One Way to Eliminate Fear and Greed While Day Trading

One Way to Eliminate Fear and Greed While Day Trading

It is a known fact that fear and greed can be a trader’s worst enemies. I’ve found one way that has helped some clients deal with fear and greed and their cousin, “getting out of winners too soon and staying in losers too long.”

What is it? Entering multiple contracts

In order to enter multiple contracts while day trading, one has to have the appropriate risk capital and margin requirements. But the advantage of trading more than one “unit” or splitting your trading size into two or more parts is as such:

If you enter a trade with one contract (or if you are treating your trading size as one unit, meaning you enter a trade with 4 contracts and exit the trade with 4 contracts), you can face a very quick dilemma (especially when day-trading). Consider the two following scenarios:

1. You get in and very quickly you are up 2 mini SP points…what do you do? Do you take profit? Bring your stop loss closer? How do you avoid getting out too early or too late?

2. You enter a trade and it goes against you rather quickly…if you get out then it is a loser…but the little voice in your head says “what if the market goes back up?”

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 21st 2010

Nice bounce after touching some FIB levels during overnight session/early morning. FIBONACCI levels been providing good support/ resistance levels so far when applied over multiple time frames. ( daily, hourly, 15 minutes etc. )

Below is a daily chart of the E Mini S&P 500 futures contract with FIBONACCI levels drawn.
Notice todays lows and highs.

We are closing against highs and some momentum during the night session can help this market visit 1099. Failure against the 1081 level and we are back to range bound trading.

EP - E Mini Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation
EP – E Mini Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 19th 2010

Quick note about good trading days/periods, bad trading days/periods..

I sometimes hear from clients, that they are not happy because after a period of making money and trading well they are now in a period of ‘scratching’ or losing a ‘little’. If this is the case you are doing well! Why (you may ask)? Because if your bad periods are small losses or scratch, you will be there for the good periods and the next leg up hopefully. However, if your bad trading days/periods include very large losses or drawdowns you may have to go back to the drawing board since the math will not make sense when it’s all said and done.

I have detailed more on the subject in an article I wrote a few years back, called ‘Survivor day-trader’. If you’d like a copy, please send me an email with name, email address, tel number. Please specify if you are a client of cannon or not. I will only email the article to those clients/prospects who provided me with correct information. Thanks for your cooperation!

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 16th 2010

Interesting action today! Not sure what to make of it, there is a case for the bulls and a case for the bears. I am thinking that as a swing trader, one can try to short the market with a stop slightly above the recent highs ( recent high was around 1100 ). Taking the approach that while chances of getting stopped out are higher than normal, the relative risk is smaller than the relative potential reward. On the other hand, bulls may get more confidence going long if market breaks above 1103 or so..

Daily chart for review below.

EP - E Mini Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation
EP – E Mini Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 13th 2010

Daily chart below of mini SP 500 shows that we are trading against some potential resistance right around the 1081 level. I think the next few days will carry higher volatility than last two trading sessions and should provide more volatility and ranges for day-traders.

EP - E Mini Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation
EP – E Mini Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P), Equalized Active Daily Continuation

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 7th 2010

The futures markets in general had some “futures trading to make up” after the long weekend and we some strong moves and bit more volatility in variety of commodity and futures markets.

I mentioned on Friday blog:
“Stock indices are getting a bit oversold and I suspect that sometime next week we should see a good, short covering rally. However, i don’t try to predict when it will happen but rather use price action with support/resistance lines to get a confirmation. Daily chart of the e mini Russell 2000 for your review below. A break above 613 would give me more confidence in taking a trade from the long side, until then the trend is still pointing lower.”

Well.. today we did see a nice rally that peaked at 612.20 on Sept. mini Russell and headed south afterwards.

In today’s chart I decided to share the popular and followed Dow Jones index. Same analysis from Friday still holds. While indices may be oversold, I would like to see more follow through on the buy side instead of price failure like we saw in today’s session. 9913 is my level to watch on the Dow Jones cash index.

SP 500 Day Trading for July 6th 2010
SP 500 Day Trading for July 6th 2010

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for July 6th 2010

Wishing you a great 4th of July weekend! ( Our office is closed Monday )

Stock indices are getting a bit oversold and I suspect that sometime next week we should see a good, short covering rally. However, i don’t try to predict when it will happen but rather use price action with support/resistance lines to get a confirmation.

Daily chart of the e mini Russell 2000 for your review below. A break above 613 would give me more confidence in taking a trade from the long side, until then the trend is still pointing lower.

TFE - Russell 2000 Index Mini (S100) (ICE), Equalized Active Daily Continuation
TFE – Russell 2000 Index Mini (S100) (ICE), Equalized Active Daily Continuation

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Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports for June 30th 2010

Little longer term view provided below through the weekly chart of the Mini S&P 500.

EP - E Mini Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P), Weekly Continuation
EP – E Mini Standard & Poor’s 500 (S& P), Weekly Continuation

Trading Levels:

Futures Trading Levels June 30th 2010
Futures Trading Levels June 30th 2010