In the past 20 years US equity markets have evolved dramatically. The two major US markets the NYSE and NASDAQ have moved forward at different paces but pretty much have converged at this point with how they interact with traders. Trades can be executed on either exchange within a blink of an eye by computers and humans alike. For an … Read More
The Stock Market Does Not Exist To Serve The Long Term Investor
I appreciate being invited on to Bloomberg TV Monday to share my thoughts on market regulation and HFT trading. This issue has received a lot of press recently in part thanks to Mark Cuban who has used his notoriety to bring attention to an important issue. I applaud him for using his platform for bringing this issue into focus, first … Read More
You Got Me $APOL
I lost money trading APOL today. During my post trade review it became apparent to me that even with a few tweeks I still would have lost money day trading it. Sometimes stocks do not behave well. Perhaps APOL is better suited for swing and position trading? It has a history of trading erratically intraday. During the past few years … Read More
Reversal Rehearsal
I have noticed recently a lot of money being made on the desk via reversal patterns. A reversal pattern is when a stock that has trended in one direction stops trending and then begins a new trend in the opposite direction. Reversal patterns can be much easier to trade than the initial trend as they usually unfold over a longer … Read More
A Tape Trade–URBN
I make trading decisions based on 3 factors: Tape (order flow), Technicals (trend, support, resistance) and Catalysts (News). The least understood of the three is the Tape. It is a skill that takes thousands of screen hours to develop. But once developed it is a skill that enhances the risk/reward of your trades and often enables you trade with larger … Read More
I Love Being Wrong–SODA
One of three In Play names discussed in today’s AM Meeting was SODA. It was gapping up to 36 which is a longer term resistance level. My initial thought was the news didn’t seem like a big deal and it would be a nice short on the Open against this level. As the market opened it traded a few cents … Read More
I Love Being Wrong
As a pro trader my bias in a stock is largely a result of the price action. As I observe the price action I start to ask myself questions like what are the other players in the stock doing? What are the big institutions doing? Are swing traders buying or selling now? Are intraday momo traders trying to play the … Read More
February 22nd Gameplan Review
SMB Capital Stocks In Play Call Review. Each morning before the market opens we discuss the stocks that we believe will offer the best risk/reward trading opportunities intraday. Today’s review featured GRMN, MOS, NFX, MGM, DELL, INTU. February 22nd gameplan Steven Spencer is the co-founder of SMB Capital and SMB Training and has traded professionally for over 15 years. No … Read More