Top Day Recommendations
12.02.08
Another day of superlatives. After last week’s 9.7% rally, the best five day rally since 1933 according to Barron’s, there was yesterday, the fourth worst decline in history. Volatility remains brutal. VIX at 68. 10 year yield objective at 2.62% (yesterday’s low at 2.65%) remains within reach. Stocks are staging a modest rebound [...]

The Trend Trader helps to identify the current trend status of your favorite markets. Each contract in the table is represented by a directional tendency for both the Minor and Major trends.  Two up arrows identify a Bullish Trend - two down arrows a Bearish Trend - one of each a Neutral Trend. The Trend [...]

Top Day Recommendations
11.13.08
At least the market has taken the news that weekly jobless claims came in at a worse than expected 518K fairly well.
Secretary Paulson yesterday impersonated a fish out of water  as policy flipped from buying toxic “assets” to helping consumers with cc debt, auto and school loans. Players get discouraged when rules change [...]

Top Day Recommendations
11.12.08
More of the same overnight. An early rally in stock index futures last night soon fizzled. Best Buy guidance is dismal this morning. No eco releases, just API and DOE at 10:30 regarding crude and its products. Slumping crude prices has y pressured Russia. Just recently it spent 31 billion to support the [...]

November 11th, 2008
See me in the latest issue of “Technical Analyst”, Trading Volatility with the VIX
Disappointing Toll Brothers earnings set the tone on Wall Street.
Stocks slumped on Veterans Day on thin volume and a lack of guidance from the Treasury markets.  U.S. Treasuries were closed in observance of the holiday; while equities were open [...]

November 6th, 2008
See me in the latest issue of “Technical Analyst”, Trading Volatility with the VIX

U.S. Treasury futures rally in volatile trade.
Profit taking ahead of tomorrow’s employment numbers were blamed for an early morning breakdown in pricing.  the move occurred despite the an ECB and British central bank rate cut announcement .  Insiders noted [...]

Top Day Rec
11.07.08
Expectations weren’t great. The economy had been forecast to have lost 200K in jobs and the headline rate to go to 6.3%. The real number came in at the whisper number of -240K while the headline number was 6.5%. Even worse was an upward revision in September to -284K from -159K. Initial reaction [...]

Day Trading the Index Futures: How to Judge Good Entries
by Mike Reed
QUESTION: If the SP futures fall through support and go straight down for another two points, and I want to get short, should I a.) Enter immediately, b.) Two points below support, or c.) Should I wait for a pullback and then try to [...]

Weekly Futures Report
11.06.08
Filed 9:25 am Thursday
Last                                                  Last Week
Dec Crude                                63.91                                                   68.29
Dec Heat                                   202.50                                               204.40
Dec XRB (Blended Gas)          140.99                                              152.21
Crude oil fell in price compared to prices traded a week ago. Prices rallied sharply on Tuesday, the eve of the US election as the dollar fell against major foreign currencies. The price extension [...]

THE SECRET OF REDUCED MARGIN SPREADS
by Joe Ross
One of the best kept secrets in trading is that of reduced margin spreads.  You cannot name a trading method that provides more safety or a greater return on margin than does a reduced margin spread, while also being one of the least time-consuming ways to trade. Have [...]