A gap is the difference between a stock's opening price and the previous close. It happens when news arrives while the market is closed: results, a bid, a downgrade. The screener has a Gap (%) filter with presets for gaps of 2% and 5% in either direction.
Last updated: October 2026.
What the filter does
Gap (%) compares the day's open with the prior close, as a percentage. Positive values are gaps up and negative values are gaps down. The presets are:
- Gap down 5% or more
- Gap down 2% or more
- Gap up 2% or more
- Gap up 5% or more
The screen, step by step
- Select your exchanges.
- Set Gap (%) to a minimum of 5 for gap-ups, or a maximum of -5 for gap-downs.
- Set a minimum market cap of 200 million euros, so you do not get gaps caused by thin trading.
- Add Vol / Avg of 2 or more: gaps with real volume are more meaningful.
- Check the news for each name before drawing any conclusion.
Open the gap-up screen. For gap-downs, switch the minimum for a maximum of -5.
Judging a gap
| Type | Typical cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings gap up on high volume | Beat and raised guidance | Is it a first beat or a streak? See beat streak screener |
| Gap up on a takeover bid | Offer price caps the upside | Offer terms and the spread to the bid |
| Gap down on a profit warning | Lower outlook | Whether the cause is one-off or structural |
| Gap with no news | Sector move or technical level | Peers, the index, the 52-week range |
Not every gap holds. Some fill the same day or within a few sessions. The ones that tend to hold come with news that changes the business and with volume well above average.