggest weaker setups that require extra caution.

We overlay three critical data points:

1. Insider flows (last 90 days): Net insider buying during breakouts adds conviction—executives putting capital at risk alongside technical signals
2. Earnings proximity: Companies reporting within 60-90 days face event risk that can accelerate or invalidate breakout moves
3. Volume thrust: Ratios above 2.0x indicate exceptionally strong buying pressure

Market context: Broader indices finished positive (S&P 500 +0.58%, Dow +1.31%, Nasdaq +0.36%), VIX dropped 11.8% to 14.85, and small-caps rallied +1.16%. Gold surged +1.19% to $4,309, silver gained alongside, and Bitcoin rose +1.12% to $93,067. This risk-on environment with rising precious metals prices creates ideal conditions for volatile mining breakouts.

⚡ Breakout Signals

6 Volatile High Beta Breakouts — December 11, 2025

Field Notes

Score (0-100 scale): Composite technical quality ranking. AG leads with a perfect 100, combining strong momentum (24% 10-day gain, 21% 21-day gain, 62% 63-day gain), healthy relative strength vs. SPY (+40%), solid volume thrust (1.63x), and all moving averages in bullish alignment. SVM follows at 74 with similar characteristics. Scores below 40 (PLAB at 34, HL at 26, PPTA at 0) suggest weaker technical setups—these breakouts are more speculative and require tighter risk management.

% of 52-Week High: All six signals except BLTE (97.5%) are trading exactly at their 52-week highs—these are fresh breakouts with no overhead resistance. This is rare and bullish, but also creates risk if momentum stalls (no support above current levels). BLTE trading 2.5% below its high suggests a brief consolidation before potential continuation.

Volume Thrust: All signals show 1.6x-2.3x average volume, confirming institutional participation. PLAB leads with 2.34x (strongest buying pressure), followed by BLTE at 2.03x. This level of volume expansion typically signals the start of multi-week trends rather than one-day wonders.

Volatility (63-day annualized): AG 79.6%, BLTE 65.5%, SVM 65.3%, PLAB 89.6%, HL 72.5%, PPTA 73.0%—all well above the 60% threshold. PLAB and AG show the highest volatility, meaning potential for 5-10% daily swings. Position sizing must be smaller to manage risk.

Insider Net: Only two stocks show insider activity—both negative. PLAB insiders sold -$603.7K (CTO sold $225K, two directors sold $125K and $253K) in October-December. PPTA CFO sold -$353.7K in early October. Neither amount is material relative to market cap, but the timing during breakouts suggests insiders are taking profits rather than accumulating. No insider buying across any signal—neutral to mildly bearish overlay.

Sector Concentration: Four of six signals (67%) are precious metals miners (Basic Materials)—AG, SVM, HL, PPTA. This sector-specific clustering reflects surging gold (+1.19%) and silver prices. The breakouts are commodity-driven rather than company-specific, creating correlated risk. If metals reverse, all four could decline simultaneously. BLTE (Healthcare) and PLAB (Technology) provide some diversification.

Earnings Proximity: Four stocks report earnings in 61-75 days (late February 2026), creating moderate event risk. BLTE and PPTA have no scheduled earnings dates—potentially due to recent IPOs or lack of analyst coverage. Stocks without earnings dates can experience lower liquidity and higher unpredictability.

Recent Headlines

AG (First Majestic Silver):

• Completed $350M convertible notes offering (0.125% coupon due 2031) on December 8—includes $50M from over-allotment option. Fresh capital provides runway for expansion and insulates balance sheet against commodity volatility.
• Hit 52-week high as silver prices approach record levels. Zacks highlighted strong Q3 results and Gatos Silver acquisition boosting production momentum.

PPTA (Perpetua Resources):

• Announced partnership with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on December 9 to host modular pilot processing plant for critical minerals including antimony from Stibnite Gold Project. This demonstrates feasibility of producing military-specification antimony trisulfide—strategic for defense applications.
• Strengthened leadership team on December 5 with four senior appointments (SVP Projects, SVP Technical Services, VP Human Resources, VP Investor Relations) as Early Works construction advances ahead of spring 2026 final investment decision.
• CFO sold $353.7K in stock during early October—modest sale, possibly routine portfolio management.

PLAB (Photronics):

• CTO and directors sold -$603.7K between October-December. Insider selling during breakout suggests profit-taking rather than confidence in upside continuation. Watch for reversal signals.

SVM, HL, BLTE:

• No recent headlines in the past 7 days. Likely moving on sector momentum (precious metals rally) rather than company-specific catalysts.

Vlad's Take (EverHint)

December 11 delivered a clean risk-on session: S&P 500 +0.58%, Dow +1.31%, Nasdaq +0.36%, Russell 2000 +1.16%. VIX collapsed 11.8% to 14.85—volatility is compressed, complacency is rising. Gold surged +1.19% to $4,309 (near record highs), silver followed, and Bitcoin rallied +1.12% to $93,067. Treasury yields ticked up modestly (10Y at 4.14%), but not enough to pressure growth assets. This is a goldilocks environment for high-beta breakouts: rising risk appetite, strong commodity momentum, and low volatility creating room for extended runs.

What stands out:

1. Precious metals domination—this is a commodity play, not stock-picking: Four of six signals are silver/gold miners riding the wave of near-record metal prices. AG, SVM, HL, and PPTA are essentially levered bets on silver/gold continuing higher. This creates powerful upside if metals extend—but catastrophic downside if they reverse. The correlation among these names is near 1.0. Don't treat these as independent signals—they're variations of the same trade. If you enter multiple positions, you're not diversifying, you're multiplying risk.

2. All signals at 100% of 52-week high (except BLTE at 97.5%)—breakouts with no safety net: Fresh all-time highs are psychologically powerful (buyers fear missing out, shorts scramble to cover), but they come with zero overhead resistance and zero support. If momentum stalls, there's no floor beneath current prices. These breakouts work spectacularly when they continue (5-15% gains in days), but they collapse just as fast when they fail. You cannot hesitate on stops.

3. Insider selling in PLAB and PPTA—executives taking chips off the table: Insiders sold -$603.7K (PLAB) and -$353.7K (PPTA) during the run-up. Neither amount is material enough to panic about, but the direction matters: executives are reducing exposure, not adding. This doesn't invalidate the technical setup (price and volume matter most), but it removes a potential confirmation layer. Trade these on pure momentum, not insider conviction.

4. Volume thrust 1.6x-2.3x confirms institutional buying, but watch for exhaustion: PLAB (2.34x) and BLTE (2.03x) show explosive volume—this is real money flowing in, not retail chasing headlines. However, extreme volume can signal climax buying rather than sustainable accumulation. If volume spikes above 3x on a single day followed by a reversal candle, that's your exit signal. Institutions front-run retail FOMO, then dump on strength.

5. Low VIX (14.85) creates complacency risk—volatility compression often precedes expansion: Today's VIX drop to 14.85 reflects market calm, but these volatile names carry their own internal volatility regardless of broad market conditions. AG's 79.6% volatility and PLAB's 89.6% volatility mean 5-10% daily swings are normal. A single adverse headline, failed breakout, or profit-taking wave can trigger -15% drops in hours. Your mental stop losses won't execute—use hard stops.

Trading tips for volatile high-beta breakouts:

• Position sizing is everything: Never allocate more than 2-3% of capital to any single high-beta name. With 60-90% annualized volatility, a 5% position could wipe out 15-20% of your account in a bad day. Size small, trade multiple setups if you want exposure.

• Entries on pullbacks, not chases: Don't buy at today's close after these stocks already broke out. Wait for 2-3% pullbacks to the 10-day moving average (shown in the data: AG $15.31, SVM $7.95, BLTE $147.07, PLAB $26.78, HL $17.10, PPTA $25.80). Enter there with stops below the MA. Chasing breakouts in volatile names is a guaranteed way to buy tops.

• Stop losses are non-negotiable: Place hard stops 5-7% below entry (tighter for PLAB and AG given their extreme volatility, wider for BLTE with its healthcare fundamentals). If stop is hit, walk away—don't average down in high-beta names. One failed trade costs 5-7%; stubbornly holding a falling knife costs 30-50%.

• Take profit in thirds: When a position moves 10% in your favor, sell 1/3 and lock gains. At +20%, sell another 1/3. Let the final 1/3 run with a trailing stop. Volatile stocks give back gains fast—you must harvest profits aggressively.

• Watch commodity prices, not company news: For AG, SVM, HL, PPTA—ignore earnings, guidance, and management commentary. Trade the chart of gold (GC=F) and silver (SI=F). If metals roll over, exit mining stocks immediately regardless of technical setups. Fundamentals don't matter in commodity-driven trades.

• Avoid earnings events: The four stocks with scheduled earnings (AG Feb 19, SVM Feb 10, HL Feb 12, PLAB Feb 24) should be exited 3-5 days before reports. Earnings reactions in volatile names are binary—+15% or -20%, no middle ground. Swing traders should not gamble on event risk.

• Beware sector rotation: If VIX spikes above 20 or risk-off flows accelerate (dollar surges, yields spike, crypto dumps), high-beta names get crushed first. Monitor market internals daily—these are not set-and-forget positions.

Risk warning: These are the highest-risk signals EverHint generates. Volatile high-beta breakouts can deliver 15-30% gains in 2-3 weeks, but they can also reverse -20% in a single session. This strategy requires active monitoring, disciplined stops, and emotional control. If you cannot watch these positions during market hours or if you freeze when losses hit 10%, this strategy is not for you. The 60-150% volatility isn't a bug—it's the feature. Embrace it or avoid it, but don't underestimate it.

🔔 If this breakdown was useful, feel free to like, share, or subscribe. Every bit of support matters.

Independent, data-driven signals.
No hype. No promotions. Just experimental market research from EverHint.

This is not financial advice. Do your own due diligence.
See https://www.everhint.com/disclaimer/ and https://www.everhint.com/faqs/