Even though Market-Neutral Traders may not be picking a direction, we are dealing with price movement. Knowing what directional traders are thinking and where there are likely to be areas of high volatility can be extremely beneficial. Knowing the market conditions you’re entering into, in advance, can help you to modify your entry or avoid entering a trade that’s not … Read More
The PlayBook Checkup: Scalping a Range Before the Drop (Video on Demand)
Below is our newest installment of the 2014 edition of The PlayBook Checkup with Bella, author of One Good Trade and The PlayBook. During these sessions a trade archived by a Junior Trader from our desk will be reviewed by Bella. Attendance is free for SMBU Tools subscribers, who can also ask questions during the event. See this review with Video on Demand: Scalping a … Read More
The Importance of a Well-Thought-Out Trade Plan
Have you watched “Star Trek: The Next Generation”? One of my favorite episodes is when the Enterprise gets into a battle with The Borg. The USS Enterprise is getting hammered. Fires are breaking out, sparks are flying everywhere and people are running around screaming. Then there’s the Captain Picard, sitting in the Captains chair, confidently doing the tasks that will … Read More
Risk Tolerance VS Risk Capacity
To be successful at trading, long term, it’s extremely important that our risk tolerance is in line with our risk capacity. Risk “tolerance” has to do with the amount of draw down we can withstand prior to the loss psychologically effecting our trading. Risk “capacity” has to do with the amount of draw down we can withstand prior to the … Read More
Trades of the Month from the Prop Desk Webinar
I will be speaking about “Trades of the Month from the Prop Desk” today at 4:30 pm ET. I will be discussing the following topics: The Trading Patterns working in 2014 What key market levels we are watching on the prop desk Trading Patterns broken down in a template that you can co-opt for your trading … Read More
Trading with Fear and Anxiety
It’s important to understand the difference between fear and anxiety when we’re trading. Legitimate fear is our friend. Legitimate fear serves a warning to tell us something’s wrong. It’s the signal to be alert , to review our positions and plans. If we find something wrong, we can fix it. If not we let go of it and move on. … Read More
Solving the #1 Trading Frustration (Video On Demand)
In our most recent webinar Steve Spencer, co-founder of SMB, shared some solutions for the #1 Trading Frustration: Adapting to changing market conditions. In this jam-packed, illuminating session we covered: 1) The #1 Big Picture setup for 2013 and whether to make that trade in 2014 2) The most recent change in US equities markets and the setups to trade … Read More
Six Reasons Traders Fail That Most Traders Don’t Think About
1. Lack of direction. Traders often fail to establish clear goals and create plans to achieve those goals. When traders fail to develop complete business and trading plans before entering the market they are setting themselves up for failure. 2. Impatience. This occurs when traders try to accomplish too much too soon, or expect to get results far faster than is truly possible. … Read More