I received this email from a trader: Hi Mike, Terrific piece yesterday on trader development. You have a wonderful way of clarifying things. Step 1. Build your playbook of trading ideas Step 2. Become consistent trading these plays. I have come across the word “consistent” more and more frequently but have never fully grasped just how important it is. Dr. … Read More
Rules for high conviction trades
During a daily review a developing trader tackled his system for re-entry with high conviction trades. In his words on his high conviction IBB breakout trade, expressed with LABD: (LABD) Was one of my larger picture ideas for the day. Was using this 3X leverage ETF to play the IBB breakout. IBB looked positioned for a breakout on the daily … Read More
Trading lessons from Happy Hour
We held a traders Happy Hour last night for our proprietary trading firm. Some of the new hires having a blast asked how often we hold Happy Hours. And I thought, “What we don’t cover this during recruiting?” Note to HR. Rooming the room to check in on everyone a few trading lessons emerged: Traders were gathering and discussing new … Read More
Sometimes the best trades just come to you
Sometimes the best trades just come to you. Today was a perfect example in SUPN. During our 11AM mentoring session with our new class, we discussed this important trading lesson. Yes! we need to prepare before the open. Yes! we want to develop theses for trades. Yes! stock selection best for you is important before the market opens. But we … Read More
How to improve your discipline as a trader
A new trader wrote this to me: Noob (trader here). Two months in with maybe a total of 3 days where I consistently followed my rules. Down about 2k thus far. I am questioning my ability to do this. Mainly because of my lack of discipline in following my rules. There is the old parable about the frog that asks … Read More
When you are trading well…..try this
During a daily review one of the firm’s top traders observed this about this trading: I am feeling confident about my trades, seeing the markets well, and want to leverage this period here to trade aggressively as long as I am staying in sync. Dr. Steenbarger has taught us traders to study, study, study the trading periods when you are … Read More
What are you going to do about it?
Last night a trader sent me a review from a very poor trading day. He wrote: Little mad at myself for not taking 2 of my best setups in UVE below 18 and HCI at 32. Had the alerts go off but didn’t take the trade, and those trades played out to perfection. It definitely got under my skin most … Read More
When you are trading too big
When are you trading too big? Recently, while heading outside for a trading break, a developing trader stopped me near the elevator. He gave me a progress report on a new strategy that he was running. I love it. It is unique. He has backtested the strategy and it has edge. No one else on the desk is trading it. … Read More