MethodologyApril 2026 · 8 min read

Quantitative Filters for Indian Microcaps: Liquidity, Free Float & Risk Controls

A disciplined quant screen keeps you out of illiquid traps. This article explains the exact filters we use to surface investable sub-₹2,500Cr stocks.

#Quant#Microcaps#Liquidity

Scanning thousands of small-cap names requires robust quantitative filters. Here are the exact criteria MicroStocks uses to keep the universe investable while preserving alpha.

Filter #1: Minimum Average Daily Turnover

We require a minimum 30-day average daily turnover of ₹4Cr for stocks below ₹2,500Cr market cap. This ensures the stock can absorb a normal position size without extreme slippage.

Filter #2: Free Float Value Threshold

Free float matters more than market cap. Our rule is minimum free float market value of ₹75Cr, with stronger conviction for stocks above ₹150Cr free float.

Filter #3: Promoter Pledge & Ownership Risk

Stocks with promoter pledging above 25% of promoter holdings are automatically flagged for review. We also downgrade names where pledged shares exceed 15% of the free float.

Filter #4: Price Momentum Quality

Instead of pure price returns, we screen for quality momentum: a stock should be above its 20-day average, have positive volume momentum, and not be in an overbought RSI region (>85) absent strong fundamentals.

Filter #5: Surveillance Signal Exclusion

Any stock under ASM/GSM, or showing suspicious volume patterns flagged by our surveillance engine, is removed from the default quant universe until the signal clears.

QR

Quantitative Research Desk

Systematic Trading & Multi-Factor Models

Our Quantitative Research Desk specialises in building multi-factor financial models, fine-tuning LLMs on financial corpora, and designing the systematic pipelines that power MicroStocks' AI Committee. The team brings experience from low-latency trading infrastructure and institutional portfolio analytics.

Read our full AI methodology →

Ready to find your next trade?

Use our AI-powered screeners to find breakout candidates, high-volume momentum plays, and undervalued penny stocks.

Explore Market Screeners