Trends With No Friends
Find strong price trends before the social narrative becomes crowded
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
Trends With No Friends combines price relative strength with low social attention. A screen first identifies established companies whose shares are moving strongly. Social data then removes names already dominating discussion and highlights securities with comparatively few followers or posts. This creates a candidate set where price may be signaling improving fundamentals before the market narrative becomes popular. The investor still investigates the catalyst, company story, valuation, and product because unexplained momentum is difficult to hold through volatility. The framework therefore joins quantitative discovery with qualitative conviction. Its intended output is an underfollowed trend that can benefit as more investors eventually notice and understand the company.
Origin
Lindzon developed the approach from IBD-style price relative strength and StockTwits data showing which rising tickers still had little social discussion.
Core principles
- 01Let price strength identify candidates
- 02Prefer trends with limited social attention
- 03Understand the catalyst before committing
- 04Use product knowledge to sustain conviction
How to run it
- 1
Screen for strength
Rank eligible stocks by price relative strength and recent trend quality.
Pro tip Use a minimum market-cap threshold to avoid fragile microcap signals.
Watch out A one-day spike is not a durable trend.
- 2
Measure social attention
Compare discussion volume, follower counts, and narrative intensity across the strongest stocks.
Pro tip Normalize attention for company size and trading volume where possible.
Watch out Low discussion can also indicate a genuinely uninteresting or troubled company.
- 3
Find the mismatch
Prioritize names showing strong price behavior but limited social participation.
Pro tip Look for steady accumulation rather than a publicity-driven jump.
Watch out Do not assume social attention must eventually arrive.
- 4
Explain the catalyst
Research what operational, industry, or product change could sustain the trend.
Pro tip State the catalyst in plain language before investing.
Watch out If the move remains inexplicable, conviction may collapse during volatility.
- 5
Track discovery
Monitor price, fundamentals, and social attention as the market begins to recognize the story.
Pro tip Reassess when discussion becomes euphoric or price strength deteriorates.
Watch out Popularity is not itself an automatic sell signal.
In the wild
Lindzon described Clear as a strong, recognizable service used across age groups while its stock advanced with little social discussion. The company combined an understandable security trend, visible consumer adoption, and an underfollowed price breakout.
→ It became a practical example of a strong trend whose narrative had not yet attracted a large social following.
Common mistakes
Buying every quiet stock
Low social attention only matters when paired with meaningful price strength and a credible catalyst.
Following price without understanding it
An investor who cannot explain or use the product is more likely to exit during ordinary volatility.
Mistaking hype for confirmation
A trend that is already socially saturated may offer a less attractive discovery gap.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for public-market investors who can combine price data, social activity, and qualitative company research.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for investors who cannot manage momentum reversals or explain why a price trend may persist.
From the transcript
“I've just added a layer to that that matches high price relative strength with low socials.”
“Then I need to tell a story. Everybody needs to tell stories.”
“if I don't really understand and use the product, the odds of me getting scared out of a trade are ninety nine percent.”
From the episode
Winning the Degenerate Economy with StockTwits CEO Howard Lindzon