Results of Thursday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither suggested trade level triggered and remain on the chart. 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4499.00 stop 4495.50. Short 4598.50 stop 4604.25.

The World Index: (+100/-100) improves from -7 to +29 with most major world markets mildly Bullish. 

Catalysts: Non-Farm Payrolls @ 8:30. Final MFG PMI @ 9:45. ISM MFG PMI & Construction Spending @ 10:00. China boosts economic stimulus.

Quick Tip: Choices are Good

How do you feel when you have no choice? It’s probably a rare situation. Most situations offer you choice. Long or short. More or less. Exit or stay. You almost always have a choice. I’ll bet if you think back to when you had no choice you felt uncomfortable. Maybe even upset!

In trading one choice you always have is whether to take the trade...

Results of Wednesday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither suggested trade level triggered. 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4499.00 stop 4495.50. Short 4598.50 stop 4604.25

The World Index: (+100/-100) dips from Zero to -7 in a world of mixed sentiment and low-volatility. 

Catalysts: PCE Price Index, Personal Income/Spending & Jobless Claims @ 8:30. Chicago PMI @ 9:45. 

Quick Tip: One Tough Lesson

If you’re a discretionary trader intuitively making entry and exit decisions and you’re successful, congratulations! You are a rare breed. It’s not that discretionary trading doesn’t work, it’s that to succeed takes years to hone the skills. 

This leaves rule-based trading the best alternative for developing trading skills and success for the vast majority. It seems so...

Results of Tuesday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Shorting 4492.50 stopped out. 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4475.25 stop 4471.00. Short 4543.75 stop 4548.25.

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) plummets from +64 to Zero in a world of mixed low-volatility sentiment. 

Catalysts: ADP Payrolls @ 8:15. GDP & Trade Balance @ 8:30. Pending Home Sales @ 10:00. Crude Oil Inventories @ 10:30. 

Quick Tip: How You Doing? 

We all have financial goals we’re working toward. The retirement “number” which eliminates our dependence on a shaky social security system. The short-term trading cash flow profits that pay for the fun stuff. 

When you progress toward these goals you’ll notice that it’s not a smooth result. You’ll have ups and downs. The downs are...

Results of Monday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither suggested level triggered in a choppy narrow range session. 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4405.00 stop 4400.25. Short 4492.50 stop 4498.00. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) eases up from +50 to +64 with all major world markets Bullish except the S&P futures (flat). 

Catalysts: Home Price Index @ 9:00. Consumer Confidence & JOLTS @ 10:00. With the Fed focused on data for interest rate decisions it’s likely that reactions to economic releases will be heightened. 

Quick Tip: What is a Big Risk?

A big risk is not in the trade itself. It’s in the losing streak. 

Billionaire hedge fund founder Bruce Kovner said “Novice traders trade 5 to 10 times too big. They are taking 5 to 10% risks on a trade they...

Results of Friday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither suggested level triggered. 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4364.25 stop 4360.75. Short 4492.50 stop 4498.00. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) jumps from zero to +50 with all major world markets neutral to Bullish. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar. Higher interest rates appear here to stay for a while = strong USD, tougher on stocks.

Quick Tip: Today’s Edge

All-star trader Larry Williams in his book Long-Term Secrets to Short-Term Trading loves to analyze trading from a seasonal perspective. Seasonality in this case is a general term for segmenting times, not just the four seasons. Times can be measured many ways, 15-minute duration, days, weeks, etc. The combinations are nearly endless. 

One powerful...

Results of Thursday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Buying 4411.25 stopped out (maybe). 

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points (consider wider stops and less size in fast moving markets, which saved yesterday’s buy): 

Buy 4307.50 stop 4303.25. Short 4492.50 stop 4498.00. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) plummets to zero from +57 with Asia Bearish and the west mildly Bullish. 

Catalysts: Revised UofM Consumer/Inflation Sentiment @ 10:00. Powell speaks @ 10:05. Jackson Hole updates. 

Quick Tip: Adjusting Targets & Stops

Yesterday’s buy level stopped out with the suggested stop but given the speed (volatility) of the approach to entry you might have used a wider stop with less size. That turned a small loser into a decent winner (see chart). 

As market conditions change so should your expectations. Your trade plan has entry and exit rules (for both loss and profit) but if those rules...

Results of Friday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: The short @ 4457.50 did trigger (and stop) in the post market but was cancelled due to market volatility from NVDA earnings release. 

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

Buy 4411.25 stop 4407.50. Short 4492.50 stop 4498.00. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) rises from +36 to +57 with all major world markets Bullish. 

Catalysts: Jobless Claims & Durable Goods @ 8:30. NVDA motivates a risk-on mood. 

Quick Tip: Strategy Diversification

Given enough capital diversification becomes mandatory. You’re unlikely to have one asset in your 401K. You have a basket of uncorrelated assets to smooth your equity curve. 

But what about strategy? You’ve probably never heard of a hedge fund that ran “one” strategy. Diversifying by strategy makes sense when you consider the...

Results of Friday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither trade triggered. 

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

Buy 4388.75 stop 4383.00. Short 4457.50 stop 4462.25. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) eases from +64 to +36 with most major world markets Bullish. 

Catalysts: MFG & Services PMI Flash @ 9:45. New Home Sales @ 10:00. Nvidia earnings will be the pivot (trend trade the Globex tonight?).

Quick Tip: History of Trend

You know it all when you don't. My sons reminded me of that. As they approached their teens I noticed they were all smarter than me. Or so they thought.

This made me recall how I was as a teen. Yup. Dad was wrong and I was right. In my infinite "wisdom" back then I decided history was a waste of time. I barely passed those classes.

A couple of decades later I became regretful. History is vitally important. It's...

Results of Friday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither trade triggered. 

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

Buy 4364.25 stop 4359.25. Short 4457.50 stop 4462.25. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) jumps from +14 to +64 with all major world markets Bullish. 

Catalysts: Existing Home Sales & Richmond MFG Index @ 10:00. Fed-Speak from 13:40 to 15:30. More bank downgrades. 

Quick Tip: Take the Profit?

Rule-based trading is essential for any trader who doesn’t have extensive experience and success already. Eventually you can get to a discretionary state, relying on your intuition and experience, but not at first. 

There is a middle ground, though. A level of intuition and experience where you start to be slightly flexible with your rules. 

A good example of this is open trade management. Let’s say...

Results of Friday’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Neither trade triggered. 

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

Buy 4357.50 stop 4353.25 Short 4457.50 stop 4462.25. 

The World Sentiment Index: (+100/-100) soars from -64 to +14 with China firmly Bearish and the west Bullish. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar. China continues to struggle. 

Quick Tip: Math Meets Psychology 

Much has been said about the similarities between trading and gambling. Much is true. All is not. A fabulous book you should read about this topic is A Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp, an accomplished mathematician, author of Beat the Dealer, and acclaimed hedge fund manager. 

When Thorp tested his blackjack card counting system in the real world, financed by two wealthy (and greedy) millionaire businessmen, he uncovered a significant...