Thursday Trade Review 10/25/2007

Nothing to speak of. All my trades were small gainers or losers and my net was close to zero. Only my broker is happy with these days. I got my head back into the game partially. I did decide to take a break in the middle of the day and go have lunch with my wife. A course that is when POT, MOS, AGU and TRA all exploded. I had them on my screen when I left.
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It just was another day of not being in the right place at the right time. Even after the mess with the Big Mouth stock yesterday, I had my orders ready to do the same thing again today but the stocks did not pop and I did not chase them.
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The numbers:
Stocks: gross +3 net -8 shares traded 2200
Stock Futures: none
Other futures: none
Forex: none

Tuesday Trade Review 10/16/2007

Not much more to say than my previous post. I had a couple of trades in SKS and one in NUE. Missed shorting DRYS in the morning and LULU in the afternoon.
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Spent most of the day watching other traders try to game this market and most of them failed.
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The numbers:
Stocks: Gross +58 Net +47 shares traded 1600
Stock Futures: Gross +10 Net 0 contracts traded 2
Other futures: none
Forex: none

Monday Trade Review 10/08/2007

Again I failed to capitalize on the market when my planned trades did not work the way I had expected them to. Both of these are Big Mouth Stocks. The top one MASI I had planned to short 100 at 31.50, 200 at 31.80 and so forth until my last was in at 32.70 to short 500. I only had the last one just before the market opened. The others I was going to put in right after the open as the stock popped. The stock did not pop and I did not get in. The same for AGN. I was really expecting a bigger bounce for these stocks this morning after the run up on Friday.

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I tried to bottom fish the oils and fail. Volume and the ranges dried up quickly and I was never in the right place at the right time. I spent most of the day cleaning the house. My wife comes back today after visiting her mother for 10 days.

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The numbers:

Stocks: gross -51 net -53 shared traded only 200
Stock Futures: none

Other Futures: none

Forex: none

Wednesday Trade Review 9/26/2007

Very frustrating when this happens. I had buy stop on 69.01 for 30 minutes before it was filled. I expected the stock to run to new highs but went sideways for 20 minutes or so. I gave up and sold for a small profit. Minutes later the run started and then with the BSC news - it took off. I wanted to rise about 15 cents figuring I could take maybe 30 to 100 cents out of it. Crap.
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That was the only trade worth talking about other than my post below. I had bought XHB as a swing trade but sold it because it was closing so weak.
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The numbers:
Stocks: gross -119 net -136 shares traded 3400
Stock Futures: none
Other futures: none
Forex: none

Tuesday Trade Review 9/25/2007

My best trade of the day was my previous post. I am really tired so I am going to make this short. I also spent 3 hours working on my computer trying to make everything play nice together. I would hate to buy another one. There was plenty of good trades out there even with the markets being so flat. I just could not get myself in the right place at the right time. The computer did not help and then I was so pissed. Only good is after I cleaned it - it seems to be working fine.
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The numbers:
Stocks: gross -45.41 net -59.41 shares traded 2800
Stock Futures: gross +80 net + 75 contracts 2
Other futures: none
Forex: none
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Regardless of these types of days - it is still much better than going to the office.

Monday Trade Review 9/24/2007

After all was said and done, I made a big $15 today. Very frustrating and sad because I am so close. I guess this shows the small difference between being a good trader and an average trader.
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If you look at the trades above and the post below, I had 4 big misses in the stocks I was trying to trade. I believe between HAR, NILE, LMC and ZINC - I should have been able to make about $1500. Also late morning, MissedTrade pointed out a trade I should have taken in shorting the YM futures. This would have generated $300-600 depending if I sold one or two contracts. This should have been an easy day for me even thou I am not yet gifted in finding good quality trades on my own.
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The numbers:
Stocks: Gross +5.50 Net -5.50 shares traded 1000
Stock Futures: Gross +30 net + 20.40 contracts 2
Other futures: none
Forex: none

Thursday Trade Results 8/30/2007

I did one trade today. I spent too much of my day trying to get ready for trading when I could back from the beach. I am getting rid of my TD account and splitting the money between IB and TS. I think TS had a great platform for trading futures so my futures trading will be there. I will use my IB as my stocks, options and forex accounts. It will be my backup futures account. The one major drawback to TS is you must have separate accounts for each type of trading and no easy way of moving money between. So I will have about 75% of my money will IB and the rest in TS. I will keep my TD account open for a while with just a little money in it. I also have been setting up in an more organized fashion - my QT setup. I like the fact I can page thru layouts quickly and bring up 10 to 20 stocks relatively fast - about 30 seconds. This will allow me to compare stocks in a sector quickly.
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If there are any great tools out there people are using - especially the free ones - please leave a comment on whichs one.
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The numbers:
Stocks: gross -8 net -10 shares traded 400
Stock futures: none
Forex: none

Thursday Trade Review 8/23/2007

Only trade of the day and it was a bonehead move. Again I was pushing the stop along too quickly and got me stopped out way too fast. Missed a bunch of trades too. I am trading very light until September and being very picky about my entries. I also am trading 1/4 to 1/2 sizes too. I am trying to get use to doing this all day long too. I did not help today that I had a doctors appointment and lunch have my wife. She misses me during the day as were we use to eat lunch together nearly everyday.

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This is just a whole new life to get adjusted to. There has been so many for me this year.

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The numbers:

Stocks: Gross +32 net +30 shared traded 400

Stock Futures: none - I pull a trade just before the system went down on the YMs today. Saw Black Swan written all over it.

Forex: none

Wednesday Trade Review 8/22/2007

Here is my favorite stock and all the signals I missed today. I should have just watched all day long instead of all the dinking around I did. Maybe one day I will learn. I took one of these early in the day but tried gaming it and lost. Had orders in at the 1:15 signal but missed and I had the order typed out for the one near 2:35 but for some dumb reason I did not hit enter. I had it setup right after AKS broke 35 on the downside thinking 34.70 would hold and that is the area of the next buy. Dummy me.
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On a different issue, I finally placed my first order using the Trade Station. It is really cool - even has a voice telling you were filled.
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The numbers on this very slow day:
Stocks: gross -36 net -42 shares traded 1000
Stock futures: gross +5 net +0 contracts traded 2
Forex: none but my brain is telling me I should be long the EUR/USD

Tuesday Trade Review

This is my big MISSED TRADE of DAY. I get so pissed off at myself. I saw the first signal a minute late. The bid/ask was 32.00/32.04. I put in an order at 32.02. At that moment it moved to 32.02/32.05 so I moved to 32.04 and then it raced off with out me. I missed the second entry the same way. In fact I missed a lot of entries today and to my frustration, many of them would have been good.

This is just messy trading by me. I chased this one when the stock was already 15 cents above my entry point. My stop was too close.

This was my bonehead play of the day. I pick a stock up at the right time. As soon as it looked like it was moving fast, I moved my stop up too fast and got hit and lost out on a big opportunity.

I forgot to put my points on this stock. I entered CROX about 1:37 at 58.26 after a big seller on 58.25 was taken out. A few minutes later, it popped up and I move my stop to BE where i has taken out just before 2 o'clock.

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This was a frustrating day that I really beat myself up on. I only needed one of the good trades to make this day a good day. I just want to pull $500 dollars out a day. So many near misses, it drives me crazy. I have so many of these days it is not fun.

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Maybe I can smart labeling my trades - one for each day - The day of the day, the bonehead trade of the day and the missed trade of the day.

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The numbers:

Stocks: Gross +6 net -2 shared traded 1600

Stock Futures: none

Forex: none

Very confused and Frustrated 8/17/2007

Very confused right now. This blog is where I mainly talk about my day trading but the over all market seem to be at a major cross road. MY 401k is 100 percent invested and has gotten hit pretty good. I have an rollover IRA that has been in about 70 percent cash most of the year except when I try swing trading it. I took one big stupid lose there or I would be feeling ok about it.
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The question - where do we go from here? So many of the indicators that I follow are telling me that this is either a major bottom to buy hand over fist or if it does not hold, then we are in for a very bear market. Each day will be a wait and see where the indicators go. If as we rally over the next couple of days, the indicators fall quickly then the best I think we can hope for is a retest of the highs then a retest of the lows. If the indicators do not fall as we go higher, then this could be a great bottom. If we don't rally and the indicators fall, god help us.
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However this works not, this is the first decline since 2002, I feel that I should get out of stocks. Something does not seem right.
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The last two weeks my trading has sucked. I do not know why I have lost my guts again to trade the way I should trade. I have not lost much money but it has taken a toll on my brain. I will post more about it tomorrow. I too hard today to get trades in but ever got my asks to be hit. I tried to sell in the early morning but I just missed by a few cents each time of 4 trades and all of them would have worked out.
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The numbers:
Stocks: none
Stock futures: none
Forex: none

Yin and Yang 8/15/2007

Yining and Yanging. My thought process during corrections goes like this. One leg down then bounce. Followed by a retest. The retest should take out the low by a little and then we buy. If it starts being more than that, I look for a move going about 1.6 times the first leg down. Then a rebound equaling the first move up, finishing with another leg the size of the first leg down. My version of the wave analysis. If this is going to be a simple correction, in my books the market needs to find its low 2-3 percent lower or we are in for a bigger 5 wave decline.

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Again the after hours futures look bad.

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The numbers:

Stocks: Gross +35 net +32 shared traded 1000

Stock futures: none

Forex: none

Stupid, Plain and Simple 8/14/2008

Below are a bunch of examples where I just did not pull the trigger. Recently, I have had one problem after another finding trades. Today, the trading Gods gave me a bunch and that they were all my ideas too. What did I do? I sat on my f-ing hands. Usually I pull the trigger on one of three trades I see. Today - none. I do not understand my head right now.

Examples 1 & 2 - it looked like to me the markets may have a brief moment in the sun today and then go down. The YM futures looked like the perfect one to short using the morning high as a stop. The later, I heard the news about the MM fund and thought - sell them. Again a nice move in the right direction.


Example 3 - AGU just looked like it wanted to roll over with the market. My thought process was right on target.


Example 4- Same crap different stock. Another one looking to fall after both had nice bounce trades from their lows. Right again.

Examples 5, 6, 7 - ouch ouch ouch . My favorite long. It would have been hard to break even on these but it might have happened.

Example 8 - A big mouth stock. Sell them on the open pop and this would have been stopped out unless I felt I could have a big stop because of other positive trades.

Example 9 - A big mouth stock. Hit it on the open and count the money. Right again.

Example 10 - A big mouth stock. Hit it on the open and take some 10 cent heat and then get to count your money. Right again - big time.

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Their you have it. What should have been a couple of really good hours of trading. I would guess 6 wins, 2 losses and 2 break evens.

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And here are my numbers:

Stock: no trades

Stock Futures: no trades

Forex: no trades (but I nearly went long the GBP/USD and that would have been for a loss)

Wild Friday 8/10/2007

I do not know what to blame or say but my brain had too many problems keeping up with the action on Friday. I do not know if it me trying to finish some things up at work, or the stupid broken frig or my allergy shots. It just was not working for me.
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Even with the craziness in the market, my goal next week is to stay in trades either till the stop is hit, the profit point is hit(or the market gives my a reason to take a profit) or end of day. I need so badly to do two things - make more trades and sit on my hands. I am not going to get anywhere as a trader if I don't do those.
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The numbers:
Stocks: none
Stock Futures: Gross -10 Net -19 contracts traded 4
Forex: none

A do nothing more day 8/7/2007

Other than my bonehead move this morning and missing a couple of trades (maybe I should just use market orders), I did nothing today except work related stuff. So please read the post below. I need to catch up on some emails.
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The numbers:
Stocks: Gross -22 net -27 shares traded 1000
Stock Futures: none
Forex: none

Not Much of a day 8/2/2007

This whole bridge thing has my head not screwed on right. I did not prepare today and I did not trade well at all. Made a couple of bucks but it felt like I lost a lot. It is weird. I did not understand how my brain is wired sometimes. Some of these disasters effect me and some do not. I never understand why. I am going to try to get some good sleep tonight and be better for tomorrow.
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The numbers:
Stocks: none
Stock Futures: Gross +55 Net +40 contracts 6
Forex: none

Internet Problems 7/25/2007

I am trying to get in a short post tonight. My internet keeps cutting out.
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Work was a great pain for me today amd I could bearly watch the markets. I can not get my trading account to display correctly now.
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The numbers-
Stocks: gross +86 net +82 shares traded just 600
Stocks Index: none but I had orders in a couple of times
Forex: none

A do Nothing Day Aagain 7/20/2007

Had chart problems with IB again for the fourth day running. I took a break from Big Mouth stocks for a while. This month they have been much much much harder to game. i could not find many setups myself. The blogs were not getting much either except MT had a couple of good Futures trades.
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The numbers-
Stocks: Gross +7.14 Net +5.14 shares traded 84 - yes 84
Stock Futures: Gross +10 Net +5.20 1 lot
Forex: None

A nothing Day 7/18/2007

Did not sleep well. Had to get up for a early morning call. Had technical issues with IB. Could not get a web site to load properly. Again by seconds missed two good trades. In a very bad mood.
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What more do I need to say?
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The numbers -
Stock Gross + 6 net +4 shares traded 400
Stock futures - none
Forex - none

Friday 6/22/2007

A late post because nothing really happened on Friday. I found the volume dried up very quickly on the stocks I was playing and I did not think I could game the rebalancing. DT did a nice job on that. The steel stock MT had some news that did not look that bad to me so I was trying to find and entry point in the premarket and did not. Near the open my only planned trade looked not to be working so I started watching my favorite steels. I saw my favorite steel AKS with a really low bid of 36. I placed a bid at 36.20 then the bid popped to 36.25. I placed another bid at 36.30 and the bid to 36.40. I decided not to play games. Just before the open, the ask down to 36.50 so I thought I had a chance. I placed an order at 36.30 hoping to get filled. The stock started trading with a wide spread around 36.40 to 36.60. I move my order to 36.38 and even thou the stock again traded at 36.35 I did not get filled. I could give you the blow by blow of every tick but this is how my trades were going. I could not get filled where I want to.

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The numbers - Gross +6 net +2 shared traded 800.