I have been on Twitter for for almost three years and have tweeted about 2,000 times. I have found Twitter to be an extension of my personality for the most part. I tend not to offer ideas unless they are well thought out and therefore feel comfortable sharing them with others. I am amazed at the almost stream of consciousness … Read More
The Blowup
As someone who has been in the trading industry for over 15 years I am familiar with many traders and firms that have “blown up” over the years. The most recent public example of this was MF Global. Billions wagered on Sovereign European debt brought MF to bankruptcy. Probably the most famous blowup of all time was LTCM, which was … Read More
Markets Change And So Must I
I received the following thoughtful email from a reader and former SMB student the other day: Steve, From your recent email: /* Simple chart set ups are just opportunities for you to consider a trade. They are not a signal to just make a trade. Skill is needed to determine when an excellent risk/reward is present. Skill is needed to … Read More
A Tape Trade
One of the questions I receive most often is regarding trades based strictly on the tape. These occur far less frequently than in years past because of the masking of buyers/sellers by the HFTs but they still do occur from time to time. This morning I was trading AMLN on the Open as it was In Play due to an … Read More
The Lens Matters (2)
Last week I wrote a column talking about how I had moved towards using 15 minute charts more often intraday to keep me focused on a stock’s most relevant trend. I still use lower time frames and the tape to identify the best entries but the higher time frame view will inform whether I am short or long. I thought … Read More
Measuring Opportunity Intraday
After having trading professionally for 16 years I still find the lack of understanding among friends and family as to how myself and other short term traders make a living humorous. Here are some of the comments I still hear on a regular basis from my parents and close friends “Market was flat today so I guess you didn’t make … Read More
The Lense Matters
One of the questions I am asked most frequently by aspiring traders is what time frame do I use on my charts for intraday trades. My stock answer (no pun intended) is that from 9:30-10:00 I am looking at 1min or tick charts and then I zoom out to 5min. But recently I have found that a 15 minute view … Read More
SMB Radar Play ACOM
we received the following email from a Radar subscriber today (post originally written january 9th): Subject: SMB Radar play in ACOM today Question: Dear Bella, I am trying to develop certain plays based on the SMB Radar that I call SMB Radar Strong and SMB Radar Weak. My thoughts are that I’ll check the names on the strong and weak … Read More