Quick Tip: Novel Exits

All the money is made or lost in the exit. Significant research, documentation and review is essential to finding what works best for your style. 

One exit we find productive in our trading room is a counter signal from a different strategy.

Let’s say you’re profitably long using a trend strategy and your reversal strategy is signaling short. You have choices, which is better than none.

1. Ignore the reversal signal. 

2. Exit your entire position.

3. Scale out of your position.

Scaling out is a good choice. You’re banking profit and staying in the primary trend. The key is selecting the strategies you’re using. They all need "edge." 

Join us today, December 1st @ 12:30 PM for a live real money trading demo where we’ll show you how this flexible exit alternative works. Click here to register. 

Wednesday’s Best S&P...

Quick Tip: Be Different

“If you set out to be successful at something and you don’t know how to do it, look around at what everybody else is doing, and don’t do that…” Earl Nightingale

This is especially true with trading. If everyone traded the same way there would be no counter parties. We need plenty of different styles and opposing viewpoints for the markets to exist. 

If you’re still struggling it’s a good idea to stop trading live money and start looking at alternative trading styles. Be open minded. I’ve met too many traders over the past 22 years who are fixed on one way to trade because that’s what they bought into. 

Think of your prior investment in trading education as a trade. Some winners, some losers. 

I’ve personally invested a small fortune in trading education. And here’s a surprise, I still do. I invest in myself...

Monday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: The suggested buy at 3987.00 ran for 17 points with 2-points of adverse move. 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4033.50 stop 4036.75. Buy 3922.50 stop 3917.75. 

Globex View: Inside, tight range session. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) JUMPS from -64 to +50 with most major world markets bullish.  Historically price closes LOWER than the open 54% of the time.   

Catalysts: Home Price Index @ 9:00. Consumer Confidence @ 10:00. Chinese markets SOAR on looser Covid restrictions. Dollar lags. Waiting on GDP, Powell tomorrow.

Quick Tip: Solo vs. Multi-Strat

If you read this blog daily you know that our team trades live daily in a multi-strat environment. Focusing on multiple strategies is not for everyone. In fact, few of our team trade all the strategies. 

So why have...

Tuesday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: Price melted up and found no sellers at our suggested short level. 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4069.50 stop 4075.25. Buy 3997.00 stop 3994.00 

Globex View: Narrow, breaking out from yesterday’s high, waiting on a big day of econ news.    

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) EASES UP from zero to +29 in a world of subtle bullishness and low volatility.  Historically price closes higher than the open 55% of the time.  

Catalysts: Durable Goods & Jobless Claims @ 8:30. PMI Flash @ 9:45. New Home Sales & Consumer Sentiment @ 10:00. EIA Petroleum Status Report @ 10:30. FOMC Minutes @ 14:00. 

Quick Tip: Turkey Trade 

Thanksgiving is not known for gift giving but any time is a good time to give a gift (and receive one so pass this on). 

The market...

Friday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: The suggested buy level ran for 35.75 points MFE and 26.50 at the close. Maybe. 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 3993.00 stop 3998.75. Buy 3922.50 stop 3917.75. 

Globex View: Trending down from the open still inside Friday’s range.  A breakout below 3942.50 gives you 20.00 points to the suggested buy. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) DROPS from +21 to -36 in a bearish leaning world.  Historically price closes HIGHER than the open 56% of the time. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar. China locks down again leading the Global selling.   

Quick Tip: Finesse your Stop

The trade ideas presented here are based on volume-at-price setups that have been perfected over thousands of trades. Suggested stop placement is always offered with the caveat...

Thursday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: The suggested buy level ran for 46.25 points MFE and 39.50 at the close. How much did you get? 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4018.50 stop 4024.25. Buy 3947.00 stop 3943.25.

Globex View: Range-bound until Euro Open and firmly UP now trading above yesterday’s day session high but within the prior Globex.  A breakout above 3990 gives you 18.50 points to the suggested short. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) JUMPS from -50 to +21 with Asia lagging and the western world bullish.  Historically price closes HIGHER than the open 55% of the time. 

Catalysts: Existing Home Sales @ 10:00. Bullard is hawkish. Mortgage rates drop.  

Quick Tip: More on Exits

This blog could be on exits almost every day. They are the most important trading decision you’ll make...

Wednesday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: Neither level triggered on a relatively narrow range-bound day.

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4018.50 stop 4024.25. Buy 3916.25 stop 3911.75

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) DROPS from -21 to -50 with most major world markets bearish.  Historically price closes LOWER than the open 56% of the time. 

Globex View: Range-bound until the Euro Open and firmly down now, trading well below yesterday's low. 

Catalysts: Housing Starts, Jobless Claims & Philly Fed MFG Index @ 8:30. Scattered Fed-Speak. More crypto pain. Risk off coming into the open. 

Quick Tip: Feed Your Brain

One huge reason we’re living longer and healthier than prior generations is diet and exercise. We know way better what to feed our bodies and those that practice some discipline with diet and exercise reap the...

Tuesday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: The suggested short @ 4036.75 ran for 76.75 points and picked the day session high price.  

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4018.50 stop 4024.25. Buy 3932.00 stop 3927.25.

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) DROPS from +43 to -21 in a world of bearish-leaning sentiment and lower volatility.  Historically price closes higher than the open 56% of the time. 

Catalysts: Retail Sales & Import/Export Prices @ 8:30. Industrial Production @ 9:15. Business Inventories & Housing Market Index @ 10:00. EIA Petroleum Status Report @ 10:30. Scattered Fed-Speak. Risk-off with geo-political and crypto negatives in the news. 

Quick Tip: Science & Art of Exit

Trade exits are critically important to master. All the money is made or lost on your choice of exit. And that means exits are where...

Monday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: Price chopped to a lower close without reaching the suggested levels (again). 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4036.75 stop 4042.25. Buy 3932.00 stop 3927.25.

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) RISES from +21 to +43 with most major world markets bullish.  Historically price closes lower than the open 54% of the time. 

Catalysts: PPI-Final & Empire State MFG Index @ 8:30. Positive start in China meeting. Brainard suggests 50 basis points in December. 

Quick Tip: Your Flexible Advantage

There is no question the information, systems, access, and talent Wall Street enjoys are great advantages over the retail trader. But we have one advantage they would love to have and won’t. Small size. 

Warren Buffett bought 60 million shares in Taiwan Semiconductor. It took 3 months....

Friday’s Best S&P Turning Points Results: Price chopped to a higher close without reaching the suggested levels (still look good). 

Today’s Best S&P Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets): 

Short 4052.25 stop 4056.00. Buy 3916.25 stop 3911.75

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) DROPS from +57 to +21 in a world of mixed sentiment.  Historically prices closes higher than the open 55% of the time. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar. Scattered Fed-speak. 

Quick Tip: Drop the Ego

One of the hardest transitions to make as a trader is the reframing of your belief about winning and losing. We were raised defining winning as good and losing as bad. Now we must change that belief.

Mark Douglas, author of two books on trading psychology said, “When you really believe that trading is simply a probability game, concepts like right or wrong or win or lose no longer have the...