Below is an argument from a trader on our desk not to hold stocks during this earnings season. The trader suggests to get in and out and not expect much follow through with stocks to the upside. Kind of a frustrating market day because the market is slowly grinding higher throughout the day but individual stocks don’t really make hods. … Read More
A hint to make more this earnings season
After the close SMB met in its training room for a talk led by me. I haven’t given many talks of late but I thought the desk was due for one after my observations of their trading. It is earnings season. There are tricks to scoring. And there are things traders do to harm their results. Trying to hard is … Read More
The First Lesson of Trading: You Stink
A trader on our desk shared this email sent to him by another trader on our desk. It offers a great lesson to the new and developing trader based on the work of Dr. Steenbarger and a trader’s individual experience. I was reading the first chapter of Enhancing Trader Performance by Dr Steenbarger today and I realized that I was … Read More
I See Momentum Buying
I settled at my trading station wondering what to trade on this Open. RHT? BBY? AMLN? There had not yet been a price spike on the SMB Radar in health care yet but I would later ask what and where to buy for that sector. BBY showed some consistent selling at 25 so I scalped that down to 24.60 on … Read More
The Market Discriminates Against the Over-thinker and Ill-prepared
Hi Mike, Never wrote you, thought I would try. Had a question. In much of what I see, read, etc., there seems to be a focus there on recruitment and somewhat of a preference to younger people as new traders on your prop desk. PLEASE note that I am not looking for an age discrimination claim here, lol. It’s just … Read More
Is This Trader Complacent or Patient?
Bella, How do you distinguish between patience and complacency? Patience is what I call it when I’m riding a trend. Complacency is what I call it when price initially goes my way, but then retraces and eventually stops me out. This happens to me most in two cases. In these cases I feel as though more aggressively taking profits would … Read More
Why buying a stock at a higher price can be better
I received this review from a really solid young trader. There are two important trading lessons in his thoughts. Can you spot them? Biggest regret today: not using the information I collected on ITMN as a short. I was watching above 17, I had a long bias, but I chose not to buy it because of what I saw. The … Read More
Forex trade of the week
A key point in the EUR/CHF trade was when the price fractured the areas of support, which are identified by the Fibonacci retracement at level .618 % at an approximate price of 1.2800. Once those areas have been breached, we expect the trend to be lower than the previous minimums, but in turn, the price increases producing up trends. This … Read More