One our traders came over as I was talking to Jay our hyperkinetic intern about the cool new retweet button he installed on our blog, “Bella do you have a minute.” As a partner I have learned what can follow could be just about anything. Previously in the day one of the calmer traders on our desk stormed into my … Read More
An Intraday Educational Foundation
At SMB we think carefully and obsessively about our core competencies. It all starts with providing an excellent trading education, an educational foundation for our intraday traders. Steve and I can really get into it about what is most important to be taught to our desk. Hey we have been friends since we were six. An outsider might find some … Read More
A Support Play- WAG
As I was finishing my cholesterol free egg and bagel sandwich in the premarket, I saw huge volume in WAG at 37.32. When WAG opened more volume was done right here. Holy important intraday level! WAG finally held this level and I got long right on the open in WAG (I am not shy). This was a support play. WAG … Read More
Don’t Fight the Trend…. Save
We teach our traders to follow the trend. I certainly can fade stocks. For three years this is how I more than paid the bills from 03-06. And this fading period cemented my tape reading skills. So it’s not that I would never advocate fading as a strategy. Just not now. Not in this market. Well save a few … Read More
AIG Pulls Me Back In
I wasn’t planning on trading AIG. I thought SEED would consume most of my attention. Actually I thought I could establish a decent size position in SEED, sit back, and enjoy the ride. I would let the MoMo hedge fund traders do their thing. Who am I to get in the way of a low volume market pattern? SEED … Read More
Reflections on Black Friday: Market Psychology
At 5:15 AM I awoke Eastern Standard Albany Time. I was in Albany, New York about to take a borrowed car to the Amtrak train station to the subway to my office trek. Door to door it took me just under four hours. I was the only one awake on Amtrak from Albany to Penn Station as I was preparing … Read More
Black Friday Close
Into this Black Friday Close today we are paying special attention to some key levels in SPY: 110 is our biggest intraday level. below 109.75 I will lean short. We are watching the market leaders: AAPL (winner Best Intraday Stock for today), AMZN, GS, POT, JPM. And now we just started watching SEED as a momentum stock (above 11.31 is … Read More
Tips for Light Volume Trading Sessions
The volume is light today. This was expected the day before Thanksgiving. For those of us who made it into work we need a game plan for these lighter volume sessions. There is some money to be made but there is more money to be lost with poor trading decisions. Some ideas: 1) Decrease your tier size. If normally 1000 … Read More