CANSLIM

Cup With Handle

 From the AIAA Website - A Good Summary

     Introduction
   CANSLIM Overview
   C=Current Quarterly Earnings
   A=Annual Earnings Increases
   N=New Products, New Mgt., New Highs
   S=Supply and Demand
   L=Leader or Laggard
   I=Institutional Sponsorship
   M=Market Direction
   Screening Results
   Conclusion

Also from IBD:  Ten Biggest Mistakes Most Investors Make

Avoiding High P/E Ratios

Not Cutting Losses

Ignoring Weak Markets

Averaging Down

Buying Because of a Dividend

Buying on Rumors, Tips

Fear of New Highs

Marrying a Stock

Overdiversifying

Buying Low Priced Stocks

Problems with CANSLIM:  

You have to do all the work of a value investor, and then all the work of a technical analyst (except the final step of determining the value), and then you spend lots of time looking for a pivot point on which you can buy.

No clear rules for when to sell.

No money management.

Additional problem with CANSLIM:  There are elements of a religion with a high priest or prophet in this approach.  On various CANSLIM message boards, you can find people discussing what O'Neil said, and what he would have said if he were to write his book today.

I have made good money with CANSLIM, and now that I understand it better, I could probably do OK, providing I wanted to spend the time.