Monday, June 22, 2009

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Friday, June 19, 2009

Todays trading style

If you're having a difficult time making money in the current market conditions, it might be wise to change your approach in how long you hold on to your positions. As a day trader my hold times are short. And during the current market conditions there are getting shorter.
Sure it's all too easy to look at the end of day chart and say the trend is obvious, but when you are trading during the market gyrations you need to take the signals it's giving. Consequently my winners have gotten smaller dollarwise but larger in quantity.
Basically when the momentum stops in whatever I'm trading I bail out and take the profits. Some magic plan, huh?. Then I usually trade them the other direction beacuse that is where they are usually heading. I haven't had huge gainers, I don't have huge losers. I have to be very immersed in the momentum flow as usual but it is still the same action plan that I have always followed. My trading plan has not changed but merely adapted to the conditions.
It would be nice if SKF would move $80 in a day like it used to, but I am content to take .80 moves all day long.
The following posts today demostrate.



Taking the profits after a quick pop/drop ensures that money is flowing in my direction. Never underestimate how picking off .40, .50, .60 runs can make your account grow. If you hold out for bigger profits in todays market they will more often than not never materialize.

Sell ERX







Sell POT









COver SKF


Markets are popping so longs are the way to go.


Bot ERX













Short SKF













Cover POT and long again












COver MOS


Cover VFC and look for some better movers.
















Add some MOS short to go with POT.

Momo in POT is not strong so I'll take the $ and trade it short again.

VFC is heading down so now a short is the better trade.

Rotate into something that is moving.

POT long

VFC has stalled so I'll take the profit that the markets offer up. Any way you slice it a .30 gain in 5 minutes is a good trade. I can always re enter the trade if it breaks to a new high. What I will avoid by taking the profit now is tying my money and focus up if it flatlines or watching unrealized profits dwindle if it falls back down.

Momentum is the key to zero in on. It sounds basic but never try to swim against the tide. Go with it instead. Take VFC here for example. It's just shown up on my hitting new highs alerts. I've never seen this stock in my life and have no idea what they do. At this moment it is hitting new highs. There is a high probability then that it will go higher. I need no facts, rumours, conjecture about why. Green candles are saying it is going higher so taking a long position is merely going with the flow.


I'll bank those quick drops and look for others


POT














RIMM

Opportunities in todays market conditions.




It 's been choppy trading lately but don't let scare you away as one never knows when the next opportunity will arrive. The key to trading today for me is the same as ever, 1. Spot the momentum 2. Trade my plan.
Lets take a look at a couple of stock that I used to trade but haven't in quite a while.

Red candles in the S & P and QQQQ say that momentum is to the downside, so



SHort POT

















Short in RIMM

Wednesday, June 17, 2009



option 4 wins out, I'm done for the day.

Sell SRS
















cover CNX


Lighten the load, take profits




cover ERX













cover TNA

3 options...If stuff takes a giant step down soon, I'll take that opportunity to cover and play the bounce. If its a slow, controlled melt down I'll stick with it. If it reverses, I'll take profits and go with it.
Or option 4, with a hour to go until end of day , maybe go mountain biking instead.


S&P and QQQQ





Whose in control , the bulls or bears? I don't know so I'll take the profits and trade them the other way.

Bot SRS












Sold TNA and short













Sold ERX and short













Sold DIG














Sold CNX and short


cover SRS bot CNX


SRS















CNX





Cover TNA and long again














Sold and short SRS














Bot DIG

















Stopped out ERX and gone long now



I'll continue to take these little pops and drops and trade them in th eopposite direction during these markets conditions

Sold ERX and short now













Cover SRS and long now














Sold TNA and short now



Back from breakfast, stopped out of TNA SRS.



STopped out of TNA and gone long again










Stopped out of SRS and short again


















COvered ERX and long now



Still like them short so I'll try again

SRS long















ERX short
















TNA short



Alarms going off, I'll take the small losers

SRS













ERX














TNA




taking profits after a little pop is always good these days.
nows its time for breakfast.


cover SRS and long











sold ERX and short


















sold CNX














SOLD TNA and short