Monday, August 8, 2011

Opportunity

I'm stating the obvious in saying there is tremendous opportunity in the way the markets are plunging. I wrote many helpful articles during the plunge of 2008 that should be useful if the markets behave the same way. To recap some basic tenants of my trading philosophy:

- Concentrate, focus, know yourself and your limits.
- Keep things simple.
- Go with the flow.
- Take profits when you'd be crazy not to.
- Press your advantage to an almost reckless level when you are in sync.
- There is no limit to where prices can go. Up, Down or bounce. Think 1000 point days on the Dow.
- Cut losers ultra fast.
- Pare your plays down to 2 or 3 at a time and trade big size.
- Momentum is king, fundamentals are meaningless, technical levels are of little use.

In times like these, more money will fly into your account than years trading a grinding market. Don't think you are smarter than the market if you are wildly successful - it is just the conditions that making it appear so. Be humble and give something back to those less fortunate than you.
Happy trading.

Monday, June 27, 2011

GRMN


GRMN short
* I have new monitors so scale is off until I find out what works. Will make changes in order to view volume, prices etc.*
















GRMN cover

Friday, June 17, 2011

RIMM cover


I'm on an extended holiday but put on some swing shorts to keep me in the loop beforehand.
I had a whopping big short position in RIMM and with more bad news coming out I thought it prudent to cover and take profits today.

RIMM short












Cover RIMM $30 lower.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

BC


EZ money on BC short



















cover BC seconds later

GPRO



short GPRO again

















again its just hanging there so I add to my short
















cover GPRO, take profits

REGN



short REGN


















add to it















cover REGN

GPRO



the upwards momentum died so I shorted GPRO

















doubled up in GPRO because it was just hanging there. hanging there after a big pop almost never ends well for the longs














cover GPRO

GPRO


bot GPRO as it flashed on the new highs ticker, then it got halted

















opened a couple minutes later $10 higher, take profits. Now its halted again

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

SINA


short SINA



















cover SINA

REGN


Bot REGN when it looked to make a sympathy play along with VRTX yesterday. It didn't do to much then...
















sold REGN this morning after a nice popup.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

VRTX dissection

The following charts show some VRTX trades today. Start at the first VRTX post and work your way up. Here are my thoughts:
20 minutes after I log on I see VRTX blasting into orbit making new highs. Lots of volume usually means a stock is in play so I grab some, then quickly double up as the trade starts working. Volume keeps pouring in, prices are making new highs.
In my morning visualizations I see in my minds eye this very trade(I don't know when or in what stock it will happen though, only that it will). I'm waiting for human emotion and robot action to play itself out, I'm viewing the scene as a detached observer trusting in these probabilities.
This gravy train won't last forever, I already have a $ 7 gainer, time to GTFO right now before a new 5 minute candle starts. Sell to the late comers and undecided. Nice trade. Nice plan following and profit I say to myself.
If I think the long momentum is stalling then there is only 1 option open to me according to my edge - take it short. Set a stop just above the high.
Sure enough I see a hint of a red candle. I double up immediately when it just hangs there. Down it plunges more than $2 for a $4 gain. As it falls below the former low of the last big up candle I can see all the stops get taken out placed by the hopers and dreamers thinking its going to keep going straight up forever. This is my cue to cover, take profits and go long again. Set a stop just below the low. It is an opportune time to do so. I went over the visualization of this exact play a hour earlier while laying in bed.
I notice the volume dropping. Less emotions in the market now, more control, be careful. Take another $3.50 gain.
Short it again with a stop above the previous candle high. It's wishy washy, tighten the stop, wait, wait,wait, get stopped out. Nice trade and congratulate myself for keeping the loss small. Recall the stop out visualization that I practiced a hour earlier.
This is my edge. Playing on the greed and fear until those waves get too small to be of any use. It's common sense to take profits like that when they are offered. Thats why were here. Watching the clock for candle changes, watching the volume for overall interest. Playing on the winning side by applying my simple method. 100 % focus on the clues. Taking action based on probabilities.


VRTX


short VRTX


















stopped out on VRTX

VRTX


bot VRTX again on that pullback



















sold VRTX

VRTX



short VRTX after that pop
















added to it as it hung there


















cover VRTX take profits

VRTX


bot VRTX


















sold VRTX $4 pop

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

TIVO



bot TIVO

















doubled up in it

















tripled up in it
















sold TIVO

TIVO


bot TIVO


















sold TIVO

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

MTL


short MTL



















cover MTL

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

QQQ



I captured this QQQ chart because momentum just stopped. This was a good time to sell the longs and go short. Markets are currently piledriving. Look at the declining volume. It seemed to be a suckers rally to me and so it has proved for the moment as the second chart shows.

BIDU


bot BIDU


















sold BIDU

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

FTO


short FTO


















cover FTO

Monday, April 11, 2011

BIDU


bot BIDU


















sold BIDU

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Living

Stop the excuses, get off the sofa, go do something exciting, something that pushes your limits, something that scares you. Revel in the feeling of being alive.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

BTU


short BTU



















cover BTU

BIDU


BIDU short




















cover BIDU