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The Canslim book, a comprehensive guide to investing, was written by William J. O'Neil, a renowned stock market expert. It's a must-read for anyone looking to improve their investment skills.
The book focuses on the CAN SLIM system, an acronym that stands for nine key characteristics of successful stocks. These characteristics are: Current quarterly earnings per share (C) are rising, Annual earnings increase (A) by 25% or more, New products or services (N) are being introduced, Supply and demand are strong (S), Leader or laggard (L), Institutional sponsorship (I), Market direction (M), and Upside-downside volume (U), and Institutional ownership (N) is increasing.
The CAN SLIM system is based on O'Neil's research and experience, which he used to develop a stock-picking strategy that has been successful over the years.
What Is
The CANSLIM system is a powerful tool for selecting growth stocks, created by Investor's Business Daily founder William J. O'Neil. It's a combination of fundamental and technical analysis techniques that helps investors find stocks with strong growth potential.
The CANSLIM method was created by William O’Neil, and it's explained in his book How to Make Money in Stocks. This strategy combines fundamental and technical analysis to spot companies with big price potential.
The acronym CANSLIM is sometimes written as CAN SLIM, but it's the same system. Here's a breakdown of what each letter stands for:
- C: Current Quarterly Earnings – Look for companies whose quarterly earnings are growing at 25% or more, quarter over quarter.
- A: Annual Earnings Growth – Focus on companies with steady annual earnings growth, ideally 25% or more over the past three years.
- N: New Products, Services, or Management – Companies that are innovating, expanding into new markets, or bringing in fresh leadership are often set up for new growth.
- S: Supply and Demand – Stocks with high demand and limited supply tend to rise quickly.
- L: Leader or Laggard – Stick with industry leaders that show high relative strength.
- I: Institutional Sponsorship – Interest from big investors provides stability and buying power.
- M: Market Direction – No matter how strong a stock is, the broader market trend affects its performance.
Key Concepts
The CANSLIM system is a powerful tool for selecting growth stocks, created by Investor's Business Daily's William J. O'Neil. It combines fundamental and technical analysis techniques to identify high-growth stocks.
Here's a breakdown of the key concepts:
- CANSLIM is a bullish strategy, designed for fast markets where the goal is to get into high-growth stocks before institutional funds are fully invested.
- This approach is not suitable for buy-and-hold investors, as the stock's value is often priced in for future growth.
- As a result, any slowing in the growth trajectory or the market as a whole may lead to the stock being punished.
Stock Analysis
A high-quality company is one that has a median growth rate of 36%, as seen in William O'Neil's study between 1980 to 2000. This growth rate is a key indicator of a company's potential for long-term success.
To identify a high-quality company, look for businesses with a strong cash flow per share, as it outpaces actual earnings. This is a crucial factor in determining a company's ability to generate profits.
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The stability of a company's three-year earning record is also essential. A stable earnings growth is rated from 1 to 99, where one is very stable and 99 is not. A higher stability rating indicates a better company.
Here's a quick checklist to help you identify a high-quality company:
- Median growth rate: 36%
- Cash flow per share: outpacing actual earnings
- Stability rating: above 30
- Earnings growth: consistent and stable
By focusing on these key factors, you can increase your chances of finding a high-quality company that will generate long-term profits.
Annual Earnings Growth
Annual earnings growth is key to identifying high-quality companies. A median growth rate of 36% was observed in some of William O'Neil's biggest winners between 1980 to 2000.
To ensure a company's growth is not a flash in the pan, we need to look at the bigger picture. This means checking the stability of a company's three-year earning record.
The greater the cash flow per share, the better it is. This is because cash flow outpaces actual earnings in successful businesses.
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A high stability and consistency of earning growth matters. O'Neil's study rated consistency of earnings from 1 to 99, where 1 is very stable and 99 is not. The higher the stability of earnings, the better it is.
Growth stocks with a steady earning trend are below 25, while businesses above 30 could signal cyclicality.
Leader or Laggard: Which is Your Stock?
To identify a leader or laggard stock, look for businesses that are consistently outperforming their peers in price action and fundamentals. These leaders tend to have a higher Relative Strength (RS) rating, often above 70, and are found in top-performing sectors.
A stock's RS rating can be a powerful indicator of leadership, with ratings above 80 signaling strong buying interest and consistent demand. In fact, studies have shown that the average RS rating of the best-performing stocks before a major run-up is around 87.
Industry group performance is also a key factor in identifying leaders. Stocks within strong industries tend to benefit from additional market momentum, with almost 50% of a stock's move related to its sector and industry group.
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True leaders tend to hold up better during market pullbacks, with smaller price declines compared to the broader market. This shows strong support from big investors who hold or buy more shares.
Here are some key characteristics of leaders and laggards:
By focusing on leaders and avoiding laggards, you can stack the odds in your favor and increase your chances of success in the stock market.
New Companies, New Products, New Management, New Highs
95% of the greatest stock market winners fell into one of these categories: new companies, new products, new management, or new highs of properly formed chart bases.
A catalyst like a new product or service can lead to explosive earnings growth and stock price performance.
According to O'Neil's study, many businesses that exhibited these characteristics had a high rate of change in their business performance and stock price performance.
The strategy of buying businesses on their 52-week low is flawed, as a study by O'Neil showed that this approach does not yield good results.
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What we can infer from this is that we need businesses that show a change, a catalyst in them if we are risking to buy at low, which they generally fail to do.
However, buying stocks at their high is also not the right approach; we need to use stock price charts to find the right time to buy.
To find the right stocks, we should search for companies that have developed new products or services, or that have benefitted from new management or materially improved industry conditions.
Then, we should buy their stocks when they are emerging from a sound, correctly analyzed price consolidation and are closer to or making a new price high or increased volumes.
Any stock can be bought using the CANSLIM approach, but small cap stocks will be a lot more volatile and hence show greater appreciation/depreciation in the same amount of time.
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Investing Mechanism
The CAN SLIM strategy is a growth stock investing approach that combines both technical and fundamental analysis. It's designed to identify leading stocks before they make major price advances.
The strategy focuses on discovering pre-advance periods, also known as "buy points", where stocks emerge from price consolidation areas, often in the form of a "cup-with-handle" chart pattern. This pattern typically occurs on weekly price charts and lasts for at least 7 weeks.
Investors who use this strategy are encouraged to cut all losses at no more than 7% or 8% below the buy point, with no exceptions. This helps minimize losses and preserve gains.
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Investing Mechanism
The CANSLIM strategy is a growth stock investing approach that combines both technical and fundamental analysis. It's based on a study of stock market winners dating back to 1953.
This strategy focuses on identifying leading stocks before they make major price advances. Pre-advance periods are considered "buy points" for stocks as they emerge from price consolidation areas.
The CANSLIM strategy encourages cutting all losses at no more than 7% or 8% below the buy point, with no exceptions. This helps minimize losses and preserve gains.
Buying stocks of solid companies can lessen chances of having to cut losses. A strong company with good current quarterly earnings-per-share growth and annual growth rate will usually shoot up in bull markets.
The strategy is not momentum investing, but rather identifies companies with strong fundamentals, such as big sales and earnings increases due to unique new products or services.
The LIN
The L in CANSLIM stands for both "Leaders" and "Laggards" in the original model created by William J. O'Neil.
Some investors argue that leading stocks should be prioritized over laggards, as they possess superior fundamentals and are part of a leading industry group or sector.
The CANSLIM model is a well-known investing mechanism that has been used by many successful investors.
Investors who use the CANSLIM model focus on identifying leaders in the market, which are stocks that are showing strong price and volume momentum.
The CANSLIM model is a powerful tool for investors who want to identify the next big winner in the market.
By focusing on leaders, investors can increase their chances of making profitable trades and achieving long-term success.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CANSLIM method work?
The CANSLIM method can be effective for experienced investors with high risk tolerance, but it requires active trading and a willingness to adapt to changing market conditions. Its success depends on accurately timing growth stocks and navigating potential market fluctuations.
What is the best book to learn how to trade stocks?
For beginners, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Burton G. is a great starting point, offering a comprehensive and accessible introduction to stock market investing. However, "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham is a classic that provides timeless wisdom for long-term investors.
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