I played too much crap last year. There's no way I can compile everything and I just said "F it" after analyzing a few months. Then, I realized that I should make all of y'all go through my archives and I can go travel around the Mid-Atlantic. If you followed me for a while, there is no way you should forget my plays. Yes, 2009 was truly an epic year.
I remember that from January till March, I focused more on macro direction plays and heavily used breadth alongside my usual charts. I also saw how much I cussed in the first half of the year so I made an effort to clean that up. I also saw that the first half of the year was full of haters, and my results for the entire year shut them up completely. Here are a few of the haters back then in January alone (quite amusing):
April 11th was when I first started sharing one of my portfolios (when I went to Cancun). I had stuff like FEED, SIRI, and solars. I made over 8% when I got back from vacation. April 13th was when J0sh1ngU became the first persistent hater. That quickly ended with him burning in flames:
Now, April 22nd when the first time I actually made a live, real-time trade (which was in CAR). I made 20% the next day. This started everything, and shortly after, the dollar stock circus lasted for the next 4-5 months and everything else is history. After that, I focused on more liquid, higher priced stocks. A part of trading is realizing when to abandon a strategy and to go with another one.
I realized that I had no desire to look into the past. I am looking forward, here in 2010, ready to do some more damage. I stated that my goal in 2010 was to make 400% and I have already planned it out. Have you?
I am still unsure of what the intermediate-term holds, therefore, I will stick with the higher priced, more liquid stocks, the pre-market gaps, parabolic movers, long/short exhaustion plays, etc. (the 'specialized' trades). I am not interested in the general movement of the market unless volatility comes back in full force.
My goal in January is to lock in a double-digit portfolio gain for the first month, and then build up on it. Nothing is worse than having a crappy first month, so I encourage everyone to do their very best this month. This way, you have a buffer against any future potential drawdowns. It's important to have this buffer, due to unforeseen circumstances.
My show, "Charts Gone Wild", is becoming more and more popular and if you read my blog, then you should tune into Stocktwits.tv every Tuesday nights at 10PM EST. The folks over at Stocktwits really made me happy with the new upgrades and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.
There is a statue in Ft. Benning called "Follow Me", the location of the Army's infantry school. It is the motto of the U.S. Army Infantry. Stay with me and I will continue to lead you into 2010.
Monday, January 4, 2010
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3 comments:
Hi John,
I'm currently riding two swing trades, one up, one just a tad down.
As I have only recently discovered your blog, I have to ask is there a "discussion" board where you, I and other traders can discuss our picks and strategy?
Also, John, I was wondering if you could give me a name or two of books which teach proper money management?
Thank you for your blog,
Rock
rock trueblood
goto ibankcoin.com...under chart addict, thats john. trades posted frequently. i owe a debt of gratitude to john...he has showed me most of what i know. great teacher.
I am the Chart Addict on iBankCoin. This WeeklyTA blog is sort of like my 'secret' old site that I still maintain - it's a little quieter.
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