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"Scalpng" needs to be clearly defined in order for this thread to be a meaningful discussion. John, what is your definition of "scalp"? Also, just out of curiosity, how many round trips do you do per day on average? ... thanks.

Dr. Z has an interesting take on it in the 3rd post from the top on this page... http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176564&perpage=6&highlight=parasitic&pagenumber=4

If you trade through IB commissions for ES are 4.80 per RT. There are no data fees if you do a minimal amount of trading each month (check the website for details). I use IB's charts and also Quotetracker, both free, although free QT requires having an account with Ameritrade I think. Taxes on...

I don't know if I'd go the route of seeking sympathy for the "good people" who depend on the markets for their livelihood. In the eyes of many it's not really a "legitimate" or productive occupation, and I can't say I completely disagree, at least as far as trading is concerned. (I realize such...

"Singles" in a generic sense. Maybe 2 handles ES, 10-20 YM ... on a day like today. My trading is far from perfect or precise, obviously. Sorry about omitting the time stamps. First trade was off the 8:30 retail sales release. 2nd entry was a minute after the open. They're all chronological.

Chop is to be expected after a trend day like yesterday. I mostly shoot for singles. Hope this is helpful to you.

Consider the subtle irony in this post. Yet I think most successful independent traders strongly embrace this concept.

From my experience, scaling in seems to work better if I keep the scales fairly wide. Definitely equal to at least 1 stop value (2 pts in your example above). Also there are certain conditions in which I never scale. - Just my .02. :)

Not to mention bye-bye to sponsors Etrade, Ameritrade, IB, Scottrade, ... who else?

Thanks drcha, this kind of practical advice is very helpful.

Obviously I have very little experience with cc's. I've read a little but I figured I'd try to get some input from actual traders, which I'm glad I did, and the input is much appreciated. I've been trying to get a feel for cc's using my IB sim account, but that is not useful as I found out later...

The answers/advice generally would be the same for anyone.

I don't mean to cast an unnecessary shadow on your plan, but I have 2 questions for you: 1) How are you going to feed your kid during the 6 months to 2 years MINIMUM it will take you to learn how to trade futures profitably? (<< best case scenario) and 2) Why not just keep doing...

Thanks.

That answer was plenty detailed :) ... once again, much thanks.

Mike and JJacks - thanks for your replies. The time value thing explains it clearly. So if there is considerable time value left when the strike is hit, is there a general school of thought as to how to proceed? Do we ever want to take the gain right there and move on to the next trade...

I was hoping any of you experienced call writers could share some of your experience in answering a couple questions I have. What I'm wondering is, is there ever an instance when your strike is reached but the option is NOT exercised? I'm talking about CC's on very liquid stocks or ETFs such...

Yep. Thanks.

This is an extremely naive question, but how exactly do they distribute as they paint it green? (which I assume requires buying) Thanks.

If "speculative activity" is such a significant problem, then it must constitute a significant portion of daily volume. So if those transactions are discouraged via taxation, where's the revenue gonna come from?