Category: Futures Trading

Strong trend day today on both indices going up and gold going down, prompts me to share a piece I have shared in the past about recognizing the different type of trading days (both markets above experienced type 2 trading day today):

• My opinion is that there are 3 main types of trading days.
  1. Most common is two sided trading action with swings up and down – this type of trading day is most suitable for using support and resistance levels along with overbought /oversold indicators.
  2. Strong trending day, mostly one directional – this type of trading day is the least common, many times will happen on Mondays and maybe 3-5 times a month at most – this type of trading day is most suitable for using ADX, MACD crossovers and pretty much looking for pullbacks to jump on the trend
  3. Slow and/ or choppy trading day – this type of trading day is best suited for taking small profits from the market by looking at volume spikes, using stochastics as possible entry signals and usually wait for a pullback before jumping in. Many times, no trading is better than bad trading during these type of trading days….

• Good question is how can one asses what type of trading day we will have while the market is still trading….I am doing some work about it and will be happy to hear feedback via email but here are some initial observations:
  1. Was the overnight session a wide, two sided trading range? If the answer is yes, good chances for similar trading day during the primary session ( primary session is when the cash/ stock market is open)
  2. Mondays have the highest chance for trending days
  3. The behavior of the first hour of trading can also suggests the type of action for the rest of the day.
  4. If the first 30 minutes have good volume, better chances for type 1 or type 2 trading days.
  5. low volume during first 30 minutes can suggest a choppy (type 3 trading day)

Continue reading “What type of trading day am I facing? 5.25.2016”

 Quiet day to start the week ahead of memorial Day Weekend coming up.

More choppy action then any trend or breakout trades to be honest and volume seems to be lighter.

A couple of trading systems we offer on auto trading have been doing well recently and you can see latest trades and statistics here.

Continue reading “Trading Levels for Tuesday, May 24th”

This article was published by the Stocks, Futures, & Options Magazine in September, 2007 and was written by our VP, Ilan Levy-Mayer. We think this article is timeless and whether you are beginner or advanced trader, you will enjoy it.

Perhaps the greatest luxury I have in this business is the ability to observe the experiences of many traders with different personalities, life schedules and risk capital, each trading in a variety of markets.

What most astute brokers realize is that, over time, as some individuals prematurely exit winners while others desperately cling to losers, Day trading is by definition a trade that is initiated and completed during the same trading day. In this wide category, you will find many types of traders. On one end of the spectrum are scalpers, who go for one or two ticks of profit several times a day in trades lasting just seconds. On the other side are speculators who stay in a position from the start of the day until the close. One of the main appeals of day trading for all types is that the trader goes home flat without having to worry about positions. When the market closes, the day is done. Money management, as the name implies, is applying prudent principles to help conserve your trade (risk) capital. Without risk capital to trade, a speculator does not have a chance to succeed.

Continue reading “Futures Day Trading Tips 5.17.2016”