Keeping things small..

Sorry folks for the late update...not much to say...the bull juggernaut continues...Just watching how long it goes..

I am short but in smaller size..and hedged..so not going to worry about all these silly upmoves...Its too late to go long so definitely not doing that..

If we do get some kind of pullback soon, we shall see then.

For now, short and watching...I will take off the hedge if I get an hourly sell..till then maintaining status quo.

Charts later..Bit busy today. I have some interesting thoughts to share but not now.

Best.

What am I doing?

PS: DONT IGNORE this one either...



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12:00 NOON UPDATE: Could this be a flag? If so, breakout above will make market run up quick. Not sure for now..But if it does, its good for an intraday trade.


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Okay guys...You saw I shorted a bit yesterday...I added some more today...And I hedged this with 3000 April calls. I am not sure at this juncture what we are going to do next...I see at minimum a pullback and then a move higher...It is actually too late to go long which is why I am not doing this...

For the bullish case, we need to have some sort of pullback here..else I am sorry to say, we are going into bubble mode and we will have a fast crash-like move...I am not raving bearish anymore..more like neutral..so remember my positions reflect that...

I mentioned earlier that I am looking more at swing signals(thanks to kpl) for trading signals going forward..So that I keep out of trouble going forward.

See the 20hr swing below.



Coming to sentiment...Its turned very bullish now..I would be cautious on longs..If we get a decent pullback I shall look to go long..Ofcourse will reevaluate at that point...Frankly this is a very confusing juncture..tough trading.

EW structures...I have some interesting ideas..One bullish(the obvious one) and the bearish one...Now since the obvious is more often incorrect, I would be cautious. I am thinking STILL along the bearish lines...For those familiar with the EW lingo, I think its a bearish wave4 flat or a wave4 triangle still..with w5 down still to come..However we need to respect momentum here and wait for some confirmation on downside...tough to say right now...But I will post these scenarios with charts later..maybe tomorrow....If anyone else has thoughts on this, please comment.

Intraday setups - I dont have anything at the moment but I shall post if I do see something interesting...note that these setups and patterns dont come often but when they do, we can bank some good coin and low risk.

Best.

Trying a small short...

...not going nuts on this short...very small compared to my normal short...And I have a hard stop at yesterdays highs...above that and I'm out...else I am playing for a pullback to 2860 odd...maybe a bit lower also...but let us see...

I will share some charts in a little while.

Best.

Just a small break

Read all the comments...Just wanted to say some stuff..which I also posted in the comments section of previous post -

Everyone..really...No defeat and all...I will come back with more analysis..And will come back stronger...

Why did I say I am taking a break?

Just regrouping..rethinking..evaluating what went wrong and so on..

When a big loser happens, we need to do that, else emotional trades will happen.

For the record -

My last short trade - From 2600 odd till 2800 I shorted...My AVG price was around 2720...I had several signals to cut and run in between which I ignored...This was my first mistake. Adding a lot to a losing position was the second...

However breakout above 2840 was my last point as I must have mentioned several times in previous posts..Market gapped up above and never looked back...

To be totally clear...From 2720 to 2860 around 140 pts loss...If you take all the earlier gains, this is not so BAD....BUT thats a traders folly and false justification..For me this was the biggest loser trade so far..So I needed to step back and see what went wrong..For me it was more of mindset that anything else...I need to clear that and come back fresh..

I will do so soon.

Best and Thanks to everyone for their comments..I know a lot of bears lost money...You can see how much I lost above...

Dont worry too much..Its all part and parcel of the game.

I WILL BE BACK LATER WITH MY CHARTS AND MORE ON OUTLOOK.

I am trying some new stuff..i.e using the 20period swing system on different timescales to see which one is better. I might post some trial entries later today with this..The only thing confusing me for now is which timeframe to use...1hour or 30 min swing...Trying to evaluate which is better.

Regd outlook - This rally has gone too far..We should get some kind of pullback and consolidation after which we will make an attempt to take out the highs...So it looks like we have to put bearishness on the back burner and try to trade on the longer side and buy dips...

But this will come later...I dont think the pullback is done yet..I will use the swing indicators to show where to go long or where to go short.

More later.

Best.

Intraday Thoughts

EDIT: Just wanted to make things clear..I am totally flat now..Not trading for a little while..Generally after some losers, its better to regroup and come back..So thats what I will do..Frankly I am surprised all the bullishness..But generally market defies logic...So maybe a new bull is starting..Who knows...More thoughts later...trade safe out there...And dont trust anything..bye.

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EDIT: Dont know..Dont know..I am capitulating fully and going flat..Will decide on future positions later...Now just going to chill a bit...Better to let things sink in and not trade emotionally...Things look very bullish for now...Atleast for today.

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Okay guys...The US market futures has done bears in...I am capitulating a bit over here...Covering all option position shorts in loss...Also rolling the future shorts to April...Also hedging ALL of them with 2900 calls. Dont know how this turns out...But I cannot see any reason to be bullish now..Maybe I am wrong and will be bankrupt soon...Feel FREE to fade me.. :)

Below is what I wrote few hours back...I still feel the same...But US futs gapping up has obviously thrown a spanner in all bears works...Let us see how this works out..
Tough trading..

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Past several hours, I've been reviewing market data and charts..I've also been reading several blogs and forums...And overall, what I read is scaring me and making me question my earlier views in past few posts where I was toning down on my bearishness...

I see that everywhere, the bulls have started hoping against hope again...And on
what basis? That things cannot be TOO bad...HOW did they reach such a conclusion?
Price has done absolutely NOTHING on a medium term basis...So WHY bullish? I am pretty surprised...At best I expected some neutral sentiment..Price has not moved anywhere over past 3-4 months..So because of this one would expect more neutral sentiment...The bulls are back though...Last week pushed sentiment to the more bullish side...Maybe they will be right and we will push higher up...I continue to be skeptical But lets play point to point...

Best.

Weekend Thoughts

A more objective look at things that transpired last week and also a look at possibilities for next week -

As I alluded to in the previous post, the last week in US was QUAD EXPO week - Basically everything expired..We had a lot of games played by the market makers...A lot of manipulation...Yeah I know lot of you dont believe it...But the markets are manipulated! So big rally in US = Big rally for our markets...Nothing else...Did something good come from our side of things? Nope...Okay instead of looking for reasons, lets see what can happen next -

CHARTS - See those posted in the posts below this and the next.

So what I see is - as I think I explained last week, a move to 2700 area is almost surely on the cards...After that, it gets fuzzy...We could make one more move back up to 2820 area at which we have to see what happens...OR we break 2700, 2660 and continue lower. At this point since there has been a lot of base building at 2500, we might not break it any time soon...Maybe never...

So taking it one step at a time...Maybe the bulls are right and we pullback a little and mount a huge rally..But I dont see it yet...I will see how we react after our pullback and expiry before making these decisions..

I am an intermediate term trader...Still I do try to identify very short term opportunities which I do post here..You'll remember the wedge, the flag pattern etc..All of these made for excellent intraday trades....I do trade them also when I see some good stuff like that...Doesnt come all the time but when they do, its worth trading them...

Which brings me to my next point...There has been some debate on anticipation vs. reactionary trading...And Sajal raised some good points to counter..

Really you think about the wedge I posted earlier or the flag breakdown..Both of them worked perfectly...It was anticipation...correct? The point is, when will you react to them? 20 points lower? :)

Okay another example, in the charts in below post, we have 2820 area as strong resistance to overcome right NOW because of the falling DT line...NOW, IF I short here with stops above...Tell me - Reaction or Anticipation? :) Hope you are getting my point...And this is not TA? Think about it.

There are different methods to make money in markets...Do your own thang..But dont be so quick to dismiss others...

Most traders lose money some time or other..The main problem I have is that whenever I do this, I do so in front of a large audience in real time :)

Think about this also a bit...

Best.

Do ya feel LUCKY PUNK?

WELL DO YA?




:D

Bulls get off this train with what you got so far...Thats ALL I have to say...Sure you might get some more upside...But dont fall in LOVE with the UPSIDE..

What you got already is way more that what you should have....

AND Thats all I have to say...

I read all the comments in the chatbox...I am happy with what I read here and elsewhere...People are ready for a new bullmarket..Already...That itself tells me you all are wrong...way wrong...

And when I look at my charts, its like the icing on the CAKE.. :)

For those that did not know this last week wast QUAD Witching week in US where pretty much all derivatives expire this week..Its a very rare occurance and so lots of manipulation comes up...DO you guys think Indian markets went up on their own accord? If so, GOD bless you guys...

Cheers to All...And have a GOOD weekend.

I will most my more sane thoughts later when I am NOT this inebriated... LOL :)

Ok you guys, understand this post is more of weekend fun that anything else..I dont mean offense to anyone...Its just not my style...Just thought its a funny post to do....I will do a very sane post tomorrow...with all my thoughts..I have to give this past week to the bulls...But I think next week belongs to da bears..

GO BEARS!! :D

Best.

What's the Beef?

Okay guys..Whats going on...I have been really really busy the past several days...Still I am trying to come here and make some kind of update...I obviously missed to do this yesterday...Tried to say something in chatbox..And invited the IRE of some 'guy' there...

Also some folks on comments also are saying some stuff..See guy and those on comments, I dont disagree with you...I use TA too...What I use might be different from what you use...The only thing I see wrong in what I did - I missed the last 100-150 points on the upside...Now you leeches hold me to that..yeah..I know..You guys will do that...See there are different methods of TA and trading...Respect other methods too...I might be using a contrarian approach..But I do that coz thats what I am comfy with...

So okay...Have your laughs..I am wrong for now..And I am feeling the pain..BUT...

Overall I see very little reason for the market to continue up from here..If it does, I will abandon my bearishness...

Well what can I say..When I go right, lots of folks come out and praise...Some bugs wait for things to go wrong, then they come out...they however disappear when things go right again...I have been seeing this for the past several months...

You guys think I dont use money management or some kind of risk management? That was the aim of my post yesterday..Unfortunately it seems to have been too much to comprehend for most folks...Nothing I can do here...

Coming to the markets...I been wrong..No doubt...But looking at stuff today, I dont see any reason for bullishness to continue..In fact I see a good amount of downside..Very closeby...

2 scenarios I am looking at -

1. Bear Scenario - We decline fast from here, break 2770 first, 2700 second, 2660-2600 third and then touch 2500 strong support. Breaking 2500, while not impossible, seems unlikely for now...But if we do, we shall test 2200-2000 range very quick.

2. Bull Scenario - This one also portends a drop from here...We need to see where we can take supports...Will it be 2700 or 2660 I dont know...One of those areas, should support..And then we should mount another much stronger rally...

Seriously I do not know which one of above will play out...Its a toss up right now...Play level by level..Thats all we can do...There is some very bullish signals coming out...But the best thing for the bulls would have been to go down and set some really good divergences..But you know bulls..CHARGE..Yeah..This is going to be some tough trading...

I am however becoming more medium term and long term bullish..This I will give to the bulls...

Short term however...No cigar!

What I did over past few days..Reduced shorts considerably at around 2750 as I said in earlier posts...I added back some yesterday...Overall not so great of trades but lets see this to completion. See the charts below for what I am looking at.

Charts -





And as Tom Hanks said in Forrest Gump,

Thats ALL I have to SAY about THAT... :)

Best.

Words of Wisdom

"The market can remain irrational longer than you can stay solvent"

As always, it is vital that you size your positions appropriately and not focus on earning back losses, but rather only focus on the market now and going forward. Maybe you'll get lucky and the market will move your direction next time, but over time a lack of risk control will ruin everyone.

Best.

Wednesday

The wedge worked very well yesterday for a short term trade...Hope some of you banked some coin...

Today also the US market pushed up..I like the action because it made people more bullish...Sentiment is important..I think its very very close to topping out..

Our market..Tricky..Today we should retest the area of the highs again..Dont know if it will go above...Yesterday I reduced on my short exposure toward the end of day..I think I mentioned earlier that I would do this..Still short but not so much that I cannot add more..

So thats the plan..The top of the falling channel is at 2830-2840 range..So that should remain stoploss for shorts for now..Please note I never put in a hard stop..Instead will have a mental stop..

As for the market moves, there are few different possibilities...Infact the more bullish one was to drop to 2660 range over next couple of days and mount one more rally upward. Dont know if we get it but overall I would say we are in a topping mode right now...Lets see how it plays out.

If I see something worthwhile intraday, I will post.

Best.

Intraday Chart

Looks like a wedge but not very confident -




Breakdown of 2750 might get it to 2700 first, 2660 second and last 2600 strong support.Obviously will not happen in one line or in one day.

Best.

Bank Nifty, Reliance and the Broader Market

Some requests from viewers:

Heres Bank Nifty -



Heres Reliance -




Lastly here is a look at Nifty again.
Nifty -



I have to admit I have been wrong this time in shorting the rally too early..I have to give kudos to Ilango for calling this correctly i.e an ending diagonal...

Maybe a move down from 2780-2840 range to tag 2500-2450 range again. After which we shall see a much more sustainable and bigger rally.

For now, I am in damage control mode regarding short positions held. I still think 2500 will be seen again. But I am considerably less bearish than before..So will look to reduce risk and trade lighter. I would recommend same to everyone.

Best.

What I see.....

12:30PM: I said we'd test 2730, and here we are testing it...May sell off from here..Infact I think good odds for it..Above it and we can run very fast to 2750 and maybe even 2780..Low probability for now..

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11:00AM: Okay so initial upmove over..And a pullback..It looks like its taking support around here..So it will try again 2730 range...Need to see how it reacts there before determining what can happen next..I added bit more to shorts in the am..As I said earlier, I was 50% short earlier...added bit more today...Not yet at 100%...I will reserve that for IF we trade at around 2820.

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Before I get into the charts and forecasting...Let me say some stuff...Most of you guys think that when I come out and make a statement like market is going to rally and test so and so a figure or market is going to fall and test so and so a figure, I look into my crystal ball and dole that out to you..OR that I am an operator moving the markets :D ..OR well that I am bullshitting you...But well that is NOT the case...Absolutely NOT...There is a lot of study that goes into this forecast..LOTS..That most of the normal folks wont be able to wrap their head around it!..LOL..I am delusional..A little bit crazy...A little bit paranoid...And very dedicated to the market that probably Mrs. Lee will soon drive me out of the house! LOL :D ..Thats probably why :) Not trying to be coy..But just trying to say - Dont take this stuff for granted..There is a lot of effort going into this..I am not God..I am wrong more often than right..But thats what we have exit plans or Stops in place for..But when I am right, I WILL rock and roll...And thats when most naysayers come out I notice...like last week and before :) So today, I will try and show some of the stuff I am looking at..

Its a very very interesting juncture...Infact I'd call it the most interesting and confusing juncture since the BIG BAD BEAR began in Jan of 08. So lets get into it...Guys you can comment, you can criticize, do whatever you want. I love reading comments..I love reading thoughts from others...Whether its FOR or AGAINST..so pls post..With reasons ofcourse.. :)

The only thing I cannot tolerate is -
1. Blatant criticism about positions without ANY reasons.
2. Questioning about positions AS IF I am your financial advisor..Which I am NOT!.

Anything other than above, please guys, I urge you to post..Post charts thru stuff like imageshack or jing..I will comment..I will help if you guys are looking for help...Anything...

Ok lets start then, we shall look at some charts first with my comments annotated on them...And then we shall go into my thoughts on what market shall do this coming week -












Okay...now what do I think...I feel..that we have 2 possibilities..Test 2760-80 odd and move down for the finale capitulation...I dont know what the reasons will be but in TA we dont search for reasons :)

The 2nd possibility is that we go down from around 2720-2740 odd to test 2660-2600 range before pushing higher up into the 2810-20 range...before again the finale capitulation move..

The last possibility - I give low probability to this but as traders we need to have this always in back of mind - Is that we go above 2820 and 2850 and sustain there..This will mean a move to around 3250 first and then above than 3600 and 4200..LOL...Look at the charts objectively and you will see what I mean...

For now, I do remain bearish but I will be ready to change on a dime as we might be near to a MORPH point....More than Ever!

Comments welcome as always.

Best.

Wrap Up

So I did absolutely nothing today..Which is also why I did not post in case anyone was wondering. If I dont post, assume I did nothing.. Its either that I am also confused and thinking what to do. Or that I do see anything tradeable in there.

For me yesterday was a day I could do nothing or very little...No pattern reliable enough to trade. I actually have some more leeway to add shorts as I am only 50% short now.

Its basically what we call a narrow range day even though it was a huge gap up..atleast what I would call an NR tradable day..Almost for 3 hrs or so, the market just stayed in a very narrow range...Absorbed all buying and selling and then moved up - short covering or buying I do not know..But I would guess a lot of shorts may have covered.

I wanted to hedge if possible, but market did not pullback enough to do that. I wanted to also add shorts if possible, but market did not rally enough for me to do that...

So next week, I will be looking at 2740 first and then 2780/90 next to add in some shorts...If market does look like it will close above 2780/90 any day, I will take my lumps and close this in a loss.

We could move straight up to the target and fall. OR we could pull back a bit to 2660 range and then try to rally up to 2780 again. Essentially the possibilities I have drawn down in below post. So its all different possibilities.

Its a moving target - Will watch next week for more clues. We all trade as per what we see. Please do not question others trades - this will not be entertained in this blog. After all I have to assume everyone reading this is intelligent enough to know when they are wrong - by themselves. I do know this and I make my own decisions - Just a cautionary request to all. I saw some challenging and questioning on cbox lately - Its not good. Trade your own stuff - If you are MAN enough, then post your trades. If you get it right, well and good..If wrong, well another trade will come - Take your lumps and move on.

Best.

Another Squeeze on the Cards?

Looks like it based on the huge strength in all markets. And maybe this one will actually stick. As of now I dont have a clear trading plan even though I do want to hedge all my shorts with options - This rally may have some legs - I do not know at this point...Whenever the trend changes, its tough to get on board. At this moment I do not see anything to suggest a trend change - But I guess thats how something new starts always.

If market breaks back into the triangle, it will invalidate it and the bearish case will weaken considerably. So thats my line in the sand right now. Either case I will look to hedge today on a pullback.

Chart -


Best.

ITS WAR - Pure and Simple

Everyday I prepare for trading in the markets. During the US market hours, I watch the waves, try to understand where its going. During the time in between the US and our markets, I study different views, blogs, boards to get more ideas and thoughts..Not that I follow anyone but its to get different perspectives on things..Mostly I plan the trade and trade the plan. Before entering a trade, I have a plan - Meaning what will I do IF market does this? What is my exit point? What is my add-on point? At which point will market prove me wrong? How do I manage this trade? And a very important question - What is my RISK on this trade?

Most newbies ask me - what do you do to become successful in the markets. I dont have an easy answer to this. Markets are dynamic. There is no holy grail out there to making money in the markets. Its all a matter of experience. A matter of having a strong mind to weather out minor bad phases. A matter of understanding money management and risk management. Above all, you need real time experience trading - Its no easy feat - Hours and hours of effort is needed. One thing new traders always think about is WHAT is the profit potential of a trade? They never think or understand the concept of - WHAT is the risk potential of a trade? See trading is not about charts or TA alone. There are many factors which I have tried to explain above..

I always say - 3 things - Mental frame of mind, Money/Risk management and finally TA/Charting/Some kind of trading method or system. All 3 need to be there, all 3 need to gel together. Its a process...And each trader needs to evolve himself or herself into such a state. Its not easy but can be done.

When I trade, I feel like its a WAR. There is no concept of investment when you are trading in and out. In fact, I find it hilarious when some folks say they invested in calls and puts..LOL..Do you know what investment is? Where is the wealth creation? Trading short term or in FNO is a zero sum game. I take your money, someone else will take my money...You need to be ahead of the game to make a mark. The sharks are out there to take your money. Its WAR - pure and simple! :)

Maybe putting cash into stocks Buffet style so as to earn dividends - Yeah this is investment...Not what most people do or can do.

So when you go out to trade each day. Prepare for WAR...Bulls and Bears make money..Pigs get slaughtered :)

Charts and Views later.

Best.

THE GAPPER

12:30PM: Okay..Anyone shorted the pop to 2620? I added to shorts...Now hold and wait..Let us see..Good night all..Will try to post some charts tomorrow.
EDIT: Well on looking at intra charts some more, looks like we good have one more good push higher upto 2640 but not sure...More tomorrow!
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11:40AM: I dont see any intraday patterns worth trading today...So no charts. I am also not sure what will happen later today...If we do infact stretch up into the 2620-2640 area, I will look to add some more shorts.
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10:40AM: Hmmnn...Looks like shorting the open would have been a good trade..Nuts..Well I expected more strength today :) No trades yet today.

Something of interest and what I like for the BEAR case - Sentiment turned visibly more bullish over the 2 holidays we had...Based off a number of forums and blogs I visit..Pay attention here...I have been saying for a while we have to have one more low...Where exactly I do not know :)...Trade from point to point for now..
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After the Open: Well not that big of a bounce as I expected..But there is still time..Done nothing so far. I see 2620 as first point we need to get above on on a hourly candle. Then 2660 - This is for the bullish case..For bears exact opposite today...I am just looking for spots to short at now...

How far do you think current bounce goes up to today? Comments please..
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Uploaded the Zurich Axioms again -

The Axioms

Anyone missed reading this last time, please do. Its an awesome book necessary for everyone trading in the market..
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So looks like its a big gap up today for us after the 2 day holiday. Well got to take it as it comes. I will wait to see how market opens and trades today before making a decision. I see a few possibilities but would like to watch a bit before making any decisions.

Hedging against shorts is one thing I am thinking of. The other is to closing the shorts at loss and trying again higher. The last one is ofcourse add on to shorts at higher levels and so get to full short position size.

A decision has to be made :) More thoughts later.

Best.

US Bounce

Big bounce in the US markets...Will this one stick or fade like everyone else? My view - MAX upto 742-750 SPX is possible after maybe a pullback tomorrow..So pullback from 720 to around 700/690, then again one more move up after a little into the 740 area max..It may not even get that far...This is how I see it happening. Another classic ABC pattern before next move down - Also this should be the FINAL move down.

Now this kind of puts a quandary on the shorts I am holding now. Maybe the US market will be weak tomorrow and bail me out but I am not sure. But I am not too worried about this..Either way, I see this wonder bounce failing soon. And since I am at something like 50% of my planned short size, I can always add more if we bounce higher...But its a moving target - will see more on Thursday morning.

Also lets see how tomorrow in US markets plays though.

Best.

Week Ahead

After the close - So as expected the 2560 gave support which is why I said below, intraday guys can take profits...So this sets up a creek, break below 2560 will mean a quick decline to 2500 where we might bounce a bit again...Next 2 days US market action is key here but I expect we break it sooner than later unless something really unexpected happens on the news front..
Cheers...Have a good couple of days off front the market!
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12:10PM Update - Sometimes TA (and my calls :P) even amazes me :) Again I called this in realtime below...You guys owe me big time...j.k :)..If you are a day trader, take some profits now...I am planning to hold these shorts through the holidays..Good Night to All!...


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11:40AM Update - And THERE you have it....Breakdown baby...Breakdown :)
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11:00AM Update - A look at the charts...Added bit more to shorts...


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10:15AM Update - Entering first small tranche of shorts at around 2583..Just 30% for now...Watching for now...If we get a good bounce to 2660, I will add to these so that I get at 60% short...Probably wont do more than that today as its risky.

Risk averse folks - Dont follow me on these shorts..As I said before, the 2 holidays are a problem here...More later.
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Before the market Open - Most of my thoughts are on the charts.

Trade plan is to start shorting asap. Looks like we have a lower open in store today even though I am not sure why exactly...So looks like I might have to chase short entries today...But whatever...I will try to get short in small amounts today. Remember the next 2 days are holidays..So dont over commit to anything.

Also remember - We are building/or very close to building a very important bottom...Timewise as I have been saying, March end - April mid we shall get an important low.

Intraday comments will follow later.

Best.

One Year...

...Since the inception of this blog :)

My activity in this blog has been on and off at times..Even thought about quitting at times but came back strong..Started some new stuff but couldnt sustain that without harming other sides of the equation...But still, recently my blogging has gained more momentum and purpose and I am happy with that...Hope it continues the same way. I have always told my readers, if you like this blog, please tell your friends also.

I have always wanted to make this site more of a participation and sharing hub - something like evilspeculator.com here in the US..Hope my dream comes true...Need much more commenting and participation from you guys...

Join me in Wishing this blog a Very Happy 1st Birthday and many more to come! :)

Best.