Put simply, support is the price at which those who have enough money to make a difference are willing to show their support by retarding, halting, and reversing the decline by buying. Resistance is the price at which those who have enough money to make a difference attempt to retard, halt, and reverse a rise by selling. Whether one calls this money professional or big or smart or institutional or crooked or manipulative or (fill in the blank) is irrelevant. If repeated attempts to sell below this...

In order to succeed at trading, you must have an edge. Your edge begins with the knowledge you gain through your research and testing that a particular price pattern or market behavior offers a level of predictability and a risk to reward ratio that provides a consistently profitable outcome over time. Without it, one is just "playing" the market in order to have something to talk about on message boards. To get it, you have to know exactly what you're looking for and what to do with it...

As part of your journal, a trading log should be more than just bought here, sold there, made this, lost that. It should contribute to the record of your journey (“journey” -- ”journal”). If done correctly, a log will reveal patterns. Patterns of what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong and when and how often and under what circumstances. Patterns of the behaviors of those who are trading your stock (bond, fund, option, whatever). Patterns of the market you're trading, of its cycles,...

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Use a variety of bar intervals and timeframes to confirm and time trades.

Trade in the direction of the primary trend.

Have a predetermined exit strategy.

Plan trades before the market opens.

Have a reason for every trade.

Predetermine the amount of risk you’re willing to assume.

Stay focused.

Maintain discipline.

Be patient and wait for the best opportunities.
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Minimize risk by (1) focusing on liquid markets, by (2) monitoring the pushmepullyou of buying pressure and selling pressure at those levels of “support” or “resistance” where price is most likely to reverse its trend, by (3) entering on swings rather than breakouts, and by (4) getting out when the market tells you to.

The first attempt at finding a bottom is called a “selling climax” (or buying climax at a top). There is extremely heavy trading activity on this day and the...