I made a trade in MGM today, and instantly self-talked: “Uhm, why I am in this trade?” It was not a trade that I trade well. It is not a trade that fits my personality. It is not a trade that extenuates my strengths. Why? Why? Why? We make progress as traders when we stop making trades that do not … Read More
Two ways to make more in OPHT
I gave a Junior Trader a hard time in our review after the close for not holding a winner longer. In all fairness, I should do the same for my trading. There are two areas where I could have traded OPHT better, consistent with trading that makes sense to me. I like trading stocks like OPHT. They had horrible news … Read More
A trick to trade bigger
“If you can’t sling around 80k shares than why bother?”- Trader Anonymous On the desk this past week one Senior Trader hit 80k shares for a scalp and a few junior guys giggled at seeing a trader take such size. It was a scalp. And it was a scalp in a stock under $2. So let’s put the size in … Read More
Trading lesson learned from a large loss
I am proud of a trader on our desk. He got stopped out in FNSR. In a trade that he should not have made. The trade is too fast for him. (Learn more about trading edge in this video.) He violated his stop loss. He got caught like a deer in headlights as the trade went against him. That is … Read More
It’s never just patience
Often I hear traders decry their lack of patience. If they were only more patient, they would win. From my seat, there is more to add to these thoughts of trading frustration. You might hear commonly on a trading desk, “I JUST need to wait for my levels.” Again the idea is if trader just waits for his levels he … Read More
The first test for a new trader
You get hired for June on a trading desk. You take The Foundation, a 6 week course. You learn everything you didn’t learn in school, the internet, blogs, cable TV (just kidding), your uncle, and/or trading gurus about the markets necessary to place professional trades. Then it’s on to Trader Development where for the next 6 months you experiment with … Read More
Boring old habits
Ray Allen, former NBA basketball great and UConn alumn, penned a letter to his younger self with the advice: stick to your boring old habits. He wrote movingly: You’ll win a championship in Boston. You’ll win another in Miami. The personalities on those two teams will be different, but both teams will have the same thing in common: habits. Boring … Read More
I trade well when…..
In The PlayBook, my thesis was for traders to study their best trades and build from them, trading these setups more often and bigger. The feedback I have received is that this has helped many traders. If you are not actively studying your strengths, consider doing so. Yesterday, during our SMB Options Tribe webinar, special guest, trading author, and trading … Read More