Helpful conversation
Helpful conversation
What I do and where I can be found
If you’re reading this, you already know. Trading comes with a multitude of risks, both known and unknown, that must be identified and managed.
Nothing here should be viewed as investment or financial advice.
Please read the disclosures.
"Your value will be not what you know; it will be what you share." - Ginni Rometty
Writing is a great mental exercise. Taking the time to put thoughts down on (digital) paper helps us figure out what we really think and feel. Sharing that writing with the world opens conversations and may help others.
That is my objective here; helpful conversation.
To be helpful probably requires some context. So I thought I'd explain what I'm doing and how I view the markets.
My point in sharing this is;
by knowing more about my trading style and objectives you will find more utility in the charts and articles I publish.
Everyone's goals are different. I'm an active trader seeking to generate cash flow, earn a living, and manage a portfolio for growth when conditions are right. If you're focused on long-term investments in a retirement account, you may not get much from my point of view. Then again, maybe you will. It can be useful to have an idea of the different possibilities for the market; bullish and bearish, long and short term.
Possibilities are what you will get from me. No predictions or prognostications. Never certainty. I’m the first to admit that I have no definite idea what will happen next. Anything is possible on any given day. All we can really do is follow price, manage risk, and stack the odds in our favor.
The charts I share are just my point of view. You may see things completely differently. If you do, I'd love to hear about it. That's what makes a market.
Potential trade ideas or sample game plans are just that; potential. Each trade, idea, or setup must be considered independently by each different person. Style, tactics, tools, time frame, and position sizing could be (and very likely are) vastly different for me than for you.
I’m a professional Trader with T3 Trading Group - a proprietary trading firm based in NYC.
I am a technical trader. Charts and price action are my tools of choice. I like strong fundamentals as much as the next trader, I just don’t tend to focus on or make trading decisions based on them.
I am primarily a swing trader. Meaning I target trades that last from a few days to a few weeks. That is my preference, but I will day trade when market conditions dictate. And I will hold a position for months if it continues to act right.
I trade stocks and options, both long and short. This allows me to participate in any market type. I generally prefer to trade in the direction of the prevailing trend. However, I will take shorter-term countertrend trades as well.
With options trades, I mostly utilize long bull call spreads or long bear put spreads.
I use options because they can provide precise risk management and very favorable reward-to-risk ratios.
Throughout the day I am active in the T3Live ProDesk Virtual Training Floor (VTF), and on Twitter (follow me here). VTF technology simulates a physical trading floor where traders sit at stations next to one another chatting and sharing observations in real-time throughout the market session. While I'm not physically located in NYC, the VTF experience is very consistent with that setting.
In the absence of a physical trading floor buzzing with activity, and with the old saying, "two heads are better than one" in mind, the VTF and Twitter are great places to find conversation and feedback from other traders.
We have a pre-market prep meeting every day at 9:00 AM and a daily review session Monday through Thursday starting at 4:10 PM. Most traders there are professionals with T3 Trading Group. Hence the name, ProDesk. But there are retail/individuals there too.
Twitter is my news feed. I have a carefully curated list of accounts that I follow who routinely share useful news, ideas, and education. I try to be active in the discussion, sharing charts, thoughts, and observations when I think they are useful. And on Saturday mornings I go through my weekly charts and share them in a thread.
A few times a week I write a more in-depth article examining what is going on in the market and outlining some thoughts and observations. That is what you’re reading now and you can subscribe here if you haven’t already.
Thanks for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I have read and studied so many who've gone before me. And I believe that sharing and conversation are good for us all. I want to add what I can and I look forward to good conversation. I truly hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards,
Andy