I like to say that stocks have “muscle memory”. There are several possible meanings for this expression: 1) A stock will repeat a strong move from a particular inflection point–this applies to both intra-day and daily levels; 2) A stock will move with a particular “cadence” intra-day that can be gamed to the trader’s advantage (or ignored to their detriment); … Read More
Monkey Trading Series: Some IPO Basics
“Monkey Trading” is a broad term I have used lately to describe some of the short term trading I observe that shows a lack of respect for the market. Whether it is a failure to have a detailed trading plan or understanding the nuances of how stocks trades in the HFT dominated marketplace Monkey Trading usually leads to a transfer … Read More
Not So Fast
One of the more common patterns seen in a strong market are longer term players buying stocks that have gapped lower after earnings. Sometimes this plays out on Day 1 with momentum buyers aggressively buying the stock leading to a gap fill. But many times a gap fill will play out in the days following the earnings release once the … Read More
I Love Being Wrong
As a pro trader my bias in a stock is largely a result of the price action. As I observe the price action I start to ask myself questions like what are the other players in the stock doing? What are the big institutions doing? Are swing traders buying or selling now? Are intraday momo traders trying to play the … Read More
Free Webinar–Following The Big Picture Trend
The theme for Steve Spencer’s 2012 Webinar Series will be “Do The Right Thing”. The first Webinar of the year will break down several recent trading setups and how following a higher time frame trend can make you more money and cause you less heartache. As short term traders it is easy to flip back and forth betwen 1, 5 … Read More
Can You Tell The Difference?
There are three ways short term traders lose money: incorrect analysis, expectancy (a certain % of trades just don’t work), or making trades based on emotion (this one is a biggy for most). Take a look at the price action from GMCR and QCOM after they reported earnings. Since the initial down moves on the Open one has been a … 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 Pre-market Tell
I am really starting to sound a lot like Bella these days. When he lectures our trainees he tends to repeat himself over and over and over again. My style tends to be more like “this is the concept–good luck” (maybe not that bad:) I didn’t fill out a lot of “blue books” in college and law school. I like … Read More