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It's just a trade. They sold off hard, bounced back some, then the Whitney interview tanked them again but they didn't make new lows and seemed to be holding steady. They've also likely been hammered by year end tax loss selling which is now ending. So I put on some longs and sit and wait...

I've never heard of Madscan

Depends on the strategy. Some stuff I'm very careful in my news analysis, some I don't care at all. My 'assistant' is another trader whom I've trained and we trade the same system. We each cover different news feeds and cross check each other. It's a layer of redundancy to help catch stuff...

To answer the above questions: After this last week I'll provide some stats for the year. I haven't used Stockfetcher. I think Trade Ideas is pretty cheap for what they provide. I haven't used their algo trader. My average buying power used is all over the map depending on the day...

It all varies, depending on the strategy.

No, they don't. But that doesn't mean I can't run my trading operation through a corporation. A good accountant is worth every penny.

On a very slow day maybe half a dozen or less. I don't think I've ever had a day where I didn't have at least one trade, except for days with technical issues that kept me from trading. I don't increase my size though.

Not saying swing trading or day trading is better. Diversification though is better than non-diversification.

No. This is my home, my wife and I have family here, my kids are in school. We're settled and I'm content. Those things are more important than money. Besides, I'm incorporated and the taxes aren't that onerous.

+$11,000 for the week. 199,000 shares traded. +3 on Monday, +7 Tuesday, +1 Wednesday and 0 Thursday. I was holding some muni bond funds long over the weekend and booked some losses when Meredith Whitney threw a wet blanket on the sector with her 60 minutes interview. But I think she is...

I have all kinds of fail safes and red flags but the problem with many live orders in the market is that lots of them can fill so quickly that you can't really put a cap on the number of positions. A flood of instant fills can also bog your system down so much that you can't even transmit the...

Yes, I do short stocks, and yes a constantly up grinding market makes shorting less fun.

Not really. The only options shorting I do is selling calls on spy when we get big spikes in market volatility. But those are discretionary trades, pot shots I call them. Usually only 5-20 contracts, risking and making a few thousand dollars.

I use a three week look back period and update it weekly. But I will make day to day adjustments for stocks that have had a sudden spike in volatility.

Very good question. I've thought of doing something similar many times. I'd have to build it into a trading plan with clearly defined rules. I absolutely cannot wing it on something like that because as soon as I take any significant heat, I start covering for a loss. Without a plan that...

Have you looked at a vix chart from 2005-2006? We were in the 12-14 range for the better part of two years. How long are you willing to sit on the sidelines?

Not nearly often enough. I seem hardwired to be a fader but maybe there's hope for me.

I trade pretty much every day. I'm just rounding off to the the nearest thousand. -$200, +$400 is a zero in this journal.

How I started is covered earlier in the thread. Becoming emotionally detached from money is a gradual process. I've talked about it a lot, but basically it's just a progression in your trading size, taking small steps and getting comfortable at each new level you hit. I'm like anyone else...

Where you trade has no bearing on discipline. That's all you, all the time.