Why a stock is missing from the earnings scanner

The earnings scanner rates a stock only when every input passes its checks: a clear report timing, four measurable past reports, and a straddle with usable, liquid quotes. A stock that fails any check is left out, not rated either way, and on a typical day that is most of them.

Why the scanner does not guess

The scanner's comparison is simple: the average of the stock's largest move on its last four reaction days, against the straddle's cost as a share of the stock price. The scanner article explains it step by step. Each part depends on a few exact facts: when each report came out, the prices on each reaction day, and two option quotes.

If any of them is wrong, the result can flip. One mistimed report can move a four-report average by several points, enough to turn a candidate into a pass or the other way round. So when the scanner cannot rely on an input, it leaves the stock out instead of filling the gap.

One day's run, check by check

The run after the October 22, 2026 close looked at the stocks with a report in its calendar window.

Step	Stocks left	Stopped here
A coming report in the window	1,264
The report's timing does not conflict	1,245	19
A strike within 5% of the close	1,084	161
Two-sided quotes on both legs	1,032	52
Some trading or open interest	880	152
Spread at most 20% of the midpoint	206	674
Four measurable past reports	202	4

So 202 of 1,264 stocks were rated, and 1,062 were left out. The order matters for the counts: each stock is counted at the first check it fails. The numbers come from the run's own record and change from day to day.

The checks, one by one

The coming report's timing. When the sources disagree on whether the report comes before the open or after the close, the scanner leaves it out rather than pick one. When no source states the timing, the stock is still rated, flagged as timing unconfirmed, and the expiry also covers the session after the report date (why timing matters).

The strike. The scanner takes the earliest expiry that includes the reaction session and, within it, the strike nearest the close with both a call and a put. When that strike is more than 5% from the close, the stock is left out; that is the scanner's fixed limit for treating the straddle as near the money. A missing expiry, a chain from the wrong session, or a quote taken more than 15 minutes before the close stops a stock at this step too.

The quotes. Each option needs a two-sided quote: a bid above zero and no higher than the ask. A one-sided or crossed quote, a contract that does not match its pair, or a duplicated contract is rejected.

Trading and open interest. At least one leg must have traded that day, or both legs must have an open interest of at least 100 contracts.

The spread. Each leg's spread, the ask minus the bid, must be at most 20% of its midpoint. This is the check that stops the most stocks. The implied move is priced at the asks, so the wider the spread, the further that price sits above the midpoint.

The past reports. Each of the last four completed reports needs a known timing, the close before the news, and the reaction session's high, low and close. If one fails, the stock is left out, and an older report is never pulled in to fill the gap.

What you see for a missing stock

A stock that was left out does not appear in the scanner's list. Searching for it by symbol says no row matches, and for a stock stopped by the option checks, the search also names the reason.

Searching for XOM after the October 22, 2026 run: the stock was not rated because its option spread was too wide.

Stocks stopped at the timing or past-report checks are counted, not listed one by one, so a search for them shows only that no row matches.

What unavailable means

Unavailable is a status for a stored row that can no longer be read as current:

• a newer snapshot has been taken since;
• the report it was taken for has already happened;
• the row was stored by an older version of the scanner, or has no scanner result at all.

On a stock's evidence page, an older row is shown as a past snapshot: the numbers of that session, labelled as not a current rating, with a link to the current row. In bookmarks and in the scanner's data, the same row reads unavailable, with the reason.

Why this matters for the candidates

Being strict about inputs means fewer results. It also means every candidate and every pass rests on four measured past reports and two usable quotes, which anyone can check on the evidence page.

A candidate is an idea to research, not a recommendation, and a past move is not option profit. Those labels mean more when the numbers behind them are sound.

In short

Most stocks with a coming report are never rated, and the most common reason is a wide option spread. A missing stock is a gap in the data, not a judgement; unavailable marks a stored row that is no longer current.