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If you’ve ever watched the TV show House, you’ve no doubt seen the main character Dr. Gregory House assert his opinions and act on them. He’s an extremely good doctor (at least he plays one on TV ), but he sure isn’t always right. What I find so interesting is that he’s actually wrong quite often, and yet he saves the lives of his patients/actors.

Dr. House practices medicine. Sometimes he’s right and sometimes he makes mistakes, but he’s always working toward a solution and willing to try multiple methods if necessary to get there. The key is how closely he pays attention to the results he gets. Making a decision is one thing, but setting the ego aside with a willingness to modify the game plan is of utmost importance when striving toward a goal.

Should we be any different as traders? No way. I think as traders, and in particular those of us who use technical analysis, must take the same approach of making decisions, evaluating our results, and then modifying our approach as needed. Our objective is to turn a profit, and there are many ways to accomplish that.

Simply attempting to turn a profit in the market requires that we make choices and accept some level of risk, but that’s only the first portion of the plan. Once that step is completed, it’s time to monitor and evaluate how well our decisions are paying off. When things are progressing as anticipated, we simply have to stick with the plan and patiently let it play out. However, when we aren’t seeing the results we’re seeking, a willingness to go back to the drawing board is a requirement if we want to continue making forward progress.

Technical Analysis is by some considered to be hocus-pocus, but what’s so funny is that technicians will often give fundamentals a similar lack of credit. I view technical analysis as an interpretation of where supply and demand are concentrated, but it is not always an exact science.

A doctor will ‘practice’ medicine, interpreting symptoms to determine the best course of treatment in seek of a cure. Over time, new discoveries are made, experience is gained, and an open minded physician may alter their treatment habits as a result.

The technical trader operates in a similar way. The best methods for gauging momentum can evolve over time, and certain chart patterns which worked well a few years ago may not be yielding similar results right now. A breakout trader might need to start entering more trades on pullbacks to support if the market conditions warrant that. Certain technical aspects may deserve more attention than they used to if the trading environment suddenly changes, and the astute technician will know that if he’s doing his homework. After all, the market is always changing.

Become a student of the market. Commit to closely observing the results you’re getting, and be consistent in your approach long enough to decipher what’s working and what isn’t. Keep an open mind to what elements of your method might need adjusting, and remember that technical analysis is an ongoing practice. Mix it up when you know you should, and stay attentive to what your trades are telling you.

Trade well out there!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

Technorati Tags: Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading

Most of us have heard the phrase, “jack of all trades, master of none.” What’s funny is that I don’t think that phrase was actually created to describe a trader, even though there are quite a few who certainly fit that description. For whatever reason, beginning traders especially seem to want to try a little bit of everything, kind of like a trading sampler platter.

What is it about us that makes us want to learn every way to skin the cat? Curiosity, perhaps. Drive, determination, ambition? Yes, probably. I’d say a lack of patience when chasing success also plays a part. But what so many of us tend to forget is that good trading doesn’t have to be complicated trading.

Even the most basic of technical analysis books will point out a number of different chart patterns worth studying, but the reality is that not all of them have to be traded. You can actually do quite well just sticking with a couple of favorite setups, provided of course that you stay consistent in how you enter and exit. You don’t have to master every trading style out there in order to be profitable - just getting good with 1 or 2 that you’re comfortable with is enough. Jonathan touched on this same concept yesterday, and I couldn’t agree more.

Trying to learn every trading style and expecting to apply them correctly in order to extract profits from the market is simply unnecessary. That’s not the objective of a successful trader. The experienced trader probably has a few tactics in his arsenal, but he knows he doesn’t have to use them all in order to do well. He can be profitable just by exploiting one or two good strategies, so long as he patiently waits for the proper times to apply them.

Does that mean you never try to grow or learn? Absolutely not! Successful traders will slowly add new strategies to their trading repertoire as time goes by, so strive to do the same. Finding new and different ways to profit is part of the fun of trading, and the market will at times reward your ability to adapt. So make an effort to become a well-rounded trader, but remember your bread-and-butter setups!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

Technorati Tags: Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading

I have discussed watch list management before and how it’s an important responsibility for active traders. I store my watch lists in my charting program, which is TeleChart Platinum from Worden, and it’s nice knowing that at any time I can pull up a group of stocks with tradable charts. Watch lists truly are at the core of my swing trading method, and the constant review of daily charts is where I locate new trading opportunities and update important levels on my existing trades.

Storing my watch lists in TeleChart has a number of benefits, but here are several reasons why I do it:

Backup Watch Lists
Technology is great and it is the driving force at any trader’s desk, BUT it only takes one hard drive failure to send all of your hard work right out the window! I have dual hard drives in my desktop PC’s, along with external backup drives running at regular intervals to ensure that my data is recoverable in the event my primary technology fails. (I encourage you to do the same)! However, some of my watch lists have slowly been compiled across years of trading. TeleChart allows me to upload all of my chart settings (watch lists, trend lines, notes, etc.) to the Worden server, giving me added redundancy with my important chart data. Furthermore, when I edit settings on one of my PC’s, I can download the new settings straight from the Worden server to sync up all of my computers. This is huge when I am traveling and working on my laptop.

Store Multiple Watch Lists
The organization of your trading ideas is what will enable you to act quickly and decisively when the time comes to place trades. This can be as simple as separating long from short ideas, or as complicated as dividing up market sectors or even indicator-based scans. I particularly like this feature of TeleChart, because I don’t have to try to mentally separate certain ideas from others. The ability to create and label new lists helps me to compartmentalize my trade setups according to direction, timeframes, industry, or anything else I may specify.

Copy All or Selected Stocks Across Watch Lists
This is a major part of my daily routine, as I will manually screen several watch lists each evening in search of setups for the following day. The “flag” feature of TeleChart lets me hit the ‘F’ key to flag or unflag a stock, allowing me to mark stocks of interest as I go along. So for example, while working my way through a list of 500 stocks, I can hit ‘F’ anytime I see a stock which interests me and be able to pull those needles out of the haystack once I’ve completed the list by viewing these flagged items. Even better, I can copy only those flagged symbols to another list, or even remove them from a list altogether.

Another aspect of the “copy all or selected stocks” choice is that I can sort a list to separate only those stocks which fit my criteria, and then copy those symbols to a list. So for example, say I want to review a master watch list but I only care about stocks which had volume today of 500k. I can sort the list by 1-day volume, flag those symbols, and then copy them to another list. This is an excellent way to filter out only the stocks you want to review closer, cutting down the work load considerably.

At the end of the day, you need a system of some kind to keep your trading ideas organized. Having the right setups at the ready is a major part of a well-formulated game plan for your trading, and it’s much more difficult to act with speed or precision otherwise. Determine a way to keep locating new setups in the charts, and decide to stay organized with your trading ideas. It will keep you a step ahead of the pack.

Trade well today,

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

Technorati Tags: Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading

I’ve noted before that I review many charts every night in my preparation for the following trading day, and I will probably always do so. I think there are numerous benefits to it, including keeping a streamlined watch list of trading ideas at your disposal, which greatly aid in my trading.

Since I’ve already reviewed my charting routine, I’m hoping it will help you out to explain a bit just how to go about deciding if a stock is actually “trade-worthy.” There are several things I check for as I flip through the charts, so let’s go through 5 of them and see if there’s some particular aspect of my process which can help you in yours!

Does the stock have a pattern?

I trade from the chart patterns, and the main reason why is that I know where to get into and out of trades. Every trader needs to have some kind of method for determining entries and exits, and for me this comes from the charts. Chart patterns can assist all sorts of trading methods, from short selling to playing uptrends or looking for reversals from support and resistance levels. Regardless of your method, watching the charts closely and having some familiarity with the patterns will help you often in knowing whether a particular stock should be on your trading list.

Does the stock meet your price & volume requirements?

Asking yourself these things when you run across an interesting chart will help you to quickly determine whether you’ll be able to get into or out of the stock smoothly, as well as whether there’s some potential for movement once you’re in. Illiquid stocks won’t have sufficient trading volume, showing an absence of buyers and sellers. That’s never a good thing, because your buy and sell orders need to be fulfilled by other sellers and buyers. The stock’s price can also have an impact on whether you’ll want to trade it, as some expensive stocks can carry a wide spread and move too far for your comfort. At the same time, a cheap stock may not offer up enough opportunity for price fluctuations if you take the trade.

Does the stock have earnings on the near horizon?

This is a big one every 3 months, as a slew of earnings reports begin to roll in about 2 weeks after the end of the quarter. These scheduled news releases are company-specific, and trying to trade them is a complete gamble. A good plan is to simply do your charting homework and then check the earnings calendar from a site like Yahoo Finance to be sure an entry in a stock won’t coincide with the news, particularly since they usually mean significant price gaps.

Does the stock have a history of making tradable moves?

A stock’s character, particularly in recent weeks and months, will play a major role in how (or even if) it should be traded. Watching at recent history to see if a stock tends to make good multi-day moves in a trending fashion, or if instead it typically makes quick one-day splashes followed by indecision will go a long way in helping you determine your strategy in trading it. Some stocks make habits of trending smoothly, while others gap frequently or may simply ignore indicators you rely on in your trading method, and each of these factors should be weighed before an entry is considered. Every stock has a personality, and the key to good trading lies in finding stocks whose personalities match your trading style.

Is the stock approaching key resistance or support?

Some stocks will have every important variable in place, but the only potential impediment to a lasting move could be major resistance or support (for a short sale). These levels will appear as congestion areas on the chart, and will often slow down a stock on its way higher (or lower). Anytime I see these virtual speed bumps on the horizon, I will not consider swing trading the stock but will instead just take it for a day trade to grab a quick move.

No matter which trading method you prefer or timeframe you trade on, make it a point to add some consistency to your preparation process. Having some well-defined qualifications for stocks you’re considering placing trades in will keep you disciplined and will no doubt add a layer of confidence to your approach, which will help you get back on track when you need it and stay there.

Trade well today!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

Technorati Tags: Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading

The recent market pullback may or may not be finished, but it brings up an important subject which is why pullbacks within trends are good and healthy. Whether we’re talking about an uptrend like the one the market is currently in or a downtrend like we’ve seen before, prices don’t move nonstop in the same direction without taking some breathers along the way. Call them pullbacks or retracements or dips or whatever, but the fact remains that contra-trend moves certainly help to produce new chart patterns for potential new entries as the trend continues.

In the current market uptrend, pullbacks help to shake up the charts and allow them to reset. This creates new base-building opportunities for stocks which had previously gotten too extended to chase. As a stock goes parabolic and keeps climbing higher without a rest or dip, new buys become very high-risk.

I never want to buy a downtrending stock, but I do get excited when I see pullbacks come along. Even just 1 or 2 bars of downside within an uptrend can lay the foundation for a new base or chart pattern to build. Let’s look at an example and I’ll show you what I mean (click the thumbnails to see the full-size images).

The Uptrend

HANS has been trending higher at a rapid pace, hardly slowing down for new entries. Here’s a look at the run:

(Click for full-size image, courtesy of TeleChart)

The Pullback

A week ago, HANS sold off hard with a pair of downside spikes coming right off the highs, shaking up the overall appearance of the chart and signaling a temporary end to the nonstop run. Although traders who held the stock during the decline no doubt felt some pain, this kind of shakeup is exactly what can bring opportunity. The pullback itself doesn’t make a new base, but it does create the framework for a new base to mature from. Here’s a look at HANS post-pullback:

(Click for full-size image, courtesy of TeleChart)

The Rebuilding Phase

Since the dip, HANS has bounced again and currently is back near the highs. This allows us to draw two trend lines, one along the recent lows and the other along the recent highs, creating a bullish ascending triangle pattern. This hypothetical example shown below needs more time to mature and really develop fully before it would be a trade I’d take, but I’ve drawn in yellow bars to show how price might cooperate in order to allow this pattern to be complete. Some additional horizontal price action within the blue triangle would create a solid base from which a new advance could build on, while simultaneously providing a tighter natural stop-loss level as the triangle narrows. Here’s a look at one way in which this pattern might progress:

(Click for full-size image, courtesy of TeleChart)

I like the HANS setup and would consider taking it for a trade if it develops the way I’ve hypothesized, but the example should help to show you the kinds of things to look for after seeing a dip in the market or a particular stock which you’ve noticed climbing nonstop. The initial dip sets the base-building process in motion, and that’s always a good thing. Pullbacks should be a welcomed sight for any technical trader, and now you have one example of something to watch for in the charts the next time a dip comes along.

Trade well today!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

Technorati Tags: Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading