You are correct.
Successful daytrading and scalping relies on trading Futures, Highly Liquid ETFs, and/or Stocks with solid ATR movement.
Most volume is traded in the first and last hours of the day.
The idea is to not be wasting time, running scanners to find what stocks to trade.
The group of stocks with solid ATR movements changes seldom.
Run a one-time scan to find strong ATR movement.
scan filter:
ATR() is greater than x within 5 bars on a daily aggregation
where x is a number between 4 and 8
Create your small corral. Review your pre-market and EOD grids to determine which is lining up best.
VIP-ers:
If you do not have your small corral,
here is where to start:
https://usethinkscript.com/threads/identify-the-big-movers.20100/#post-150248
Here are the current top stocks that work best with
AGAIG chart setups.
https://usethinkscript.com/threads/identify-the-big-movers.20100/#post-150094
Review which ones best fit your style of trading.
For instance, many newer traders stay away from higher volatility stocks like TSLA, GME, etc..
Higher volatility == higher potential profits. However, unless experienced in reading price action and candlestick patterns, the swift movement of volatile stocks can wipe out newer traders' portfolios.
Therefore, it is important to review a stock's price action within your trading chart to see if that stock aligns with your strategy.
See which fit you best.