Traders call this a “frustrating” trading month

BellaBella Daily Update

If you asked me to search my e-mails and chats for the word most used to describe trading this month it would be: “frustrating”. One trader wrote in an end-of-day review, “Very frustrating day for me due to finishing this red after most of the ideas were working in the AM.” Another trader wrote in his Daily Report Card, “definitely feeling a … Read More

Competition at a prop firm fuels increased PnL

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People often ask ne the value of trading at a prop firm.  And there are many value adds that a prop firm brings to a trader, but I want to focus on one powerful performance driver. Competition! When SMB first formed a JV with the Kershner Trading Group our younger traders were in awe at the PnL numbers of the … Read More

A test of conscience at a trading firm

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Hi Mike, I was part of the first edition of SMB DNA and I am a consistently profitable trader now. I just read your article about the low float reversal trade. It is also a favorite trade of mine. The difficulty I sometimes have with these plays is to get borrows to short the stock. (I have one IB account … Read More

A note from the prop desk

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This African Proverb above presently sits on our whiteboard, just outside the trading bullpen, on our trading desk.  It encapsulates the advantage of trading at a proprietary trading firm, and helps us raise questions about what we want to be as a trader. Let me offer five examples from the desk this week to illustrate this point. 1. Trader A, … Read More

An anecdote from the prop desk: The unprepared trader

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Often new traders think they are prepared to trade when they aren’t.  They think they have done the sufficient preparation to trade and the market truth is that they haven’t. Traders who we have trained from scratch to consistently profitable have always met the market definition of prepared.  Those who have underperformed have met their definition of prepared but not … Read More

How to Become a Prop Trader

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Mr. Bellafiore, I will keep this as short as possible, as I know you are extremely busy. To ask my question, I must give you some background information about myself. I just finished your book, One Good Trade and I am truly inspired. I graduated from school in May. I did not graduate from an Ivy League school, or with … Read More

Ideas from the Prop Desk to Improve Your Trading – The Partner Rips (Video)

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Last week I presented at #Stocktoberfest the @Stocktwits event masterminded by @howardlindzon.  My presentation was titled: 8 Ideas from the Prop Desk to Improve Your Trading.  Below is part 4 of the video series reconstructing my presentation. In this video Mike discusses: 1) Larges losses an SMB partner was taking in afterhours trading 2) The importance of understanding your edge 3) … Read More

Unlocking Trading Ideas from the Prop Desk: A Trader’s Treasure Hunt for Edge (Video)

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Last week I presented at #Stocktoberfest the @Stocktwits event masterminded by @howardlindzon.  My presentation was titled: 8 Ideas from the Prop Desk to Improve Your Trading.  Below is part 3 of the video series reconstructing my presentation. In this video below Mike discusses: 1) The importance of reviewing your past trades to find your trading edge 2) The value of learning … Read More