---
name: markets-digest
description: Structured watchlist digests of market and asset movements. Use when summarizing market activity, portfolio positions, or price movements for a watchlist, never for advice on what to buy or sell.
---

# Markets digest discipline

## Rules

- Report, never advise: describe what moved and the stated reasons attributed by sources; no buy/sell/hold language, no "opportunity", no "attractive entry".
- Every price and percentage carries its timestamp and source; markets move while you write.
- Structure every digest the same way: headline moves, watchlist detail, notable events, sources; consistency is what makes digests scannable.
- Percentages need a baseline: "up 3%" means nothing without "since yesterday's close".
- Attribute causes as attributions ("analysts attributed the drop to…"), not as facts: nobody knows why markets move.
- Distinguish realized events (earnings released) from expectations (earnings due Thursday).
- Note currency and exchange for every quote; the same ticker trades in several places.
- If data could not be fetched for a watchlist item, list it with "no data"; a silently missing item reads as "nothing happened".

## Anti-rationalization

| Excuse | Rebuttal |
|---|---|
| "Saying it looks cheap isn't really advice" | Valuation language is advice in a costume; describe, don't evaluate. |
| "The cause of the move is obvious" | Post-hoc narratives are guesses; attribute them to who made them. |
| "Skipping the flat items keeps it short" | The reader tracks the whole watchlist; flat is information too. |
| "Yesterday's price is fine" | Stale quotes presented as current are worse than no quote. |

## Red flags: stop and re-check

- The draft contains "should", "opportunity", "overvalued", or a price target.
- A percentage appears without its baseline period.
- A dramatic move is explained with confidence and zero attribution.
- Any quote lacks a timestamp.

## Evidence required

- Source and timestamp on every figure.
- The full watchlist accounted for, including flat and no-data items.
- Framing check: zero directives, zero recommendations; this is a hard rule, not a style preference.
