tampa's "short skirt" trades...

Easy, there ain’t no easy answer to that question!

I am far from being an expert in Keltner, but my experience has been that a simple penetration is nothing more than an alert. I want to see prices trading above the upper band. Then I want to see a pullback to, or just below it. When prices take out the high of the bar that retreats back to the upper Keltner Channel, you are usually on your way.

Obviously, what I am talking about here is a series of higher highs and higher lows. I use a three-minute chart for “trend determination”, and a one-minute chart for entry.

You are having a hard time seeing this because of a lack of follow-through of late. With this ten-day congestion, there ain’t been too many “impulse moves” – so don’t feel bad about not seeing them.

In my humble opinion, they are well worth waiting for. Not only do they present a high probability of a winning trade, but the lack of the heretofore mentioned elusive impulse move should keep you out of trouble.

BTW – I am flattered that you would spend your weekend looking at something mentioned by a trouble maker such as myself.

 

Could we talk a bit about the elusive impulse move and the role that Keltner Channels play in identifying them?

I am somewhat embarrassed in that it appears to some (many?) of you that I think that I have discovered something new and wonderful. I haven’t, and I am well aware of that.

I ain’t the sharpest tack in the box. Many of you instinctively see things that go right past me. Sometimes I need to be hit in between the eyes with a 2x4 – the Keltner Channels are my 2x4. They are helping me to not only see, but more importantly believe in what I am seeing. That’s all – I promise, I swear. Really.

I try to have some fun with this so-called journal. It is basically honest, with some exaggeration thrown in to amuse some of you. It thrills me beyond words when it ticks off a few unsuspecting souls, but it stings when a few well-meaning folks think that every utterance is gospel, and that I have gone over the edge.

I am more than aware that there is nothing new under the sun, and that even if there was, I am not the one likely to discover it. So with that said, allow me to slip back into the somewhat befuddled, if indignant character that I enjoy depicting.

 

Have you seen this man?


It can now be told that Baron, beloved leader of the Elite Traders Forum met late into the night with the entire staff of ET moderators discussing the mysterious disappearance of the popular 40yotrader.

40, as his friends and close associates call him, was last heard from at 2:36PM, Thursday October 31st. Fearing the worst, and suspecting foul play, Baron reluctantly issued an APB for the missing poster and journal keeper. Officials have stated publicly that they have no suspects at this time, but unnamed sources tell the skirt that FasterPussyCat cannot, and has not been ruled out.

In a related matter, aphexcoil, the prolific ET member, reported seeing a man dressed in an apron at a local Subway Shop who fit the description of the missing 40yotrader. The man was said to be chortling uncontrollably. However, the look-alike took off running when aphexcoil attempted to engage him in a conversation pertaining to the importance of volatility in trade selection.

 

What works – what doesn’t...

I know that you are going to think that I’m pulling your leg, but I swear that what I am about to tell you is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

A number of years ago I bought this book on Astrology and Trading – I think that the author’s name was Lawrence. Now I don’t buy into such crap, but I read it anyway. Basically, the first page said: When the moon is in the Seventh House, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will rule the Planet, and love will guide the Stars. – or words to that affect.

I read no further.

A short time later I saw an article that said that when two or more planets were aligned, the market would reverse it’s trend. Not around the time, but at the exact time! These events can be found in a book called an Ephemeris – page after page of tables of various astronomical calculations for a ten year period. As a lark, I picked one up, and started to follow it.

I am here to tell you that it worked. If Mars was in conjunction with Jupiter (whatever), at 10:27AM, the S&P turned on a dime – not at 10:26, not at 10:28, but at 10:27!

I sat there with my mouth wide open looking at this crap for over a week – 2, 3. 4 or more times a day.

Now if I am a non-believer, my wife is even more so. Reluctantly I told her about what I had stumbled on. I’d call her into my office a few minutes before one of these events, push my chair back, so that she could see the screen – and BAM, it would happen.

A few more days go by, and I tell my broker about it. He starts watching it, and soon is calling me for the exact times. He starts trading it, and makes money almost every trade!

(This is all true.)

He starts ridding my ass because I am still just looking at it – but not trading. In fact I am losing my ass using whatever harebrained scheme I was following at the time.

After more then a month of this crap, I took the plunge – several of them in fact. Not once did I succeed – all were losers. It just stopped working. The Ephemeris sat on my bookshelf for several years after that (until it became outdated at the end of 2,000). From time to time I would look up the days event times, but with no luck.

I don’t know why I am telling you this. But every word is true – without any embellishment. Maybe it explains why I sit here most weekends looking, searching for that heretofore unseen sure-fire, can’t miss secret. After all, I did find it once. Maybe lightning will strike twice – you never know about that kind of stuff.

 

Did you see BrandonF’s poll in the Feedback section? Now I don’t know what you think about the guy, but he’s probably OK. He’s probably not much different from you, or me – only I rarely get a toot on, start feeling sorry for myself, and post a poll.

This journal thing is becoming dangerous. Most everyone who starts one either slinks away in disgrace, or storms out in a huff. There are a few exceptions, but not many.

For the most part, journalizing is an ego thing – again there may be exceptions, but not many. And egos are easily bruised. Maybe this whole journal thing is just a bad idea.

I mean, you don’t really care how I do, or ojo, or anyone else. You do hope that if I do well that I’ll spill the beans, and let you in on the secret. And the truth of the matter is that if I really do catch on, I ain’t gonna tell you exactly how it’s done. So why take the risk of slinking away, or storming out in a huff?

And there’s always the danger of having one too many Hot Toddies late one Sunday night, and foolishly posting a poll demanding support from a bunch of nerds, like yourself, glued to a computer screen.

No, I think it’s best to take the high road, and just quit while I’m ahead. Oh I’ll still be around to cause trouble, and amuse the handful who realize what I’m up to, but this journal thing is too risky – especially since I now have a craving for a Hot Toddy or two.

Well, goodnight, and thanks for your patronage – until we meet again.

 

So I’m out with a few friends, enjoying an adult beverage (if you know what I mean), and a couple of well known ETers come in the place. Holy cow, it was Allen__, and Brandon__(sorry, they asked that I not use their last initials). Well we get to drinkin’ and talkin’. Allen__ says that he’s swearing off the journal thing – too many bad vibes. Brandon__ says that he just doesn’t know what to do – he says that he doesn’t feel loved.

At that point we ordered another round because Allen__ had been crying not only in his own beer, but everyone else’s. So we’re starting to get really, really sloshed, and I asked Brandon__ what he was going to do. I said, are you staying or going? He says: “I don’t know. If only there was some way to get some guidance.”

Just then, the door opens, and in walks (you’ll never believe this) 40yotrader! Well we had been worried sick since he hadn’t been heard from for a while, and the next thing you know we’re all embracing, and having a good old fashioned manly cry together.

It seems that 40 had been on a weekend holiday (just like Magna the Wise had suggested). So 40 tells us that right before he left for the weekend he had a computer crash! The poor guy lost a ton of data, and all of his cookies – said that he had been trying to log onto ET, but misplaced his password. He was feelin’ extra bad about letting the guys down and everything.

Well I know how important his journal is to so many ETers, so I said: “Look, use my password and post something so people won’t think that you crapped out on them.” “Good idea”, he says, and so we ordered another round.

So if you were wondering about the post above this one, that should explain the whole thing.

 

The morning gap up left me paralyzed, unable to do anything with it. But the afternoon session presented a classic impulse move to the downside. Distractions kept me from taking full advantage of the move, but...

03:36 Sld @908 +3 Points

It could have been better, but I’ll take it.

 

If Tom Robbins were an e-mini trader hanging on Elite Trader 16 hours a day, I have a funny feeling he would sound alot like Tampa...

Tampa: your imagination and ability to bring to life truly random events and thoughts is becoming more and more impressive...

 

Dreams Die Hard

With shouts of: “No, don’t do it – he’ll be back!”, a sizable, but dwindling crowd attempted to stop the boarding up of the abandoned former thread of 40yotrader. ET moderator Magna was given the unenviable task of announcing that the dream was over.

In a last ditch effort to forestall the inevitable, several Elite Trader members tried to bribe Magna with half-off Subway Shop coupons. Magna, known for not only his wisdom, but his honesty in office, declined the illicit offers.

As the final nails were driven into the now shuttered thread, one unfailing supporter stood sentinel repeating over and over again: “He’ll be back, I just know he’ll be back. His system worked, and he is too modest to tell us about it.” Another said: “He’s probably helping out down at the soup kitchen, or maybe reading bed time stories to orphans – cause that’s the kind of guy he is.”

 

Due to the overwhelming demand, ”The Daily Skirt” will no longer be published on this thread. From now on “The Daily Skirt” will be available only via PM.

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