Released 11/23/2020.
Below is a slider quiz to test your trading ability. Captions appear below the pictures for guidance, so be sure to scroll down far enough to read them.
1 / 8
What chart patterns can you find? Look for the following: descending triangle, symmetrical triangle, double top, double bottoms (2), and a big W.
Answers are on the next slide.
2 / 8
Price has broken out upward from this symmetrical triangle.
Question 1: Do you buy, short, or avoid trading this stock?
Question 2: If trading this one, what is the target price?
Question 3: If trading this one, what is the stop price?
Here's my notebook entry for the trade.
"Date: 5/18/05. Filled at: 17.44. Stop: 15.53. Upside target: 21, site of old resistance (March to April 2004) and a gap in Nov 2004 (21.30 to 22.06). With luck, this will complete
a Big W out at 24-25. Future S&P direction (guess): Down as it's hitting overhead resistance. That might force the market to take a closer look at drug stocks, like this one.
Flight to safety...
Buy reason: Upward breakout from a symmetrical triangle. The knot of congestion during the past week at 17-17.65 also signals a buying opportunity according to Schwager."
Continued on the next slide.
3 / 8
This chart shows the trading landscape as I saw it on the day I placed the trade. The Big W price target is in green. On the way, there's overhead resistance and a breakaway
gap to push through first. I show the stop location in red, placed a few cents below the minor low. The congestion circled in green is a positive sign. Will it portend a winning
trade as Schwager says?
The next slide shows the general market during that time.
4 / 8
This is the general market and it shows overhead resistance. How did the trade do?
See the next slide.
5 / 8
This is the day after I bought. "5/19/05. Stop raised to 16.23, just below the 62% Fib retrace." I must have thought that the stop was too far away. The Fib retrace is 62% of
the A-B distance.
See the next slide for more fun.
6 / 8
7/22/05: I extended the expiration of the stop another month." The red line shows the price level. My broker places an expiration date on the stop loss order, which I renewed
for another month. The congestion zone is circled in green. Price has trended down after the upward breakout.
Question: is it time to sell?
The next slide shows my answer.
7 / 8
I didn't sell because there was no reason to. My stop wasn't hit and I wanted to give this stock every opportunity to move higher. However, on the last day shown above,
I became nervous about the stock. I canceled the stop order and manually timed the exit. Here's my notebook entry.
"Date: 8/19/05. Filled at: 16.557.
Sell reason: Downward breakout from right-angled broadening wedge, ascending. I tried to time it but would have done better if I sold it at the open in a market order."
The next slide shows yet another chart.
8 / 8
I sold before the decline really got going and saved myself some bucks. I lost 5% on this one.
The end.
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