long term position trading -primarily etf's-

Discussion in 'Journals' started by sowterdad, Nov 8, 2014.

  1. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    Took a partial position SPLV in a consolidation range.Cost basis $37.13 initial stop $36.60
     
    #41     Nov 20, 2014
  2. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    On the other side of the conservative SPLV- back into Baba- 111.60 with a stop under 107
    reportedly a bond issued- stock has started to move higher from it's recent decline-meets my "preferred entry" at this time-Risk is approx 3% initially on this trade
     
    #42     Nov 20, 2014
  3. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    BABA CHART-
    2 HR CHART- NICE SMOOTH PRICE ACTION UP, MINOR CONSOLIDATIONS, A BREAK OF SUPPORT AND A SMALL DECLINE.
    I view this trade as a pullback in the uptrend- and a possible good opportunity for another entry- It could be this does not work out, decline may continue- Stop is under the 107-
    chart illustrates PSAR and what occurs coming off of consolidations etc. I do not use PSAR literally- It needs to be viewed as a confirmation - occasionally will keep one from entering on a decline too early-
    Today's entry has the expectation that the preceding price pause may have signaled a low in the decline, and the uptrend may get some momentum- Only time will tell. BABA  2 HR REENTRY.png
     
    #43     Nov 20, 2014
  4. momoNY

    momoNY

    I wouldn't go long yet! If there is anything you can do here, is to wait and short this higher unless there is a confirmation of the resurgence of the up trend.
     
    #44     Nov 20, 2014
  5. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    Thanks for the Input and caution Momo. This could be exactly why I do not need to be looking at the market in real time with "free Cash " LOL!
    I typically do not trade in individual stocks- Too much Risk - I also cannot short individual stocks because all of my trading is done within IRA or Roth accounts and prohibited- but i can "short" via inverse ETF's and have done so on occaision..
    "Waiting for the resurgence of the uptrend" is indeed the prudent approach in going long- and I agree. The cost of trying to jump in prematurely comes at a cost of being wrong more often.
    My focus in taking an entry is not necessarily waiting for the daily chart to make the turn though- I am trying to capture a bit of an earlier entry by using the 2 hr chart vs the daily- but i keep the daily in mind-as the trend in force at the time. I also try to have a sense of what the overall market is doing- since most trades move With the larger tide. I do prefer to see a completed upturn cross on the faster chart- and that often only comes after some basing on a decline- Typically not a V reversal- It looked compelling in real time .....
    Thanks again for the input- Stop is in place and we'll see where this leads! SD BABA  DAILY  ENTRY 11.20.14.PNG
     
    #45     Nov 20, 2014
  6. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    A considerable amount of my recent 'success' is attributable to the trending bull market. A Bull market forgives a bad approach- carries it along with it higher-
    CURE is presently near an all time high- and notice the momentum increase as shown in the angle and the widening gap of the ema's. Price should either bust out higher from here- or- as typically- revert to the mean and go lower.
    I debated about using 120 as the final stop- but instead went with 117.00- the low of the range- price has recently broke higher- but is now dropping back into the channel-
    in the prior runs- a break higher above the range that turns and drops lower- often indicates a start of a greater decline. CURE DAILY CHART  11.20.14.PNG
     
    #46     Nov 20, 2014
  7. momoNY

    momoNY

    This one I would take it the same way as you, good stop, never be cheap!
     
    #47     Nov 21, 2014
  8. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    I Also agree . You have to allow the trade room to run to get the opportunity for it to go higher- A drop of momentum, a minor pullback, or sideways consolidation is a normal event- prior to starting this thread, I've made an effort to not react as i did in the past- despite minor fluctuations- Can't listen to the doomsayers- and get a Bias that the shoe is about to drop- Eventually, they be right-
    I think a lot of people- self included- saw what occurred to their accounts in 2008-09 and are more anxious and focused to not feel that 'pain' and that tends to give one a very short horizon to be 'exposed'-
    lock in gains early- before the market takes them away again may be in one's psyche-
    Just started reading "Markets Never Forget (But People Do) -by ken Fisher How we choose to fit select historic information into our beliefs and try to apply that to the present day-Contributes to Why most investors panic early, get out - back in near a top, and fail to net what the market actually gives- I know I am personally Risk averse- particularly with Investments- and tend to react defensively- limiting exposure to downside Risk also limits upside growth-
    Ideally, this is where this thread eventually goes-How TA can be best used in a trading situation to Limit Risk- and achieve growth- and extend that to a higher time frame chart- (Weekly perhaps) for position trading- It will take some time to get there though-
    Thanks for your input!
     
    #48     Nov 21, 2014
    momoNY likes this.
  9. sowterdad

    sowterdad

     
    #49     Nov 22, 2014
  10. sowterdad

    sowterdad

    AS a follow up to CURE - frame 1 initial start-
    My assessment was that my simple MA entry and stop-loss would have been an absolute failure in that particular wide volatility-
    Looking at Frame 2- daily chart- There would have been 4 trades generated- 1 losing trade- 2 small gains- and a 4th trade that would have stayed in the trend for 6 months + for a 24% gain +/- -
    The structure behind this simplistic method -relies on reacting to price in relation to the smoothing mechanism- moving averages- and trying to build on some repeatable 'rules' that one could follow-

    Is the simplist method the best? Paraphrase Einstein- make something as simple as it can be- but not less.... Perhaps an inaccurate recollection- but the meaning is that when one tries to add layers of complexity- one may not achieve the end result with all those other variables in play-

    I tend to favor viewing trades with a faster chart- 2 hour - If I viewed Frame 2 on the faster chart- I would have had multiple exits and reentrys. Something worth considering.....as one takes trades and smaller gains- Why did one exit early? Was it based on some arbitrary 'Target' that is suggested as a peak by wave counts or pivot % gains? Was it based on some arbitrary break down below a moving average as a reason to consider raising a stop? What about the trend line- ?
    All of the above have moments of validity, and periods of spot-on accuracy- It is up to the individual to determine what method actually fits their trading style and approach.

    Regardless of one's concept- and approach to trading- The goal should be to identify an approach that is replicable across different platforms- and then identify those things that may be qualifiers- to take smaller tactical trades- or to take a chance and go in large (strongly oversold)

    I consider having Moving Averages on my chart essential - It simplifies my assessment of trend-
    Dropping down into a faster time frame for an introspective look is a skill I am trying to develop- I think it also can enhance one's tactical skills - but one has to be able to process the information from different time frames - possibly conflicting- and this likely takes an extended period of actual screen time to get to that level intuitively.
    Is the moving average entry criteria valid across time frames? I think it has to be used in context with an understanding of trading With the primary trend- or knowing where you are in relation to that trend.....

    It's a good starting point IMO.....
    Phase 2 chart CURE  FRAME 2 DAILY 2011-12.GIF
     
    #50     Nov 22, 2014