Switch-Hitting When Necessary

03Mar4:31 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 03/03/15 {Video}

The following video contains coverage of relevant broad market issues (for equities) in addition to plenty of actionable trading ideas across other asset classes. Feel free to pick and choose which ideas and parts of the analysis fit your style. Always properly manage your downside portfolio risk for any trades taken. Enjoy tonight's...

03Mar3:29 pmEST

Fun First Date Ideas

While other IPOs from 2014 have been struggling mightily, namely BABA GPRO HABT LOCO MBLY, Dave & Buster's has been all fun and games. On the daily chart, below, note the recent basing action for PLAY after its strong uptrend off the October 2014 IPO. This is the quintessential low float/short squeeze play to get some violence to the upside,...

03Mar2:19 pmEST

A Tough Game for Swingers

Trading Russia and crude oil has been a particularly choppy proposition for swing traders of late, as both charts (using the RSX and USO proxies, respectively) are still in overarching downtrends after effective crashes, trying to base out. To the bottom-callers' credit, though, both crude and Russia have not been kind to bears pressing for...

03Mar1:31 pmEST

A Quick Spot for a Paper Tiger; Chess Moves

As I noted in my last blog post, I went long DUST at $14.61 with a tight stop-loss below $14.30. This position is about 4% of my trading portfolio. DUST is the triple-bearish ETF for gold miners. The miners have been struggling of late, and the GDX (from which DUST is derived) may be losing its 50-day moving average (dark blue line) today,...

03Mar12:42 pmEST

Lunchtime Observations and a Chess Move

Despite the weakness in healthcare and especially biotechnology issues today, names like OREX illustrate the danger of shorting individual names in that space here. That is one reason why I prefer to go long BIS for shorting the sector, in lieu of individual names, especially with the elevated risk of wild short squeezes and M&A activity at any...

03Mar11:34 amEST

Active Trader's Guide to Apple

We looked at the $130.30 level on AAPL as being an important short-term point of reference for active and day-traders in this large, liquid, premier stock. Updating that analysis, note that chart patterns can and often do morph into larger ones. And on the 30-minute chart for the heavily-weighted Nasdaq issue, we can see the highlighted...

03Mar10:33 amEST

Just Someplace Warm, Ok?

As March comes in like a lion for many parts of the country, the market is pausing a bit this morning. My positions are drifting against me, with my CRTO long slightly red my CAT short rallying a bit higher. I have been playing super tight of late, opting for a grinding approach of very small losses and scaling fast gains in UGA after locking...

02Mar4:32 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 03/02/15 {Video}

The following video contains coverage of relevant broad market issues (for equities) in addition to plenty of actionable trading ideas across other asset classes. Feel free to pick and choose which ideas and parts of the analysis fit your style. Always properly manage your downside portfolio risk for any trades taken. Enjoy tonight's...

02Mar3:51 pmEST

Staying Out of Trouble Into the Bell; Chess Moves

Into the bell, I decided to sell my FAZ long at $12.18 from the $12.34 entry I noted last week for another very small loss. As we have discussed, taking a series of small losses is part of my philosophy as a trader. In this case, the market is showing signs that it could easily be entering a "blow-off" move higher, where every single short is...

02Mar3:05 pmEST

Switch-Hitting When Necessary

We may very well now have a short trade now setting up with the gold miners, into today's weakness. On the GDX ETF daily chart, below, note the mini bear flag breakdown (light blue lines) today. Gold bugs must defend that dark blue line now, which is the 50-day moving average, or I suspect shorts will regain full control in the precious metals...