AMD flat

Looking for weak stock to short on market run/reverse. Hoped for something that hadn't made a ndh at 10:45. This sector caught my eye on my "birdeye" layout, though it did have a midmorning new high. Short for move to vwap, took some off. Then final stop above pivot and downtrend line, for +$6 net on the total trade.

NFLX -5%

NFLX relative strength when market is turning. I like my entry. Stopped out on a flush and it eventually did go to my target near day high (and then ndh). Examining the stop placement, I considered putting it much tighter, or bit farther. Bit farther would have kept me in. Bit closer would have been probably a flat trade.

Lesson Stop against a real pivot.

SQ -18%

SQ Tradenet pick. This was a waste. I tried to use Tradenet callout and Tradenet timing. Was never green on this trade. I tried to add off the vwap, with stop right above and I ate it right away.

Learn Stick to trades with nearby pivot.

AAPL +29%

AAPL continuation of weakness on daily. Entered, in retrospect, early. Used premkt level for initial stop. T1 day low with T-stop. It blew straight through so I got a little more. Second exit on squeezed stop. Very feel-good trade. Peace.

clockwork

After a lot of introspection about trading style in the Corona Era, I understand I need to stick to clockwork trading. And if I change anything, it would be to go smaller.

Yesterday and today, I really like how I traded. It makes sense to me. Not a bunch of hacking around. MY technique. MY tolerances. The system that I know works for ME.

Trading the Corona era

I've been treading water. This market has been frustrating for me.

I have tried various techniques for trading all this volatility and news:

Giving plenty of room. I took some big losses. No real big winners.

Using stop/limit orders. Recipe for big losses.

Taking big positions to get big moves. I trade too scared.

The spreads are so wide, I don't want to use stop/market orders.

The antidote for ALL of these is smaller position size, patient timing, tight stops.

reading tea leaves

This is my read on the current market technicals as of last night, using SPY (SP500 ETF). I can not tell you where the market goes, but my incredibly short term plans revolve around the bias I develop from zooming in and in and in to intraday levels on these charts.

Multi year long term view https://www.tradingview.com/x/pCcGZsCF/

Major long term uptrends (green) are broken. 

Medium term view https://www.tradingview.com/x/m6wM61ws/ (to see recent relevant levels better)

Short term view of this downtrend https://www.tradingview.com/x/1sj7Wl06/

Today we tested above the downtrend line (red) but didn't hold there. Technical traders and particularly "algos" (programmed trading) did not defend that break. We know markets don't go straight up, even if it feels like they go straight down.

    

This bounce off the bottom needed to rest somewhere. This downtrend line is an area where it could be expected to stall. Now bulls want to see the market pull back, make a higher low, and then a higher high. Maybe something like (purple)

If we cross and stay below area of the blue line, that is a lower low. That is a continuation of the downtrend.