Category: Indices

January was a great month for me and set me up for a great start to the year with my returns better than most stock indexes so far.  My goal for the year is to avoid stupidity.  It sounds so easy up front, but yet somehow I’m not so sure I can pass up the lure of the exciting trade every day for a full year.  I’m trying to keep most of my trades with closer month expiration dates to …

I charted the past three months of daily prices for the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU, $DJI, DJIA) after the index closed at 12,660.46 on Friday, January 27, 2012.

At the beginning of December, I charted the S&P 500 index and pointed out how the 50 and 100 day moving …

This S&P 500 ($SPX) chart shows the past three months of daily prices after the index finished the week at 1,315.38 on Friday, January 20, 2012.

As I mentioned last week in my Dow Jones chart, technical analysis can be an art as much as a science when using certain technical indicators.  Three of my go-to …

I charted the past three months of daily prices for the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU, $DJI, DJIA) after the index closed at 12,422.06 on Friday, January 13, 2012.

You can find a trend to almost any point on a chart if you look hard enough.  This is a major risk in using trend lines exclusively …

This S&P 500 ($SPX) chart shows the past three months of daily prices after the index finished the week at 1,277.81 on Friday, January 6, 2012.

The S&P 500 is approaching resistance at its October 27th intraday high of 1,292.66 and volume will likely stay light until the large cap index can move past this key …

December was a pretty good month for me and allowed me to salvage a mediocre year.  I’m actually not upset with my 2011 performance considering I made a couple of stupid trades that cost me big and I still ended up coming close to the average of the indexes’ returns.  However, the goal isn’t to tie the index returns.  I could do that much more tax efficiently by using a diversified buy and hold technique.  The goal is to beat …

I charted the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU, $DJI, DJIA), after the markets closed on Friday, December 23, 2011, after the Dow closed for the week at 12,294.00.

The Dow lurched higher during the few days leading up to the Christmas holiday only to reach the area of previous resistance by the time the closing …

This S&P 500 ($SPX) chart shows the past twelve months of weekly prices after the index finished the week at 1,219.66 on Friday, December 16, 2011.

The technical indicators aren’t all in agreement this week which makes traders more skittish going into the lower volume last two weeks of the year.  When the picture isn’t as …

I charted the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU, $DJI, DJIA), after the markets closed on Friday, December 12, 2011, after the Dow closed for the week at 12,184.26.

After the Willliams %R indicator fell off the bottom of the Dow chart for the first time I can remember ever the index came shooting back like there …