“The more things change, the more they stay the same”, is a classic theme that applies not only to the markets but also the day traders that populate them. While it’s easy to click buy and sell orders all day chasing stocks, the key to longevity is having a well...

Volatility in the markets can originate from all sorts of participants ranging from small retail investors to major institutions and hedge funds. The “meme” stock revolution has empowered the retail trader as groups of independent retail traders all jumping into...

Every trader knows that losses are part of the game. However, there are good losses and bad losses. It’s easy to have a case of Schadenfreude whenever taking a stop loss. If the stock collapses much lower after you stop out, you feel better. If the stock immediately...

The U.S. stock markets are regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This independent federal governing body is responsible for ensuring the integrity and structure of financial markets, protecting investors and facilitating capital formation....

The thrill of stepping into a trade that immediately spikes after your entry enabling you to sell into the momentum for a “scalp” on moderate to heavy sizing can be addictive. Even better, when you “high-tick” your exit, meaning selling your position right into the...

Momentum trading is a popular trading style in which traders aim to take advantage of short-term price momentum. While trading momentum stocks can be lucrative, it’s a double edged sword that can cut hard and fast without the right preparation and trade management. ...

On the surface, executing a trade seems as simple as clicking the BUY button and then clicking the SELL button shortly after. Just like the proverbial iceberg theory, only 20% of an iceberg is visible above the surface. The majority of the iceberg is under the...

The stock market requires both buyers and sellers to operate as an efficient market place. Beginner traders assume there is always a seller on the other side willing to supply shares for sale at the right price and vice versa when they want to sell. Traders usually...

For traders, identifying key price levels ahead of time is part of the preparation that goes into developing a trading game plan. As they say, “Plan your trade and trade your plan.” While many traders do well enough with price charts and trend lines, active traders...

NASDAQ is the pioneer of electronic trading as it introduced the world to an alternative to the auction style open outcry style of order executions found on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Rather than giving autonomous authority to a single specialist to control...

Seasoned traders know that price, liquidity and execution are the cornerstones for the success of any trading strategy and methodology. The stock markets have evolved from open outcry (auction-style) operations with human specialists taking orders to electronic...

In trading, your stock buying power is your ammo. Regardless of how strong your skill sets are, lack of ammo leaves you without an offense or a defense. Knowledge of your changing intraday buying power is crucial to assessing your risk thresholds and preventing...

It happens to everyone. What started off as a clear trading day has now drawn you in. You are micromanaging every tick on your stocks compulsively and placing non-stop trades. You find yourself overwhelmed and quickly taking stops and changing your opinion on...

When stocks make sharp price moves, the natural inkling is to search for any news that may be driving the volatility. It’s just human nature to try to explain what is causing the action. Since news comes out all hours of the day, it can be overwhelming trying to...

The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 is a benchmark index that tracks the stock performance of approximately 500 large-cap publicly traded companies that represent the pulse of the U.S. economy. It’s grouped into 11 sectors and respective individual industries...