Hi Bella, I finished your book and it was so wonderful and inspiring. As a female trader (back in the game after a year and a half away, used to trade on a prop desk), I loved that you addressed the issue of women in trading, you sound like a great guy to work for. I would like to share … 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
The Language of the Successful Trader
Trader A has overperformed since his start at SMB relative to his experience and peers. Trader B has underperformed relative to his experience with us. Trader A went to a middle of the road school. Trader B has a very impressive educational background. Both love trading. Both are guys you build a firm around. So what separates the two? Their … Read More
An Argument for Why Not Trading Much Makes No Sense
So I work with a trader who started very well. I was very happy with his progress. He was consistent with his results. Steve frequently would remark at his over-performance given his experience. And then recently he has not traded well. So much so that yesterday I wrote him this email: Hey, what is going on w u? Something bothering … Read More
Is this a tape reading play that you make?
Mike/Bella/Mr. Bellafiore, First, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for the trading community. I’ve learned orders of magnitude more from the fruits of your efforts than from any other single source since I’ve started trading. You’re doing great things. My question is about tape reading. How would you describe the difference between tape action that signals a … 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
Is it time to quit trading? Part II
Over the weekend we started a discussion on Twitter and the SMB Blog about whether it was time to quit trading for an experienced trader who had emailed me. He had had some past success. Then underperformed for a few years. Had recently started a family offering another important variable. We offered some thoughts via a blog: Is it time … Read More