I agree that this thread contains a lot of information that has piqued my interest. I have traded for about 6 years on a part time basis, but each year I increase the frequency ( I currently trade about 75 to 100 round trips a month). I use charts mostly to see how volatile a particular stock is in one given day. I trade most frequently in the pre and post market hours, based upon news and momentum. One of my favorite plays is following a particular group (i.e., internet or semis) and placing a short or long position on one particular stock that is gapping opposite of its peers. The amount of shares I trade is based upon my risk/probability level, if I catch a reversal on a big announcement I will usually go with 5,000 to 10,000 lots. If the market looks uncertain, I will trade between 200 and 2,000 lots. Each year I have a return of between 20 to 30 percent. My biggest weakness is stopping losses and not letting good trades run further. My winning trade average is around 70 to 80 percent.
One area I hope to gain more knowledge concerns your trades based upon defined chart patterns. Thanks.