Founder’s Note: Quantitative Analyst Grant Hawkridge came up from Down Under this week to join Jason Perz, Sam Gatlin, and me for face-to-face meetings about this project we’re working on together.
Here’s Grant with some reflections and some data, of course… – JC
By Grant Hawkridge
G’day, Grant here again.
I spent a few days this week in Toronto catching up with JC, Sam, Jason, and a room full of sharp traders.
It was all idea-sharing, building strategies, and learning from people who see the market from different angles.
Community Over Isolation
That time I spent in Toronto reminded me of something we don’t talk about enough: Trading is a solo endeavour.
But it doesn’t have to be a lonely one.
When you’re in the weeds of screens, charts, and positions, it’s easy to think your edge lives only in your own process.
But the best traders I’ve met all do one thing the same: They keep a community close. They exchange notes, stress-test ideas, and get called out when they’re off-track.
A feedback loop like this is priceless.
Markets reward discipline and independence. But they also punish isolation.
Community doesn’t mean copying trades. It means surrounding yourself with people who challenge your thinking, help you refine your process, and keep you grounded when the market tests you.
This week in Toronto wasn’t just about hot tips. It was about sharpening the blade.
The conversations made me re-examine some assumptions, see new setups more clearly, and come back with a deeper conviction in my own framework.
Trading will always be a solo sport when it’s time to pull the trigger. But the preparation, the learning, and the growth don’t have to be.
Build your process. But build your network, too.
That’s an edge no chart can show you.
Proof in the Process: A NOW Score Study in Action
Those few days in Toronto didn’t just sharpen my thinking; they sent me back to the data.
I wanted to show visually that our core belief holds up: stocks with strong trends, strong momentum, and strong relative strength go on to outperform.
Here’s what I found.
The chart below shows what happened when we applied the NOW Score at the start of 2024 and then measured the actual 12-month returns through the end of the year.
The green bars are the average 12-month forward return for each decile; the red line is the average NOW Score in that decile.
The message is clear: The higher the NOW Score, the stronger the return.
The top two deciles delivered 22% to 23% on average over the following 12 months. Returns fell steadily as you moved down the ranks, all the way to 3% to 5% in the lowest decile.
That’s the power of the NOW Score.
By ranking every stock across three repeatable pillars: Trend, Relative Strength, and Momentum it brings the market’s strongest names to the surface.
And as this study shows, those strongest names went on to outperform.
The NOW Score gives us a disciplined way to invest, and a good community makes your edge even sharper.
Strength begets strength.
Stay sharp,
Grant Hawkridge
Quantitative Analyst, TrendLabs