Historical Lab
Compare market signals across time in one workspace
What the Historical Lab does
The Historical Lab replaces the former collection of separate historical chart pages. It gives you one comparative timeline for a symbol, with a searchable metric library, consistent date windows, statistics, correlation, source observations, and CSV export.
Use it to answer questions such as:
- Is today’s reading typical or unusual for this symbol?
- Did volatility, positioning, sentiment, and price change together during a prior event?
- Does a relationship remain visible across a short window and a longer market regime?
- Which observations produced the summary shown on the chart?
Availability: Delta plan and higher.
Open it: Choose Historical Analytics in the web sidebar. The workspace itself is the Historical Lab. You can also open /history/stocks/:symbol/analysis for a tracked symbol.
Choose metrics
The metric library groups the historical signals available for the selected symbol. Use the search box when you know the signal name, or choose a group to browse related measures.
Click a metric to add it to the timeline. Click its chip above the chart to remove it. You can plot up to eight signals at a time; a smaller set is usually easier to read.
Metric availability can vary by symbol and date. An empty value means the platform does not have a valid observation for that session; it should not be read as zero.
Set the comparison window
The workspace offers these windows:
| Window | Useful for |
|---|---|
| 3M | Recent events and short regime changes |
| 6M | Earnings cycles and medium-term shifts |
| 1Y | A full annual comparison |
| 2Y | Multiple volatility and market regimes |
| 5Y | Longer-cycle research |
| MAX | All available history for the selected symbol |
Changing the window recalculates the statistics shown below the chart. A standardized value in one window is therefore not directly interchangeable with the same value from another window.
Standardized and native scales
- Standardized expresses each selected signal relative to its own average and variability in the chosen window. This makes differently sized measures easier to compare on one chart.
- Native plots values in their original units on the shared signal axis. Use it when the actual magnitude matters more than shape comparison.
- Price candles add the underlying stock’s daily price history so you can compare signals with price action.
Standardization is a viewing aid. It does not convert correlation into causation and does not make signals with different definitions economically equivalent.
Read the workspace
Interactive timeline
The main chart plots the selected signals and, when enabled, price candles. Hover or zoom to inspect a period more closely. Use Reset chart view after zooming, and use fullscreen when several series need more space.
Window statistics
Each selected signal gets a snapshot card with its current value, window mean, change across the window, and standardized distance from the window mean. These numbers describe the selected history; they are not entry or exit rules.
Correlation matrix
When at least two signals are selected, the matrix shows their Pearson correlation over the observations available in the current window. Values near +1 moved together, values near -1 moved in opposite directions, and values near 0 had little linear relationship.
Correlation can change across windows and can be distorted by a shared market event. Use it to form a question, then inspect the timeline and source rows.
Data inspector and CSV export
The data inspector lists the dated source observations behind the visible study. Change the page size to review more rows, or choose Export CSV to continue your analysis outside Optionomics.
A practical workflow
- Search for the symbol and open Historical Analytics.
- Choose one question, such as whether implied volatility and realized movement diverged around prior earnings.
- Add two or three relevant signals rather than filling all eight slots immediately.
- Start with a one-year or two-year window, then compare it with a shorter window.
- Enable price candles and inspect the dates where the relationship changed.
- Check the statistics, correlation matrix, and source observations before drawing a conclusion.
- Export the observations if you need to document or reproduce the comparison.
Historical Lab versus backtesting
The Historical Lab is an exploratory research workspace. It helps you compare observations but does not simulate orders or produce a strategy return.
Use Backtesting when you want to define a historical test and review modeled outcomes. Backtest results remain hypothetical and depend on their assumptions.
Remember: Historical relationships can weaken or disappear. Treat the Lab as context for research, not a prediction of the next move.
