The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

Post by deaddog »

deaddog wrote:Picked up 1/3 position in ALGN @ 33.40
Stop@ 31.75 Target @ 38.40
Fill position @ 34.25 Average cost = 33.96
Move stop to just under 33.
Initial Target = 36.80
Risking less than 0.05% of account.
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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Start a position in JBL @ 20.30
Stop = 19.4 T = 24
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:
deaddog wrote:Picked up 1/3 position in ALGN @ 33.40
Stop@ 31.75 Target @ 38.40
Fill position @ 34.25 Average cost = 33.96
Move stop to just under 33.
Initial Target = 36.80
Risking less than 0.05% of account.
Error compounded by error.

Traded lower than my stop yesterday; unfortunately I was on the golf course and didn't have a chance to get out.
I managed to miss the first ½ hour of the trading session today and opened my trading platform to find ALGN down at 31.15. I watched the price action on the 5 minute chart and put a 2 bar trailing stop and got stopped out @ 32.17 for a 5.3% loss.

Can’t blame the strategy on this one, only the idiot doing the trading. :oops:
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

Post by Taggart »

deaddog wrote:
deaddog wrote:
deaddog wrote:Picked up 1/3 position in ALGN @ 33.40
Stop@ 31.75 Target @ 38.40
Fill position @ 34.25 Average cost = 33.96
Move stop to just under 33.
Initial Target = 36.80
Risking less than 0.05% of account.
Error compounded by error.

Traded lower than my stop yesterday; unfortunately I was on the golf course and didn't have a chance to get out.
I managed to miss the first ½ hour of the trading session today and opened my trading platform to find ALGN down at 31.15. I watched the price action on the 5 minute chart and put a 2 bar trailing stop and got stopped out @ 32.17 for a 5.3% loss.

Can’t blame the strategy on this one, only the idiot doing the trading. :oops:
I'm not trying to criticize, so don't get me wrong, but when you're trading like this aren't you supposed to make it a full time job, constantly monitoring your positions while the markets are open?
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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Taggart wrote: I'm not trying to criticize, so don't get me wrong, but when you're trading like this aren't you supposed to make it a full time job, constantly monitoring your positions while the markets are open?
Yup you got that right; just like a regular job. :)

When you sneak out early for a round of golf and stay up too late and sleep in the Boss (read the market) kicks your butt.

Things were going smoothly when I left. In hindsight I should have put some stops in place and I’m paying for my mistakes. I have all sorts of excuses I could use but in reality I screwed up. Hopefully I learned something.

PS Sometimes I get awy with it. :D :D
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

Post by Taggart »

deaddog wrote:

Things were going smoothly when I left. In hindsight I should have put some stops in place and I’m paying for my mistakes.


I was investing in it at the time, but it seems to me that during the crash of 1987, many large financial institutions had this bright idea of using program trading as insurance to protect the portfolio. Only problem the market seemed to jump many of the stops put out by those professionals before this massive market downswing. Maybe a once in a lifetime event, but nothing to say something similar can't happen again.
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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Taggart wrote: I was investing in it at the time, but it seems to me that during the crash of 1987, many large financial institutions had this bright idea of using program trading as insurance to protect the portfolio. Only problem the market seemed to jump many of the stops put out by those professionals before this massive market downswing. Maybe a once in a lifetime event, but nothing to say something similar can't happen again.
There was also the flash crash of 2010. A lot of stops got executed way below the stop price. No one has yet figured out what caused it. Maybe a fat finger, maybe not.

For the most part I don’t use fixed or hard stops. I’ve seen too many times where a sudden drop took out the stops and then proceeded upwards. I have a procedure in place to deal with that.

In hind site a hard stop on ALGN would have been appropriate. The price was trending down and had broken the prior days low when I stopped watching. So I missed the initial stop, which happens quite often. The procedure is to place a hard stop just below the low of that day just after the open. I don’t place it the night before because of the possibility of a gap down.

Problem was with ALGN I wasn’t online when the market opened or I might have save a few dollars.

Like I said it was error compounded by error and it ended up costing me a few bucks.
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:Start a position in JBL @ 20.30
Stop = 19.4 T = 24
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Stopped out @ 19.17 for a 5.6% loss
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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SPPI:
Momentum Play: Enter when stock traded above today’s high with stop below today’s low.

Open position @ 15.00
Stop @ 14.40 Target @ 17.00
Risk = less than 0.5% of Capital.
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog, today, wrote:Risk = less than 0.5% of Capital.
deaddog, yesterday, wrote:Stopped out @ 19.17 for a 5.6% loss
IMO, you should use consistent measuring sticks when entering and when exiting a position. :P
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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adrian2 wrote:
deaddog, today, wrote:Risk = less than 0.5% of Capital.
deaddog, yesterday, wrote:Stopped out @ 19.17 for a 5.6% loss
IMO, you should use consistent measuring sticks when entering and when exiting a position. :P
Not sure what you mean by this.

A percent loss is the actual loss I suffered on the trade.
The percent of capital risked is the calculated loss as a percentage of the capital in my account.

I calculate my position size by dividing the difference between my entry and my stop into the percent capital I’m willing to risk.

Entry = $15.00 Stop = 14.40: Difference =$0.60

Account size = $ 100,000 Risk =0.5%: Dollars at risk =$500

Position size = $500 / $0.60 = 833 shares

The reason I give % of capital at risk is to enable you to calculate a position size for any size of portfolio.

% of capital at risk will vary depending on market conditions. Right now it’s whippy so I’m not willing to risk too much on any one trade.
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:
adrian2 wrote:
deaddog, today, wrote:Risk = less than 0.5% of Capital.
deaddog, yesterday, wrote:Stopped out @ 19.17 for a 5.6% loss
IMO, you should use consistent measuring sticks when entering and when exiting a position. :P
Not sure what you mean by this.
I understood what you meant, my point is that it's easier to follow theory vs. practice when the same denomination is used in projection and post mortem analysis.
E.g., projected capital at risk = 0.5% of capital, actual capital loss = 0.6% (or actual gain = 1% :) ).
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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adrian2 wrote: I understood what you meant, my point is that it's easier to follow theory vs. practice when the same denomination is used in projection and post mortem analysis.
E.g., projected capital at risk = 0.5% of capital, actual capital loss = 0.6% (or actual gain = 1% :) ).
Gotcha; the month end spreadsheet gives both.
I'll post gains and losses as a percent of capital.
While you are checking out my losses why not post your option trades? :)
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:While you are checking out my losses why not post your option trades? :)
I'll have to think about it, laziness is a strong de-motivator. :)
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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Just barely keeping my head above water. For the 2nd quarter I’m slightly in the red: down 0.31%. For the year I’m up just under 1%.

TC which is more of a fundamental play is dragging me down a bit

Maybe I’ll get lucky in the last ½ of the year.

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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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YUM:

Bottom fishing. I liked the move on Friday,

Buy @ 64.44; stop = 63.44 T= 68.00
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:YUM:

Bottom fishing. I liked the move on Friday,

Buy @ 64.44; stop = 63.44 T= 68.00
I don't mean to be a day trader but some days your the windshield, some days your the bug.

Out @ 64.44
Capital loss of 0.51%
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

Post by newguy »

deaddog wrote:Buy @ 64.44
Out @ 64.44
Capital loss of 0.51%[/quote]
Those are some big commissions :shock:
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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should read $63.44
at least I know someone is paying attention

Thanks NG
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:should read $63.44
at least I know someone is paying attention
To show you there's more than one paying attention:

$1 / $64.44 = 1.57%, plus commissions. :P
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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adrian2 wrote:
deaddog wrote:should read $63.44
at least I know someone is paying attention
To show you there's more than one paying attention:

$1 / $64.44 = 1.57%, plus commissions. :P
But are you really paying attention? Remember this conversation? :D
deaddog wrote:
adrian2 wrote: I understood what you meant, my point is that it's easier to follow theory vs. practice when the same denomination is used in projection and post mortem analysis.
E.g., projected capital at risk = 0.5% of capital, actual capital loss = 0.6% (or actual gain = 1% :) ).
Gotcha; the month end spreadsheet gives both.
I'll post gains and losses as a percent of capital.
While you are checking out my losses why not post your option trades? :)
My risk was 0.51 % of capital my loss was 0.51% of capital.
My loss on the trade was 1.57%.

Start of a new month, let's see some of your trades.. :)
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:My risk was 0.51 % of capital my loss was 0.51% of capital.
My loss on the trade was 1.57%.
I've actually considered that possibility, just could not imagine a single position being one third of your portfolio.
deaddog wrote:Start of a new month, let's see some of your trades.. :)
OK, since you insist. :)

AAR.UN (a venture REIT I like, and sometimes make the market for):
- sold 2000 shares @ $4.85 = proceeds $9693, shares bought on Friday @ $4.58 = cost $9167, net profit $526
- later on: 2100 shares bought @ $4.66 = cost $9793, sold @4.68...$4.69 = proceeds $9829, net profit $36

PWF P 19JAN13 25.00
bought to close 4 contracts @ $1.35 = cost $552, opened June 25 (short) @ $2.10, proceeds $828, net profit $276

CSCO P 18AUG12 20 rollover position to October contract
bought to close 4 August contracts @ $2.88 = cost $1164, sold 4 contracts CSCO P 20OCT12 20 @ $3.05, proceeds $1,207.97, net profit $43.97
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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adrian2 wrote: I've actually considered that possibility, just could not imagine a single position being one third of your portfolio.
Actually it happens quite often. My strategy for position size is dictated by the perceived risk. This is a percentage of my capital. If I have $100,000 of capital and risk 0.5% then my perceived risk per trade will be $500.

If I have a perceived risk of $500; my position is calculated using the difference between the entry and the stop. So if the entry is at $20 and the stop at $19 the position size will be 500 shares.

Not too bad if the price is $20. I only have to buy $10,000 of stock. However if the stock is trading at $100 and I set my stop at $99 I still buy 500 shares. And end up putting out $50,000.

On the pro side the $100 stock only has to gain 3% for me to hit my target where the $20 stock has to gain 15% on the other hand if the $100 stock drops 1% I’m out of the trade.

This may be a case where more risk equals more reward. However tight stops do lead to whipsaws.

Thanks for posting a few of your trades. More info than I needed really, I don’t think actual dollar amounts are any of my business. That’s why I use percentages.
Got any open positions we can follow?
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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deaddog wrote:Got any open positions we can follow?
PZA.UN 900 shares cost $9002
CLC P 19JAN13 10 -10 contracts cost -$980.50
CM P 20OCT12 72 -2 contracts cost -$650.50
GWO P 19JAN13 24 -4 contracts cost -$1,428.00
L P 19JAN13 36 -2 contracts cost -$860.50
MFC P 19JAN13 12 -10 contracts cost -$1,680.50
MFC P 19JAN13 16 -10 contracts cost -$3,830.50
SJR P 22SEP12 20 -10 contracts cost -$1,382.30
SLF P 19JAN13 24 -4 contracts cost -$1,588.00

ALA.PR.U 600 shares cost $14,635.00
ABX P 19JAN13 38 -5 contracts cost -$2,136.70
ABX P 20OCT12 41 -4 contracts cost -$2,067.95
BAC P 19JAN13 7.50 -14 contracts cost -$3,475.43
C P 19JAN13 38 -2 contracts cost -$2,250.45
CSCO P 20OCT12 20 -4 contracts cost -$1,207.97
GE P 22SEP12 19 -4 contracts cost -$719.98
GE P 19JAN13 20 -4 contracts cost -$1,247.97
EWJ P 19JAN13 10 -10 contracts cost -$1,260.47
EWJ P 19JAN13 11 -10 contracts cost -$1,910.46
MRK P 19JAN13 35 -2 contracts cost -$890.48
MSFT P 21JUL12 29 -4 contracts cost -$2,387.95
VGK P 21JUL12 40 -4 contracts cost -$967.97
VWO P 21JUL12 40 -3 contracts cost -$619.23
YAO 500 shares cost $11,512.00

Many more than 3 positions... :P
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Re: The Daytrading & Swingtrading Thread

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Sold PZA.UN 900 shares at various prices, proceeds $9,054, cost $9,002, profit $52
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