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Week 44 Analysis

Another week packed full of news including FOMC Minutes Wednesday. Looking to finally break out of the range we have been in for the past few weeks. As the month of October comes to a close, we see a market that has been very resilient of a pullback. Since we put in highs in the S&P futures at 1193 we have seen a market that has been quite choppy. With targets at 1201 which should be reached this week, don’t…

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Discipline in Trading is a 24-7-365 Job

Discipline is not something you do 9 out of 10 times or only when you feel like it, it’s something that must be enacted 24-7-365. In trading, breaking your rules “just this once” is a recipe for disaster. Don’t kid yourself, if you want to be consistent trading the markets you must remain disciplined every single day both in the trades you take and in your afterhour’s analysis. The more diligent and thorough your attitude towards the markets, the faster…

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The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it…

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Week 43 Analysis

We have seen a lot of chop around the S&P 500 $1180 level. This can be expected as we are in the midst of earnings season. We should see a break one way or another this week especially with GDP on Friday. As a clue to the direction of this break we look to the VIX and as of late, it has been on the decline, holding in the upper teens. In order to sustain new highs we would need…

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2011 Stock Market Holidays

Below is a list of the market holidays for 2011 in which the stock market will be closed. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 17, 2011 Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day) February 21, 2011 Good Friday April 22, 2011 Memorial Day May 30, 2011 Independence Day July 4, 2011 Labor Day September 5, 2011 Thanksgiving Day November 24, 2011 Christmas Day (observed) December 26, 2011

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2010 – Stock Market Holidays

New Year’s DayJanuary 1, 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. DayJanuary 18, 2010 Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day)February 15, 2010 Good FridayApril 2, 2010 Memorial DayMay 31, 2010 Independence Day (observed)July 5, 2010 Labor DaySeptember 6, 2010 Thanksgiving DayNovember 25, 2010 Christmas Day (observed)December 24, 2010

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E-mini Futures Tick Sizes

Tick size or tick value for futures represents the minimum fluctuation in price of a futures contract. Rather than trade in penny increments like stocks, futures contracts trade in ticks. This value is denoted in various dollar amounts per contract. For euro futures a tick and pip is essentially the same thing. E-mini S&P Ticker Symbol: ES Value of 1 Tick: $12.50 Ticks per Point: 4 E-mini Dow Ticker Symbol: YM Value of 1 Tick: $5.00 Ticks per Point: 1…

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Futures Contract Month Codes Explained

For those who trade or are interested in trading e-mini Futures, you may be wondering how the contact symbols are constructed and what they mean (eg: /ESZ0). The four e-mini index futures are S&P (ES), Dow (YM), NASDAQ (NQ), and Russell (TF). The e-mini Euro Future contract is 6E. All platforms have their own form, but the basic letters and contract months are the same. For the thinkorswim platform, simply typing /ES will pull up the front month e-mini S&P…

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