Every trader faces the same question after entering a winning position. Do I take profit at my target? Or do I let it run? Most traders have no system for this decision.  They rely on gut feeling, greed, or fear.  The result is inconsistent execution and money left on the table. The Core Principle If

Energy stocks exploded on the Venezuela news. But half the sector got left behind. Exxon rallied. Chevron surged. Remember those Exxon Mobil calls that I talked about expiring in February? They’ve doubled!  The Valero put spread that was under water? Now it’s profitable! Yet, Occidental Petroleum reversed hard after gapping up at the open. Antero

The S&P 500 gapped up on the first trading day of 2026. Then it closed down. Retail traders immediately started debating whether this year would be bullish or bearish.  They dissected every tick of the index…watched Nvidia…Tesla… They all watched the wrong market entirely. The bond market tells the real story. And it quietly flashed

I love to bake and cook (yes, there’s a huge difference). And while I do, I like to experiment.  I enjoy taking core concepts and adjusting them to create something we’ve never had before. The process and the results are genuinely fun and fulfilling for me.  However, this drives my wife a little bit crazy.

Most traders look at volume indicators and see one thing: buyers versus sellers. Green means buying. Red means selling. Simple enough. That approach misses the entire story. Recently, I walked through my modified Chaikin Money Flow indicator in detail. The response was overwhelming. Dozens of emails flooded in asking for more. So let me break

I want to flip the way I write this weekend article. I will talk about trading first and personal at the end. As we enter the full swing of the holiday season, I was thinking of traditions both new and old. I found a parallel between tradition and trading rules. Tradition creates the often-unsaid rulebook

Picture an ice cube sitting next to a fire. When it’s far away, the cube barely melts. Move it closer, and the water starts pooling fast. In the final moments, it’s gone in seconds. That’s time decay. And right now, one of our trade ideas is watching the ice cube work in its favor while

Two weeks ago, I walked you through three protection-first trade ideas:’ A healthcare diagonal on GILD  An energy put spread on VLO And oil sector calls on XOM These were setups to illustrate a methodology.  Protection first, growth second. Structures that survive market noise. But here’s what makes this valuable: tracking what would’ve happened. Today?

Picture this: it’s January 2nd, and gyms across the country are packed with people committed to their New Year’s resolutions. Fast forward to February, and those same gyms are nearly empty. Yet everyone’s credit card is still getting charged $50 a month. This phenomenon is known as the gym model. When someone signs up for

Last week, I walked you through three protection-first trades.  Today, I want to show you what’s happening underneath the surface. The Fed cut rates yesterday. Markets jumped. But not everything moved the same direction. That matters more than most traders realize. The Quick Update Before we dig into rotation, here’s where those three trades stand