The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

MASI & PVH triggered, RS & MTW added

Open Position Notes:

MASI triggered a buy on Friday as it crossed the trend line at $31.75, but with volume retreating from Thursday’s levels (and below average), there just wasn’t enough fuel to push the stock higher on this first attempt.  My stop is still intact for now, and I’ll stay with it heading into Monday, but it could be that this one needs another shot at a turn higher.  If not, I’ll abide by my stop and keep my risk in check.

PVH triggered a buy on Friday, but here again volume sagged and the stock only managed to break even on the day and finished a few cents beneath my trigger.  With this being a falling wedge pattern that’s often resolved to the upside, it may take a day or two for it to get going since price can move sideways and technically break the trend line.  For now, my risk is defined, and I’m going to see how this one acts on Monday before passing any further judgment.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

MASI, PVH added

Open Position Notes:

No open positions – 100% cash.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

WYNN added

Open Position Notes:

No open positions – 100% cash.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

NG closed, back to cash.

Open Position Notes:

No open positions – 100% cash.

Closed Positions:

NG gapped higher this morning, but quickly gave it back as profit-taking produced a gap fill.  I was concerned last night the stock may be getting short-term stretched, hence the aggressive raising of my stop loss for remaining shares.  Today that stop was hit, netting me an 8.4% gain on the overall trade.  I’m pleased with that in just 3 sessions, and given the trend is still up in this stock, will keep it on the radar in case it sets up for another entry.  For now it appears to need some rest after a quick ramp higher.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

NG Target 1 hit & stop raised, F & MOS closed (last week)

Open Position Notes:

NG triggered a buy on Friday as it cleared the upper trend line of the large bull pennant I’ve been watching, and showed excellent continuation today.  The stock ran right through Target 1 this afternoon where I closed 1/2 my position for more than a 9% gain.  I’ve tightened my stop for remaining shares to just beneath afternoon intraday support so as to book a big winner should this one happen to pull back before reaching Target 2.  This move has been big and fast, so I have no interest in giving much of it back if the stock happens to take a breather.  With the S&P still in a trading range, it remains important to stick and move.

Closed Positions:

MOS bounced on Friday to hit my adjusted stop to take me out for breakeven.  That was a disappointing outcome given the fact this stock had been performing very well as a short sale in the face of a strengthening market, but with Target 1 not getting hit I just couldn’t allow the decent winner to turn into a loss.  I was patient with the trade, adjusted my stop along the way and still allowed it room to fluctuate, but the result was a flatted trade.  Whenever that happens and a stock reverses, getting out at breakeven is the next-best thing.  In a bull market, the short side just becomes more tricky.

F hit Target 1 on Thursday and I adjusted my stop for remaining shares and that was hit on Friday to take me out of the trade for a 2.2% gain on the 2nd half.  The net for the trade was a 2.9% gain, which is nice for a mega-cap stock.  It looks like it needs rest for now, but I’ll keep it on the radar in case it sets up again.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

F 1/2 profits taken, SM profits taken, MOS stop tightened

Open Position Notes:

MOS tested the waters on the upside this morning, but once again showed some excellent relative weakness to the overall market as it turned lower and trended down for the rest of the day.  The stock finished just a short distance from its lows, and continues to act heavy.  That’s nice for this short sale, and perhaps we’ll see a push to Target 1 ahead of the weekend.  I’ve tightened my stop tonight to breakeven to give this one a little breathing room, but otherwise will be watching for more downside.

F continued nicely higher today, and got very close to Target 1 before backing off slightly.  I sent out an intraday alert via email & Twitter to say I closed out 1/2 my position at $16.82 (hence the * in the grid above) to book a quick 3.5% gain.  The cause for that was that the stock was hesitating just a few cents from Target 1, and I felt it best to take some profits off the table rather than leave my stop as is and hold on for a few more pennies.  So, I’m now out of half my position, and have raised my stop tonight for remaining shares in order to lock in some solid gains if the stock happens to slip.  Otherwise, I’ll see if it can keep climbing, and if it becomes short-term extended I will send out another alert to book remaining profits.

Closed Positions:

SM pushed higher again today to show some follow through in price, but the volume expansion I was looking for just wasn’t there in the morning.  I sent out an intraday alert via email to say I was closing out this position for a 3.8% gain ($1.90 per share), so I’m now out of the trade.  The stock did move higher and push through Target 1, so for those of you who held on, that’s nice.  For me personally, the lack of volume made this advance hard to trust, so I rang the register to book the gain.  I’ll keep it on the radar since the trend is still up, but I’d like to see volume and price work together to offer some unified signals.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

F triggered, all stops tightened, NG added

Open Position Notes:

MOS gapped higher this morning but quickly reversed lower, falling well into negative territory despite the broad market strength.  I was quite encouraged by the morning action, as it again showed its relative weakness and neared Target 1.  However, the stock did bounce into the afternoon and finish positive, creating a bullish engulfing bar on the daily chart.  Because of this potential reversal bar, I’ve adjusted my stop again tonight in order to further reduce my risk.  I’d much prefer to see this one head back down toward the Targets, but with a strengthening market, I don’t want to allow a decent winner to turn into a loss.  I’ll evaluate again tomorrow, and may even look to make an intraday exit if the price action warrants it.  Keep an eye on my Twitter stream or your inbox just in case for an alert.

SM hesitated a bit yesterday, but today the stock jumped nicely higher with a 4% gain and a close at the highs.  I’d still like to see volume pick up along with price, but for now price is making new highs and that’s encouraging to see.  I’ve raised my stop tonight in order to reduce risk now that this one is pushing higher, and will look to make another adjustment if Target 1 is reached.  Good action here.

F triggered a buy today as it gapped 4c through my intended entry, spent a couple of hours consolidating, and then ran higher.  It finished just pennies from its high of the day on expanding volume, and this looks like a decisive turn higher after the pullback of the past couple of weeks.  I’ve raised my stop tonight, as a complete fill of the gap would not be very positive, plus we have Target 1 approaching.  Good start so far, let’s see if some follow through comes along.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

SM triggered

Open Position Notes:

MOS showed some decent follow through today, despite the fact it finished well off its morning low.  Nonetheless, I like how this one is acting, and I’ve already adjusted my initial stop.  If this one can head on down to Target 1, I’ll look to make another adjustment.

SM triggered a buy early in the afternoon when it crossed $50, but the stock couldn’t make much progress beyond that level before it mirrored the S&P to slide a bit into the closing bell.  I still like this setup though, and am going to stick with my existing trade parameters heading into Wednesday’s session.  Today we saw volume improve again, so let’s see if this one can produce some upside follow through to go along with it.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

VSH & IVN stopped, MOS triggered, SM added

Open Position Notes:

MOS triggered a short sale entry today as it broke the rising trend line at $69 which had been serving as support.  The stock moved nicely lower from there, and soon was $2.20 below the trend line.  The market then stabilized, and this stock recovered a bit alongside it, but I was encouraged by today’s expanding volume with the selling pressure and the fact that it still finished more than 2% lower on the day.  That shows relative weakness, so I’ll be on the lookout for follow through in the days to come.  Due to today’s nice start to the trade, I’ve also tightened my stop for this trade in order to reduce my risk heading into Tuesday’s session.

Closed Positions:

VSH triggered my raised stop loss right on the open, taking me out of remaining shares for a 2.5% gain.  This gave me a net gain on the trade of 3.4%, which isn’t bad for a quick play.  This one may be able to climb further, but at this point it’s getting a bit more volatile so I’ll wait for another setup to emerge before looking at another entry.

IVN gapped lower and traded down from there, hitting my stop loss to take me out for a 3.4% loss.  I had been looking for a possible move back up once the trend line was broken, but today’s turn lower gives the stock the appearance of a failing bounce, so I’m going to stand aside for now as the stock isn’t acting strong at this juncture.

The Hit List is a look at our current swing trading positions. Stocks we are already in have “triggered”, while those we are considering for plays have not triggered. Click post title to view print-friendly link.

VSH Target 1 Hit & stop raised, IVN triggered, F & MOS added

Open Position Notes:

VSH climbed further Friday morning to clear Target 1, allowing me to exit 1/2 my position for a nice quick 4.27% gain.  With the stock reversing to finish negative on Friday however, I’ve raised my stop aggressively tonight for remaining shares in order to lock in a decent gain should the pullback continue.

IVN triggered a buy Wednesday, but pulled back slightly on Friday to finish just beneath my entry.  This one still looks good for higher prices, particularly if we get some stronger volume in the days to come.  I’m sticking with my existing trade parameters for now while I wait for follow through to arrive.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.