We typically limit trades in this stock to mechanical bids and offers only, since entering on buy- or sell-stops is simply too hazardous. During this session, shares had slowed to a crawl ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. AMZN was swimming against the tide, however, up more than $10 with the broad averages trading flat to lower. What to do? We found a promising rally target to lay out a short, but it got squeezed into oblivion. In the end we found a compelling reason, in the form of a ‘guaranteed’ rally target, to go with the flow.
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A Very Different Way to Trade a $1700 Stock
– Posted in: TutorialsIn the past, we’ve traded stocks priced above $1000 using ‘mechanical’ bids only. This is because entering on buy- or sell-stops could not guarantee a fill at our price. But suppose we were to allow some leeway, using stop-limit orders to get aboard? We had a chance to try this out in PCLN, which was trading for around $1724. Using sub-one-minute charts, we were able not only to get a perfect ‘read’ on the stock, but to set up trades that produced instant profits of $500 or more. See how, in explicit detail, by skipping to the final 15 minutes of this recording.
Flatlining…
– Posted in: TutorialsSecurities markets were flatlining as usual during this presentation, but we were nonetheless able to identify some opportunities that could prove to be exploitable later. AMZN, Comex Gold, Tesla and Boeing were all considered, and even though none gave us a green light to trade, merely pondering their charts was illuminating. This recording includes the Q&A session that followed the class, so it runs about seven minutes longer than usual.
Two ‘Counterintuitive’ Gems, One in Real Time
– Posted in: TutorialsCheck out the two trades in AMZN if you want to see what a powerful entry tool the ‘counterintuitive’ trigger can be. The second trade triggered in real time while we were hunkering down on the 5-minute chart. Both opportunities looked mediocre, and yet they both paid off with respective moves from x to the midpoint pivot and beyond. Even lousy counterintuitive trades, it would seem, can be a source of consistent profits. The best thing about this tactic is that it is so simple to employ.
Getting It Wrong
– Posted in: TutorialsGetting it wrong can be instructive, so view the clumsy tactical errors in this lesson with an open mind. Stocks were in their steepest selloff in months, and so we naturally made the mistake of thinking they would bounce from promising-looking Hidden Pivot supports as always. Instead, sellers barely seemed to have noticed the pivot, which evinced no discernible bounces. Did this price action doom the rally into day’s end that was to follow? As of Thursday morning the answer to this question was yes, probably, although not with any great certitude.
Walking the Walk in NFLX
– Posted in: TutorialsDuring these weekly sessions, we're always looking for real trades in real time. That's because, for teaching purposes, walking the walk will always be superior to talking the talk. Check out the trade in NFLX at the end of the recording if you want to see how very easy it can be to set up a profitable trade with little stress or strain. This happened on a day when the broad averages and most stocks were barely moving; it is a trade that any subscriber with just a passing familiarity with the Hidden Pivot Method could have done. The trade was based on a simple rule that we came up with to tame and exploit the most diabolical critter of them all, the E-Mini S&Ps.
A Quiet Opportunity to Learn
– Posted in: TutorialsStocks were too quiet during our hour together to offer much in the way of trading opportunities. As always, however. the learning opportunities were there to cherry-pick, including some creative new ways to set up 'counterintuitive' and 'mechanical' entries to reduce initial risk to a small fraction of what it might be otherwise.
Calendar-Spreading Big Trends
– Posted in: TutorialsTrading opportunities were not exactly abundant during our hour together, but there is some detailed material here concerning a strategy to leverage longer-term trends using option calendar spreads. I detailed these tactics in an article that I wrote for Stocks, Futures & Options magazine long ago, but this recording recapitulates them in succinct form.
The Easy, Unscientific Way
– Posted in: TutorialsWith VXX falling toward a target that’s been in play for months, we formulated a call-buying strategy to leverage the anticipated bounce. You’ll be surprised at how unscientific the strategy is, but there are times when a lack of sophistication is the best way to get the job done. We also looked at the E-Mini S&Ps as they stole up on a 2496.75 target that has been ten weeks in coming, and considered some ‘camouflage’ entry strategies in several vehicles.
Trading Stocks in Our Price Range
– Posted in: TutorialsThe broad averages were stagnant during our hour together, the Dow up around 70 points from the opening but unwilling to push above the morning’s modest peaks. Even so, we managed to find some promising plays in such popular vehicles as the E-Mini S&Ps, AAPL and NFLX. The last stock in particular was attractive because at around $178 per share, it’s possible to trade four round lots with an account size of $20,000. Check out the segment concerning bitcoin, which can be traded via an over-the=counter vehicle with the symbol GBTC.