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  1. Scanning for reliable chart patterns is obviously one of the most important factors that determines which stocks and ETFs traders should buy. However, just because a stock has a bullish chart pattern does not mean you should automatically consider buying it. In addition to assessing overall market conditions, you must also determine if every potential stock trade also has the proper amount of volatility and liquidity. Read on to learn how to consistently choose only stocks with ample volatility, liquidity, and reliable chart patterns (the “triad of trading profits”), which directly impacts your long-term trading gains. The Perfect Balance In our style of stock trading (short to intermediate-term swing), we look to trade with the prevailing trend, which is usually in the direction of the 50-day moving average. When the market is in trend mode to the upside, it is important to expose our capital to as many bullish situations/setups as possible, in order to maximize trading profits. To do so, we focus on swing trading stocks that are volatile enough to produce gains of 20% or more in a short period of time, which allows us to rotate the portfolio, and again, maximize profits. Nevertheless, the process is not as simple as building a portfolio of the most volatile stocks in the market and letting the chips fall where they may. The goal in selecting the best stocks to buy (in a bullish market) is to achieve the perfect balance between volatility, liquidity, and reliable chart patterns. Finding The Triad How we screen for a stock that has the winning triad of volatility, liquidity, and chart pattern reliability is actually easier than it may sound. Volatility To determine the true volatility of a stock, we utilize a simple and highly effective formula known as the Price/ATR Ratio. When using a trading platform like TradeKing or TradeMONSTER (get free trades for 60 days), we start by displaying the ATR (average true range) of a stock. An objective, technical measurement of a stock’s volatility, ATR is calculated as the greatest of the following: *current high less the current low *the absolute value of the current high less the previous close *the absolute value of the current low less the previous close Put another way, ATR basically measures the average intraday trading range of a stock. We use a 40-day ATR, which tells us the average daily volatility of a stock, as averaged over the past 40 days. To balance out the effect of higher priced stocks automatically having a greater trading range because of their high prices, we next divide the last price of a stock by its 40-day ATR (average true range). For example, if a stock with a $40 share price has a 2-point ATR, it trades at 20x its ATR ($40/2). A $40 stock with a 1 point ATR trades at 40x its ATR ($40/1). With this ratio, a lower number indicates a more volatile stock than a higher number (which is better for momentum swing trading). When dividing the stock price by its ATR (Price/ATR Ratio), 40-50 is roughly an average number where most stocks will fall. However, we prefer to trade stocks with a 20-50 Price/ATR ratio. A stock with a ratio above 60 is usually (not always) too “slow” to trade. Conversely, a stock with a Price/ATR Ratio below 20 means the stock may be a bit too volatile for our tastes. Liquidity The second component of scanning for suitable stocks to trade is liquidity. To qualify as a potential swing trade with full position size, individual stocks should trade with a minimum average daily volume of at least 1 million shares. Some stocks we trade have far less than 1 million shares per day changing hands, but we always reduce our position size in such a situation. Higher priced stocks are ideal, as they allow funds to maneuver in and out of trades with ease, and you should never avoid a high-priced stock, even with a small trading account. Note that our requirement for 1 million shares per day is only for individual stocks; we have a much lower requirement for ETFs, as high average daily volume is largely irrelevant when trading ETFs. Reliable Chart Patterns The final component in the triad of stock selection is subjective and deals with spotting good-looking charts that can produce low-risk, reliable buy entry points. Fast-moving stocks require low-risk entry points, which allow us to minimize risk and maximize the reward to risk ratio for each new swing trade entry. This article is not about how to find the best and most reliable chart patterns, but this article will point you in the right direction for the third element of finding the top stocks to buy. Volatility & Liquidity In Action Based on our system, Tesla Motors ($TSLA) is an ideal stock with a Price/ATR Ratio in the 30s and plenty of liquidity: Another solid stock to trade is SolarCity Corp. ($SCTY), which is nicely volatile with a Price/ATR Ratio of just 23: With a Price/ATR Ratio of more than 70, Cisco Systems ($CSCO) is too slow for us and is an example of a low-volatility stock we would not look to trade: With individual stocks, we usually pass on trade setups with a Price/ATR Ratio over 50. The ratio can be a bit higher for ETFs, which are generally slower-moving than stocks, but you should avoid ETFs trading with a Price/ATR Ratio of more than 80-90. The iShares Long-term T-Bond ETF ($TLT) is, for example, an ETF we would typically not look to trade. Although it is high-priced (which is generally good), it has a very low ATR. As such, the ETF trades at a price of 118 times its ATR. With a Price/ATR Ratio of 118, $TLT is simply too slow to trade: Are You Maximizing Your Potential Trading Profits? Unless you have the luxury of a trading account with virtually unlimited funds, it is crucial to scan for stocks that provide you with the most potential “bang for the buck” (highest profit potential when they take off). Although there may be hundreds of stocks with nice-looking chart patterns in a typical bull market, getting in the habit of checking for ample volatility (Price/ATR Ratio) and liquidity is an excellent way to further narrow down your arsenal of potential stock trades to consider.
  2. On January 27, I said it was not yet time to sell stocks, but the technical situation has deteriorated quite rapidly since then. Yesterday (an FOMC day), stocks saw heavy volume selling action that produced another “distribution day” (a decline on increasing volume) in both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite. In a healthy market, a few days of institutional selling over a 3 to 4-week period is normal and can typically be absorbed by demand. However, when the running count of distribution days reaches five or more, it nearly always signals a substantial correction is just around the corner. The 3-Part Test There are three main components that determine the mode of my broad market timing model, which determines whether I focus on the long or short side of the market, and how aggressively to do so. Right now, only one of those three tests is (barely) holding up. 1.) Volume Pattern Of Broad Market In the NASDAQ, yesterday was the seventh day of higher volume selling in recent weeks. As such, the volume pattern portion of my broad market timing model is now flashing a clear “sell” signal. 2.) Broad Market Trend In my January 27 blog post, I also mentioned one positive element of current market conditions was that both the NASDAQ and small-cap Russell 2000 were still holding above key support of their 50-day moving averages. But that is no longer the case. With all broad-based indexes now below their respective 50-day moving averages, the trend component of the timing model has shifted to a “sell” signal as well (though I would like to give it to the end of the week to see if the NASDAQ can bounce back). 3.) Performance Of Leadership Stocks The third and final component of our timing model, the performance of leadership stocks, is the only part of the model that is preventing the current “neutral” mode from officially shifting to “sell” mode. Still, even this portion is barely holding on. NASDAQ 4000 – Coming Soon? Taking an updated look at the daily chart of the NASDAQ (below), notice the tech-heavy index reversed lower after running into new resistance of its 50-day moving average yesterday (January 29). The index also closed near its intraday low, near the intraday low of January 27 (near-term support). If the price action follows through to the downside today (January 30), then bearish short-term momentum will likely take the index down to the 4,000 area (support of the December 2013 lows). However, a false move lower in the first hour of trading that subsequently reverses above the previous day’s high could lead to a short-term bounce: Although my newsletter is not yet in full “sell” mode, I have been laying low (in “neutral” mode) this week. But as a bonus, a positive earnings report from Facebook ($FB) has currently launched our existing long position to an unrealized gain of approximately 27% since our December 2 buy entry. The long side of the stock market is all about low volatility and steady/reliable price action. However, current conditions are quite volatile. Therefore, even if I spot new bullish setups on the long side of the market (such as $AMBA or $AL), the stock market is simply too unstable right now to add new exposure with confidence. Trade What You See, Not What You Think! Obviously, there are quite a few scenarios that could play out from here, and that is why we always shy away from predicting market action and worrying about where the major averages will go. Consistently profitable trading is all about reacting to price action, not predicting it. I can discuss different possibilities and have a plan in place, but I still have no clue what will happen tomorrow. If my timing model shifts into full “sell” signal, I will then start focusing on short selling stocks and ETFs with the most relative weakness. Nevertheless, with the market already down sharply in such a short period of time, there are simply no low-risk short entries at the moment. Chasing on the short side can be just as bad or worse than chasing longs. If you have ever been caught in a short squeeze, you know that the price action can explode higher for several days before taking a break. With the very real possibility of a significant correction just around the corner, this is a great time to review my preferred strategy for entering new trades on the short side. Upon doing so, you will surely see the importance of maintaining discipline and patience right now.
  3. In the formative years of my trading career (late '90s), I frequently found myself scratching my head over an interesting problem. Despite analyzing the hell out of stock chart patterns, ensuring the technicals looked quite favorable before buying, I still found my trades completely going in the wrong direction way too often. Thanks to the help of a trusted trading mentor, I eventually discovered the problem; hyperfocusing primarily on the daily time frame. Although the daily chart has always been pivotal for locating low-risk buy setups, my extreme focus on that single time frame was causing me to ignore the power of confirmation from longer time frames (such as weekly and monthly charts). Put simply, I was missing the "big picture" and it was destroying my trading profits. Are you... Missing The Big Picture Too? Every technical trader has his own specific approach to scanning chart patterns and locating potential buy setups. Although I have my own, rule-based swing trading strategy, which has been thoroughly explained on my blog and nightly newsletter over the years, my trading system is just one of many types of successful trading methodologies out there. Nevertheless, there is one trading technique you (and every trader) should always use, regardless of your individual trading style: Multiple Time Frame Analysis Multiple Time Frame Analysis (let's call it "MTF" hereafter) is an extremely simple, yet incredibly powerful concept, that can be applied to analysis of stocks, ETFs, forex, futures, bitcoin, and any other financial instrument that can be charted. If you too have been making the same mistake of hyperfocusing only on the daily charts, read on to find out why you're missing the big picture of what's really happening with the stocks and ETFs you trade. Exploring For Oil On Multiple Time Frames One of the ETFs currently on my watchlist for potential buy entry is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration ETF ($XOP). Using MTF analysis, I will show you how this ETF actually landed on my swing trading watchlist. Starting with a long-term monthly chart showing at least 10 years of data or more (if possible), we see that $XOP stalled at resistance of its all-time high a few months ago. If you were buying $XOP based strictly on a daily chart with three to five years of data at that time, you probably would not have even seen the highs from 2008: Although $XOP pulled back after bumping into resistance of its 2008 high, the ETF firmly remains in an uptrend, above support of its rising 10-month moving average. Furthermore, the current base of consolidation is holding above the prior highs of 2011. The next step in my MTF analysis is to zoom in to the shorter-term weekly chart interval, where each bar represents a full week of price action: On the weekly chart, notice the 10-week moving average is trending lower, but the price is still holding above the 40-week moving average. The 10 and 40-week moving averages are similar to the popular 50 and 200-day moving averages on the daily chart. The current base of consolidation will take some time to develop, but as it chops around the 10-week moving average, the price should eventually flatten out and begin to tick higher. Finally, let's use MTF analysis to drill down to the benchmark daily chart time frame: The $XOP daily chart shows last week's price action holding above the prior swing low. If this low holds, the price action can begin to set "higher lows" with the base and form the right side of the pattern (learn more about base building patterns here). The next breakout in $XOP will likely be the one that launches the ETF to new highs on multiple time frames, which would be a very powerful buy signal. Still, if you were to only glance at the daily chart of $XOP, without taking into account the weekly and monthly chart patterns, you might understandably make the mistake of assuming this ETF is not in a steady uptrend. On the contrary, the "big picture" provided to you by MTF analysis definitely shows a dominant, long-term uptrend in place. Pullbacks and consolidations along the way, such as shown on this daily time frame, are completely normal. Why Longer Is Better Now that you understand the easy, yet crucial concept of MTF analysis, you may be wondering which individual time frame holds the most weighting, especially in the case of conflicting chart patterns. Remember, in the beginning of this article, when I told you about that problem I had when I first started trading? As I found out the hard way, a longer time frame always holds more weight over a shorter time frame. In the best, most promising stock trading setups, all three chart time frames (daily, weekly, monthly) will confirm the patterns of one another. But if that is not the case, just remember that a weekly trend is more powerful than a daily trend, while a monthly chart holds more sway than a weekly trend. Of course, you must also keep in mind that longer time frames also take a longer period of time to work themselves out. For example, daytrading based on a weekly chart pattern does not work. However, that same weekly chart is of paramount importance if you are looking to buy a stock as a core/position trade. There's no doubt in my mind that utilization of Multiple Time Frame Analysis will substantially increase your trading profits...but only if you make the decision right now to start applying this underrated technique to all your stock chart analysis.
  4. Have you ever asked yourself, “What should be the minimum volume requirement for the stocks and ETFs I trade?” If so, you’re definitely not alone. It’s an important question, yet the answer is not black and white (despite what you may have heard from other traders). Read on and I will tell you why… What Is Average Daily Trading Volume? Why Does It Matter? Average Daily Trading Volume (“ADTV”) is a measure of the number of shares traded per day, averaged over a specific period of time (we use 50 days). While this is not a technical indicator that seeks to predict the future direction of an equity, it is nevertheless important because it helps traders to assess the liquidity of a stock or ETF. When a stock is highly liquid, you can easily enter and exit positions without directly influencing the stock’s price. Conversely, you can know which securities to avoid because they are too illiquid to trade. Knowing the ADTV of an equity is also important because it establishes a benchmark from which to spot key volume spikes that are the footprint of institutional accumulation. If, for example, a stock has an ADTV of 500,000 shares, but suddenly trades 2,000,000 shares one day, that means volume spiked to 4 times (400%) its average daily level. If such a volume surge was also accompanied by a substantial price gain for the day, it is a definitive sign that banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other institutions were supporting the stock. 4 Key Questions To Determine If A Stock Is Liquid Enough To Trade Although ADTV by itself could be used as a concrete “line in the sand” to determine if a stock is liquid enough to trade, there are too many other factors that play a part in that role. Following are four key questions that, when combined with ADTV, can help you to more accurately determine whether a stock can be traded or should be left alone. 1.) How Many Shares Will I Trade? (Size Matters) If you are only planning to buy 100 shares of a stock, the ADTV of an equity basically becomes a non-issue because it will be easy to liquidate such a small position, even in a very thinly traded stock. However, if you intend to buy 5,000 shares of that same stock, you need to more seriously consider whether or not it will be difficult to eventually exit the position with minimal slippage and volatility. Regardless of what you may have heard, size matters (at least in this scenario). 2.) How High Is The Average Dollar Volume? Average Dollar Volume (not to be confused with Average Daily Trading Volume) is a number that is determined by multiplying the share price of a stock times its average daily trading volume (ADTV). For example, a $25 stock with an ADTV of 800,000 shares has exactly the same dollar volume of a $50 stock with an ADTV of just 400,000 shares. In both cases, the Average Dollar Volume is 20 million ($25 X 800,000 or $50 X 400,000). For institutional investors and traders who rely on making big trades, Average Dollar Volume is a more important number than ADTV. In the example above, an institutional trader would consider both of those stocks to be equal with regard to liquidity. As a general rule of thumb, an Average Dollar Volume of 20 million or greater provides pretty good liquidity for most traders. If you trade a very large account (and accordingly large position size), consider an average dollar volume above 80 million to be extremely liquid. By knowing the Average Dollar Volume of a stock, you can lower your minimum ADTV requirement if the stock is trading at a higher price. 3.) How Long Will I Hold? Are you a daytrader, swing trader, or position trader? The length of time you typically hold stocks has a direct relationship to suitable minimum volume requirements. A daytrader who scalps for tiny 10 or 20 cent gains must limit himself to trading only in thick stocks where millions of shares per day change hands (equities with tight spreads and extremely high liquidity). On the other hand, a position trader who rides the profit in uptrending stocks for many months can trade in much thinner stocks because they can scale out of positions over the course of several days or weeks. Although I originally started as a daytrader (in the late ’90s), I now focus exclusively on swing and position trading stocks in my managed accounts and newsletter. 4.) Am I Trading Individual Stocks Or ETFs? In individual stocks, ADTV and/or Average Dollar Volume plays a big role in determining a stock’s liquidity. But with ETFs (exchange traded funds), average volume levels are largely irrelevant because ETFs are open-end funds. This means new units (shares) can be created or redeemed as necessary; supply and demand therefore has little effect. Even if an ETF has no buyers or sellers for several hours, the bid and ask prices continue to move in correlation with the market value of the ETF, which is derived from the prices of individual underlying stocks. As such, you should be much less concerned with the average volume of an ETF than with an individual stock. In my nightly stock and ETF pick newsletter, I generally use a minimum ADTV requirement of 100k-500k shares for individual stocks (depending on share size of the position), but may go as low as 50k shares for ETFs (in order to achieve greater asset class diversity). While liquidity is not of concern when trading ETFs, you should still be aware that ETFs with a very low ADTV may have wider spreads between the bid and ask prices. To remedy this, you may simply use limit orders in such situations. Since I trade for many points, not pennies, occasionally paying up a few cents does not bother me. For further details on the subject of ETFs and liquidity, check out Why ETF Trading Volume Does Note Determine ETF Liquidity. How To Easily Determine The Liquidity Of A Stock/ETF Although there are free financial websites that provide you with the ADTV and/or Average Dollar Volume of stocks, the fastest and best way to gauge the liquidity of a stock is by plotting the data on a stock chart of a quality trading platform. Below is the daily chart of SolarCity ($SCTY), which I bought in The Wagner Daily newsletter on December 19 (still long as of January 10, with an unrealized price gain of 26%): The chart above is pretty self-explanatory. The top section shows the price action (and a few moving averages), the middle shows daily volume bars and 50-day ADTV, and the bottom bars plot the Average Dollar Volume (in millions). With an ADTV of nearly 5 million shares and an Average Dollar Volume of 315 volume, $SCTY is a highly liquid stock that is “institutional-friendly.” It’s Important, But Don’t Get Hung Up If you want to avoid surprise price reactions when it comes time to close out your trades, pay attention to the ADTV and/or Average Dollar Volume of stocks. Doing so ensures there is sufficient liquidity to prevent your trades from directly affecting the stock prices. Nevertheless, you must realize that determining whether or not a stock has sufficient liquidity is not as clear-cut as merely picking an arbitrary number such as 500,000 minimum shares per day. Further, you should understand that Average Dollar Volume gives a more complete and accurate picture of a stock’s liquidity than ADTV alone. Your individual trading timeframe also plays a role in determining which stocks can be traded. Frankly, I feel many individual retail traders get too hung up about the average daily volume of a stock. Unless you’re a whale with a massive trading account, your individual transactions within a stock will usually have a minimal (if any) effect on the price. Of much greater importance is just focusing on buying leading stocks with strong institutional support (these stocks are typically quite active anyway). If a company has a history of outstanding earnings growth, or a revolutionary product that’s selling like suntan lotion at the beach, it’s even okay to buy thinly traded stocks. But just be sure to reduce your share size to compensate for greater price volatility (I always list our portfolio position size for each new stock/ETF pick.).
  5. One benefit of Apple selling off today is that it's an excellent reminder to always Trade What You See, Not What You Think! No disrespect to the Apple fanboys, but I trade what the price and volume action tells me and keep emotions out of it. You should too... Ok, flame away!
  6. Have you ever prepared to buy a momentum-driven breakout on a stock that formed a great chart pattern (such as a cup and handle), but for whatever reason you missed the entry point on the day the stock breaks out? If you are like most swing traders (including ourselves), that has probably happened to you on numerous occasions. Indeed, it can be frustrating to watch a stock on your watchlist rally sharply higher on the day of the breakout, without you in it. But since breakout stocks usually pullback just a few days later, there is no need to panic. Instead, patient and astute traders can profit from trading these breakouts by simply buying the first pullback. Read on to learn an easy, yet highly effective way of buying pullbacks of strong stocks. 3 Breakout Stocks We Bought On A Pullback In September of 2013, we posted two videos that clearly explained our winning strategy for buying pullbacks of the best stock breakouts. 1.) On September 10, we walked you through our recent pullback entry into Yelp ($YELP), which we are still long in the model portfolio of our Wagner Daily newsletter. Presently, the $YELP trade is showing an unrealized gain of 35.3% since our original buy entry point. 2.) Then, in our September 18 blog post, we detailed how we used the same trading strategy to buy LifeLock ($LOCK) on a pullback. That momentum swing trade has since been closed for an average gain of approximately 17% (trade was closed with two separate exit points). 3.) Now, we bring you a third video that explains how we recently bought Mercadolibre ($MELI) on a pullback, a few days after the stock broke out from a chart pattern that was similar to a bullish cup and handle. We’re still holding $MELI from our original buy entry and the trade is up just over 10% as of the October 25 close. Below is the link for the YouTube video. For best viewing quality, click the square icon on bottom right side of the video player window to view in full-screen mode: Compared to other breakout stocks we’ve recently bought (such as Silica – $SLCA), the price momentum in $MELI has not been overly impressive (so far), but we believe the video has high educational value regardless. What do you think? By the way, just to eliminate any possible confusion, the video above was actually uploaded to our YouTube channel back on September 30 (which is why the current price of $MELI is higher than shown in the video).
  7. After suffering a nasty, two-day decline on October 8 and 9, the stock market ripped higher on October 10, closing the day with massive gains of more than 2% across the board. Feeling a bit of whiplash lately? While the big gains with bullish closing action on October 10 were a positive sign for the market, that powerful and sudden reversal immediately put traders who just stopped out of stock trades into regret mode, one of the Four Most Dangerous Emotions For Traders. Driving A Car While Staring In The Rear-View Mirror Is Hazardous To Your Health Regardless of whether or not you sold your stocks at lower prices and are now feeling regret, let’s get one thing straight… This is not the time to be worrying about what happened in the past because you must be focused on what is happening NOW! Whenever traders mentally struggle over whether or not they made a correct trading decision, such as if they bought or sold at the right time, they will often be wrong…but that’s completely okay! What is not okay is to STAY wrong! If you’re wrong, simply move along. During the whipsaw action of October 8-10, you may have found yourself stopped out of a stock position that subsequently made an abrupt u-turn and once again looks to be in good shape. If this happened to you, the correct thing to do is to calmly and objectively jump back into the trade (even if you need to reduce your share size a bit to make that happen). The current daily chart of Michael Kors ($KORS) is a good example of a stock that can be re-entered, even if the trader was recently forced to sell: When $KORS sliced through key support of its 50-day moving average on October 8, it undoubtedly triggered many sell stops (which was the correct thing to do). However, just two days later, $KORS jumped back above support of 20 and 50-day moving averages, and back into its prior range. As long as $KORS holds the newly reclaimed support levels, it is valid to re-enter the stock (regardless of one’s previous outcome in the trade). Remember that each new trade entry is completely independent of itself. Furthermore, we have learned over the years that trade re-entries (after stopping out because we bought too early) are often the most profitable trades because the “shakeout” absorbs overhead supply that would have otherwise created additional resistance on the way back up. Just one note of caution, though, with regard to re-entering trades: Don’t confuse re-entering a bullish stock with “revenge trading,” which occurs when a trader re-enters a stock that fell apart, but still has not shown a valid technical reason to get back in (ego, be damned). Now What? Yesterday’s strong gap up was certainly a bullish sign, and we could see a solid, broad-based rally develop if the recent lows in the major averages hold up. Unfortunately, yesterday’s volume was lighter in both exchanges, meaning the rally was not led by banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other institutions. Nevertheless, with so many stocks changing hands the past few days, it’s quite apparent that buyers were stepping in to accumulate leading stocks off the lows. Just check out the charts of $LNKD, $KORS, and $TSLA to see what we mean. Although we reduced our long exposure on October 8, our remaining stock positions are still in pretty good shape. U.S. Silica Holdings ($SLCA), for example, has shown incredible relative strength over the past few days, as the stock basically ignored the October 8 sell-off. Below is an annotated chart of $SLCA that we recently posted on our new Google+ page: When a stock breaks out with strong price and volume action, it is always a very bullish sign. In fact, price and volume are the two most important and powerful technical indicators at a trader’s disposal. We all have the urge to lock in profits at times, but to make the big money in trading, one’s focus must simply be on consistently doing the right thing. If a trader does so, the large profits will eventually follow. Overall, we feel that $LNKD, $KORS, $YELP, and $TSLA are the top dogs in this market right now, and are “must own” stocks for institutions. As of now, we view the recent shakeout action as a buying opportunity (with stops placed beneath that week’s lows). Either the lows of October 8 and 9 hold up, or the market will end up going much lower over the next few months. As always, remember to trade what you see, not what you think!
  8. If you heard or read any financial news over the past few days, you inevitably found the talking heads rambling about the various implications of a potential U.S. government shutdown. As usual, the media is once again playing on the powerful human emotion of Fear, one of the 4 Most Dangerous Emotions For Traders. This newly-created investor fear over a potential government shutdown has caused the S&P 500 futures to slide about -0.8% lower as of this writing (pre-market on September 30). Understandably, several concerned subscribers to our nightly swing trading newsletter have just e-mailed us to hear our thoughts on how we would handle such news. Similarly, many traders wanted to hear our thoughts when the U.S. was on the brink of attacking Syria three weeks ago (click here to read our thoughts on that potential news at the time). So, if our fearless leaders fail to come to some agreement by midnight tonight, and the U.S. government partially shuts down for the first time in 17 years, you may be wondering… How Will We Handle The News? The answer is pretty simple; we ignore it. Yes, ignore it. During most bull markets, there is typically a “wall of worry” to climb. The details are different in every bull market, but there are usually one or two major “risk factors” that investors worry about when stock markets are trending steadily higher. At such times, traders and investors who focus on doomsday headlines from mainstream financial media sites are more than likely to be shaken out of their long positions…especially those who lack conviction in their trading system. Conversely, we intentionally distance ourselves from Wall Street chatter by focusing on individual price and volume action of leading stocks and ETFs (the only time we pay attention to news is during quarterly earnings reports). Holding through a stock market pullback is never easy, but it is NOT our job to decide when a stock market rally is over. If we approach trading with a clear and objective mindset, the stock market will always tell us what to do, based on the price and volume action of the leading stocks we are holding. If our swing trades are holding up and showing relative strength, great! We will continue seeking the best stocks to buy, while riding the gains of our existing winning positions (just as we are doing now). If, on the other hand, our ETF and stock positions sell off to trigger our protective stops, we will simply be forced into cash. The beauty of such a rule-based market timing system is that it removes all the human emotion and guesswork from trading. This increases our long-term trading profits, while also providing the added benefit of enabling us to be more calm and stress-free, regardless of what’s happening in the stock market. The #1 Habit New Traders Should Pick Up If you are new to momentum swing trading, or have had little success in the past, it is a great idea to get in the habit of planning your trades and trading your plan. You must continually attempt to identify all potential outcomes before taking on a trade. If you do, there should be no surprises once the trade is on because you realize that anything is possible, and you have already accounted for it. The idea is to worry before the trade, so that you can simply focus on executing the plan when you are in the trade. Above all, focus on the price and volume action, rather than the amount of profit or loss a trade is showing. Put another way, trade what you see, not what you think! If you make a habit of always doing the right thing, consistent trading profits will eventually and inevitably follow.
  9. For the past six weeks, the NASDAQ Composite Index ($COMP) has been uneventfully oscillating in a sideways trading range (a 3% range from the upper channel resistance down to lower channel support). However, we have identified three highly reliable technical indicators that point to a strong likelihood of the NASDAQ soon breaking out to a fresh, multi-year high (despite continued weakness in the S&P 500 and Dow Jones). 1.) The Most Reliable Indicator You Probably Never Use We prefer to keep our technical analysis of stocks pretty simple. Although there are literally hundreds of technical indicators at our disposal, we rely primarily on price, volume, support/resistance levels (such as trendlines and moving averages), and the relative strength line. The relative strength line is a simple leading indicator that allows us to easily see how a stock or ETF is performing against the benchmark S&P 500 Index ($SPX). This is not to be confused with the RSI indicator (relative strength index). When the relative strength line is outperforming the price action of the stock (or the Nasdaq Composite in this case), it is a reliable bullish signal that often precedes further gains in price. On the chart below, notice how the relative strength line has already broken out to new highs twice, even though the NASDAQ has been trending sideways to slightly lower. This is a clear sign that institutional funds have been rotating out of the S&P 500 and into the NASDAQ: 2.) Salute The Bull Flag While the relative strength line is one of the most reliable technical indicators to predict future price action, the bull flag is definitely one of our favorite bullish chart patterns to identify and profit from. On the longer-term weekly chart, we clearly see the Nasdaq has been forming a bull flag chart pattern. This is annotated by the black lines we have drawn on the chart below: Notice that the rally off the lows in July created the flag pole part of the bull flag pattern, while the current sideways price action forms the flag. The tight consolidation of the past six weeks has retraced less than one-third of the last wave up. This is what we like to see, as the best-formed bull flag patterns should not pull back to more than a 38.2% Fibonacci retracement of last move up. Finally, since the flag pole and the flag are frequently symmetrical in time, we need to compare how long it took for the pole to form with the length of the flag. Since the pole was created over the span of six weeks, the anticipated breakout from the bull flag pattern should occur after the flag has formed for 5-7 weeks (we are currently on week 5). 3.) Already Leading The Market Higher When I began trading and studying technical analysis many years ago, I assumed that the main stock market indexes (such as the NASDAQ) led the way for the top-performing stocks to move higher. I was definitely wrong. The reality is the opposite situation; leading individual stocks set the pace for the broad market to follow. When the strongest stocks in the market (typically small to mid-cap growth stocks) are convincingly breaking out to new highs ahead of the broad-based indexes, it is a very bullish sign and the main stock market indexes usually follow suit. Conversely, it is a bearish signal when the major indices are trending higher, but without clear leadership among individual stocks. Right now, there is a plethora of stocks that are breaking out to new highs ahead of the NASDAQ. In no particular order, here are the ticker symbols of a handful of stocks breaking out right now, or have already broken out, to new highs: $QIHU, $LNKD, $TSLA, $NFLX, $KORS, $LOCK, and $YELP. We are presently long four of the above stocks in our Wagner Daily newsletter, and with the following unrealized gains since our original buy entries (based on Sept. 6 closing prices): YELP +23.2%, LNKD +10.0%, LOCK +9.1%, and KORS +7.1%. In case you missed it, you may want to check out our original August 21 analysis of Yelp ($YELP) (before it broke out and zoomed higher over the past few days). Death And Taxes – The Only Sure Things As my grandmother loved to tell me, “the only sure things in life are death and taxes.” I agree, especially when it comes to the stock market. Obviously, the Nasdaq has not yet broken out, and there is no guarantee that it will. Nevertheless, the combination of the three reliable technical indicators above suggest a strong likelihood that the tech-heavy index will soon break out of its range and cruise to a new, multi-year high (though the S&P and Dow are another story). If the Nasdaq suddenly rallies to new highs as anticipated, are you prepared to take advantage of the move? Do you know which stocks will offer the best odds for high profits? Be prepared.
  10. Being a consistently profitable swing trader is a juggling act that requires one to constantly be focused on a variety of key elements of success: picking the right stocks, managing risk, determining when to sell, and even mastering the psychology of trading. In this educational trading strategy article, we will dive into the topic of knowing how and when to sell winning ETF and stock swing trades for maximum profit, using the example of an actual swing trade we are currently positioned in. As for when to sell losing trades, there’s frankly not much to say other than always have a predetermined stop before entering every trade and simply honor it. Since April 12, the model trading portfolio of our swing trading newsletter (The Wagner Daily) has been long Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF ($SMH). We initially alerted traders of the technical reasons we were bullish on the semiconductor sector (and $SMH) in this March 28 post on our trading blog. Since then, we have also reminded regular readers of our trading blog several more times about the increasing relative strength in semis. In the “open positions” section of today’s (May 13) Wagner Daily, subscribing members will notice we have trailed our $SMH protective stop higher for the fourth consecutive day. Because the ETF is already nearing our original target area of $40, while remaining on a very steep angled climb, we have been continually squeezing the stop tighter in order to protect gains, while still allowing for maximum profit. On the daily chart of $SMH below, we have labeled the increasingly higher stop prices we have used in each of the past four sessions: As you can see, our stop in each of the past four trading sessions has been raised to just below the low of the prior day’s session. Whenever an ETF or stock is nearing your target area and you wish to maximize profits while still protecting gains, setting a stop just below the previous day’s low (allowing for a tiny bit of “wiggle room”) is a great strategy. This is because basic technical analysis states the prior day’s lows and highs act as very near-term support and resistance (respectively). By using this method for trailing stops, you will be out of a winning position before the start of a significant pullback, while still allowing the gains to build as long as buying momentum remains. This system also provides an objective way for knowing when to close a winning swing trade, rather than guessing and potentially leaving significant profits on the table. Of course, there are many different ways to manage exits on winning momentum trades, and some of those methods are equally as effective as what is explained above. The reality is that any trading system can be a great one if the trader proves to be profitable with it over the long-term (even if the system involves trading by the cycles of the moon). As such, we would never imply that our system is absolutely the best way to manage stops on winning swing trades. But what we truly love about our exit strategy is its utter simplicity; simple trading strategies are the easiest to follow and thereby profit from. Why complicate a technique that has already been proven to work so well?
  11. Many active traders make the mistake of assuming that a winning system for swing trading stocks needs to be complicated. On the contrary, the best trading strategies are typically the most simple because they can be more easily and consistently followed. Our methodology for picking stocks is simple, as 99% of the stocks we buy in our model trading portfolio come from one of the following three setups: 1. Combo Setup – The stock must have a combination of great earnings growth and strong technical price action (some type of bullish chart pattern). Typically, these stocks are growing their earnings at a rate of 30 to 40% (or more) quarter after quarter. Furthermore, these stocks will usually have an IBD relative strength rating of 80 or higher. Since we consider these stocks to be A-rated, they can usually be held for several weeks or more. 2. Price momentum - With this swing trade setup, earnings growth is not important, but the stock must have a top relative strength rating (95 or higher) and belong to an industry sector group that is outperforming the S&P 500. These stocks can be held for a few days to a few weeks. Our recent trade in Celldex Therapuetics ($CLDX), a biotechnology stock with a relative strength rating greater than 95, is a good example of a swing trade setup based purely on momentum (bullish price action). Last month, we netted a 15% gain on our swing trade in $CLDX and will soon be posting an educational video review of that trade on our blog. 3. Blast Off - Neither earnings growth nor a top relative strength rating is necessary with this type of swing trading setup. We are simply looking for a monster spike in volume on the daily chart, combined with a 4% or more gain in that same session. This indicates huge demand. If demand is sharply greater than supply, the price has no choice but to surge higher (which is why volume is such a great technical indicator). With this setup, the one-day volume spike should be at least 2.5 to 3 times greater than the 50-day moving average of volume. These stocks can be held for a few days to a few weeks (as long as the price action remains excellent). A current example of the “Combo” setup (#1 above) can be found in Michael Kors Holding Limited ($KORS). So, let’s take a closer look at how this trade meets our parameters. For starters, the expected earnings growth of $KORS in the coming quarter is 81%, so the requirement for strong earnings growth is definitely covered. Its IBD relative strength rating is only 71, but that is compensated for by the monstrous earnings growth the company has been experiencing. Next, let’s take a look at the technical chart pattern. After several months of choppy price action, $KORS is starting to come together nicely. Upon completing a 20% pullback off its February 2013 high, $KORS found support at its 200-day moving average, then rallied to reclaim its 50-day moving average last week. Now, $KORS is working on forming a bullish chart pattern known as a “cup and handle,” which looks like this: As shown on the chart below, $KORS formed the left side of the cup and handle pattern from March to late April, and is now working on the right side of the pattern. The right side of the pattern will need several weeks to develop and form a handle with a proper buy point. During this time, the stock needs to hold above its 50-day moving average as well. This annotated chart of $KORS shows what we are looking for: YRC Worldwide, Inc. ($YRCW) is a great example of a “Blast Off” setup (#3 above). Notice the huge volume and sharp gap above resistance that occurred last Friday (May 3): As of the first 30 minutes of trading in today’s session (May 6), $YRCW is trading more than 20% higher than the previous day’s close. Obviously, such a huge follow-up price gap is not common; nevertheless, it shows you just how powerful the “Blast Off” setup can be: If not already holding this stock, the setup is definitely NOT buyable for swing trading right now (we never chase stocks). However, if/when it forms a proper base of consolidation from here, we can begin to look for a low-risk buy point (at which time we would notify Wagner Daily subscribers of our exact entry, stop, and target prices). As previously mentioned, we will soon be posting on our stock trading blog an educational review of last month’s winning swing trade in $CLDX, which will be an example of our “Price Momentum” setup.
  12. In uptrending markets, most of our swing trade setups are stocks and ETFs (with relative strength) that are breaking out above bases of consolidation. We also buy pullbacks of uptrending equities when they retrace to near-term support levels. However, another bullish chart formation many technical traders profit from is the “cup and handle” pattern. In this article, we use current annotated charts of United States Natural Gas Fund ($UNG), a commodity ETF that roughly tracks the price of spot natural gas futures, to show you how to trade the cup and handle chart pattern. Let’s begin by looking at the weekly chart timeframe of $UNG below: Notice that the left side of the pattern begins in November 2012, after a 60% rally off the lows. This is positive because proper cup and handle patterns should not form at or near 52-week lows; rather, there should already be an uptrend in place for at least several months in order for a correct cup and handle to develop. The selloff in December 2012, as well as the bottoming action in January and February of this year, combine to form the left side and bottom of the “cup.” The right side of the cup was formed when $UNG broke out above major resistance of its 200-day moving average and rallied to the $22 area. Zooming in to the shorter-term daily chart interval, note the “handle” portion of the pattern that is currently developing: The handle typically requires at least a few weeks to properly develop (sometimes more). While forming, price action will typically slope lower. In the case of $UNG, even an “undercut” of the March 25 low and 20-day exponential moving average would be acceptable. However, the price needs to hold above the $20 level during any pullback. Otherwise, a breakdown below that important support level could signal the pattern needs a few more months to work itself out. If buying $UNG, it is important for traders to be aware of possible contango issues that could result in an underperformance of the ETF, relative to the actual spot natural gas futures contracts. Nevertheless, contango is typically not a big deal if exclusively swing trading the momentum of $UNG over shorter-term holding periods (less than about 4 weeks). Conversely, the negative effects of contango become much more apparent over long-term “buy and hold” investing timeframes. For our rule-based ETF and stock swing trading system, the technical chart pattern of $UNG is not yet actionable. Still, the annotated charts above clearly explain the specific technical criteria we seek when trading the “cup and handle” chart pattern. As always, we will promptly alert newsletter subscribers with our preset entry, stop, and target prices for this swing trade setup when/if it provides us with an ideal, low-risk buy entry point in the coming days.
  13. Hi all, I am new on this forum, but I have been around the stock market for over 10 years now. I used to play the hypes, like shortening financials during the credit crunch and shorting FB . BUT since a couple of months I am busy developing my own day trading style and for me focussing on the momentum is a great help when going long. :missy: Have been reading al about day/momentum trading on this forum, but I have two questions that pop-up when I am busy trading small caps. 1) I haven't found any good technical analytic tools that are used yet. I use different EMA's to see trend switching, but the signal is mainly too late for my taste... So what is a good combination of indicators? 2) Stock scanning, I have a junkmail account to receive al kinds of pumps (good tips are always welcome!), but I would like to have a more active way to scan for good stocks. When using finance.yahoo.com you only can focus on the price gain and I just would love to have a tool that I can check sudden volume increase too. Maybe a alert of some kind? Hope to learn a lot and share my knowledge on this forum. Cheers :helloooo:, Pieter
  14. I was actually making money swing/momentum trading - tho admittedly the market was very good in Sept which helped a lot. I was gaining much more than I was losing. I buy smallish lots (200 shares sometimes 300) and hold for anywhere from a day or two to a week or so. I always have a stop loss in place. Always. The past couple weeks, I've lost most of my gains of the past few months. My account is currently not much above where I started. I know that the whole market has been down - the international backlash against QE2, China's inflation problems, and now Ireland - but I don't know what I should do differently. Problem is, my stops (I allow for pretty good wiggle room - I usually set the stop about 8% below the purchase price) have been repeatedly hit, generating losses. (Sadly, after my stop is hit the price usually goes right back up.) Of course _when_ I buy is important - I look at stocastics to see when prices are likely at the peak or bottom so I can avoid buying just before the price starts to drop. That method used to work, maybe 70% of the time, but with everything down it's not working, except in hindsight. None of the stocks I've bought in the past week or so were much in the green ever, because everything started dropping, so when my stop is hit I lose, and that's happened several times lately. As soon as it became clear a couple days ago that we were heading for a 'correction,' I started selling what I had left and moving into cash so I'm less exposed. I'm OK so long as I can identify my mistakes and not keep making the same ones, but I just don't know what I should do differently in the future. Short of buying a crystal ball. Thanks for any input.
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