It's 08:30, you're on the MRT, and a long Telegram message comes in: US stocks, the night session, the broader market, your five holdings, your watchlist, news, sentiment, trading reference... Scrolling from top to bottom takes several minutes, and by the time you get off the train, all you remember is "US stocks were up, I think."
A morning briefing isn't valuable because it has a lot of information. It's valuable because once you've read it, you know whether you need to do anything today. The order of the Stock Helper morning briefing is itself a way to read it: from far to near, from big picture to small, ending with your own holdings. Once you know what question each section answers, five minutes before the open is enough.
30-Second Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| When it arrives | Every trading day, 08:30 by default (the time can be changed); none on market holidays |
| Which day the numbers are from | Taiwan stock figures are always the previous trading day's close; pre-open auction indicative prices are not used |
| Order | US stocks → TAIEX futures night session → broader market → your holdings → watchlist → news → sentiment → trading reference → risk notes |
| Each holding's line | Previous close | change % | your gain/loss % | RSI signal |
| 5-minute reading method | 1 minute on the big picture, 2 on your holdings, 1 on your watchlist, 1 to decide |
| If your lists are empty | You get a "Macro and Market Briefing" instead |
The Order of the Briefing: From Far to Near, Ending With Your Holdings
| Section | What you use it to decide |
|---|---|
| 1. US stocks overnight | Whether today's overall mood leans bullish or bearish |
| 2. TAIEX futures night session | Which way today's open is likely to go |
| 3. Taiwan market | Whether the overall environment supports adding to positions |
| 4. Holdings tracker | Which stock needs a closer look today |
| 5. Watchlist | Whether a stock you want to buy has reached your price |
| 6. Key news | Whether there's a concrete reason behind a big move |
| 7. Market sentiment | Whether the market is overheated or panicking |
| 8. Today's trading reference | Whether to place an order today, and at what price |
| 9. Risk notes | What you most need to guard against today |
It ends with a disclaimer. The first three sections tell you the weather, sections four and five look at your own positions, and the last four turn "what happened" into "do I need to act."
The Big Picture: The Four Major US Indexes and the TAIEX Futures Night Session
What Each of the Four Indexes Represents
- S&P 500: 500 large US companies; the most common gauge of the US market as a whole.
- Nasdaq: Heavily weighted toward tech and growth stocks; tells you the mood around tech.
- Dow Jones: 30 large blue-chip stocks, with a heavier weighting in traditional industries.
- Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX): Made up of major US semiconductor stocks, and the most directly linked to Taiwan's electronics heavyweight stocks, memory makers, and the AI supply chain. If you hold a lot of electronics stocks, check the SOX first.
Looking at all four together is more reliable than looking at just one. If the Nasdaq and SOX jump while the Dow is flat, money is concentrating in tech. If all four drop sharply together, overall risk appetite has soured.
The TAIEX Futures Night Session: A Leading Indicator for Today's Open
After Taiwan stocks close at 13:30, global markets keep moving. The TAIEX futures night session trades from the afternoon after the Taiwan close through early the next morning, reflecting how global markets reacted during that time. It's as if the market casts an early vote on today's Taiwan session. That's why the briefing puts it after US stocks and before the Taiwan market: it's one of the most important leading indicators for the direction of today's open.
The briefing shows the night session's closing level, its change, and whether futures are at a premium or a discount. In plain terms:
- Premium: Futures are above the spot index (TAIEX). Traders are willing to pay more for the future, so the mood leans optimistic.
- Discount: Futures are below the spot index. The mood leans cautious, or some traders are using futures to hedge.
Reading it is simple: if the night session fell sharply, today's open may be under pressure, so there's no need to rush in for bargains in the first minute. If the night session turned positive, yesterday's decline may ease, so there's no need to rush to sell at the open either. One thing to watch: during the ex-dividend season each year, futures often trade at a discount because expected dividend payouts are priced in, which doesn't necessarily mean the market is bearish.
The Taiwan Market and Your Holdings: How to Read Each Field
The market line shows the TAIEX close from the previous trading day, plus a bullish, bearish, or range-bound read. Next comes the most important part of the briefing: your holdings, one line per stock (see the sample briefing below for what it looks like):
| Field | What it is | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Previous close | Yesterday's closing price, not this morning's price | At 08:30 the market hasn't opened, so Taiwan stock figures are always the previous trading day's close |
| Change % | The previous trading day's percentage change | Over ±2% adds a separate candlestick chart; over ±3% triggers a news check |
| Your gain/loss % | Unrealized gain or loss based on the average cost you registered | Calculated by a program, not estimated in its head; an unrealized loss over 15% also triggers a news check |
| RSI signal | RSI(14) value and its zone | Above 70 running hot, above 80 extremely overheated, below 30 oversold |
Gain/loss % uses the original cost you registered in your dashboard and is always calculated by a program. This rule came from a real mistake (2026-08-13): with a cost of 207 and a close of 205, the correct figure is -0.97%, but it was calculated as -2.4%. You make decisions based on this number, so mental math isn't allowed.
Watchlist, News, Sentiment, and Trading Reference
Watchlist: A Look Back at the Reason You Wrote
Each watchlist stock gets one line: the close, the change %, and the watch reason you originally wrote. If you wrote "wait for a pullback to 290," every morning it puts that sentence right next to the closing price, so you can see at a glance whether it's there yet. That's why the watch reason works best as a price, not "bullish" or "looks good."
News: Only for Holdings That Moved
The news section doesn't pack in headlines for every stock. It only checks two kinds of holdings: those that moved more than ±3% on the previous trading day, and those with an unrealized loss of more than 15%. Every news item comes with its source. If nothing moved, it simply says "No notable moves in your holdings yesterday."
That actually makes it more useful. If every stock came with three news items every day, most of it would be noise, you'd start skipping it within a few days, and the one item that really mattered would get skipped too. Because it only checks when something moved, the moment the news section has content, that itself is a signal: that stock moved yesterday, or your loss has grown to the point where it deserves a serious look. "No notable moves" is good news: your holdings probably don't need your time today.
Market Sentiment: Overheated or Panicking?
The sentiment section sums up the market mood in one paragraph (optimistic, neutral, pessimistic, or divided) and cites the actual headlines and sources it found. It checks dates before citing anything, and articles more than a month old aren't treated as "current market sentiment." Lopsided optimism is usually a reminder not to chase; concentrated pessimism is a cue to watch for an oversold market.
Today's Trading Reference and Risk Notes: What to Do Today
The trading reference gives a clear category for holdings that moved (hold, trim, wait and see, or don't chase) along with key price levels, for example "a break below 148 means support has failed" (illustrative). This is the section you use to decide whether to place an order today, and at what price.
The risk notes spell out what to watch most closely today rather than just saying "investing involves risk," for example that one holding's RSI has entered the running-hot zone, or that another's unrealized loss has passed 15%.
A Sample Morning Briefing
Here's what a shortened briefing looks like. All stock names and numbers are illustrative:
Stock Helper Morning Briefing 9/23 (illustrative)
US stocks overnight: S&P 500 +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.9%, Dow Jones -0.1%, Philadelphia Semiconductor Index +1.8%. Tech and semiconductors led the way; the mood leans bullish. (Source: illustrative)
TAIEX futures night session: Closed at XX,XXX, up 85 points, at a premium of about 40 points. The night session extended the bullish tone from US stocks; my read is that today's open may be firm. (Source: illustrative)
Taiwan market: The TAIEX closed at XX,XXX on the previous trading day (9/22), down 0.6%, range-bound.
Holdings tracker:
- Stock A | previous close 152.0 | -3.5% | gain/loss -10.59% | RSI 36.1, low range (candlestick chart attached)
- Stock B | previous close 292.0 | +2.4% | gain/loss +16.80% | RSI 74.3, running hot, don't chase (candlestick chart attached)
- Stock C | previous close 67.0 | +0.3% | gain/loss -16.25% | RSI 41.7, low range
- Stock F (you asked about this earlier) | previous close 88.5 | -0.8% | RSI 52.0, neutral
Watchlist: Stock E | close 296.0 | -1.2% | watch reason: wait for a pullback to 290
Key news: Stock A fell 3.5% on the previous trading day; related news... (Source: illustrative). Stock C's unrealized loss is over 15%; related news... (Source: illustrative)
Market sentiment: Divided. Discussion of AI stocks is running hot, but some headlines warn about the risk after a big run. (Based on: illustrative)
Today's trading reference: Stock A, wait and see; key level 148, and a break below means support has failed. Stock C, wait and see; a break below 65 means the reason for holding needs to be reassessed.
Risk notes: Stock B's RSI has entered the running-hot zone, so don't chase it by adding more. Stock C's unrealized loss is over 15%; check whether your original reason for buying still holds.
AI analysis may contain errors; please verify it yourself. The above is an AI-compiled summary and analytical reference, not investment advice. Investing involves risk; please make your own decisions. This service is not a securities investment advisory service.
The 5-Minute Reading Method: Be Ready Before the Open
- Minute 1: Check the big picture (US stocks + night session). The SOX and Nasdaq sway the mood for electronics stocks, and the night session tells you which way the open is likely to go. You only need one conclusion: is today leaning bullish, bearish, or range-bound? On bearish days, don't rush to act right at the open.
- Minutes 2–3: Scan your holdings for warning signs. Look in four places: anything that moved more than 3%, anything with a gain/loss below -15%, anything with RSI above 70 or below 30, and anything near the stop-loss price you set yourself. For the stocks that show a warning sign, read the news and today's trading reference; the ones with no warning signs can be left alone today.
- Minute 4: Check whether anything on your watchlist has reached your price. Compare against the watch reason you wrote: if it's there, get ready to place an order; if it's close, place a limit order at your planned price; if it's far away, don't think about it today.
- Minute 5: Decide. Pick one of three: place an order (a limit order at your planned price), set an alert (tell it your stop-loss price or key level in Telegram, and it will notify you if the price breaks that level during the trading day), or do nothing.
Let's practice with the sample briefing above. Minute 1: SOX +1.8% and the night session at a premium, so today leans bullish. Minutes 2–3: Stock A down 3.5% and Stock C with an unrealized loss over 15% are warning signs; Stock B's RSI of 74 is running hot, so no adding today. Minute 4: Stock E closed at 296, still about 2% from 290, so stick with the original limit-order plan. Minute 5: you decide to tell it "Set my Stock A stop-loss at 148," and let the intraday alerts keep watch for you.
Most mornings, the answer in minute 5 will be "do nothing," and that's completely normal. The point of the morning briefing isn't to get you trading every day. It's so that you don't miss the day you need to act, and on the days you don't, a single headline doesn't push you around.
FAQ
Q: Why are the prices in the briefing from yesterday?
The briefing goes out at 08:30 by default, and Taiwan stocks don't open until 09:00, so Taiwan stock figures are always the previous trading day's close. They're never described as "this morning's trading." The pre-open auction indicative prices between 08:30 and 09:00 aren't actual trade prices, so the briefing never uses them and never changes a stop-loss or take-profit call because of them. A real case (2026-08-05): the indicative price showed one electronics stock at -9.84%, close to limit-down, but it actually opened at +3.28%.
Q: Why do some holdings come with a candlestick chart and others don't?
Only holdings that moved more than ±2% on the previous trading day get a separate candlestick chart. Holdings that barely moved don't, which keeps the briefing shorter and makes it easier to spot the stocks that actually moved.
Q: Why does a stock I never added to my lists show up in my briefing?
Stocks you've asked about in Telegram are tracked in the briefing even if they aren't on your holdings list or watchlist, marked "you asked about this earlier." If you've actually bought one, send a trade message in Telegram like "Bought one lot of UMC at 131" (price is illustrative), and your holdings list updates automatically within about 10 minutes. From then on it's included in your gain/loss.
Q: I haven't set up my holdings yet. What kind of briefing will I get?
When your lists are completely empty, you get a "Macro and Market Briefing" instead: US stocks, the night session, and the Taiwan market, plus the 3–5 most relevant financial news items and an analysis of how US stocks are likely to affect Taiwan stocks (electronics heavyweight stocks, memory, the AI supply chain), along with a reminder to set up your holdings in your dashboard. The free trial's preview version sends a general market briefing every trading day at 08:30, without personal holdings tracking. To try it first, you can request a free trial.
Q: Can I change when I receive the briefing?
Yes. In your dashboard you can choose 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30 (default), 09:00, 09:30, 11:00, 13:45, 17:00, or 20:00, or turn off the daily briefing. After making changes, click "Save and apply," and the new settings take effect from the next briefing. If you want to use the briefing to plan the day's orders, a time before the open works best.
Further Reading
- Stock Helper Setup: Accurate Costs and Stops, Accurate Math
- Stop-Loss Discipline: Intraday Alerts Before Losses Grow
- Don't Chase Highs: Using RSI Zones, Support and Resistance
- Sector Linkage and Concentration: How News Moves Your Stocks
- Every Claim Has a Source: How Stock Helper Avoids Bad Info
Stock Helper is not an investment advisory service. AI analysis is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice. Investing involves risk; please make your own decisions.
