William J. O'Neil

William J. O'Neil studied business at Southern Methodist University and worked as a stockbroker before founding William O'Neil & Company in 1963. He was among the first to use computer databases for stock market research — an innovation that gave him a substantial analytical advantage. He developed the CAN SLIM system for identifying high-growth stocks: Current earnings (quarterly EPS growth), Annual earnings, New product/service/management/high, Supply and demand, Leader or laggard, Institutional sponsorship, and Market direction. The system combines fundamental analysis of earnings growth with technical analysis of chart patterns, specifically cup-with-handle and double-bottom patterns. In 1984 he founded Investor's Business Daily as a competitor to the Wall Street Journal, providing daily stock rankings and data that facilitated the CAN SLIM approach. His book 'How to Make Money in Stocks' — now in its fourth edition — has sold over 2 million copies and remains one of the most widely read stock investing books in America. O'Neil's research into market leaders demonstrated that the best-performing stocks in any market cycle typically exhibit certain fundamental and technical characteristics before their major advances, and his work influenced a generation of growth-oriented equity investors.