Surge Blog
Guides, deep dives, and honest takes
Articles for people working on get notified when stocks and crypto trade unusually heavy.. Written by engineers, no marketing fluff.
ETH Gas Threshold Alerts for Batching Transactions
Operating on the Ethereum blockchain often means contending with fluctuating and sometimes exorbitant transaction fees, colloquially known as 'gas.' For en
Beyond Personal Capital: Engineering Your Net Worth Tracking
For many of us in the tech world, tools like Personal Capital (now Empower) offer an appealing promise: a unified view of your financial life. Connect your
Binance Trade History Analysis for Retail Traders
As a retail trader navigating the volatile world of cryptocurrencies, especially on a platform as vast as Binance, understanding your historical trade data
DRIP Dividend Reinvestment Plan Tracking for Engineers
Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs) are a powerful strategy for long-term wealth accumulation. By automatically reinvesting cash dividends back into the sa
Moving Average Crossover Alerts: A Practical Guide for Engineers
As engineers, we appreciate systems that provide clear signals based on quantifiable data. In the realm of financial markets, technical analysis often reli
Demystifying Stock Split Adjustments in P&L Calculation
As engineers building financial tools, accurately tracking portfolio performance is paramount. Price feeds, trade executions, and real-time P&L calculation
Navigating Capital Gains: An Automatic Flag for Long-Term vs. Short-Term Holdings
For anyone actively managing a portfolio of stocks, cryptocurrencies, or even NFTs, the annual tax season often brings a familiar headache: accurately calc
Deconstructing Covered Call P&L: A Technical Deep Dive
As engineers, we appreciate systems that are predictable, quantifiable, and offer a clear understanding of inputs and outputs. Options strategies, particul
DCA Tracking: Spreadsheet vs. App - An Engineer's Perspective
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) is a strategy many engineers appreciate for its systematic, disciplined approach to investing. By regularly investing a fixed a
CoinGecko API Rate Limits Explained: A Practical Guide for Developers
The CoinGecko API is an indispensable resource for developers building applications that require cryptocurrency data. From real-time prices and market caps
Real-Time Stock Data on a Budget: Strategies for Engineers
For anyone building a portfolio tracker, a trading bot, or even just a personal dashboard, 'real-time' stock data is the holy grail. The problem? True real
Treasury Yield Alerts for Fixed Income Investors
As engineers, we appreciate data, automation, and clear signals. When it comes to managing a fixed-income portfolio, or even understanding the broader mark
401k vs IRA Portfolio Dashboarding for Self-Managed Accounts
As engineers, we're accustomed to systems that provide a unified, real-time view of critical data. Yet, when it comes to our personal finances, specificall
Ethereum Gas Fee Tracking for DeFi Users: Tools and Strategies
For anyone actively participating in decentralized finance (DeFi) on Ethereum, gas fees are an inescapable reality. These transaction costs, paid in ETH, c
Robinhood Portfolio Export to CSV: What to Do With It
So you’ve exported your Robinhood portfolio data to a CSV file. Congratulations! Whether you're moving platforms, preparing for tax season, or just want to
Limit Price Alert Without an Exchange API Key
As engineers and investors navigating the volatile seas of stocks and cryptocurrencies, staying informed about price movements is crucial. Setting 'limit p
Wash Sale Tracking in a Personal Portfolio: A Practical Guide for Engineers
Navigating the complexities of tax law can be a headache, especially when you're managing a diverse personal portfolio spanning traditional stocks, ETFs, a
Stock Price Drop Notifications by SMS or Telegram
As engineers, we appreciate systems that work for us, especially when they involve monitoring critical data. In the world of investing, staying informed ab
RSI Alert: When Does It Actually Predict Reversals?
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is one of the most widely used momentum oscillators in technical analysis. Traders and algorithms alike frequently scan f
Crypto Exchange Outage Monitoring: A Practical Guide for Engineers
The decentralized promise of cryptocurrency often clashes with the centralized reality of the exchanges where most trading occurs. These platforms are crit
Monitoring a Stock Portfolio Across Multiple Brokers
As an engineer managing personal investments, you've likely encountered the challenge of tracking your portfolio when it's spread across several brokers. W
Detecting Altcoin Season: A Programmatic Approach for Engineers
As an engineer navigating the volatile world of cryptocurrency, you're likely familiar with the concept of 'altcoin season.' It's a period that promises si
Tracking 401k Loans Against Portfolio Value
Taking a loan from your 401k can seem like a convenient way to access funds without traditional credit checks or high interest rates. After all, you're bor
Stablecoin Depeg Alerts: An Engineer's Guide to USDC and USDT Monitoring
Stablecoins are foundational to the modern crypto economy, acting as the bridge between volatile digital assets and the stability of fiat currencies. For e
Deep Dive: REIT Yield Tracking and FFO Interpretation for Your Portfolio
As engineers, we appreciate systems that are well-defined, predictable, and offer transparent metrics. When it comes to investing, Real Estate Investment T
Implementing Bollinger Band Breakout Alerts for Your Portfolio
As engineers managing personal or even small-scale institutional portfolios, we often seek systematic ways to identify potential market movements. Manual m
Tracking Unrealized P&L Across Stocks and Crypto: A Unified Approach
As engineers, we often pride ourselves on building solutions. When it comes to personal finance, especially portfolio tracking, many of us initially consid
Stop Loss Alert vs. Trailing Stop Alert: A Practical Guide for Engineers
As engineers operating in the financial markets, whether tracking a personal portfolio of stocks and crypto or building automated trading systems, managing
FX Impact on USD-Denominated Portfolios for Non-US Investors
As a non-US investor holding assets denominated in US Dollars – whether it's US stocks, ETFs, or even stablecoins like USDT or USDC – you're dealing with a
Tracking Crypto Across Multiple Wallets in One Dashboard
If you've been in the crypto space for any significant time, you've likely experienced the 'wallet sprawl' problem. A little Bitcoin on a hardware wallet,
Combining Stocks and Crypto in One Chart: A Technical Deep Dive
As engineers and investors, we often grapple with the challenge of gaining a holistic view of our financial portfolios. The traditional divide between stoc
Yahoo Finance API Alternatives in 2026
If you've been in the financial development space for a while, chances are you've either directly or indirectly relied on Yahoo Finance for market data. Fo
How to Set Crypto Price Alerts Without Paying for a Tool
Tracking cryptocurrency prices can feel like a full-time job. The market never sleeps, and significant price movements can happen in minutes, not hours. Fo
MACD Alert Simplified for Beginners
As engineers and technically-minded individuals, we appreciate data, systems, and automation. When it comes to financial markets, the sheer volume of data
VIX Spike Alerts for Hedging: A Practical Approach
As engineers and technically-minded investors, we often seek systematic ways to manage risk and optimize our portfolios. While fundamental analysis and lon
Broker Outage Notification: An Engineer's Guide to Proactive Monitoring
In the volatile world of financial markets, technical glitches are an unfortunate reality. Whether you're an individual investor, a quantitative trader run
BTC Dominance Alerts and What They Tell You
As an engineer managing a diverse portfolio, you're likely tracking individual asset prices, performance, and perhaps even some macro-economic indicators.
ETF Holdings Transparency Lookup: A Technical Deep Dive
As engineers, we're accustomed to dissecting systems, understanding their components, and optimizing their performance. When it comes to our personal finan
Best Portfolio Tracker for Small Investors
As an investor, especially one navigating both traditional equities and the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency landscape, keeping a clear, consolidated view o
Crypto Cost Basis: Navigating FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO for Tax Efficiency
As an engineer navigating the volatile world of cryptocurrency, you're likely familiar with the thrill of gains and the pang of losses. But beyond the imme
Free Crypto Whale Alerts for Retail Traders
As retail traders in the crypto space, you're constantly seeking an edge. One of the most talked-about strategies is 'following the whales' – tracking the
Tracking Staking Rewards Across Protocols
As an engineer navigating the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape, you've likely delved into staking. Whether it's securing a Proof-of-Stake blockchain,
Options Trade Tracking in a Stock Portfolio App
Tracking a portfolio of stocks and cryptocurrencies can be challenging enough, especially when you're dealing with multiple brokers and exchanges. Add opti
Alpha Vantage vs. Polygon vs. Yahoo: A Data Deep Dive for Indie Devs
As an indie developer building financial applications – especially portfolio trackers, algorithmic trading tools, or even just a simple stock widget – reli
Dividend Tracking on Top of Capital Gains: A Practical Guide for Engineers
As engineers and technically-minded individuals, we're naturally drawn to data, systems, and optimizing for efficiency. When it comes to personal finance a
Ex-Dividend Date Alerts: A Technical Approach to Capturing Payouts
As engineers, we appreciate precision, automation, and minimizing operational overhead. When it comes to managing personal finances, especially investment
Solana Priority Fee Alerts
Solana's high throughput and low transaction costs have made it a popular choice for decentralized applications. However, its unique fee market, which oper
Navigating Coinbase Tax Export and Reconciliation for Engineers
Tax season and cryptocurrency often feel like oil and water. For engineers, the desire for precision and automation clashes head-on with the often fragment
Mastering Market Entry: Earnings Calendar Alerts Before Market Open
Navigating the financial markets, whether for long-term investing or short-term trading, often hinges on access to timely information. Among the most impac