I’ll be co-presenting with Worden’s Director of Training, Craig Shipman on Discovering Stocks Suitable for Your Trading. It’ll be 1 hour long, completely free, and we’ll point out a couple of core trading concepts and how to put them into practice with Blocks. I hope you’ll join us!

Specifically, the webinar will cover how to locate stocks which are appropriate for your trading style, as well as how to evaluate pullbacks for potential buys.

Here’s how you can register…

Visit the Worden homepage, and click the Blocks logo at the top of the page:

Then click the Upcoming Webinars description beside the July 23rd event:

Sure hope to see you there Wednesday! It should be a fun, action-packed hour with some very helpful hints & tricks on using Blocks to find potential trading candidates.

And of course, if you aren’t already using this charting software, then you’ll see what you’re missing out on. I’ve discussed this revolutionary product before, and it just keeps getting better.

(PS. Those who register will have access to the archived webinar even if you can’t attend live.)

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

In a similar spirit to that of the ever-evolving trader, the fine folks over at Worden and The Blocks Company have shifted their approach and are now offering their revolutionary charting program free of charge for end-of-day data.

That means that those of you who have considered checking out this amazing trading tool can now get your hands on it free and right now. This does not appear to be a limited-time promo, which is really incredible when you consider what this thing can do.

I have a feeling that everyone who is currently using free charting packages such as QuoteTracker or web-based StockCharts are about to step out of an old pick-up and into a Ferrari and find out that it’s completely in another league from what you’ve been using. Build watch lists, annotate your charts, add indicators from a plethora of choices, scan and sort without any limitation on what’s possible…it’s all in Blocks and it’s fully customizable.

To those of you who want integrated news, BackScanner, or of course real-time intraday data, each are available (along with several other services) with separate pricing. But to those who have been needing a charting program and didn’t want to pay for it, you’ve now got the very best at a price that you literally cannot beat!

To download and install the program:
- Visit Worden.com
- Click the Blocks icon at the top of the page
- Click the Download Now button.

Trade well today!

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

What’s New in Blocks Trader - Monday, May 19th 8-9pm ET

The webinar will be put on by a friend of mine, Worden’s Training Director, Craig Shipman. Craig has educated many thousands of traders on TeleChart (which I’ve used for almost a decade) and now Blocks (which I’m integrating more and more into my research). Needless to say, I have no doubt at all it will be worth attending for some tips & tricks on using this amazing charting software.

I wrote long ago how Blocks would “revolutionize the way stock chartists and researchers tinker with data, because it allows the user to combine data sources all in one place - on the code level.” I continue to be impressed with the way Worden is improving and updating the program, which is no surprise given the tremendous success they’ve had with TeleChart for so long.

To register and attend the Webinar:
Visit Worden.com
Click the Blocks icon at the top of the page
The center of the next page will have the Webinar info.

Have a great weekend!

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

So what is the best way to get started expanding your screen real estate? I think the first step to take is to take stock (pardon the pun) of what info you need in front of you throughout the trading day. Consider which charts, tickers, filters, and various windows of your trading platform (open positions, Level 2, orders, time & sales) are absolute necessities. That’s going to give you the bare minimum requirement for how much screen space you’ll need for your trading, but it’s never a bad idea to have a little space left over. Perhaps you’ll want to save some room for instant messenger or for your favorite website to keep open and read updates on during the day, so those should also be considered.

What’s important though is that you have only a little leftover space - not a bunch. What happens when there’s lots of empty screen space is that many traders tend to start to tinker with things they shouldn’t. They begin to add studies, extra charting timeframes, and basically just complicate an already good trading system by allowing too much info to clutter their thought process. The old phrase, “paralysis by analysis” comes to mind. Before long, they have a very impressive-looking setup, but they have lost their trading mojo and no longer know which way is up.

Here’s the thing about extra screens: you can always add more when you need them! My trading platform offers a huge amount of tools I could clutter up my screens with, but I try to stick with what’s important to me and let the rest be. There are only a certain number of tools which I can effectively use simultaneously.

Good trading doesn’t necessarily mean having more information at your fingertips - it’s about having the right information. Figure out what you need, gather enough screens to display it, and trade the way you know you should based on your own personal style. Just don’t add confusion to the mix in an effort to see everything at once!

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

Whenever I leave town for the holidays, I travel with my laptop and can visit some “hotspots” or just connect at wherever I’m staying if I really need to get online. Even better, I have internet access on my Treo smartphone. The Treo is great for staying connected, and I really like the email and internet features of it. However, trading is the most important option it provides me.

I have accounts with brokers who provide a streamlined way to trade and/or monitor positions by way of my Treo. My primary broker lets me pull up a simplified version of their trading platform to monitor positions and real-time P&L, keep watch lists, and even close out all open positions (bail) with the push of one button! How cool is that?! Your broker probably offers something similar, so ask them if they have a streamlined mobile link which can load faster just for this purpose. After all, being out of your element these days doesn’t mean you can’t keep tabs on the market or your positions.

So if you need something useful to add to your holiday gift idea list, put a web-enabled phone or PDA on the list with a data plan. Whether it’s an iPhone, Blackberry or Treo, it is great knowing that although you might physically be away from the PC that you’ll still be connected to the market whenever you have the need.

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

Per-share Pricing - CyberTrader’s currently published equity pricing, including per-share pricing, will be honored at Schwab for all current CyberTrader clients regardless of your assets or trading activity. Call Client Services with any questions about your pricing.

Strategy Testing Tools - The same advanced back-testing suite you currently use is already integrated within Schwab’s StreetSmart Pro® trading platform.

Saved Layouts/Watch Lists - Upon integration, your saved CyberTrader Pro layouts and watch list settings will automatically load into StreetSmart Pro. You will not have to learn how to use a new trading platform - it will look quite familiar to you.

Briefing.com Research - In addition to continuing to receive free Briefing.com and MarketEdge research, through Schwab you will also get access to proprietary content like Schwab Equity Ratings, integrated into StreetSmart Pro.

Direct-Access Orders - Schwab’s equity direct-access order-routing technology and tools were developed by CyberTrader. These tools provide clients with choices regarding where to route orders.

Advanced Order Types - In addition to currently supporting limits, stops, trailing stops and alerts with Schwab by the end of 2007 you will also have contingent order-entry capabilities to simultaneously place profit and loss order targets with your buy and sell orders.

Real-time Profit & Loss - Upon integration, you will receive streaming lot-level cost-basis data currently available in your trading platform.

Futures Data - All CyberTrader clients will receive CME® futures data through StreetSmart Pro.

Starting right out with the per-share pricing is great, although they addressed that from the very beginning. Platform-wise, I’m particularly happy to hear that the contingency orders (brackets, OTO, OCO) are still coming, and that futures data will still be available for current CT clients after the integration (since I watch them all day long).

I’ve traded with CyberTrader for several years, so I shared some of the concerns since my experience with CT has been ideal from day 1. I’ve also been a Schwab client for even longer, and I’ve never had a complaint there either. Changes in anything are not always perfect, but it looks like what’s important to me will be kept intact, and unless you’re using an API or placing basket orders, any difference between the two should be minimal. Looks like a nice list and I get the feeling they’ll keep us posted regularly going forward.

Enjoy your weekend & Happy Father’s Day!

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

I’ve been a Schwab client for about a decade now, and I’ve been trading through CyberTrader for about 4 years. CyberTrader is owned by Schwab, so it’s been no surprise to see quality customer service provided by both of them. I’ve used Schwab for my longer-term accounts and CyberTrader for my active trading accounts, but today there’s some big news I just received from CyberTrader regarding some changes coming a little later this year.

In late 2007, CyberTrader plans to fully integrate with Charles Schwab, bringing the best of both worlds together. The active trading fees will be dirt-cheap just as they currently are with CyberTrader, but some benefits will obviously come about from this integration.

CyberTrader has been the driving force for Schwab’s StreetSmart Pro platform, which is a modified version of the CyberTrader Pro platform. As a result, CyberTrader clients will be able to trade on virtually the exact same platform.

Additionally, fees will be much improved in a few areas. The Level 2 access fee at CyberTrader has been $249/month for accounts trading fewer than 40,000 shares each month, but that will drop to $10 per month at Schwab for those same accounts (it will be waived for any account with 10 trades per month). Schwab will also offer 3 free wire transfers per quarter for accounts over $100k, which is nice for us active traders who need to move funds. The account minimums will also drop, helping out the more casual traders quite a bit.

The only thing about the platform that won’t be offered (at least initially) is that StreetSmart Pro won’t offer Basket Orders, which is something that sector traders rely heavily on.

As for investment products, StreetSmart Pro won’t offer access to futures, but fixed-income vehicles and mutual funds will be available, so that’s a great way to keep everything in one place if you ask me.

The move also comes with 24/7 support and nationwide branches, so that will be great for those after-hours requests that sometime come up.

Real-time news like Briefing will still be included, which is also great.

CyberTrader is looking to make the transition easy for clients, and until late this year I’m going to stay right where I am!

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, CyberTrader, Charles Schwab

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

While most day traders pay close attention to the price action, one of the most important indicators for short-term momentum can be found in the volume levels, particularly in relative volume. I keep a close eye on relative volume via Trade-Ideas Pro, a real-time scanner. Relative volume is the comparison between current volume levels in a stock and what the volume levels typically are for the same time of day. So for example, if XYZ is hitting highs on 2x relative volume, it is seeing twice the volume today as it typically sees for this exact time of day.

On Monday night, GROW was provided for our members as a day trade candidate in the Bandit Broadcast with a $31.50 buy point. The stock had pulled back slightly on the daily chart, but the pattern wasn’t quite clean enough to warrant a swing entry. There was a small descending trend line just overhead which was acting as resistance, and a push up through that level ($31.50) was likely to generate a quick pop to the upside. Here’s the original chart that was shown with the trade:

(Click for full size.) Chart Courtesy of TeleChart.

On Tuesday, GROW cleared the $31.50 buy point not long after the market opened, and quickly shot higher as momentum players jumped into the stock. However, the relative volume was only running right at 1 in my Trade-Ideas filter, which meant it was merely average volume. With the stock up $1.20 past my buy point (a 3.8% move) in less than 45 minutes, I decided it was time to ring the register. I posted my exit on the Bandit Bulletin trading blog for members, and moved to the sidelines with a nice chunk of change. The comment I made at the time of my exit was that it was “too good of a move not to book when volume is only average.”

That proved to be true, and I was relieved to have pocketed the profits as the day progressed, with GROW slowly fading all the way back to the trend line area by the end of the day. Timing really is everything in trading. Here’s a look at the intraday chart which shows all of Tuesday’s trading, including the gradual slide back down after our exit:

(Click for full size.) Chart Courtesy of TeleChart.

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most beneficial to watch. Trade-Ideas offers some amazing tools for day traders, and yet I seem to find ample value in the Relative Volume feature (they have several new features in the works as well). So the next time you’re catching a nice move in a short-term trade, be sure the volume is strong enough to support it. If it isn’t, you’re probably looking at the perfect time to book that gain and move back to the sidelines.

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, Trade-Ideas

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software

I just received an email from Worden Brothers regarding a 1-week sale for TeleChart Platinum, their real-time charting program. I’ve been a TeleChart user for 8 years now, and this is the best sale price I’ve seen on their Platinum version (buy 8 months, get 4 free). It works out to $58 per month if you take the 2-year discount (buy 14 months, get 10 free), which is 71% off.

I’ve talked before about why I use this program and why it is the best charting program out there, so if you’re in the market for a charting program to give you a jump on your trading, be sure to check it out. Worden offers a money-back guarantee as well as a 30-day trial, which is impossible to beat.

(Their sale ends March 12th.)

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
www.TheStockBandit.com

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

Sponsored By: TeleChart 2007 #1 Charting Software