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Nicely explained, Cache Landing, and thanks for your personal reply! It sounds like you are available to be a good coach. Too bad it comes just at the time I can't trade! As you explained, your last workings with straddles/strangles wasn't working - what is the name of the strategy you use now...

Thanks Cache Landing, I think I mentioned in a previous post that I would indeed do more of what you do, given enough acc't size to do it. How much on average does one need to start playing spreads? I've been with IB and have very much enjoyed their low commissions, although they don't have any...

No, it's just that I bought on the edge of my margin, and minutes later, the call dropped in value a few cents, sending my acc't into negative margin, triggering the sell. My discipline is not right and I am now dead in my acc't. Every single mistake and misfortune I could possibly suffer has...

Well, it sure took off, but I still was a fumbler. In @$0.95 and out @$1.25. I wasn't present to sell until today, and didn't set stops since I thought it would recover with the onset of inevitable weather. Panicked on the midmorning drawdown and sold before it completely recovered and then...

What's "Big Pharma"? I tried looking it up but no results. By the way, how'd you come up with your moniker? Happy Trades...

That bane is right on! Patience, patience... I bought and started reading Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan, and have heard your mention quoted before as well. I use Bolinger Bands and the 20EMA to gauge habits and tendencies in stocks and find that the most helpful...

Thanks guys, for the replies. I appreciate your kind attentiveness. I am drowning here, stuck in my last losing DNA call, my last trade if it doesn't pick up soon. The Nasdaq was down a good bit today, as I suspected over the last couple of weeks it would be. Truthfully, after the last 3 up days...

I'm surprised they take such a hard line with him. He's a brilliant man, but I'll concede he's certainly not right all the time. And I say that as a swing trader, whereas his picks are intended for 18mos. or so, meaning I haven't ever gone so far as to check his picks long term. I look up his...

I see now you mentioned above your symbols you were trading them in verticals and I missed that. It sounds like a strategy I should be using as I am a fairly green trader and have been spending my acc't learning from my directional trading mistakes. The one thing I have learned is paramount in...

You were right and I was wrong about the $95 resistance point. What made you think it was that strong, seeing it had already passed it recently? And how do you arrive at the $93 and $90 figures? I would like to be able to do that. By the way, is the spread trading you're doing referred to...

I've been busy the last few days, and not posting as intended. Tha QQQQ puts went well, as expected, but playing the bounce the last 2 days did not - as I expected. I still expect the rest of Dec. to be down in the markets generally. Tried a play on another recommendation by Cramer - SIRI...

I'm aware that XMSR is SIRI's competitor and I did not choose it instead because the fundamentals don't look as good as SIRI's. It by the way is also going down, even worse than SIRI, and that off a high. I'm not as confident SIRI will recover as when I first got in, but I have to give it...

Right after I last posted, SIRI was rebounding strongly, thought it might return more than the QQQQ's might, so shortly after market open Dec.15, I sold 1 of my 3 QQQQ puts, @$0.30, at a loss of $11.50, and bought 1 SIRI Jan7.5 call @$0.45. My son had also called me the same day and said, as a...

How did you figure AAPL was going down this week? It looks so steady. Was the analyst downgrade today expected or not figured at all?

Uh, sorry - that's a "support" point.

ISE has not been doing what I expected, only creeping when I expected it to rise sharply, and losing money on the option. I don't know why it faltered, other than a sister stock - AX, is failing badly today, perhaps on diminishing volume in the markets in general, seeing as these are "exchange"...

I couldn't agree more - I like the way you are playing the directions - that is my ultimate goal - to be able to eke out as much from a given stock's movement in the way of option trades as possible. Yes, ISE is slow this a.m. and as you said, worthy of dumping if it's a down day. AX that...

No guarantees? Aw, c'mon!!:D I'm surprised to hear you use that word in this kind of activity! I see a strong pattern in ISE and I guess that's what I rely on for the degree of certainty I need. Looking at your XTO, it looks fraught with volatility - lots of green and red days intermixed - I...

After a very nice run of calls and puts on DNA, I got smoked on an unexpected reversal. Now that I'm down to $268 in my acc't, I figure the tactics of a desperate man might be interesting to follow, hence I'll be posting my picks and plays, til I either die or break $5k. ISE came to my...

That's a very nice return on capital req'd - I wonder why others aren't doing the same. I haven't gotten to selling yet, especially because I don't have the capital yet (still recovering from my GOOG 400 call loss last expiry - acc't up from $500 then to ~$1k today) and haven't gotten through...