I traded VMW on the Open. Home of the impossible 5 million shares and no liquidity. If anyone is into the whole HFT conspiracy/they are evil dogma replay this tape. Let’s see if we can learn from this rip. 83 was a level from the open. It was a level from the premarket and afterhours trading. There was resistance on … Read More
The Psychology of Sizing (Guest Blog)
Below is a wonderful contribution to our learning/growth shared by an SMB Blog Reader and professional trader. **************** For the past 4 months I’ve been battling with risk management. It’s been my Achilles heel. Its has completely destroyed my consistency. I’ve made big and I’ve also lost big. I’d say that 80% of my trades have good technical structure and … Read More
Three Good Trades in CLDA
1. Buy 23 with a stop of 22.89 There was too much buying near 23 on the bid. The buying was VERY different on the tape. CLDA was still firmly positive for the day. Was this the possible bottom? I kicked some out at 23.60, some above 24 and sold the rest below 23.80. 2. Buy 23.60 with a stop … Read More
Exercise and My Trading
Before I started SMB I could be found after work for hours playing pickup basketball at the exclusive Reebok Club in NYC. I loved the competition, the guys who played regularly, and trying to get better in my early thirties at a sport I enjoyed. It also left me in remarkable physical condition, just a few pounds from my high school … Read More
In a Perfect World
Say a billionaire approached you and asked: in a perfect world what would you need to be your best trader? Assume you worked at a prop firm so any of this would also be available for your fellow traders. He would offer an open checkbook. You would trade and focus only on growing your P&L. Here is my partial list: 1) … Read More
The Complete Trading Course (A Book Review)
After reading Corey Rosenbloom’s The Complete Trading Course, there was one basic theme that I took away from the book: these days, there’s no excuse for your average every-day investor not to at least make an attempt to manage some of his/her own money. And I also couldn’t help but hope that many traders would immediately add Corey’s book to their … Read More
Move On After a Trading Session
In Buster Olney’s latest column he offers an interesting thought for us as traders: move on from a trading day. Into The Close and on The Open most traders are in a state of heightened focus. It would be exhausting to stay in this state all day. We would burn out quickly attempting to stay so intensely focused. Buster asked … Read More
Find the Setups That Fit Your Personality
“My style on the chessboard was a direct expression of my personality.” And then: “I believe that one of the most critical factors in the transition to becoming a conscious high performer is the degree to which your relationship to your pursuit stays in harmony with your unique disposition.” These quotes are from The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey … Read More