One of the highest-signal flags in the feed is “preceded news.” It means a trade landed in the minutes or hours before a public announcement that moved the same market — the single strongest hint, short of an actual leak, that a position was informed rather than lucky.
Adjacency, not proof
Proximity to a catalyst is never proof of insider knowledge — announcements get scheduled, markets get timed, and some people just see the pattern coming. But the shape of the trade matters. A wallet that flips the correct side of the correct market eight minutes before a statement, with real size, from a funded-and-fresh account, is the profile that justifies the word “unusual.” That’s exactly where the score is built to lean in.
How it feeds the layers
- Market timing carries most of the weight — the gap between the trade and the catalyst is the core measurement.
- News adjacency confirms the market actually responded, so the timing means something.
- Pedigree and size decide whether the proximity is credible or coincidental.
A fresh wallet with $44K eight minutes before a Fed statement scores well above a whale with the same dollars on a lazy Tuesday. The timing is the tell, and the other layers keep you honest about it. Real examples are scored live on the signals page.