If you guys took the time to learn some basic math, then you would understand how this operates.
Lets take last summer. Take the last two peaks and the two bottoms.
(450.72+427.89)/2= 439.305
(360.57+363.36)/2= 361.965
439.305-361.965= 77.34
77.34+439.305= about 516 which was the target price on the breakout in theory. the actual price was 513.
I would multiply 516 by .97 and that would get me to 500. If I were trading it back last year, I would have longed it on the breakout and then sold it at 500 without looking back.
So in trading Google on last breakout in October, you would have known to long Google after the breakout with simple math and then when to cash out.
I provided you with a trading map. One person stated it looks like a little kid scribbled it with Crayon. Well, if you want to think this way you can, but this is how the pros look at stuff on Wall Street. They take every trend line into consideration to find the pockets. Complex software programs are used to create a model. Your looking at this from the perspective of a guy that is at home on his PC using Interactive Brokers. You have to look at this how the computers are trading it. Im telling you how the computers are trading it and how the quants are looking at it.
Now I will reiterate how I would trade this the way forward.
I would not long this stock until it gets at least 3% above 513 which would be 528, rounded up would be 530. I always round up as a risk management precaution. 530 would be the point where I would be confident that it cleared the major resistance lines as well.
513-437= 76
76+513= 589
589 X .97= 571 would be the place were I would put a hard limit sell order.
There are reasons behind why I have hard targets and use these types of calculations. Thats because I know everyone else uses them too except for Joe six-pack trader. I multiply the target by .97 because I want to cash out before it hits its mark for obvious reasons.
If there is one thing we can all agree on, we can agree on the following things about Google:
1) It sucks to be caught on the other side of the trade as Scrinabop can atest to. It sucks to wait 6 months to be in the green again.
2) Google does not go up forever and is subject to pullbacks like all stocks.
A good trading plan and risk management strategy combined with targets and hard sell orders greatly reduces #1 so we can all rest easier at night.
Quote from Longhorns:
Well, at least we finally agree on something.