Do any of you use a chart ( 1 or 3 minute) of the spoo (assuming it can be obtained on your system) to help know when to buy and/or sell? I am currently using software from AT Financial (I like their graphs and their "time and sales" tables).
SPH1 I don't really trade off of it. I just watch to make sure I'm trading in the general direction of the market. The cash symbols on CNBC in the lower right hand corner usually tell me what I want to know. All red shorts are better trades for the day, all green it's better to play longs. rtharp
i know cyber's is /ndh1 and /sph1 for this contract. I think they are vital. If you can read the charts right, you can usually predict the direction of hte market for at least the next half hour. I really don't think you can live without them.
Pretorian2- I scalp the nasdaq-- would you please comment as much as you can on how you read the Nas and s&p future charts. What are the key ingredients which dictate direction to you? What is a strong long sign and then what to watch for as reversal approaches? Do they have to be moving in tandem? Do you regard the s&p as the better indicator even if one trades the nasdaq??--Much thanks as always for your answers.
A very effective method that I use is to look for stocks that are "fading" the futures. If a stock is holding its ground or even moving up against a futures pullback, that stock will many times pop harder when the futures bounce. And vice versa on a short trade. If a stock is moving down against a futures rise, that stock will often drop harder when the futures pull back.