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Markets In Transition. Economies Too?

Feb. 04, 2016 8:43 PM ET
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I fully understand today's trading mantra of " I don't care!" It makes total sense if you are just trading the number according to what your signal generator is telling you. However, it can become a nagging problem when the trader in you surfaces and begins to haunt the thought process by questioning the "Who, What, When, and Why family." In case, you don't recall them they usually show up along with their cousins, the twins "Doubt and Fear." They often invite themselves in for a "quick" cup of coffee and stay for the day and eat you out of your emotional house and home. There are many days when being a "gnat on the elephant's ass" is more difficult than imagined.

When markets are in transition it produces incredible opportunity at the speed of light as thousands of orders race across networks pushing prices in all directions often simultaneously. Check out the 2030 forecasted capitalization of global equity markets. The nominal value in US dollars is 284.2 trillion. According to the Federal Reserve, as of 2015, there are $1.39 trillion in circulation, of which $1.34 trillion are in Federal Reserve Notes. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math. I'm not sure how much longer the system can rob Peter to pay Paul when they are both within the top 1/10th of 1%. With the US and China dominating the world economic stage at the moment it is not a surprise that any international hiccups coming from either country carry the potential to create a global tsunami with an urgency to exchange capital.

When the U.S. dollar makes a substantial move in either direction it forces massive readjustments across the board. Remember at the top of the "food chain" sits interest rates which are tied directly to the flow of dollars in and out of the various markets. The U.S. dollar remains the dominant international currency for trade but the brewing battle amongst the top tier isn't over, leaving the "pissing contest" between the uber rich in place.

Interesting thought - the list of missing Chinese billionaires continues to grow. As of the end of 2015, there were 36 missing Chinese executives. That and a softening economy moving towards experiencing a good old fashion western economic recession has triggered a recent string of landslides (down 7% within the first 30 minutes of trade) on the Shanghai exchange. Makes you wonder if the same thing happened to a string of TBTF exec's on Wall Street would the reaction be one of bewilderment, confusion, and potential panic or one of extreme relief!

Wednesday was the type of volatile trading day that many day traders live for. Successfully trading it though takes the ability to move very quickly in and out without much regard for anything else but how many ticks you are tossing into your pile versus someone else's pile. So here is hopefully the best advice I can give you in developing the skills to step in and trade volatile and incredibly quick price swings.

"Learn to trade without emotions."

This is honestly easier said than done. Ridding oneself of any number of old and no longer useful habits, i.e. the family members I mentioned above, is a process that can be confusing and incredibly frustrating. But one that commitment to, is essential towards succeeding in rejecting the old habit in favor of embracing the new change. Often, I have found that the new change can be taking two steps back in order to reset your thinking, and then make the necessary changes to an "old" habit by retooling it to fit your current situation.

Remember the key is being able to reduce and separate the "noise" from "opportunity". This takes knowing and executing a well-defined strategy which allows you to see opportunities amongst the "chaos." By trusting the mechanics of your strategy, you will be able to take advantage of them.

Opportunity continues to knock on our doors. While it doesn't come without risk, risk can be defined and more manageable. Volatility and broad moves are exactly what a day trader desires and being able to respond without questioning is a luxury many are unaware of.

Check out tomorrow's post for charts of the $CL and $YM with trades and discussion.

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