Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday, October 17, 2011

Hi Everyone....

Well, the pullback finally happened.  Slowly and without hurry, the DJIA pulled back -247 points.  The decline was due to problems in Europe......duh!

It's late tonight, so on to the trades:

TZA $40 10/22 calls 10 1.34/1.92 = +580 <---- went to 2.47
TZA $40 10/22 calls 10 1.34/2.06 = +720 <---- went to 2.47
TZA 38.37/39.10 x 500 = +365 <---- hit a hod of 40.28
CROX s/s 17.35/16.51 x 500 = +420
CROX 17.04/16.90 x 500 = -70 <----- went to 17.45
VMW s/s 86.50/87.50 x 300 = -300 <---- should of just bought....went to 89 or something

Total = +1,715

Storms are moving in.  Have a good night all.

sdh

Friday, October 14, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

Hi everyone....

The market opened up over +100 points and then fell to around +55 only to go nuts again and the bulls pushed it up to close at +166 for the day.  All I can say is.....wow!

Just 2 trades today:

TZA call 10/22 40 call at 1.80/1.50 = -300 <---- stupid
OVTI s/s 15.95/15.80 x 2500 = +375 <----- saw this from lakers8888

Total = +75

Monday = -350
Tuesday = +2,750
Wednesday = +1,485
Thursday = +740
Friday = +75

Weekly total = +4,700

Have a good night everyone.

sdh

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hi everyone....

Well, today would of been a great trading day, but I bet against the trend and had to close out some options.  Stupid.  Like I said yesterday, play the trend.....why try to guess what the market or a stock will do, just play what it's doing!

Market opened down over -100 points, but rallied back a bit to close at -40 points.  Had to help at the elementary school today, so I missed a lot of runners.  CX, TQNT, CLWR just to list a few.....all moving on news.  GOOG reported earning a/h and spiked up over $48 bucks and should touch the $600 mark tomorrow......

Now to the trades:

NFLX s/s 112.97/112.47 x 500 = -250
NFLX 115.35/118.33 x 500 = +1,490 <---- huge play on news....

Closed out the following options:

BIDU 120 w put .52/.37 = -150 <---- didn't sell at the open for a gain
NFLX 105 w put .81/.35 = -460 <---- didn't sell at the open for a gain
SPY 118 w put .22/.33 = +110 <----- didn't sell when it was up for a 100% gain

Boy, am I bad at options!  I do best when I don't have a plan and I do best when I focus on only one stock.  Had too much going on.  No excuse, but it was just too much and I lost money.

Total = $740 <---- now that is just a shame!  Horrible......


Monday = -350
Tuesday = +2,750
Wednesday = +1,485

Well.....I hope everyone did better than I did.....follow the rules you set!

sdh

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hi everyone,

Wow....another crazy azz day of trading.  DJIA opened up over +100 points which was surprising because I thought it would be a down day.  Hit a high of 11,625 and a low of 11, 417.  It closed at 11,518 up +102, but cut it's gains in half.

NFLX was the stock to play.......from 107 to 116 and closed around 114.  Lots of plays in there.

Ok....now for the trades:

AA premkt s/s 9.95/9.85 x 5000 = +500
AA s/s 9.95/9.90 x 5000 = +250 <---- of course fell to 9.73 after I sold
BIDU 132.73/133.94 x 500 = +605
BIDU 132.34/132.14 x 500 = -100
NFLX w 120 call 10 1.16/1.54 = +380
AA s/s 9.99/10.20 x 5000 = -1,050 <---- huge mistake, no stop, thought it was not going higher!

The following are small 5000 share trades of AA to try to recover, also, market is shifting:

10.23/10.20 +150
10/22/10.20 +100
10.14/10.08 +300
10.08/10.03 +250
10.06/10.09 -150
10.06/10.05 -50
Recovered: +600

A/H AKAM s/s 27.05/26.45 x 500 = +300

Total: +1,485

Monday = -350
Tuesday = +2,750

So, the lesson learned today....again...is use stops!  Geez, how many times do I have to tell myself that!  That was a painful hit.  And, even though I didn't use a stop....why didn't I just sell at a .02 or .03 cent loss?  Who knows.   I have to do better.

I am also in the following options for tomorrow:

NFLX w 105 puts .81
SPY w 118 puts .22
BIDU w 120 put .52

Well, see how that goes.......betting against the trend, not good, but we shall see.

Have a good night everyone.

sdh

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Hi everyone!

Today was a challenging trading day.  Market was a yo-yo.....up a bit, down a bit, up a bit and ended down -16.  AA was the first company to post earning a/h and they missed their numbers.  That along with the Europe mess should provide an interesting day for tomorrow.....

Now, on to the trades:

BIDU 124.00/125.20 x 500 = +600
NFLX s/s 109.30/107.92 x 500 = +690
FAZ 56.59/56.80 x 500 =  +105
NFLX s/s 105.00/103.90 x 500 = +550
NFLX s/s 104.00/104.50 x 500 = -250
BIDU 125.70/126.05 x 500 = +175
NFLX w 120 call .85/.85 = -0-
NFLX w 95 put 1.12/1.40 = +280
FAZ 55.50/55.30 = -100
AA a/h s/s 9.83/9.77 x 5000 = +300
AA a/h s/s 9.88/9.80 x 5000 = +400

Total = 2,750

Monday = -350

Please note....the trades do not include commissions.  It's easier just to post my buy/sell price.  I've been meaning to mention that......just kept forgetting.

So, that's all I have....NFLX is one crazy stock!  BIDU hit 129 today.....omg.....looking forward to tomorrow.

Have a good night everyone.

sdh

Monday, October 10, 2011

Monday, October 10, 2011

Hi everyone!

Well......after rumors that Europe will get their chit together....the DJIA rose +330 points!  Unreal really......I actually though the market would be down today.  And I traded that way.  So let's get to my mistakes....um....I mean trades:

FAZ stopped 58.06/57.76 x 500 = -150
BIDU stopped 126.22/126.02 x 500 = -100
FAZ stopped 57.15/56.95 x 500 = -100

Total = -350

Not the best way to start the week, but I plan on kicking ass tomorrow!

NFLX claimed the 'worst stock of the day' prize.  Shooting up to $128.50 on news it will not split the company into 2 parts, only to fall to 107.31 before closing at 111.58.

Have a good evening all!

sdh

Friday, October 7, 2011

Friday, October 7, 2011

Hello everyone,

Happy Friday.  Hope everyone did well this week.  It was another crazy day on wall street.  DJIA was up, then down, then up over 100 points, only to fall and close -20 points under.

Traded this morning, but was out for the afternoon.  I focused on ILMN which I played yesterday a/h on bad reporting news.  Let's see how the trades worked out:

ILMN yesterday a/h 30.00/30.75 x 500 = +375
ILMN 25.75/27.14 x 500 = +695
ILMN 27.00/27.50 x 500 = +250
ILMN 27.20/27.14 x 500 = -30 <---- strange stop out
ILMN 27.50/27.80 x 500 = +150
ILMN 27.70/27.80 x 500 = +50

Total = $1,490

Not bad, but looking at the chart....I could of held my first buy of 25.75 and sold at eod of 27.27 x 1000 shares = 1,520......the same I made without working so darn hard......oh well.....

Monday = $1,860
Tuesday = $6,185
Wednesday = $875
Thursday = $1,721
Friday = $1,490

Week total = $13,621

Nice week.  I am very excited about options and how they work and the money to be made.  I will be looking to buy some weekly options on Monday.

Have a great weekend traders!

sdh

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Hi Everyone....

Looks like all traders had a nice day.  DJIA was up +183 points, penny market was moving, just an overall nice day to trade.

Unfortunately, I did not get to trade today except for closing out some options.  Kids are home and we had some stuff to do.  I'll catch the next big day!

Now, let's see what I closed out:

RIMM w $25 call .49/.35 10 contracts = -140 <----- this option hit .70 yesterday and I didn't sell...
YHOO w $17 call .23/03 10 contracts = -229 <----- I was punked on the MS rumor...
GS w $105 call .18/.02 10 contracts = -160 <--- have no idea why I bought this...saw it on a board....

BIDU w $110 call 1.70/6.20 5 contracts = +2,250 <----- this stinker closed at $11.00!!!

Total = $1,721

Monday = $1,860
Tuesday = $6,185
Wednesday = $875

Ok...what did I learn from these options?  Basically, you need to find and trade what works for you.  I traded GS because someone else bought it.  I traded RIMM and YHOO on news/rumor.  That worked out well as you can see.  As well as penny news/rumor works out!  And last, I sold BIDU too soon!  I need to follow the chart as I do with the stock.  After selling, I could of bought back in and played again.  In my defense, I was out today so I wasn't here watching it.  It was heartbreaking to see it hit $11.00 when I returned.

Trading is the only business you can make a couple of grand and still feel bad.........Last time, the $2,250 could of been $4,650.  'Sigh'

BIDU had an excellent day.  Lots of opportunities to make money.  Went from $113.01 and is trading at $121.15 a/h....wow....up $9.98 or +8.98%.  That is quite the pop.  I just love this stock.  Didn't get to trade it, but glad it had a nice day.

That's all I have......take care all.

sdh

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Hi Everyone....

Today was a tough one for me.  Kids are home and I can't always be around for trading.  I did make some time, but was distracted and made some mistakes.  Didn't move up my stops, so I left a lot of money on the table.  My favorite stock, BIDU, was strong and even closed at hod of 111.23, but I wasn't even in.  That's the way trading goes sometimes.....

Market was a yo-yo today.  Up....down....up....down.  Then it got fresh legs at the end and the bulls ran it to close at +131.24.  Another nice green day.

Now to the trades:

APKT short 35.95/35.65 x 500 = -150
BIDU stopped 107.22/106.86 x 500 = -180
BIDU 104.58/105.58 x 500 = +500
BIDU stopped 106.37/106.07 x 500 = -150
BIDU stopped 107.50/107.20 x 500 = -180
BIDU 108.60/109.90 x 500 = +650
BIDU 108.58/109.35 x 500 = +385

Total = $875

Monday = $1,860
Tuesday = $6,185

Options:  Bought the following:

RIMM w $25 call .49 - down $214.60 <------- it hit .70, but I didn't know and didn't sell....yuck!
BIDU w $110 call 1.70 - up $964.20

I will take care of both tomorrow.

That's all I have today.  Hope everyone had a good trading day!

sdh

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Hi everyone....

Markets have been rough lately.  Just have to try and play what you see moving and day trade.  No holds.  The news today is Big Ben.  He spoke at 10 a.m. ET and the markets were down almost -300 points.  Market tried to recover and went to -48, but bears appeared and took it down -200.  Then in the last 45 minutes of trading.....the bulls jumped in and the market ended +153 green!  Wow....what a rush!

Now let's talk trades.......traded my brains out again and ran smack into lucky:

BIDU 104.15/105.90 x 500 = +875
RIMM 21.72/22.22 x 500 = +250
TNA 26.96/26.76 stopped x 500 = -100
TNA 26.75/27.55 x 500 = +400
BIDU 103.14/102.94 stopped x 500 = -100
BIDU 103.27/109.00 x 500 = +2,865
TNA 27.70/29.60 x 500 = +950
BIDU 107.33/109.00 x 500 = $835
MELA 5.45/5.43 x 500 = -10 <--- actually went to 6.07.....rats!
BIDU 105.52/105.32 stopped x 500 = -100
TNA 28.64/28.44 stopped x 500 = -100
BIDU 104.84/104.64 stopped x 500 = -100
BIDU 108.50/109.54 x 500 = +520 <----- missed the huge swing!

Total = $6,185

Monday = $1,860

Options:  Watched the SPY options throughout the day.  Saw the volume come in on SPY w 110 calls at 1.13.  That option soared to end at 3.75!  Unreal.  Did it really do that you say?  Yes, it really did that!  Playing for real from now on!

Will not be able to trade much if at all the rest of the week because the kids are out of school for Fall break.

Take care everyone.

sdh

Monday, October 3, 2011

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hi all....

I was out Thurs/Fri of last week so there were no trades.  The trade of the day on Friday was EK.  Fell to .54 cents on BK rumors and then bounced up to 1.18 in a/h trading.

Today, EK hit a low of $1.00 and a high of 1.63.  I am betting BK will happen and purchased some PUTs.

AMR - another stock that fell today because of BK rumors.  Also betting it will happen and purchased some PUTs.

On to trading......I traded my brains out today:

BIDU 106.35/106.15 stopped x 500 = -100
BIDU 106.16/108.84 x 500 = +1,340
BIDU short 107.50/106.49 x 500 = +505
BIDU 106.80/106.60 stopped x 500 = -100
BIDU 106.77/106.55 x 500 = -110
BIDU 105.38/105.50 x 500 = +60
FAZ 71.50/71.30 stopped x 500 = -100
FAZ 71.42/71.60 x 500 = +90
ARR 5.86/5.96 x 500 = +50
FAS 9.62/9.42 stopped x 500 = -100
AGQ 111.05/110.50 x 500 = -275 ouch
BIDU 105.65/106.85 x 500 = +600

Total = $1,860

Not too bad....so much for the probation, I traded all day....but will not be able to trade Wed, Thurs or Fri.....kids will be out for Fall break.

Have a good evening everyone!

sdh

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hi all....

Out most of the day today.....Let's see what happened in the market...

IDCC fell -3.45
BIDU fell -11.13
IVN fell -.44

All would of been great shorts.....

EK up +.14

Market up +143.08 points....so looks like a nice rally today.

Hope to trade tomorrow, but if not....good luck to everyone!

sdh

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Hi everyone....

Hope all is well in your trading world.  Easy day and I changed up my routine a bit.  For those that don't know, I am a mom and keeping up with the kids and house is tough.  Too keep things running smoothly, I just can't stay at the computer all day watching stocks.

So after taking the kids to school, I walked the dogs and then went grocery shopping and a few other places.  Came home, put everything away and sat down to trade.

I wanted to play the following from yesterday's blog:  BIDU, IVN and IDCC

IDCC ~ did not play, but had a great day hitting a high of 56.70
IVN ~ did not play, but would of been a great short from 17.37 to 15.66 the lod
BIDU ~ played this one as follows:

BIDU 123.23/124.00 x 600 = +462
BIDU short 123.98/123.93 x 600 = +30
BIDU short 123.65/123.00 x 600 = +390
BIDU short 122.88/122.46 x 700 = +294

Total BIDU: $1,176 - not bad for 1 1/2 hours of trading

Monday: $2,097
Tuesday: $981
Wednesday: $1,176

Market is continuing the shift from yesterday.  High was 11,316 and now it is red at 11,130 down -60 points.  Edit:  Market ended at 11,010 down -179.79.

Hope everyone has a great afternoon!

sdh

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Wow....what another crazy day of trading.  Made a few more mistakes, but overall....a nice day.

First let's review what I wanted to take care of today:

NFLX ~ sold at open for even.....thank goodness....staying away from this stock unless I short it and I'm lucky it went up.
EK ~ up +.09 or +5.17%....not in it
CRR ~ Was up +$7.00, but lost all gains as the market sold off.

IDCC 48.25/48.25 stopped out
IDCC 47.60/47.60 stopped out
IDCC 47.80/49.30 x 500 = +750
IDCC 53.18/53.30 x 800 = +96
IVN short 18.23/18.00 x 1000 = +230
IVN short 17.92/17.95 x 2000 = -60  Note:  stock fell to 17.08
DB 37.85/37.85 stopped out

Nice gains here: $1,016

Now all hell breaks loose:

AGQ 126.30/126.30 stopped out
AGQ 124.37/121.00 x 400 = -1,348  Note: such a stupid trade without a stop and then it went back up

Jump in the following to try to win the game:

BIDU 128.65/127.70 x 500 = -475  Note: stupid, didn't use stops - horrible start, now down more
BIDU short 129.70/128.10 x 600 = +960
BIDU short 127.90/127.00x 600 = +540
BIDU short 127.78/127.30 x 600 = +288

Wow....what a rush at the end and thanks to the market shift, I got it done.

Total trades: $2,804 in gains - $1,823 in losses = $981 profit

Monday: $2,097
Tuesday: $981

I will play the following tomorrow:  BIDU, IVN and IDCC

Hope eveyone did well today!

sdh

Monday, September 26, 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

I hope everyone had a successful day trading.  I made some mistakes today.  Lost some money, but even more important, lost time.

First let's review the stocks I wanted to watch from yesterday's blog:

NFLX:  Had news and caused a headache for me
CRR:  Nice one...+$9.60 up 8.08%
S:  Down -.09 cents
ARUN: Nice one...+.80 up 3.63%
EK:  Continued down and broke 1.75 support - Closed at 1.74 down .64 cents or -26.89%

Ok....here's how my day started:

Saw activity on NFLX this morning and I was excited about the news.
Traded premarket: NFLX 135.00/136.50 x 400 =  $600

Great!  My goal for the day is met and I should quit.  Take kids to school and come back.  Trade the following: ARUN 22.97/23.27 x 500 = $150

Bought more NFLX after the spike at 134.62......Big time error here!  Do not put in a stop and it goes down huge.....didn't sell either because I am retarded.  Feel very sick......should of turned off the computer and did some other stuff.

Here are my other trades as I watch NFLX go down:
MELA 5.09/5.05 x 700 = -28
SLV 29.30/29.37  x 500 = +35
ZSL 18.92/18.77 x 300 = -45
ZSL 18.80/19.15 x 700 = +245
ZSL 19.10/19.20 x 700 = +70

Saw  tweeting about IDCC:
IDCC 48.20/49.70 x 300 = +450
IDCC 48.10/49.20 x 700 = +770

Total trades: $2,097, but I am holding stupid NFLX at a -960 loss

Hope it goes up tomorrow so I can get out.

Now if I would of just bought CRR at the open of 120.93 and sold at the end of the day I could of made this:  CRR 120.93/128.35 x 500 = $3,710.....

Wow, see that is what happens when you change your plan.  I made less money, I'm holding a stock, and I wasted the day.  I had $600 before open....should of just left......gross!

Lots of runners today and the market was up +272 points.  Nice green day. 

 killed it on FAS, played these stocks and had another profitable day: S,ANR,XIV,F.  Be sure and follow this dude!  And also lakers8888 .  They are both great traders!

MELA was the darling of the day up +1.87 or +58.81% on FDA news.

So, in closing, I need to do the following tomorrow:
NFLX ~ close out
EK ~ watch for bottom
CRR ~ will it go up more?

Broke my probation big time by looking at this chit all day!  I will do better tomorrow.

Have a good evening everyone!

sdh

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011: What I'm watching Monday

Hello everyone....day 2 of the trading blog....listed below is what I'll be watching Monday and why:

Blog update: NFLX possible deal with Dreamworks and will announce on Monday....this is huge....

CRR:  Has taken some hits along with the market over the last week.  Down -$21.61 on Thurs and -$7.68 on Friday.  This stock has many $1.00 swings throughout the day.  Long or short.  Have not played this stock before, but I like the swings.  Will watch and take a position if possible.

S:   alerted this on twitter.  News of Dish partnering with a wireless company.  Jumped .17 cents or 5.65% on the news.  On watch for a run up.

SLV:   is watching the metals for an option play.  I do not trade options yet.  I do plan on playing SLV or ZSL (short) because of the volume and market action.

ARUN: This stock has great volume and big swings.  Up +$2.40 on Friday.  Had momo and continued uptrending all day.  Will watch for a position.

TNA/TZA:  These are always on my watchlist for market swings.

"Blog Update!" EK - forgot to add this one earlier.  Took a -.39 cent or -16.39% dive a/h on Friday.  Kodak drew $160M from their revolving credit line....looking for more downside here.

That's all I have.  One of the biggest mistakes a trader can make is watching too many stocks.  You lose your focus and can lose money by bouncing back and forth all over the place.  Pick a couple to watch and that's it.  I would suggest just watching 1 stock, but we all know that will never happen.

So, make your game plan, stick to it and hopefully we will bring home our Monday goals!

sdh

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Introduction: Saturday, September 24, 2011

Today I created a blog to track my trades, experiences, decisions, up/downs of my trading world.

I began trading during the 2008/2009 crash.  Started with big board, went to pennies and now I'm back to big board/etf's.  I am a full-time day trader.  I enjoy momentum plays and volume.  I enter a trade and sell once my goal is met.  I rarely hold overnight.

Last week, I put myself on trading probation because I need to limit my exposure in front of the computer and decrease my ability to make bad decisions.  I will trade for approximately 2 hours each day.  I prefer morning, so around 2 hours from the opening bell or if my daily goal is met.  Which ever comes first.

Did you know if you make $500 each day on a trade or trades that adds up to $125,000 a year based on 50 weeks of trading?  Wow....that's a nice annual income.  So, if I trade for 2 hours a day.....I make $250 per hour....well, that sounds like big money to me.  Taxes are not included in this number so plan accordingly.

So, there you have it....my daily goal is $500 - $1,000.  And yet it's human nature to want more.  I admit, I have made thousands in a day or on a single trade, but have also lost thousands.  When I hit a big trade I seem to go crazy and get off course and begin making mistakes.  Mistakes include:  buying when the charts says not to, not using stops, holding a loosing trade, jumping in a trade with a huge amount of money hoping to hit the big one again.

It is hard to leave the trading scene after your daily goal is met.  I mean really.....look how hard it is to leave the blackjack table with stacks of chips in front of you!  You hear about others who hit big, or are holding because the stock is trending up.  Or a stock you sold increased by $12.  You have to be disciplined and while those traders had a great day, you need to realize, you did too.  They might have $3,000 right now, but you will have that amount in 5 days.  The money is there for the taking, but that is the key, you have to take it.

So, I hope some will read this blog and get something from it.  I was posting my trades on profit.ly, but that just doesn't fit me so I am going to try this.  I also like to post on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/sdh_ihub

In closing, I plan to post each evening and log my trades, what I saw, what stocks were running, falling, market sentiment, etc.

Here's to meeting our goals and good luck to all!

sdh