This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders, Peter and Paul.
Peter is a professional trader, Paul is not. Peter has a tested, proven, written trading plan that he follows each time he enters a trade, Paul does not.
Peter and Paul have had vastly different Stock trading experiences - Peter has just made another substantial profit - this time from the Bear market, Paul has lost heavily.
A chance meeting with Peter's group of friends one day at lunch launches Paul on a learning curve that will see him become a good trader, but not without some hard lessons along the way.
In discussing the different attitudes of our two hypothetical traders, Peter and Paul, I have tried to share with you the thought processes that make a successful trader.
If you read any of the marketing material from the Financial Planning community or the Mutual Fund promoters, they all stress the principle of diversification.
They say it enhances returns while minimizing risk - Peter believes that ,as Frank Watkins says in his book, Exploding the Myths, "Diversification is another word for risk minimization, but it has very little to do with making profits."
As one of the World's greatest Investors, Warren Buffet, has said on many occasions - diversification is simply an antidote for ignorance!
Diversification for diversification's sake simply means that you will have your money in a lot of Stocks or markets that aren't performing to their fullest potential - some will be rising, some will be falling, some will be going nowhere.
Hardly the best way to run your trading Business is it?
Peter's view of diversification is different to that of the herd - use technical analysis to find several quality Stocks that are rising, then buy all of them in equal dollar amounts to reduce the risk of one Company crashing and taking all of his capital with it. When these quality Stocks stop going up, sell, take a profit and move on.
Why hold Stocks in a Portfolio that are not rising, or worse, falling in value, simply because you want to have some diversification?
If you look at the typical Brokers Portfolio recommendations, they will include Stocks that are in various stages of trends, both up and down. When you ask them why they would recommend something that is falling in price, they tell you, "Well you have to have some diversification.
And based on fundamentals, it's valued at much more than the Market is quoting it. Don't put all your eggs in the one basket, spread your risk through different sectors, etc. etc."
Peter merely takes the prudent step of diversifying across several quality Stocks that are rising in price. Simple.
Below are some charts of Stocks that Peter found met his criteria - of course, this is in no way a recommendation to go out and buy any of these - they are simply examples of Stocks that met Peter's buy criteria at the time of entry.
They might not fit the buy criteria now, and some have given Peter sell signals, but they will give you an idea of what to look for when a Broker or well meaning friend gives you that 'hot tip' and says you should buy as many of 'such and such stock' as you can get your hands on straight away.
(Charts available at www.StockTradingReview.com)
Study the charts above and you will notice that all of these Stocks were trending strongly with small reactions. The moving averages crossed and gave a buy signal - some gave a sell signal early and then another buy signal, and then they never looked back.
Of course, not every Stock Peter bought rallied like these did. If they didn't, they were sold and the proceeds were used to buy something that had more potential.
These are the types of trends Peter looks for and diversifies into.
He doesn't buy, hold and hope for profits, based on some imagined intrinsic value that his Broker says the market hasn't identified yet...
Remember though, if things don't go according to plan, Peter gets out quickly and looks for the next trade - but while the price is going his way, he simply looks for opportunities to compound his position.
"Remember this simple rule", Peter tells Paul with monotonous regularity - "With any Stock you are considering buying, don't buy it or hold onto it if it isn't going up!!"
Pretty simple advice, really...
To Your Trading Success,
Tony Spann and the Team
Stock Trading Review is dedicated to helping you succeed as a trader by sharing with you simple and easy to follow tips and techniques.
Discover more insider secrets and the exact proven strategies to trade stocks profitably: http://www.stocktradingreview.com
Copyright(C)2005 Stock Trading Review
Tinley Park executive chauffeured services .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareEvery day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
Let's say you are interested in this one company. You... Read More
When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer... Read More
The big bad bear is stirring again. So far he... Read More
Every broker and financial planner will tell you that you... Read More
This is a rather simple strategy with which I am... Read More
When you invest in the stock market for ever-increasing cash... Read More
During the month of January the Dow Jones Industrial Average,... Read More
Peter is a professional trader, Paul is not. Peter has... Read More
Dollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More
One of the things people are always asking me is... Read More
Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More
Reach in your pocket and take out that big roll... Read More
Sometime around 1980, can't remember exactly, there was a flight... Read More
I don't know what kind it is, but I saw... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
There are major differences between trading stocks and trading futures.... Read More
Today we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
Options trading can increase the profits you make when trading... Read More
When you stand on the ocean shore and watch the... Read More
People are constantly asking me why is the stock market... Read More
limo Chicago Hickory Hills ..For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing... Read More
Hedge current portfolio positions and gain access to capital resources... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
Time to look back2004 is over, now we are in... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
Dollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
The debate rages all over Eastern and Central Europe, in... Read More
How is it possible that trash Companies are posting less... Read More
Yesterday I received my monthly issue of MONEY magazine. This... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Mutual fund investing is a lot like Thai cooking. Everyone... Read More
Money management starts with protecting your capital, realizing profits and... Read More
We keep hearing about this bear market and that the... Read More
Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More
Money: the most charged word in the planet. It means... Read More
Did you run out to buy that duct tape yet?... Read More
It is wonderful to be alive in the information age.... Read More
The Winter Games for the Olympics are coming up soon... Read More
Wall Street's watchword has always been diversification, but what does... Read More
Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
With the internet such a huge part of our daily... Read More
When you become interested in a stock or mutual fund... Read More
As an investor you will want to check out any... Read More
I know there are a lot of you out there... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |