Thread: Market Trading

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Accounts

TSP is one leg of your retirement system. The money put in TSP is tax-deferred. It is best rolled over to a traditional IRA when a person retires.

TSP has 5 funds. They are good, but not great. The investment world has countless funds.

You are gonna need other money, home, boat, medical, or etc.

Open a money market account at your bank and start a savings plan. You want to get roughly $10K. Anything over 10K you can invest.

Start looking for an online discount broker. One that is reputable, low trade fees, has an easy to use platform. And maybe near by. Personally I use Scottrade, but there are a lot of other good ones. Low trade fees and a easy to use platform, and reputation helped me decide which one.

Exchange traded funds ETF's are the easiest to use. Start reading up about them on the internet. Also at http://www.barchart.com

Right now we are planning and studying for a future strategy. To make money!

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Start setting up your computer to work for you, not against U!

Organize your favorates on the internet

Favorates

Financial
Chat Rooms
Fundamentals
Misc
My Favorates
My Portfolio
Technicals

Chat rooms: TSPTalk.com, etc.
Fundamentals: briefings.com, etc
Misc: incrediblecharts.com, ishares.com, etc.
My Favorates: (Local bank), (Internet discount Broker), (TSP), etc.
My Portfolio: (TSP funds on yahoo), etc.
Technicals: barchart.com, money.cnn.com/markets/morning_call, stockchart.com/gallery/$SPX, USAToday Markets, Yahoo Finance, etc.

Add those that serve you best in keeping a handle on the market and your investments. Listen to what Teknobucks offers on Fundamentals, and maybe select some of his listings.

Rgds Spaf

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Tip

1. When selecting an internet discount broker. Make sure you know how their system operates i.e., what is unsettled funds?

2. In your trading cash account. Some brokers pay dividends. So it's better than a matress or a tin can.

3. Remember it's a daily committment. But it sure beats re-runs on TV!

Rgds Spaf

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Considerations

Other books to help you out:

General Finance:
9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman at Amazon.com

Mutual Funds i.e. a TSP rollover to IRA
Mutual funds for Dummies by Eric Tyson and James C. Collins at Amazon.com

Favorates/Financial/Fundamentals. Items that may be considered for your fundamentals:
signalwatch.com
conference-board.org/economics
today.reuters.com/news/default.aspx

Rgds Spaf

Spaf,

My friend you have been busy today. Good work.

On 3/7/05 several Dow Theory newsletter writers put out a solid buy signal when the transports and utilities both confirmed the Dow Industrials. Then the secondary trend correction gave us a 900 points down celebration - I did manage to take some opportunity and do some serious buying. Richard Russell - a long time bear - refused to confirm and is still hedging his decisions - he will eventually arrive late - they all do.

I don't follow the Dow Theory but apparently I do practice what they preach. I was doing some serious accumulation back in 7/02, 10/02, and 3/03, before the first leg of 3000 points kicked in - the money was sweet. Now it looks like it won't be long before we begin stage 2 (second leg) of the primary bull market and are again at least 3000 or more points away from stage 3, which could remain overbought for many, many months.

The previous reaction high of the secondary trend correction has been surpassed.

Spaf,

Also it would appear that the public for the moment is focusing on home prices and looking for ways to get some action from realestate. That is fine with this contrarian investor - they should wait until stage three anyway. A classic bull move is starting up and will run a long time - I happen to think this bull is secular in nature and not cyclic. Some heads say it will be over after this move probably in Sept-Oct. They are wrong - history has never seen a back to back secular bull market- until now.

Whew- homeowners are increasingly borrowing for shorter terms, and at adjustable rates. In the past 2 years, the share of new mortgage originations bearing adjustable rates surged to 60% from 20%. I just don't trust the Fed, at any rate what ever they do I feel safer in my stocks than I do in a house where I have to use an intercom to make my presence known. June 29-30 will tell the story on interest rates - it should be very interesting to be fully invested for the month - redemption here we come.

Dennis

Hi Dennis!

Agree with ya. I had a good ride with IYR iShare realestate. It peaked and I bailed!
Adjustable rates! EWWWWW
I wanted to pay off our home, my accountant advised against it because of our medical bills. I need to itemize. So I got the lowest loan at the lowest rate.

However

Several of our friends have had some problems with there TSP investments. So I started this thread to help in any way I can. Your assistance too would be appreciated.

The way I look at it is we are all in TSP together. Helping others also helps us. Right now I'm trying to get folks to buy Trading for Dummies,understanding The Dow Theory, setting up a trading journal. And getting their computer on their side.

Rgds Spaf

Spaf,

Amen brother! All help is appreciated!

Hi Show-me!

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Start setting up your computer to work for you, not against U! Contd

Favorates/Financial/Misc (contd)
also consider: investopedia.com

Favorates/Financial/My portfolio/TSP
wala: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=s&s=AGG...X+%5EDWCPT+EFA

Note: click on 3mo under chart will open up the chart, go to Charts, click Technical Analysis will bring uo all the neat indicators and oscillators.

Also consider: advfn.com/p.php?... The FOREX currency exchange rate, for a quick look see.

Last will be the technicals!

Rgds Spaf

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!

Start setting up your computer to work for you, not against U! Contd

Technicals are the hardest to set up. Some of the links you have to set up yourself.
We talked about four technicals earlier, so I won't repeat now.

Others for consideration in Favorates/Financial/Technicals are:
Stockcharts.com the Bullish percent indicator under $BPSPX
cbs.marketwatch.com
money.cnn.com
morningstar.com
Stockcharts.com (home page)
tspmoney.com
finance.yahoo.com

I also will add any important sub section of the above sites to customize my technicals. These 7 plus the prior 4 gives a fairly good overview of the technicals. The three best that I like are the AM Market Calls, USAToday Markets, and the gallery view of $SPX at stockcharts.

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I have gotten some comments. Gee you might get some feedback saying to go to the G fund. My ans. My coach wouldn't let me go to the deep end of the pool till I showed him I could swim. He'd say I ain't helping you to see how much water you can gulp!

Rgds Spaf

Market Trading........................................... .......The Best Trader is U!


Setting up your data

Your should have two data items. A trading journal and a spreadsheet.

The three ring binder is your trading journal. You have lined pages with the dates, market (Dow, Nasd, and S&P) and TSP funds (G,F,C,S.I)and remarks. Enter the closings in the vertical colums, one page per month. In the remarks enter your positions i.e., 50G 50C, and what this position did: good, bad, whatever. This way you have a record of your system and the strategy.

If you have a spreadsheet for your funds, great!
Tom has one.
And I have one for Microsoft Works for a broker and TSP. Ask and its yours via e-mail. I guess it's e-mailable??

Rgds Spaf