Pre-earnings quote watchlist checklist
Prepare a watchlist of quote, spread, and route warnings so stale prints are treated as no-entry signals
Direct answer
A stale quote is the most common fake edge before earnings because it makes risk feel smaller than it is. A watchlist of exact quote conditions creates a hard gate between seeing a signal and pressing send If quote quality degrades, the action should degrade size first, then risk
Define the watchlist before market open
List the exact values you will reject, not broad preferences.
Minimum fields:
No values, no trade. If no numbers exist yet, do not paper over the gap with opinion.
- minimum displayed size accepted for each leg
- max tolerated spread increase versus the pre-open reference
- minimum bid refresh rate in seconds for both legs
- minimum depth score for one-side and two-side routing
Detect stale quotes in two directions
Measure stale behavior before and after each spread check:
- stale on the primary leg only
- stale on both legs with delayed hedging
- stale on the hedge leg only
Each case has different action priority.
- primary stale only: cut starter size first
- both stale: pause and re-route if allowed
- hedge stale: reduce target exposure immediately
Add a routing warning level to the watchlist
Your list should include the second-best route before you need it.
Write:
- preferred route
- backup route
- stop route (no action) when both fail
Route degradation is not a technical failure. It is an execution-quality signal.
Add post-open fallback thresholds
Create two post-open windows.
If either window fails, reduce size and convert to a conservative fallback profile before adding any premium.
- first 60 seconds: spread and quote freshness dominate
- first 5 minutes: routing consistency dominates
Log one-line observations at each checkpoint
Keep one line for each checkpoint:
This log is your anti-randomness control after the first print.
- what changed
- which row triggered
- what action was taken
Common questions
Can I use broad market condition as my only filter?
No. Use explicit quote values for the symbol you are trading, then map them to a hard action rule.
Why two windows, not one?
Because many quotes recover after the first minute, but route failures can continue through the first five minutes.
How do I start this checklist quickly?
Print it 10 minutes before open and compare every field with your broker and chain feed.