Posts Tagged ‘Swing Trading Chart Patterns’

Swing Trading Week in Review – January 27, 2012

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Swing Trading BLOG – Swing Trading Boot Camp

DIA - Swing Trading

Right back to where we started!

All looks good for the LONG side of the market although we ended up finishing the week pretty much where we started.

The major indices did pop up again on Wednesday (on good volume) but quickly reversed on Thursday and drifted a bit lower on Friday.

The sector action was a mixed with some of the stronger sectors taking a breather and some sectors showing some increased relative strength.

The Real Estate sector out performed the market by rallying to new highs this week.

IYR - Real Estate ETF

The REIT ETF ($RWR) also followed suit…

RWR - REIT ETF

The Silver and Gold ETF's ($SLV $GLD $GDX) also sprang to life this week…

SLV - Silver ETF GLD - Gold Shares ETF

The Steel and Airline sectors ($SLX $FAA) are also looking good with several stocks in each sector making nice moves this week.

Keep your eye on $AKS $NUE $X $STLD!

The Semiconductors took a little break this week but keep don't forget about names like $MRVL $CREE $KLAC $NVLS $LRCX next week if the market stays strong.

Even with the market stalling this week some of the stocks we watch seem to have gone to far to fast.

With Silver and Gold showing some bullish price action make sure to keep a close eye on the overall market conditions when evaluating your trade set ups.

Have a plan in place and be prepared for anything!

Until next week…Good Trading to YOU!

Swing Trading BLOG – Week in Review – July 1, 2011

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Swing Trading BLOG – Swing Trading BOOT CAMP

$DIA - Swing Trading ETF

WOW!

What a bounce we saw in the market this week!

After putting in a short term "double bottom" pattern last week traders watched as the market RIPPED up for 5 consecutive days this week!

After talking and emailing several traders this weekend it seems that a lot of people were caught off guard.

I sat with one trader after the market close on Friday and he sat there trying to convince me that the market SHOULD not have bounced so hard.

He also told me about how his positions (mostly shorts) SHOULD have acted during a bounce.

After finally revealing that he was still SHORT (after most of his positions were now very much against him) it is apparent that he himself SHOULD have done a few things.

The most important thing to get out of this little story is have a sound set of trading rules in place and stick to them no matter what.

What you or I (or anyone else) think the market SHOULD do DOESN'T MATTER and that way of thinking has absolutely has no place in trading.

As traders we look for opportunities to profit from what we think the market MAY do.

We also know that once we enter into a trade it MAY NOT do what we had hoped for.

We as traders expect to be wrong often.

They key to success is understanding this and PROTECTING YOUR CAPITAL at all costs when you are wrong!

If you read our Swing Trading BLOG 9and we hope you do) you will tell our traders to "prepare for whatever the market decides to do and act accordingly".

That means be prepared and have a plan for action whether the market does what you expect or not.

Being stubborn and trying to out think the market is a sure way to trading disaster…trust me!

Ok so now that the lecture is over lets take a look at the charts!

Almost everything on the board RIPPED right along with the market this week.

The most important lesson to gain from looking at the charts is to learn how to spot when the SHORT TERM trend changes.

$DIA

Let's take a look at the chart of the "Diamonds" above.

Last Thursday (June 23rd) we saw a big gap down in the AND reversal in the market.

The SELL OFF that day took the market down to an area that was near the low we saw on June 15th.

Once the market traded down to that level the market "reversed" and closed very near the high of the day.

Friday (June 25th) the market didn't do much as it traded sideways on low volume.

It is at this point that we as traders look for signs or clues to see what the market has in store next.

Monday we watched as the market traded higher (albeit or lower volume) which is not a good sign for the SHORTS.

If after seeing a strong reversal followed by a sideways trading day and UP day in the market doesn't give you a very loud hint that a retrace is upon you then I am not sure what will!

Tuesday the market GAPS UP (another clue) and trades in an nice orderly up trend all day (yet another clue).

Once you notice all the clues or hints you need to take action based on your observation.

For some of you that action meant to cover your SHORTS at a loss.

For others it meant to cover and GET LONG.

Our trading plan may not match you trading plan.

Our plan has us stopping out of our SHORTS and entering into some LONG positions in STRONG STOCKS.

In last weeks BLOG POST we mentioned some of the STRONG STOCKS that we were watching this week.

Take a look at the charts of the stocks we mentioned in that post and see how they did.

We have gone from VERY WEAK to VERY STRONG in the market in one week flat!

Expect some increased volatility ahead as traders try to get a handle on where we go from here.

As always be prepared for ANYTHING!!!

Until next week…Good Trading to YOU!

Swing Trading BLOG – Week in Review – June 3, 2011

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Swing Trading BLOG – Swing Trading BOOT CAMP

DIA - Swing Trading ETF

The DOWN move continues!

After one day of trading above its 50 day SMA the DJIA sold off for the rest of the holiday shorted week.

The push lower takes the markets to a new six week low.

Most (not all) sectors followed suit as the sellers came out in force.

The Financials ($XLF) and the Homebuilders ($XHB) were hit hard.

XLF - Swing Trading ETF

Technology ($XLK) and more specifically the Semiconductors ($SMH) also had a rough week.

SMH - Swing Trading ETF

Retail ($RTH) was holding up but finally gave way to the selling this week as well.

RTH - Swing Trading ETF

The Energy ($XLE) and Oil ($OIH) ETF's actually held up rather well this week.

OIH - Swing Trading ETF

Who knows if this SHORT TERM relative will hold up but it is something to watch as we move forward from here.

The Agriculture ETF's ($DBA $MOO) also are showing some signs of strength.

DBA - Swing Trading ETF

The overall market is pretty near a SHORT TERM oversold level so keep that in mind as we go into next week.

Don't chase the market down and wait for your setups to develop.

Be prepared for whatever the market does from here and as always…Good Trading to YOU!

Swing Trading BLOG – Week in Review – May 27, 2011

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Swing Trading BLOG – Swing Trading BOOT CAMP

DIA - Swing Trading ETF

The BIG GAP DOWN we saw on Monday extended the month long correction we have seen in the overall market.

The market is now hoovering near it's 50 day SMA as we saw a bit of a rebound by weeks end.

As we look over our sector ETF LIST it is a mixed bag.

The Retail ETF ($RTH) has pulled back off of it recent high and is still trading above its 50 day SMA.

$RTH - Swing Trading ETF

The Real Estate ETF ($IYR) is equally as strong in the short term.

$IYR - Swing Trading ETF

The oversold  Steel, Energy, and Oil ETF's put in a retrace back towards their 50 day SMA's.

The Gold ETF ($GLD) is starting to shine again so make sure this sector is on your list.

$GLD - Swing Trading ETF

So now that we are back trading near the 50 day SMA where does the market go from here?

Do we continue the short term DOWN TREND?

Do we chop around a bit while the buyers and sellers fight it out?

No one knows for sure but for now we continue to trade both sides on the market.

One stock that we are watching to see if it transitions from weak to strong?

Take a look at $CREE…

$CREE - Swing Trading

Keep both strong stocks ($ELN, $CTXS, $INFA, $ANF, etc) and weak ones ($SOHU, $ADSK, $HOG, $DOW) on your list and be prepared for whichever way the market goes from here.

Until next week…Good Trading to YOU!

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