It is the summer. It is finally hot in NYC. It is so hot that when you just miss your subway it gets really uncomfortable waiting for that next one. Ripper. And most market commentators keep talking about slow summer trading. Chirp. Chirp Chirp. And most market players were predicting a correction a few days ago. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. And … Read More
Need Some More Time Please
OK so we got some weakness with the market today. Are we starting the leg down that most have been predicting since SPY 83 (oops!). Was the news about back to school sales the catalyst? China? Rising foreclosures? The dollar? Unemployment? Government Debt? Certainly the bears have a multitude of fundamental reasons to support their thesis for a downmove. And … Read More
Can You Make it as a Retail Trader?
I received this email from a reader of our blog. I thought we could discuss: Hi, this is Ivan in NYC (Bulgarian immigrant), a regular reader of the blog. I’m a retail trader and a relative newbie. Although I can not formulate particular trading strategy just by reading the blog I enjoy reading it and find it useful. I would … Read More
A Note to the Suits at StockTwits TV
So last night was my debut on StockTwits TV. And after that experience I have some thoughts for the suits at StockTwits TV. 1 ) Clearly I was awesome. My awesomeness existed on so many levels I find it hard to begin. Have you seen my reviews? @downtowntrader$$ Must watch stocktwits.tv by @smbcapital – really great job tonight Mike. http://bit.ly/cxgzP … Read More
Firms Sharing to Add Value
One of the great rewards of running a firm like SMB is the friends we have made from others firms. There are some exceptional firms and people in our field. I am certain that in ten years there will be a dozen exceptional intraday trading firms offering enormous value to their traders. Especially since the Buy and Hold strategy has … Read More
Trade2Hold AIG
It is fun to see the desk trading so well the past few weeks. June was a tough month. July was much better. And this month is starting like August of 07. And that was a great month. Today we traded AIG, the home builders, and ETF’s. And AIG offered an excellent Trade2Hold that we should discuss. AIG opened and … Read More
Seen That, Traded That: AIG
“Have you ever seen anything like that?” asked a new trader. “The news isn’t new,” chirped a trader on Day 18 of his trading career. “AIG traded up from 15 to 23 and I barely made any money how is that possible?” Let’s discuss AIG and all the plays that will be like AIG going forward. 1) There will be … Read More
Repeating Patterns to Exploit
One of our new traders in the June class asked me about what I review when I watch my trading video. The short answer: patterns that offer clean trades where I can be aggressive. When I review my work and I see patterns that offer these clean trades I brand that opportunity in my head. Let’s take a … Read More