If you only hunt for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by name, you’re leaving performance on the table. Barchart’s ETF Screener lets you filter funds by what actually matters — trend, momentum, yield, liquidity, fees, volatility, and more — so you can build a watchlist that matches your strategy (not the headlines).

In this short clip from our Beginner’s Guide to ETFs video, we walk through the core workflow of ETF screeners. Below is the full, step-by-step breakdown—plus a few pro tips to go from “browsing” to systematic selection.

Why Use an ETF Screener?

• Speed: Go from thousands of ETFs to a tight short list in minutes.
• Precision: Stack filters (sector + yield + RSI + AUM) to fit your thesis.
• Repeatability: Save your screener and receive alerts daily when new ETFs qualify.

Core Workflow: 3 Steps, 3 Minutes

1) Open the ETF Screener.

From the ETFs menu, choose ETF Screener. You can start with a pre-made screener or build your own from scratch.

2) Stack filters that match your plan.

Use the search bar or dropdowns to add filters. Popular, high-signal filters:

• Industry / Sectors: e.g., Technology, Energy, Financials
• Momentum / Technicals: RSI, TrendSeeker®, Moving Average Slopes
• Performance: 1-Week, 1-Month, YTD
• Liquidity / Size: Average Volume, Assets Under Management (AUM), Price
• Income: Dividend Yield
• Costs: Expense Ratio
• Structure: Leverage / Inverse (know what you’re using)

Example filter stack for Dividend / Income:

• Investing Ideas = The Best Dividend ETFs
• RSI (14) ≤ 70 (in trend, not stretched)
• Managed Assets (AUM) ≥ $500M
• Avg Volume ≥ 1,000,000

Example filter stack for Oversold Tech Swing:

• Sector = Technology
• RSI (14) ≤ 45
• Overall Opinion % + Signal = Set to ‘Buy’
• 20 Day Avg Volume ≥ 10,000,000
• Click “See Results.”

3) Evaluate quickly — then save your work.

On the Results tab:

• Sort columns (e.g., RSI, 1-Month Perf, Volume, AUM).
• Click Flipcharts to scan price action with your preferred chart templates.
• Hit “Save Screener” to lock it in, and turn on email alerts so new matches hit your inbox automatically.
• If you like the list, “Save as Watchlist” to track and set price/RSI/MA alerts.

Pro Tip: Screen Your Own Watchlists (ETFs Only)

If you have a watchlist that mixes stocks + ETFs and you want to screen just the ETFs:

• Open the ETF Screener (not the Stocks Screener).
• Add the Watchlist filter and select your list.

Now the screener only returns the ETF symbols from that watchlist — perfect for surfacing movers you already follow.

Shortcut: Themed ETF Screeners Are Your 1-Click Starting Point

Barchart’s curated screeners are great launchpads. Open one, review, then “Edit Filters” to customize.

• Strong ETF Volume Gains – Finds funds with big volume surges and positive price/volume momentum over the past month.
• Hot ETF Prospects – Our favorite momentum screener: BUY TrendSeeker® Rating + supportive technicals for strong uptrends.
• 3-Day Bounce ETFs – Targets bullish behavior after a downtrend.
• J-Pattern ETFs – Uptrend → quick dip → resumption (classic continuation pattern).
• Golden Cross ETFs – 50-DMA crossing above 200-DMA today (long-term strength).
• Death Cross ETFs – 50-DMA crossing below 200-DMA today (potential long-term weakness).

Open any theme, inspect results, then adjust filters to fit your preferences (e.g., add AUM ≥ $250M and Avg Volume ≥ 1M for tradability).

A Simple Process You Can Reuse Weekly

1. Run your saved screener(s).
2. Flipcharts → check trends, support/resistance, and volume.
3. Build/clean watchlists (sector buckets help: Tech, Energy, Income).
4. Set alerts (price levels, RSI thresholds, MA crossovers).
5. Monitor New Recommendations for daily alerts.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

• Ignoring liquidity: Add Avg Volume and AUM filters to avoid thin, gappy funds.
• Overfitting: Too many filters can exclude otherwise great candidates — start broad, then tighten.
• Mixing goals: Don’t mash “high yield” with “high beta momentum” unless that’s intentional — use separate screeners per objective.
• Skipping verification: Always validate with charts; a filter is a first pass, not the final word.

Your Action Plan for the Next 10 Minutes

• Watch the Beginner’s Guide to ETFs to see the full workflow live.
• Open the ETF Screener and try one of the themed screeners above.
• Save it + enable email alerts so you never miss a new match.

Watch this quick ETF Screener clip: 

Then build your first saved screener, and level up with a free trial of Barchart Premier for 30 days.

On the date of publication, Barchart Insights did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.