Over the last decade I have concluded that most individuals approaching the stock market whether it be in a passive or active manner, will fail miserably and so will you. This is nothing against you as a person, but simply the truth as I have seen it play out. I have been trading stocks and managing money successfully in some capacity for the last ten years. I measure this success by a steadily rising equity curve, nothing more. Through this time period I have seen countless traders come and go, some who simply choose a different path but more often than not their departure is due to losing too much...

Despite not making a single trade yesterday, and a resolution to do the same today and tomorrow, the charts beckoned and therefore my passion and favorite pastime took hold. Reviewing the tape was a must this morning while also participating in my second favorite pastime; enjoying an excellent cup of coffee in front of the fireplace.   All charts were reviewed from a weekly time-frame as it tends to help me understand the bigger picture in-play and the general trend. Despite a recent rally of which I was pleased to participate in, not a single thing has changed from the ominous looking weekly...

The S&P has bumped higher to the tune of 5% over the previous 5 trading sessions. The move comes off a failed breakdown, led by financial stocks and other key cyclical names. The action has been excellent while volatility has declined and global news flow calmed. While I want nothing more than this party to continue, please allow me to draw your attention to the key overhead resistance which we find ourselves once again edging towards. In addition to the 7-months of topping we have the key reversal from October which looms above. While the daily charts have waxed bullish volume has been...

If you live in or around the Phoenix area and know of a furnished home for rent, please let me know. My family and I are planning to spend a few months there in mid-January and February. E-mail me HERE. There have been many times in my career where I have truly taken an objective view of the market. Sure, I will write about how important it is or pontificate about how only the unbiased can survive, but more often than not there is a deep rooted seed somewhere that holds some bias. It could be economic, it could be sentiment based it could even be how I feel that day, but whatever it is, it is often...

Bullish activity tends to follow a common path. The path includes bursts higher followed by healthy retracements to reset and consolidate gains. It is during these retracements where ancy bulls jump ship and patient longs build inventory.

During this holiday I always reflect upon the year gone by. Can you believe it's been two years since we last chatted in person? As I get older, time just seems to accelerate.