Posts Tagged ‘S&P futures’

S&P futures hit 1080 in Mondays Night Trading

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Today is Monday, July 12th and a pretty flat day on the Street.

No great volume or movement today as the market looked like it was putting in a top, only to have the market rally towards the end of the day. In the night trading, currently, we are seeing 1082 as the high, finally hitting the S&P futures 1080 + or – as called, but no market reversal as of yet.

The charts below, are from today’s action. A few trades early on, 10 minutes of trading in the morning and 30 minutes of slow trading in the late afternoon. I had limited time to trade today, but that was fine. Daily goal met.

That’s it for now, more in tomorrows posting. Good Trading.


Protecting Your Trading Equity

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

Today Sunday afternoon June 13th and this post is for Fridays market.

The market put in a nice day absorbing the previous days gains and that was good to see. The NASDAQ did the best at +1.12 % with the Dow and S&P coming up behind that. Everything is set for another big day. The NASDAQ market outperformed because it was lagging behind the other two, so now all three of the main index’s are about equal. Currently, the S&P futures are up about 6 points and it would appear in a position to try and take out the 1106 I had talked about for the last two weeks. A break of that will likely send us up substantially, S&P futures , 1122 to 1142 and or greater, as Fridays close was 1085.

Looking at  earlier triggers, I mentioned a break of 1073 will get this market moving up and so far we have had that. That move helped the NASDAQ market just get caught up and in line with the other index’s and still feel that the Dow and NASDAQ market will need to break up from Mondays open. From all indications, we will do that as the NASDAQ futures are up +9.50 point currently 5 pm West Coast Sunday. A lot can change from now until the tomorrows open, but a strong break from the open and holding onto those gains into the later part of the session will be viewed as very bullish and we will be likely on our way to the numbers I mentioned above. It is just to bad that we did not get under the bullish sentiment readings I was looking for. Close, but no cigar, Bullishness at 38%. I was looking for 35% or less to confirm a sustained move.

This breakout if it comes tomorrow, does not mean we won’t see a rally, it just means to me that it may not have full power and longevity behind it. Possibly, just enough to get to the 1122 to 1142 area, which is still a lot. Counting that in Dow Jones points, that would be 570 points if we get to the 1142 number and if you took it from my original long numbers of S&P futures 1073, that is 690 Dow Jones Industrial points if and when we see it.

I leave a small window open that we reverse this pre-market strength and trade off these numbers for a couple of days, but maintaining the trading range to help the sentiment get to its desired overly pessimistic position so that a real sentiment signal could be generated, one that will have bullish legs to it.

If I had it my way, I would elect for the later set-up and trade down for two days. The sentiment polls are taken weekly on the close of Tuesdays session and this again will give it a chance to trade powerfully to the upside if we see those numbers. The service is put out by a company called “Investors Intelligence” and I am able to get free delayed reading from “Market Harmonic’s”. They poll all the major news letter writers with there take on market direction and we look at those number and trade in the opposite direction of there calls. Actually, this is just a tool to give you overall direction and does not really help with the day trading decisions during the day that we face.

Above is an equity chart of Fridays session. I had two real large days early in the week and just traded small and for only about an hour on Friday. Being conservative at times is something every trader needs to gauge. I just know that traders suffer there largest and worst draw downs when they experience there largest gains. So, that is why I often trade smaller inside of a session as the day goes on and do the same inside a strong week.

It is easy to forget that you need to stay humble and never become arrogant or cocky, saying that this is easy and let your guard down in the process. This is my way of keeping my guard up and taking it one step at a time. Once you make the money from trading, that is your money. It is not the markets. It is never considered free money. You worked for it, by the many hours you put into your method or system. You need to guard it and trade accordingly to your plan. If you have a have light hearted approach to it, you will give it back and then some, trying then only to make yourself feel better by saying, “I am only down this much ( ? ) because the other was profits lost. Don’t think that way. In fact it is really better not to think about the money, but just be sure you are trading properly. Then it will not become an issue.

That is what we should do, but that is not what we do most often. We trade for profit and you need to consider and have safeguards against wildly re-entering in an area we feel is a turning point. Do not buck the trend unless you have very compelling evidence and know what you are doing. Never insist your will on the markets. That right there could save you thousands of dollars. If the trade is not “easy and obvious” as I like to say, stay away. Only trade what you know and when you have the “trading edge” and you will be far, far ahead.

I was going to talk about goals and goal setting as it pertains to day trading and or any kind of trading, but I got off on a tangent. Most often, I just start typing, and what ever comes to mind as I proceed down the page is what comes out. I hope some of it helped.

Good Trading and be back tomorrow with more.

S&P Futures Contract Roll Over Day

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Today is Sunday, March 14th and this post is for Fridays market.

The market was very slow in trading volume, one reason was that it was roll over day. That is when most traders stop trading the past contract month, which was “H” and roll over to the new, “M”. So your new symbols should be ESM10.

Here is a way to get some of your data to flow, which can be a problem for some. With the new contract month, you don’t have very much past data to go by and it can make it a little hard to get a feel for the market rhythm this way.

Adjust your charts to @es and you will see continuous data. If you are using tick charts, range charts, volume charts or any other type of trading chart, it will bring back some of the data for you to trade off of. It is the same prices as the actual contract month, so you should not have any problems there.

Friday I had a small loss on the day. Trying to do to much and my head was not in the game. I was only down not even 1 point but commission make a little bigger. I will make up for any loss and then some this week. It is time to rack up a few points, I hope we have some volume to go with that order. We will see.

This week will be an important one. The market is basically at a double top with the S&P and Nasdaq markets and the Dow Jones is still lagging. The nasdaq has actually out performed pretty nicely and is up against some pretty definable resistance. A pullback would not be a surprise at these levels. I will put a chart of the S&P futures along with a cash chart of the Dow and NASDAQ markets all in a daily bar chart. You can see for yourself how things have fared over the last week. A pull back to support would not be abnormal from here as traders will be looking for any good reason to sell at this previous high. For prices to come down to the 1127 level would not be out of the question.

That is going to be it for tonight. I can see that the futures have what appears to be a head start on a retracement right now, but anything can change until tomorrows opening.

Stay alert and trade safe;

Patterns of Change for the Day Trader

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Today is Wednesday, March 10th and the market was drawn to the double top like a magnet today.

The market was drawn to the exact top of its January high just like it had wings. As soon as it was hit, a reversal was in place with the S&P futures, falling 7 points over the next hour. The market swung back and forth for the rest of the session to close up on the day about 6 points.

The volume was little better today, I think I saw it was around 2 million contracts traded. The early session saw about 4 waves higher to the top. There was some nice trades to be had there.

I had limited time today, but found myself looking at the session around 8:30 am West Coast. I tried to see if I could pick up something before the market went to sleep and today it stayed awake, first day in a while. I saw the top in the market and first picked up a small scalp for .50 point. I was going to wait to see if it was going to turn, but thought it had a few ticks in the trade before the downturn, I was right. It had 3 ticks in the move, I got 2 and was ready for the drop. I picked up+ 1.25 points on the first half of my trade and +1.75 points on the second half as the market continued to fall.

Those two trade took me exactly 10 minutes and there was 2 points. I took the rest of the day off to help a friend with some work.  At the close, I saw a quick scalp trade, so took it for .50 point. I don’t like taking trades at the end of the day, because you have no time to come back, but I knew it was only a one shot deal and my size was a little smaller.

I feel if I was prepared, focused and ready to really trade, could do quite a lot more, but I am not sweating it. I do like the fact that I feel some form of control over my trading, like when you are driving. If you want to go faster, you just step on the gas and prepare for the increased speed. In this case number of trades.

Having control over your trading is very important. This is something you want to strive for and is a worthy cause. If you find that you have a lack of control you need to do something about that. Don’t just do, what ever. Taking that approach, will be a mistake. You want to do what you do with purpose and self control.

The market does not drive you, you drive it. Traders need to create new patterns to replace the ones that are not serving them well. Creating new trading patterns takes time and is best done by repeating the desired outcome again and again. When you condition yourself to do what it is that you want to do, in time, you will have just that which you envision. Not doing anything, is only leaving your trading results to chance and we all know how that usually turns out.

Conditioning creates new patterns and your state of mind summons those patterns any time you call on that state of mind. Now, that is taking control of your trading which will take control of your trading results.

Just knowing, what you need to do is not going to produce the change. It is more than that and will take more of you, to move into action so that you can form new habits and rehearse the changes you implement.

Often times starting to make changes, any constructive changes is easy, but sticking with it and seeing it through to actually produce not only change for changes sack, but results. That takes discipline and again a lot is required from the trader, often to much. Sacrifice that he or she is not yet willing to make.

You need to ask yourself, what are you willing to do to reach your trading goals. Are you willing to balance your life, with all of the other things that need your attention all while not taking your eye off the trading ball. Tending to other obligations and duties, is just as important as studying your trading method and what constitutes a trade signal. If you are out of balance, outside pressure will build up, and that is going to have an effect on your ability to concentrate, focus and exercise the patience needed to wait for the trades to come to you.

So, examine your self and be willing to balance your day with the right kind of focused attention, giving each area what it needs to get the job done and remain balanced. Having a passion for trading can work against you if you let it. So, “DON’T DO THAT”.

Identify, area’s of change and or improvement, rehearse it again and again. With time it will become a good trading habit and that is one worth keeping.

Good Trading ! Vince     Today’s Trades below

Resources

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

tradestation.com
This is what I recommend to start your trading business. They are data venders and brokers combined. They are who I use and this is where you will have all the custom indicators I have recreated to help place your orders. They have been rated number one in many categories. They will provide the charting applications you will need as well as the broker exchange needed to place your transactions. Minimum to open Futures account is $ 5,000 dollars to trade the E-Mini S&P Futures.

ampfutures.com
AMP Trading is a great alternative to tradestation and offers a much lower dollar amount to open an account, $2,000. There day trading margins are a lot lower as well. They use the Ninja trading platform which will work with my method.

Economic Calendar
This is a good site to see what is coming up in the economic calendar. News releases, economic data, fed interest rate meeting announcements, etc.

shadowstat.com
This website gives you more of the real economic picture by publishing data that more clearly reflects the current environment. The work is done by John Williams and have found the site to be insightful in providing an alternative view of what is happen in the U.S. Economy.

market-harmonics.com
This site gives you contrary readings on a variety of investment instruments. One being Professional Investment newsletter writers. When extremes are reached, in market sentiment, a likely turn in direction is often seen. I nice little tool to measure market extremes.

intouch.org
This is a site I often go to which helps me grow in other area’s of life. It may not be for everyone as it is a Christian website to help those who are open to expanding there relationship with God. I am a Christian but I do not impose my beliefs on others, but for those who may be open to this line of thinking, I do find it a big help in numerous parts of life. It does relate to day trading in that being spiritually grounded is one more factor for those seeking to accomplish there goals in life. In addition, often we face struggles and challenges in numerous area’s of life, those difficulties can cause us to be so shaken that it will be carried into our personal trading efforts.

I particularly like to go to the broadcast section, then to radio archives and scroll through the topic’s to help with what I may be going through, you may find it beneficial as well. There is an area that has some great subjects that I believe are related to living your dreams and reaching your goals, which can be to become a successful day trader.

Go to Broadcasts, then to Radio Archives and click on March 2009. This area has 5 titles that I really like and they are all in one area. The titles are 1) Thinking our way to success  2) Time for success  3) Power of persistence  4) Belief brings success  5) Overcoming obstacles. The messages are about 15 minutes each part 1 & 2 and will give you inspiration and insight to help meet your trading objectives and life goals.

Reversal Day on Wall Street – right on schedule

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Hello, today is Saturday February 6th and this post is for Fridays session, what a reversal !

Reversal Day on Wall Street right on schedule, is todays blog title. The Dow was down 167 points at its worst point and ended the day up +10. The S&P did something similar, down over 20 points and close up 3 points on the cash market.

It was good to see a little buying come in, to keep the bears on their toes. Wall Street is always a two-way street, don’t forget that. If you had it in your mind that today was a down day all day, you were wrong, it happens. The point is, don’t let your guard down. This is exactly why you get days like this. The majority of traders gets locked into thinking one way. When things start going against that, at first they rationalize, then they try to talk it back down, then they start praying, and then its to late and they through in the towel and buy back there short positions.

Those short early on, gave back all the gains they thought they had and then some. It is not a good weekend for those caught in that on Friday. There were clues, that today was a reversal day. Early on there was some fast looking action, but some real nice turns going on in the S&P futures.

I started my day again in the afternoon session, around 11 am West Coast. The day went pretty well. I was able to pick up some large moves, for me anyway. I stayed in and did not scale out like I usually do, because I saw what was coming. One of the trades was for 8.50 points average and a few others for several points more. I have a video of it below, if you care to see. It wasn’t perfect, but trading never is, close enough.

I did say the day before, that it was more likely that a spick down would happen first before a big bounce, than holding the line and attempting to rally. We now might see that 1080 hear pretty soon. The market did go a little farther down than I thought it might, but that is not unusual, if a reversal was in the mix.

We closed at the highs of the day and even posted gains across the board in the Major Market Index’s.

I will be slipping a post for tomorrow about the benefits of using Tick Charts over Minute Charts. So come back for that one, it will be up mid day West Coast time.

Enjoy the rest of the week-end,Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow.

Bullish Sentiment backs off- Room to Rally

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Today is Thursday, January 7th and all is well on Wall Street.

I don’t look or watch much financial news, but I did see that the unemployment numbers are coming out tomorrow and there was some talk, good-bad-neutral. I did not really hear a consensus, but, based on some other numbers that I was waiting on, I would say that there is a good chance that we may have an upside surprise. I totally welcome it. It seems the sentiment numbers came out on Tuesday and just receiving them today, (2 day delay), says there is likely more room to the upside for the rally.

The numbers went the other way, a bit of a surprise, but just what we needed to keep the rally alive. We dropped down inside the 48 % Bullish figure (55%+ trigger point) and the bearish % came up 1.5% to a paltry 16.9%. The main numbers are the bullish numbers and they have pulled back down. That will give the market room to move up without causing an overly bullish bias. You want to see skepticism in a rising market. That is what really keeps it going. Once everyone feels to strongly one way or another, it’s usually lights out. So to recap, it does look like the rally will continue and the technical picture says the same thing as well.

The monthly, weekly, daily and 120 minute momentum on the S&P 500 cash, are all pointing up now and that should carry us over into tomorrows market.

Yesterday, I did mention that if 1130 on the S&P futures broke we could trade down to the 1120′ish level. It never made it that far and is a good thing. We were in a rising wedge pattern and in a up-trend, when that kind of pattern gets broken, you will usually see some type of selling movement at the break. We did get the selling, as the break happened, but it quickly got shored up. Later on, a test of that low successfully held and we were on our way back up to the highs for the day. That is exactly what you would like to see. The bear’s tried to take it down, but the bulls came in to shore it up and lead an advance to the high of the day. That is a good position, coming into tomorrows session.

I did not do any trading today, but I did post a video of the turning points in my “Scalp Trading” screen and you can see that below. These are short-term trades designed to capture small pieces of profit from the move. When I see a certain trade setup brewing that I like, I can click the screen to a different window set up, to take advantage of this condition, which can capture several points, instead of just a small scalp. Not all of these trades are gains, to be expected and I did not trade any of them today, in addition, you must know how to manage the trade after you put on an entry. All that said, these are still the turning points as the “Sniper Day Trading” method would give them. As of Monday, I will be back in full swing. I may take a few trades in Fridays session, but not sure, we will see.

I feel it is important to learn this type of trading, because you never know what the market will through at you and that would include, very slow, direction-less days with little movement to it. The market should  pick up considerably in volume, daily range and trade setups in tomorrows session and certainly Mondays. This is the time, that the institutional players will be coming back from there extended time off. It happens like this every year and so this is no exception.

That is it for now, a little tired and need some rest, so until tomorrow,

Good Trading !