What is Price alert?
Narx alerti
In short
A notification sent when price crosses above or below a level you set. It does not trade; it only tells you it is time to look at the chart.
Also known as: alert, price notification
A price alert is a notification (in an app, on Telegram, by email) sent when a stock's price crosses above or below a level you set. An alert doesn't trade — it only tells you "it's time to look at the chart". The decision is still yours.
Why use them
- Saves time: instead of watching charts all day, you only hear about the important levels.
- Builds discipline: the level is chosen in advance, while calm — not in the excitement of the session.
- Reduces FOMO: you don't need to stay glued to the screen for fear of missing out.
Where to put them
- Support and resistance levels.
- Breakout points (for example the top of a range).
- For a stock you hold — approaching the stop or reaching the target.
Alert vs stop-loss
An alert is just a message. A stop-loss is an order with your broker that executes automatically when price reaches the level. An alert is not enough to protect a position — while you're asleep or busy, price can fall far below the alert level. So an open position always gets a stop-loss order; the alert is an extra tool.
The alert fired at $62.50, but the entry came only after the bounce (a hammer) confirmed it: $63.00. Stop $61.00 (−$2), target $67.00 (+$4) → 1:2.
Example
An illustrative stock trades at $46. The watchlist plan: enter on a pullback to $41.50 support.
- An alert at $42 — slightly before the level, to leave time to analyse the chart.
- A second alert at $40.80 — "level broken, idea cancelled".
Three days later the $42 alert fired. The trader checked the chart: price at $41.60, the daily candle not yet closed. They waited for the close; the candle closed at $42.30 with a long lower wick — an entry per the plan. Risk and size were worked out in the position size calculator.
Mistakes and tips
Set the alert slightly before the level, not exactly on it — that gives you time to analyse.
An alert firing is not an entry signal. Look at the chart and wait for the candle to close.
Don't set too many: with dozens of notifications a day you start ignoring the important ones.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a price alert replace a stop-loss?
- No. An alert only notifies you, while a stop-loss executes the order automatically. An open position needs a stop-loss for protection.
- Where should I set price alerts?
- At key support, resistance and breakout levels, a little ahead of them. Every alert should be tied to a specific plan.
Learn it in the Academy
This term is covered with hands-on examples and a quiz in these lessons of the interactive course.
Try the theory without risk
Open a free account: demo trading with a $10,000 virtual balance, a trading journal, calculators and a step-by-step course.
Read more on this
- Price alerts and watchlists: follow the market without watching it all dayThe US market is open in the evening and at night in Tashkent. How a watchlist and price alerts let you catch the right moment without staring at charts.
- How to use the stock screener: 5 ready-made filtersTurn thousands of US stocks into a short list in minutes: 5 ready-made filter recipes by halal status, quality, growth and liquidity.
- US market hours in Tashkent time: pre-market, regular session, after-hoursWhen the US market opens and closes in Tashkent, why it opens an hour later from 2 November, plus holidays and short days — all in one place.