Mexican Dinner

Mexican egg rolls, tacos, fried rice and beer.  I will eventually put up a recipe.

Daily Review

Was looking at LNKD, ULTA and GOLD for target trades today.  Started buying GOLD when volume came in and started running toward 115.00 breakout.  Took partials at 115.50, 116.00 and 117.00 areas.

Daily Review

Market is still incredibly tough right now.

Daily Review

Blog is still on hiatus until breakout/breakdown trading resumes but quick trade I took today. 

I'm Back - Sort of

I know my posts and posting frequency have been a mess since this blog started.  I hate trading news driven, extremely volatile markets.  I know there is a ton of money to be made right now but I don't like putting money on the line in these type of markets.  I learned the hard way in 2008 that these markets require a different style of trading, a style I do not enjoy.

I enjoy trading High Chart Patterns traditional breakout/breakdown trades.  Right now daily charts are a mess and it might be a while for new spots to form.  I've been watching from the sidelines the past few days and happy not trading.  My time will come again, just have to be patient.  

Vacation

No trading for me this week.  Taking a "vacation" at my parents house before I move into my new apartment later this week.

Planning on building a new trading machine this week.  Never built a computer before, looking forward to learning the process.

Daily Review - Shorts

Can't remember how long its been since I've traded a successful breakdown short.  Today's CAT trade was a textbook setup.

Shorted 500 at 103.50 with stop at 103.80.  Covered 100 on break of 103.00, 200 at 102.25 and 200 at 101.75.

Daily Review - Moving

I have to move out of my apartment on Friday and into a new place Wednesday of next week so things are a little hectic around here.  I probably wont be trading the next few days, plan to take a mini vacation at my parents house until I can move in Wednesday.  

I'm attaching charts of my trades on Monday and Tuesday, hopefully someone is finding them useful.

I will start writing more detailed daily reviews once I'm settled into the new place.

Daily Review - Migraines

I've been dealing with migraines all week and staring at charts is not helping.  Going to call it day early, here are the trades I have taken so far:

Long 400 DECK 96.40 with stop 96.00.  Exited 100 at 97.25, 150 at 97.50 and holding rest.

Long 300 OXY at 107.80 with stop 107.30 (late entry and stop was in no mans land but daily was ready).  Exited 100 at 108.40, 100 at 109.00 and holding rest.

Long 100 NFLX at 283 with stop at 281.50.  Setup wasn't great but I felt volume coming in a was planning to sell on pop through 285.  Stopped just short and I ended up bailing at 282.75 area.  

Long 400 EOG at 104.80 with stop at 104.40.  EOG broke resistance at 105 and my first target was R2.  Stock reversed before I could take any off and I ended up bailing on the trade for a tiny loss.  I really had no reason to bail on the trade.  My entry was a little late and I should have expected some basing around the 105 area.  

It feels good to be active in this market again.  I'm hoping a long walk and short nap will help get rid of the headache.  

Daily Review

Tough day today unless you came in swing long.  Took 2 trades.

Long 100 CLF at 99 and exited at R2 99.38.  Sucks I only got filled 100 shares, stock rallied all day.

Long 150 CMG at 329 with stop at 328.  Stopped out 328.00.  I tried to buy the pullback to the 20EMA/5min.  Stock bounced later in the day.

Lots of alerts broke out today but nothing was easy.  I always struggle on gap up days.

Daily Review - Stalking

Stalking TZOO for 5 straight days finally paid off.  I got long 300 shares at 77.62 with stop at 77.00.  I exited 50 shares at 79.10 (R2), 100 shares at 81.24, 100 shares at 81.28 and stopped out remainder at 80.00.  

I was thinking of getting long TZOO later in the day when it was basing on 20EMA/5 min around 81.00-81.50 but couldn't pull the trigger.  Trade would have worked out well.

2nd trade was long PCX on coal strength.  Took 700 shares at 23.50 and bailed at 23.45 when sector started weakening.  Turned out to be a great move because PCX took a quick dive after my exit.  Stock managed to work its way back and base at 23.50 again for a nice run.  I've always had a hard time pulling the trigger on trades in the afternoon.

Vegetarian BBQ Ideas - Enchilada Peppers and Masala Spiced Potatoes

Enchilada Peppers

Original Recipe: http://munchinwithmunchkin.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/tamale-stuffed-peppers/

I'm not going to repost the recipe, just the changes I made.

In my recipe I did not use exact measurements.  I just put all veggies in a bowl.  

I added:

zucchini 

black olives

carrots

1 medium potato cut into cubes

red enchilada sauce instead of green

extra cilantro and Thai chilies 

I didn't have cornmeal so I skipped it.

I also didn't use any hot sauce because I added a good variety of fresh chilies (jalapeno and serrano peppers)  

In the original recipe it says to mix enchilada sauce and cheese with vegetables in a bowl.  I just added cheese and enchilada sauce in the bottom of pepper, stuffed with vegetables and added more sauce and cheese on top.  I cooked them on the top rack of my BBQ on medium-high heat.  I placed the baking dish, with water, directly on the grill and the peppers still were able to get a nice char on them.  

Masala Spiced Potatoes

These potatoes are extremely spicy so please adjust your recipe if you don't like heat.  

1 big potato cut into small cubes 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove of garlic minced/pressed

1/4 cup onions cut very small

1 serrano pepper cut very small 

pinch of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala 

Combine all ingredients in a big plastic bag and mix well.  I put this in the fridge for a couple hours but not sure if it is necessary.  Take a big piece of foil and rub it with some olive oil.  Place entire mixture on foil and roll up in a tight ball so none of the marinade leaks.  Place on high heat directly on grill for about 30 minutes.  I would turn/shake the foil ball every 7 minutes to avoid potatoes getting burned and sticking to the foil.  These potatoes taste great with cilantro chutney (recipe coming soon).  Don't have a great picture but the onions and peppers melt into the potatoes, it's a beautiful thing. 

     

 

Daily Review - Quick

Sorry for the late post.  I ended up golfing after the market close and was too tired to turn on the computer last night.  Took 3 trades yesterday.

Long 500 TZOO 77.50 with stop at 77.00.  Stopped 77.15.  Tried to front run breakout on the open and should have exited once I realized stock was going to wait before taking 78 out.

Long 500 TZOO avg price 78 with stop at 77.50.  Exited 200 at 79.10 (R2) and was stopped out remainder at 77.90.

Long 700 POT at 59.20 with stop at 58.95.  Stopped 59.20

Daily Review

Didn't take a trade today.  I was stalking UA and TZOO near the open.  I tried buying UA 79.50-79.70 area but couldn't get a fill.  Also had ALXN on the watchlist but didn't like initial run up to 51.00  Stock based nicely on R2 and daily spot before ripping higher.  Missing this trade stung a little bit because of the nice low risk entry.

 

Daily Review - Euro Crap

I mentioned yesterday that I hate trading news driven market and today did nothing to change that.  Went to bed last night with S&P futures down over 10 handles and wake up with S&P flat.  Not a time to be aggressive.

Took a couple trades today.

Long 300 AGU at 88.05 stop at 87.65.  Was stopped out around 88.20 for small gain.

Long 200 CF at 149.00 stopped at 148.50.  I was liking the strength in the sector and was trying to play a bounce on 20EMA/5min chart.  In hindsight not a great trade but good thing for stops, CF never bounced.

Daily Review - Nothing

Title of post says it all.  I didn't make a trade today.  Was watching the action in AKAM, KLAC, RAX, NVLS and CY in the morning but market was too weak for any long entries.  News driven markets have never been friendly to me.  Going to be patient and wait for daily charts to setup.

Bubs not so Secret BBQ Vegetable Marinade

I've been BBQing all month and thought I would share a couple of recipes I've been experimenting with.  

BBQ Vegetable Marinade

1/4 cup olive/vegetable oil  

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves of garlic (I love garlic in everything)

1/2 habanero pepper or 1 Thai chili. (Substitute with jalapeno for less spice)

1 teaspoon garam masala (not a common item for some people.  Substitute with cumin/paprika combo)

2 tablespoon basil

pinch of salt and pepper 

Mix oil and vinegar in a bowl.  Finely mince garlic and habanero and add to bowl.  Add garam masala, salt and pepper to bowl.  Finally add chopped basil and mix together.  Pour everything into big zip lock bag and put in fridge.

This marinade works well with all vegetables.  I used onions, peppers, french beans, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes and zucchini.  The trick to get them cooking evenly is to cut the vegetable the same size. I used 1/2 big onion, 1/2 bell pepper, 15 french beans, 7 asparagus, 1/2 carrot, 1 big tomato and 1/2 zucchini for this amount of marinade.  I had plenty of extra marinade left in the bag after cooking..  

Mix all the vegetables into the marinade and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  I laid the zip lock bag flat in the fridge so all the vegetables can soak in the flavors in flipped it over 1 hour later.     

I grilled on medium-high heat, grill temperature showed 400-450 degrees, for about 4 minutes on each side.  I brushed extra marinade on vegetables while they were cooking and before serving.  

Will post a nice Asian grilled eggplant marinade later this week.  

  

Daily Review - Chasing

I woke up this morning to a gap up in an extended market and the first thought that came to my mind was fade.  Instead of listening to my thoughts I ended up chasing a couple stocks and took a few small losers.  I got long POT, QCOM and VRX near the open and CMI later in the day.

Long 700 POT  57.95 stop at  57.70.  Bailed around 57.80 when 58 breakout failed right away.

Long 1000 QCOM 59.03 stop at 58.85.  Bailed at 59.

Long 500 VRX 54.10 stop at 53.80. Stopped 54.05.

Long 500 CMI 109.90 stop 109.50.  Bailed on position average 109.80.

Market was very extended and a gap up should have been my clue not to buy breakouts.  Will post charts later tonight.

Daily Review - Momo Strength

Coming into the week my plan was to be cautious because of the big run-up the prior week.  Yesterday I passed (didn't get filled OPEN) on a few trades because I didn't believe market had the juice for breakouts.  I was obviously wrong.  Just look at yesterdays charts for UA, OPEN and YOKU.

Last nights HCP newsletter and Daytrader Toolbox post talked about market sentiment and how important it is to focus on shifts in sentiment.  I came into the day planning to be a bit more aggressive with my entries and not focus so much on how extended we are.

Took 3 trades today:

Long 500 FFIV at 104.95 - 105.00 with stop at 104.60.  Exited 400 shares at 106.20 and was stopped out on rest near 105.15 area.  Chart doesn't show it but my trailing stop was the 20EMA/5 min chart.  Another potential entry was 104.00 with stop around 103.60.  Very similar setup to YOKU yesterday and a setup that HCP mentioned in yesterdays blog post.

Long 400 CTSX at 81.30 with stop at 81.00.  Risked a little bit less on this trade because intraday setup wasn't great.  I was stopped out around 81.20, got nailed on slippage.

Long 300 WYNN at 152.50 with stop at 152.00.  Exited entire position at 153.30 (R2).  Risk reward wasn't great but the intraday base around 152.50 was nice.

Almost all stocks are very extended on the daily charts but momentum is strong and great intraday setups are being bought.  Not sure how long this will last but have to enjoy it until it stops.

Daily Review - SalesForce

Didn't take a trade yesterday and only took 1 trade today.  Market is still not very kind to breakout trading and best to be patient, especially with a long weekend approaching.  

Got long 600 shares CRM at 148.00 with stop at 147.70.  I took a little less risk on this trade because market was very extended and volume on CRM was average.  Exited 200 shares at R2, 148.75.  Dumped the rest at 147.85.  

CRM offered a great entry on 20EMA/5min chart around 147.70 with stop at 147.40.  Textbook hammer on support and very low risk.  I missed the entry but the type of setup to look for when breakouts aren't clean.  

Don't see myself making another trade and taking tomorrow off.  Enjoy the long weekend.

Daily Review - Chopped

Going into the day my focus was too trade light but I was liking the early morning strength in my stocks.    

Took 4 trades today and scratched all of them.

1. Long TZOO 63.50 Stopped 63.50 
2. Long ARBA 33.90 Stopped 33.84
3. Long CMI 99.50 Stopped 99.50
4. Long BTU 57.70 Stopped 57.69

Today was not a day to buy breakouts.  Besides CAT, all trades worked well as target trades but you needed conviction to buy early to take advantage of the moves.    

Tough trading environment until we get some real basing.  

Plan going forward is to be more patient and just wait for the daily charts to setup. 

Daily Review - Premature Exit...part 2

Morning started out a little rough with a full 1R loser in UA.  I tried to anticipate the 75 breakout and ending up buying near the highs.  I got long 700 shares at 74.90 with a stop at 74.50, stopped out at 74.45.  The first mistake was not waiting till 75 was taken out, volume was average and daily spot still needed time.  Second mistake was not exiting before my stop was hit.  Once I realized that 75 was not going to broken I should have bailed on the trade for a small loser before my stop was hit.

Second trade got long 800 shares PLCM at 61.50 with stop at 61.20.  I exited my entire position at 62.05 right under R2.  Volume was great on the breakout and never came close to testing the 61.50 breakout.  I should have held at least 25% for the bigger move.  All the EMA's that I follow were still below and trending upwards, really no reason to exit entire position.

Will update this post if I make any more trades.

Daily Review

Testing out the blogger app on my phone so going to keep this post short.

Didn't pull the trigger on any trades today.  I was looking for a bounce in the SPY at the 200 day but missed the trade near the open.  I wasn't in front of my screen during the rally later in the day.    

I've never been a fan of news driven markets and will be playing it cautiously until the daily charts start setting up longs or shorts.  I have no problem sitting on the sidelines while the market tries to figure out this Greece situation.    

Daily Review - Google Music

Going into the day I knew today was a day not to be aggressive.  All of HCP picks and stocks I was watching needed time to setup and SPY was near resistance.  FOMC decision and and Big Ben Q&A made it a easy decision to not make a trade today.

A few HCP triggered near the open and I was watching closely to see how they reacted.  RVBD made a nice move with volume at the open but couldn't hold the breakout.  HOC hung around 64 and eventually fell with rest of the market.  I started looking for some resistance shorts but didn't see anything that looked good.  After a muted reaction from the FOMC decision I called it a day.  I received my invite to Google Music and spent the day uploading all my music to the cloud.      

What to expect

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do with this blog so for right now its going to be a mix of my trading activities and personal life/interests.

Some topics include:

• Daily trading review - Will review every trade I take and thought process behind it, similar to The Independent Trader.  The majority of my ten readers come here to see my trades so I will make it point to be as detailed as possible.  
• Thoughts on the market and charts of interest - Most of my trading list and market thoughts come from High Chart Patterns.  If I see something that isn't mentioned in my daily reading list I will post something but don't expect daily market analysis.  
• Hobbies - I've really gotten into cooking the last few months.  Will post some pictures and recipes of food that I enjoyed cooking.  Other hobbies include sports, beer and technology.  
• Other - Links, articles or anything else I find interesting.  
• Must read for anybody that trades solely off charts.

 

Daily Review

@HCPG had CMI in last nights newsletter, stock set up well today.

Got long 1000 shares at 95.00 with stop at 94.70 (lined up with bottom of base and 9EMA/1 Min).

Exited 700 shares at 96.05

Exited 300 shares at 96.50

In hindsight my final exit was a little premature but SPY was getting rejected by S2 and 128 resistance. 

DECK 82 and FLS 107 also worked well.  

TraderBubs is back...

mostly out of boredom