WD Gann has arguably contributed more to Technical Analysis, and in particular the understanding of the relationship between Time and Price, than any other trader. It was Gann’s mathematical genius and his ability to see the patterns in the market (that at the time nearly everyone else ignored) that made him so successful and have… [Read More]
Contributors
How to Buy Bottoms and Sell Tops with Confidence
Almost any trader with some experience has heard the trading maxim (or rule) “Don’t try to catch a falling knife…” It usually refers to buying a market falling in price and alludes to how dangerous it can be to try to get positioned when a market appears to have a lot of potential to continue… [Read More]
How to Execute Short Trades Using the Throwback Rally
One of my favorite chart patterns for delivering a successful short swing trade is the throwback rally and subsequent failure. With the market making new highs, then softening into headline risk from Europe, this is an opportune time to look for this pattern, and to take advantage of it. Here’s how it sets up: The… [Read More]
3 Ways to Juice Returns with IPOs
Last month Model N (NYSE:MODN), a hot enterprise software company, pulled off a successful IPO. The shares spiked nearly 29%. It may not have been on par with the giddy 1990s — when it was routine for IPOs to double or triple — but the Model N offering was still impressive. Hey, who wouldn’t want… [Read More]
How to use Defensive Strategies to Defend an Iron Condor Trade
A Credit Spread or an Iron Condor trade seems like such a “no-brainer” method of collecting income, that it’s very common to see students get carried away in their enthusiasm….until the price starts to move towards one of their short strikes, and the” pain” that they feel is very real, especially since it’s now undoubtedly… [Read More]
5 Elements of a Successful Portfolio Strategy
“I will tell you how to become rich. Close the doors. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.” – Warren Buffett Much advice is available on how to become a successful investor. Some suggestions are useful while others are less so or even counterproductive. For example, here are a few… [Read More]
7 Steps to Successful Low Volatility Investing
When I began my career as a trader more than a decade ago, I often told my colleagues that as traders we got paid for taking risk. That’s what I was taught in my MBA classes – there is a fundamental tradeoff between risk and reward. Investors must take on more risk to have the… [Read More]
How to Meld Data, Charting and Fundamentals
Some traders like to trade the data, counting on a bounce one way or the other as other traders react to outcomes that differ from the forecast—without regard for how that data fits into the Big Picture. Others trade the chart, assuming that if news is important enough, the response will be reflected on the… [Read More]
How to Better Manage Your Trading Expectations
There’s more To Trading than Just Having a Strategy. In trading magazines as well as web sites there are lists of trading system results they all seem to highlight “the trading strategy of the month”. If it were so simple to buy one of these systems you would have retirement in a box. The reality… [Read More]
6 Essential Tools of A Successful Trader
I have been a professional trader for over 30 years and have a fascination for all things trading. I have studied hundreds of trading systems and models and what I have learned firsthand is that there are 6 key elements that had to be in place regardless of the trading system or trading methodology one… [Read More]