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Trading General

Trading General

Joe Ross
Feb
05

Develop a ‘feel’ for what is happening

Develop a ‘feel’ for what is happening
Hey Joe! How can I get a feel for what's happening in the market? One of the things that has helped me was beginning to use tick charts for my day trading. In a past issue of Chart Scan, I explained that there are two kinds of volume: Contract Volume and Tick Volume. Almost everyone is familiar with contract volume. It's usually shown as a histogram at the bottom of a price chart. For a given time...
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Guest — Corrado Bortolotti
Good morning and happy week end! the February 5th issue of Chart Scan was a very interesting one... where can I get more info abou... Read More
Saturday, 06 February 2021 04:33
Guest — Joe Ross
Corrado, I wish I could give you a more definitive answer, but all I have ever done is to look at the tick volume on my chart whil... Read More
Saturday, 06 February 2021 10:28
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Joe Ross
Jan
28

Dirty Tricks

Dirty Tricks
Hey Joe! You've said that prices are not always moved by supply and demand; That they are heavily manipulated in some cases. We know that they intentionally run the stops, but what else do they do? Besides intentional stop running, those who have the power to move prices often resort to other dirty tricks. This may be more-true of stocks and Forex than of futures, but I believe all of the tricks b...
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Joe Ross
Jan
20

Gold / Silver Ratio

Gold / Silver Ratio
Hey Joe! Have you ever traded the Gold/Silver Ratio? How do you go about doing it? I think I traded the ratio a couple of times. It's not something I pay a lot of attention to. Here's some background about this ratio: According to a Mocatta Metals Corporation article, as of April 1980, when the price ratio of one ounce of gold to one ounce of sliver approaches 40:1 gold should be sold and silver b...
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Joe Ross
Jan
14

Pyramid

Pyramid
During the years I've been in the markets, I have been trained by two super-disciplinarians. One was my great uncle, Julius, and the other was John Wooden. Both emphasized extreme discipline and both told me to be all I can be, which for me was not a great outlook. Having been dyslexic all my life, I grew up with an inferiority complex. My dyslexia was very much present in the area of numbers and ...
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Joe Ross
Jan
07

Stock Options vs Futures Options

Stock Options vs Futures Options
Hi Joe, I've attended some time ago the IIG webinar and it opens my eyes to the advantages of selling options. But I've found a lot of webpages on the internet where are listed the many benefits of selling Commodity options instead of Stock options (higher return, lower margin requirements, more liquidity, more premium far OTM..) In the IIG webpage on your website is written: "In 2007, we began to...
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Joe Ross
Dec
30

Inverted Yield Curve

Inverted Yield Curve
Lately, we've been hearing a lot about an Inverted Yield Curve. What is it, and what does it mean? Yield curve inversion signals late phases of bull market rally. The market's "melt-up" phase is coming. Some of the best gains lie ahead. Canaccord Genuity's Tony Dwyer is known for being incredibly prescient regarding his market calls. As a result, many Wall Street asset managers listen to whatever ...
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Joe Ross
Dec
15

Insider Buying and Selling

Insider Buying and Selling
If you are unfamiliar with the term, insider buying refers to when insiders of a company - such as CEOs or directors - purchase shares of company stock on the public market or via private placement. Sometimes, the purchase may be the result of a stock option exercise, but often they are public market transactions. Insider buying typically means that the insider is bullish on the company's stock; t...
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Guest — J
Merry Christmas
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 01:46
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Joe Ross
Dec
11

Options and VIX as Sentiment Indicators

Options and VIX as Sentiment Indicators
I never knew so much about the VIX until I looked it up and began investigating its value. There are many popular and simple ways that options are used to gauge the sentiment of investors. They are used as contrary indicators. When at extreme levels, VIX calls Market Bottoms. VIX is extremely reliable. The CBOE (Chicago Board Options Exchange) Volatility Index – aka "the VIX" This indicator, known...
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Joe Ross
Dec
03

Oscillators

Oscillators
Oscillators tend to be somewhat misunderstood in the trading industry, despite their close association with the all-important concept of momentum. At its most fundamental level, momentum is actually a means of assessing the relative levels of greed or fear in the market at a given point in time. Markets ebb and flow, surge and retreat—the speed of such movement is measured by oscillators. An oscil...
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Andy Jordan
Nov
26

The Break-Even Point

The Break-Even Point
Once a trade is entered, there are two possible outcomes: Win or lose. Between the two is the break-even point, and because it is in-between, it's psychologically significant. Losing is involved with fear and hope. Winning is involved with greed. When on the losing side of a trade, the break-even point is a place that inspires hope. Being human we have a natural tendency to avoid risk and loss. Wh...
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Joe Ross
Nov
26

Short-Term Pullbacks

Short-Term Pullbacks
Short-term Pullbacks provide opportunities to enter trades in the direction of the longer-term trend. Trade set-ups like these occur against short-term momentum (the pullback) but are in alignment with the longer-term trend and typically offer high probability and low risk trade ideas with a 2:1 (or better) reward-to-risk ratio. A great way to trade short-term pullbacks is to use a moving average....
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Andy Jordan
Nov
19

Learn One Way to Trade and Stick with it?

Learn One Way to Trade and Stick with it?
Hey Andy! My plan has been to learn one way to trade and then stick with it. I would even prefer to learn to trade in a single market in order to simplify my life. What do you think? I think you won't be trading very often, and if you do, you will end up being a loser. When the market environment is not favorable for longer-term trading techniques, you should consider short-term trading techniques...
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Guest — Andrew BOYD
Hello Andy and thank you for your informative note on trading. For some time now I have had a passive interest in trading on acco... Read More
Monday, 23 November 2020 15:13
Andy Jordan
Hi Andrew, please get in contact with me via email. It makes it easier to talk about personal recommendations. andy@traders-note... Read More
Tuesday, 24 November 2020 07:12
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Joe Ross
Nov
19

Swing Trading vs Day Trading

Swing Trading vs Day Trading
Swing Traders tend to spend longer monitoring markets and considering trading opportunities than day traders. Swing traders utilize chart, fundamental, and technical analysis in their considerations. Since swing trading does not require hours of daily monitoring, it's a good strategy for traders who wish to explore trading without treating it as a full-time job. Of course, intraday charts also inv...
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Andy Jordan
Nov
12

Overcoming Fear

Overcoming Fear
There are three foes you must overcome in order to become an adequate trader. The first foe is fear. If a trader runs away out of fear and avoids trading, nothing will happen except that he will never learn. Fear causes your logic to become fuzzy and unclear. Lack of clarity becomes the second foe you have to overcome. Clearness of mind about the trading process removes fears. If you yield to the ...
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Joe Ross
Nov
12

Swing Low

Swing Low
Swing Low is a term used in technical analysis that refers to the troughs reached by a security's price or an indicator. A swing low is created when a low is lower than any other surrounding prices. Successively lower swing lows indicate that the underlying security is in a downtrend, while higher lows signal an uptrend. A swing low's opposite counterpart is a swing high. Swing low can be effectiv...
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Joe Ross
Nov
05

Double Bottom

Double Bottom
A Double Bottom pattern is a technical analysis charting pattern that describes a change in trend and a momentum reversal from prior leading price action. It describes the drop of a stock or index, a rebound, a drop to the same or similar level as the original drop, and finally another rebound. The double bottom looks like the letter "W". The twice-touched low is considered a support level. \/\/ D...
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Andy Jordan
Nov
03

How much capital do I need to start trading?

How much capital do I need to start trading?
I cannot count the number of times I've been asked this question. It seems as though every person who is new to trading asks this question, and sometimes it is asked by people who should know better. It's often the first question that pops up in my email, at seminars, and private tutoring sessions. Right up front I'm telling you I do not know the answer, and I often wonder if it is even the right ...
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Andy Jordan
Oct
29

Being confused while trading!

Being confused while trading!
A thorough understanding of who you are and what makes you tick is essential in trading. How and what you think, what you believe, and how you behave are critical parts of winning in trading as well as winning in life. It seems very few traders understand, or are aware of this subtlety in the trading profession. You can get by without knowing who and what you are in most other careers but in tradi...
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Joe Ross
Oct
29

Cup and Handle

Cup and Handle
The cup and handle is a great trading pattern that works well with different time frames and with most markets like stocks, futures, commodities and foreign currency markets. Here's what it means, how to trade it, and tips to use it for potentially bigger profits. The Cup and Handle pattern is a bullish continuation pattern that begins with a consolidation period followed by a breakout. The patter...
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Andy Jordan
Oct
22

Why is it that trading seems so unnatural?

Why is it that trading seems so unnatural?
When it comes to trading, you've got to unlearn what you've learned your whole life. It isn't all about you; it may just be the odds working against you. In other fields, probability plays little if any role. You put in effort, make sure you meet the expectations of the folks who pay you, and you're a success. In the traditional work environment, it makes sense to put a little ego and pride into y...
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Derivative transactions, including futures, are complex and carry a high degree of risk. They are intended for sophisticated investors and are not suitable for everyone. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results, and all of which can adversely affect actual trading results. For more information, see the Risk Disclosure Statement for Futures and Options.