Tradecraft – Seize the Day

THERE ARE A FEW brief moments in this world when basic and fundamental change occurs right in front of one’s eyes. At the precise moment when night turns to morning, winter turns to spring and a newborn baby first opens his eyes, there’s nothing more holy or full of life.

In the market, it’s during those infrequent and all-too-fleeting moments of change when one has the best opportunity to make a buck. And although the big moves take time, there’s no denying that it’s early in the trade — before the news breaks, the herd shows up and the liquidity starts washing in — when the real gravy is made.

As usual, what drives my focus is price action. As I often suggest, the best indicator of the market is the market, and for a stock to succeed over the “long haul,” it must first begin by working in the here and now. Because trading is first and foremost an exercise in observation, the best way to catch trends early is to watch the market, not the headlines or business TV. (more…)

Tradecraft – What’s the Rush?

THE BEST INDICATION that the market hasn’t yet reached a bottom is that a vast number of analysts and pundits are still trying to call one.

Markets are a combination of fear and greed — and bottom fishing is, by definition, the product of greed. After all, those who are intent on buying the absolute bottom aren’t satisfied to profit from a portion of a stock’s upward climb…they want to capture the whole shebang.

But like the watched pot that never boils, the bottom — a long-term, sustainable bottom — will come only when people stop looking for it. It’s kind of like the family car trip. As long as the children keep asking “Are we there yet?” the destination will never be reached.

Let’s assume, for a minute, that we’ve reached bottom and a new bull market has begun. Terrific! As we’ve discussed before, the big money is made on the big moves. You want to buy a stock because it’s going to go up 100%, not 10%. The reason to get back into the market, then, isn’t because the Nasdaq is going to 5000, but because it’s going to 15000…or higher. (more…)

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