
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Morning Webinar
Recognition goes to Dick in this afternoon's advanced training webinar--great trade today!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Avoid Overtrading
Here are the 4 trades from this morning's session in the S&P 500 e-minis.
| Net Profit | |||||
| # | Type | Date/Time | Symbol | Price | Cum Net Prof |
| 1 | Buy | 8/11/2009 8:33 | ESU09 | $1,000.75 | $101.00 |
| Sell | 8/11/2009 8:35 | ESU09 | $1,001.00 | ||
| 2 | Sell | 8/11/2009 8:38 | ESU09 | $1,000.50 | $476.00 |
| Buy | 8/11/2009 8:40 | ESU09 | $999.50 | ||
| 3 | Sell | 8/11/2009 8:44 | ESU09 | $998.75 | $851.00 |
| Buy | 8/11/2009 8:48 | ESU09 | $997.00 | ||
| 4 | Sell | 8/11/2009 9:00 | ESU09 | $996.25 | $351.00 |
| Buy | 8/11/2009 9:01 | ESU09 | $995.50 | ||
| $1,779.00 |
Were there more trades I could have taken? Probably one or two; but it's much more enjoyable and profitable to be patient, wait out the midday chop, then take a look at what may be setting up in the afternoon session.
After the market close:
I didn't take any other trades today. Steve and I spent some time discussing the webinars and video we are putting together, then I got busy shooting a couple of new airsoft guns with my 11-year-old son and just didn't spend much time watching the market. (By the way, having a friendly impromptu airsoft battle with a bunch of the neighborhood kids is a great way to have fun and bond with your own kids.)
There were a couple of trades I might have taken, but I missed them entirely or took a look at the market after the move was well underway. I refused to chase profits; I've done that one too many times before.
I'd rather walk away with my gains and wait until the session tomorrow morning, so I traded a total of only 35 minutes this morning, then spent a few minutes glancing at the market this afternoon. About 3-1/2 to 4 points in less than an hour of trading today--I really enjoy using Steve's methods.
I will not be posting my trades every day. I don't day trade every day. But I promise that when I do choose to post them, I will post the good, the bad and the ugly--winners and losers. No holding back, because the point is to help everyone learn something from the experience.
The lessons from yesterday and today?
1. Steer clear of midday choppiness.
2. Avoid overtrading.
3. Be patient.
4. Have fun!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Today's Trades
I made it up in the afternoon to end the day up more than 6 points net of commissions. This is a report you can generate in TradeStation. If you want assistance finding and generating it, send Steve the request via email and he will cover it in the next webinar.
| Net Profit & | |||||
| # | Type | Date/Time | Symbol | Price | Cum Net Prof |
| 1 | Sell | 8/10/2009 8:47 | ESU09 | $1,004.75 | $726.00 |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 8:48 | ESU09 | $1,003.25 | ||
| 2 | Buy | 8/10/2009 8:52 | ESU09 | $1,004.75 | $351.00 |
| Sell | 8/10/2009 8:56 | ESU09 | $1,005.50 | ||
| 3 | Sell | 8/10/2009 9:00 | ESU09 | $1,004.50 | $226.00 |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 9:00 | ESU09 | $1,004.00 | ||
| 4 | Buy | 8/10/2009 9:22 | ESU09 | $1,004.75 | $226.00 |
| Sell | 8/10/2009 9:25 | ESU09 | $1,005.25 | ||
| 5 | Sell | 8/10/2009 9:33 | ESU09 | $1,006.25 | $101.00 |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 9:37 | ESU09 | $1,006.00 | ||
| 6 | Sell | 8/10/2009 9:56 | ESU09 | $1,005.75 | ($774.00) |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 10:04 | ESU09 | $1,007.25 | ||
| 7 | Buy | 8/10/2009 10:04 | ESU09 | $1,007.25 | ($774.00) |
| Sell | 8/10/2009 10:18 | ESU09 | $1,005.75 | ||
| 8 | Sell | 8/10/2009 10:18 | ESU09 | $1,005.75 | $1,226.00 |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 11:30 | ESU09 | $1,003.25 | ||
| 9 | Sell | 8/10/2009 12:56 | ESU09 | $1,001.50 | $1,101.00 |
| Buy | 8/10/2009 13:22 | ESU09 | $999.25 | ||
| 10 | Buy | 8/10/2009 13:56 | ESU09 | $1,001.50 | $726.00 |
| Sell | 8/10/2009 14:03 | ESU09 | $1,003.00 | ||
| $3,135.00 |
Monday, July 27, 2009
Use the 5-day Moving Average on your daily charts for clear exit signals. Set your stops below the 5-day MA.
Use the 8/8 crossover on daily and intraday charts to do the same thing.
Use stop-loss orders; stopping out is your pay day. The 5-period Moving Average is valid for all time frames, but for more flexibility on intraday charts use the Donchian channel to avoid getting stopped out too quickly.
Use stop-losses instead of taking profits quickly. Ride the bull as long as you can, because he will try to buck you off. The market maker is doing that: he'll take the price back down to stop you out before he takes the price up.
In addition to intraday trades for short-term profits, be sure to trade the intermediate chart. This will prevent you from missing nice trending trades, even when you can't sit and watch the market intraday.
Keep in mind that our double-beta ETFs are leveraged plays, up and down. Leverage is great when it's going your way, but set your stops and get out when reversals come.
Your position size should never put you in a situation to lose more than 1% of your portfolio. Plan your trade size and stop-loss orders accordingly.
Use an intraday chart even if you can’t get real-time data--the 8/8 crossover will give you nice signals on getting back into a trend.




