The Week Ahead: Trading in the Present Tense With an Eye on the Future

Jul 21, 2024

The Week Ahead: Trading in the Present Tense With an Eye on the Future

Key Points

  • Successful Day Trading is Mentally Challenging: Recognizing underlying structural deterioration is crucial.
  • Momentum Traders' Focus on Price: Traders often advance price without realizing the risk, similar to driving while looking straight ahead only.

Market Observation

  • Past Week Analysis:
    • Two weeks ago: High odds of retracing the range from the previous week.
    • Last week: Momentum traders took the market higher, delaying the retracement.
    • Recent retracement: Finally occurred a week later than expected.

Trading Strategy

  • Developing Value:
    • Focus on what is occurring now.
    • Odds eventually caught up with the market.

Two Observations:

  1. Less risk in being late rather than early during momentum markets.
  2. An external catalyst often needed to get traders' attention.
    • Example: Nervousness from Republican National Convention rhetoric.

Market Indicators

  • Excess:
    • Lack of excess in aligned days suggests retracement likely.
    • Observing the excess is key to understanding market movements.

Current Support Level

  • 5500 Level:
    • Next lower support level.
    • Focus on whether the market finds acceptance or gets rejected at this level.

Long-term Basis

  • Liquidating break likely rather than a full-scale route.
  • Immediate aggressive selling is absent.
  • Market might break before continuing to increase.
  • Importance of excess in determining market continuation.

Summary

  • Immediate focus on the 5500 level.
  • Importance of patience and understanding market movements.
  • Traders should watch for excess low indicators to adapt strategy.

Good trading! Have a great week