Overview
Daily Ticker is an AI-powered market brief that delivers 1-3 actionable short-term stock setups every weekday morning. What started as a personal tool to save time on market research evolved into a full product serving investors who want to trade momentum but don't have hours to research.
The challenge: Create a system that generates trustworthy, actionable market analysis at scale while maintaining the quality of human research.
The Problem
Busy investors face a research paradox
Most market newsletters either spam you with 20+ tickers daily (impossible to act on) or provide vague macro commentary (not actionable). Meanwhile, doing proper research on short-term setups takes 2-3 hours every morning.
Key Pain Points
- Information overload: Too many signals, not enough conviction
- No clear entry points: "Watch AAPL" isn't actionable
- Missing risk context: No stop-loss or position sizing guidance
- Time-intensive research: 2-3 hours daily to identify quality setups
The Solution
A fully automated AI system that researches market data, identifies momentum setups, and delivers a 5-minute brief with everything you need to make informed decisions.
Free Tier
- 1-3 daily stock picks
- Entry prices & sector analysis
- Why it matters & momentum checks
- Basic risk assessment
- Archive access with basic data
Pro Tier - $10/month
- Everything in Free, plus:
- AI confidence scores (0-100 conviction rating)
- Precise entry zones (save 3-5% on entries)
- Stop-loss levels (protect against losses)
- Profit targets (2:1 reward-to-risk ratio)
- Portfolio allocation % (optimize position sizing)
- Full risk breakdown
Design Process
1. Research & Validation
Started by interviewing 12 retail investors who actively trade short-term setups. Key insight: They didn't need more information—they needed better curation and clearer conviction signals.
Built an MVP that emailed myself daily picks. After 2 weeks of personal use, I knew the format worked.
2. Information Architecture
Designed the brief structure to answer 5 critical questions in order:
- What's moving? Market pulse + sector rotation
- What should I buy? 1-3 specific tickers with conviction
- When do I enter? Entry price or zone
- What's my risk? Stop-loss, position size (Pro only)
- When do I exit? Profit targets (Pro only)
3. Visual System
Created a design language inspired by Bloomberg terminals and LED ticker displays. The aesthetic communicates credibility while being visually distinct from generic finance newsletters.
Technical Implementation
Full-Stack Architecture
Built on Next.js 14 with TypeScript, deployed on Vercel with edge functions for performance.
AI Analysis Pipeline
Multi-agent system using Claude Sonnet 3.7 for analysis. Each morning at 2 AM UTC:
Fetch market data, news, sector performance, and technical indicators
AI analyzes 50+ tickers, identifies momentum setups, generates conviction scores
Calculate stop-loss levels, profit targets, and position sizing (Pro features)
Format analysis into readable brief with market context
Send tiered emails (Free vs Pro), archive to database, update performance tracking
Key Technical Challenges
Challenge: Email Deliverability
Problem: Daily automated emails risk spam filters
Solution: Implemented SPF, DKIM, DMARC records, warmed up sending domain gradually, monitored bounce rates, and built unsubscribe flows that preserve sender reputation
Challenge: Cron Timeout Limits
Problem: AI analysis takes 5-10 minutes, Vercel default limit is 5 min
Solution: Upgraded to Vercel Pro for 15-minute limit, optimized prompt engineering to reduce token usage, implemented retry logic for failures
Shipped Features
Freemium Model
Free tier gets picks, Pro tier gets the trading toolkit
Archive System
Browse past briefs, track performance, verify historical accuracy
Performance Dashboard
Live tracking of every pick's performance with win rate, avg return, charts
Gated Pro Content
Blurred risk levels, login modal, Stripe integration for upgrades
Ticker Animations
Line-by-line cascade effects for visual engagement on landing page
Email Preferences
User dashboard to manage subscription, pause emails, update payment
Results & Impact
What I Learned
- AI reliability: Production AI systems need extensive error handling—network timeouts, API rate limits, and malformed responses happen daily
- Email is hard: Deliverability isn't just tech—it's reputation management, engagement rates, and constant monitoring
- Freemium positioning: The line between free and paid must be clear. "Context vs. conviction" worked—free gives picks, Pro gives exact execution levels
- Performance transparency: Showing live win rates builds trust faster than marketing copy
- Cron job complexity: Serverless cron jobs sound simple but require careful timeout management, retry logic, and monitoring
See It Live
Daily Ticker is live and delivering briefs every weekday. Check out the performance dashboard, browse the archive, or try the free tier yourself.