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.

GRA stop tightened

Open Position Notes:

GRA pushed higher today to mark a new high, but it wasn’t a really impressive day.  Volume increased, which was nice, but price essentially finished in the middle of its intraday range.  The $57.10 area where the prior intraday high had been from mid-February was only briefly cleared.  The stock did post a new closing high as well, so I’ve tightened my stop a bit this evening in order to reduce my risk in the trade.  I’ve been patient with this one, so we’ll see if today’s advance is able to jump-start the stock into another meaningful leg higher.

WFM neared Monday’s high early in the session, but backed away for the remainder of the session to finish lower on expanding volume.  Today’s bar was an inside day, but I’m not reading much into it given that this stock remains essentially in a high-level channel over the past couple of weeks.  I’m sticking with my existing trade parameters for now, although I may look to tighten my stop this week at some point.  My concern is that this trade is only showing minimal progress and at this point is starting to feel like dead money given the lack of follow through since the initial turn higher.

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.

No changes

Open Position Notes:

GRA started out weak today but dip-buyers stepped in to protect last week’s support zone.  Volume remains light as this stock churns near its highs, so I’d like to see it clear the $57.10 area to mark a new high and start gaining some momentum.  I’m leaving my stop as-is for Tuesday’s session, but am getting close to making an adjustment simply due to the lack of movement here.  I want to see my capital capable of making a return on the risk, and this one so far isn’t showing much of a gain – therefore it may warrant reduced risk soon with a tightened stop.

WFM challenged its early-February high today but stopped just shy of it.  The stock did reverse higher from a weak start to move and stay positive, which is encouraging.  Volume picked up as well, so perhaps this 3-week rest phase in the stock is finally coming to an end.  I’ve patiently waited for it to get going since entering on the small trend line break just 6 bars ago, so with today’s turn higher in price on improved volume I’ll now be watching for some follow through in the next day or two. If it fails to produce it, I’ll likely make a stop adjustment.

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.

No changes

Open Position Notes:

GRA finally started to pull out of its quiet multi-day range on Friday with a turn higher in price and some minor volume expansion as well.  It posted a new 52-week high on a closing basis, although it stopped shy of its intraday high from 2 Thursdays ago ($57.08).  I’m encouraged by Friday’s action, and now would like to see some acceleration higher to really confirm that it’s back on the move, so I’ll watch for that these next few days.

WFM challenged its highs from the week on Friday, but light volume prevented it from making any meaningful headway and by the closing bell it had pulled back to finish only up a few cents on the session.  This one remains range-bound, but it’s still not far from highs.  That’s encouraging, although I’d like to see it resolve this indecision to the upside with a return of strong volume.  For now, the waiting game continues as the stock sits just slightly above its trigger price.

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.

No changes

Open Position Notes:

GRA spent the past few sessions essentially moving sideways with minor losses Tuesday and Wednesday being followed by a slight gain today.  Volume has remained curiously quiet while this one bases, so I’d certainly like to see it improve if the stock is able to turn higher.  The trend is up and there’s blue sky above for this one to climb into, but at the moment the buyers just aren’t feeling any urgency so the stock is simply holding its ground.  I’m leaving my stop as-is for Friday’s session, and if it’s able to start making some headway higher then I’ll look to tighten it over the weekend.

WFM pulled back from last Friday’s close into this morning, but held narrowly above recent support (and my stop) and was able to turn higher from there.  I was encouraged by the intraday reversal into positive territory, although the stock made a multi-day high only to back off and finish inside the range of the past few sessions.  Here again, light volume isn’t offering much assistance, but the overall trend is up and my plan is to stick with the trade while that’s the case.  A push through the early-February high on some expanding volume would be very positive, so let’s see what we get in the days ahead.  For now, my stop remains where it was originally set.

Closed Positions:

RCL hit my stop on Wednesday, but I’m just now updating this trade since there was no Hit List post last night due to travel.  The trend line break from last week failed to materialize, so when the stock marked a multi-day low, it hit my stop to take me out for a 3.7% loss.  Overall the trend remains up over the past couple of months, but the day to day action is sloppy so I’ll leave it alone for now.

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.

WFM & RCL triggered

Open Position Notes:

GRA posted an inside day on Friday, staying within Thursday’s range as it pulled back on light volume to test the breakout zone.  This appears to be a healthy day of rest, and I particularly don’t mind it given both the weak volume and the finish off the lows of the day.  I’m sticking with my existing trade parameters for now while waiting for some follow through to the breakout.

WFM triggered a buy Friday as it pushed past the descending trend line with some mild volume expansion.  The stock didn’t show a lot of momentum and I’d still prefer to see stronger volume accompany this turn higher, but it did close above the trend line and I’m encouraged by that.  Here again, I’m going to give it a little time and freedom to fluctuate initially while collecting info on its price action over the next day or two.  So far, it’s still poised for continuation higher.

RCL triggered a buy Friday with a turn higher in price which took it through the descending trend line marking the pace of the most recent dip.  Volume improved slightly Friday from Thursday, but here again I’d prefer to see it expand more to accompany the price advance.  I’m going to leave my stop as-is for Tuesday’s session and see if this one can produce some follow through.  Ideally, it marks a new recovery high in the next couple of days, so we’ll see.

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.

SLB & APOL stopped, GRA triggered, WFM & RCL added

Open Position Notes:

GRA triggered a buy today as it cleared resistance at the $56 area, prompting a buy for me at $56.10.  The stock initially surged nicely higher on strong volume, but pulled back in the afternoon.   I was encouraged to see the stock hold above its breakout zone despite the late-day dip, but this one will need to continue proving itself.  It’s had some nice momentum since late-December and appears poised for another push higher after a couple of weeks of rest, but nothing is a given.  I’m leaving my stop in place for now and will look to make adjustments as needed.

Closed Positions:

SLB has been quite hesitant to continue higher since initially clearing resistance two weeks ago, and I’ve methodically tightened my stop along the way as a result. Today the stock dipped again to hit that stop, taking me out for a modest 2.1% loss.  Ultimately it turned back up to reclaim the $78 level, which is a bit irritating I must say.  If it’s able to shape up here, I may consider another entry, but for now I’m out.

APOL surprisingly has shown no ability to move higher since initially breaking the descending trend line a week ago today.  Instead of continuing higher, it simply stalled out and started drifting lower on light volume.  I’ve raised my stop along the way to reduce my risk in the trade, and today was taken out of the trade as the stock marked another multi-day low, handing me a very small 1.9% loss.  This was a setup which I expected to produce higher prices alongside some market strength, but it simply didn’t pan out, so I’ll leave it alone for now.

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.

AGP closed, SLB & APOL stops raised

Open Position Notes:

SLB pulled back again today but was able to stabilize above last week’s low, ultimately lifting slightly from that area to finish the day down just $0.44.  This one has really taken its time and seems bent on testing the $78 area daily rather than freeing itself from this zone to build on the recent breakout attempt.  I’ve tightened my stop again tonight just slightly, inching it higher since this stock is dragging its feet.  The overall look remains bullish, but in the short term this one is lacking momentum and technically is free to move higher yet isn’t doing so.

APOL showed more indecision for the early portion of today’s session, only to gradually erode in the afternoon with a quiet intraday downtrend.  Today’s retreat was minor, but in the bigger picture of this setup having been given several days now to get going since it cleared the trend line, it’s a concern that this one can’t seem to get going despite a market which has moved slightly higher.  Volume is lacking, and it seems there’s just no conviction on the buy side as of yet.  I’ve tightened my stop again tonight in order to further reduce my risk in this trade since it’s giving me no reason to continue allowing it ample room to move.  Should I get stopped out, the hit will be minimal, but otherwise it still has a shot to work so I’ll just let the price action run its course.

Closed Positions:

AGP gapped higher this morning to produce a decent lift, just a day before I had originally intended to close out this trade (due to Friday’s scheduled pre-market earnings report).  As noted here last night on the Hit List, I mentioned I may send out an intraday alert to close out the position if conditions warranted, so with the clock ticking on this trade and a chance to exit at a favorable price, I took the gain and booked a 2% profit.  This one never accelerated higher as I had thought it could, so the next-best scenario was a modest gain and I took the opportunity to book it today.  I’ll now leave this one alone in order to avoid the earnings announcement since I have no technical edge guessing on a fundamental event.

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.

APOL & AGP stops raised, GRA added

Open Position Notes:

SLB slipped a bit today but saw an afternoon recovery, lifting it from its worst levels of the day.  In addition, overall volume in the stock was the lightest we’ve seen since the holidays, which points to very little selling taking place here as the stock continues to test the $78 area.  Overall, the recent uptrend is still intact, although the breakout from earlier this month has yet to produce the next move.  I’ve already adjusted my stop and am just waiting for this one to either get back on the move toward my targets or to retreat enough to stop me out.

APOL pulled back today just a bit to test the area of last week’s trend line break, and the stock was able to hold that zone on a closing basis.  Volume remains very light these past three sessions compared to Thursday’s advance, which I’m encouraged by.  Overall, this one is showing some hesitation to move higher after being given an opportunity to rally since it broke the trend line, so I’ve adjusted my stop tonight in order to shore up my risk in the trade.  I’ve still allowed some freedom of movement for the stock, but the inability to lift here is a bit of a concern so I’m now using $52 as my stop.

AGP turned a little higher today, but finished off its best levels and volume was down slightly.  That’s not showing a lot of conviction here on the part of buyers given the technical trend line break to the upper end of this channel.  Earnings are due out this Friday morning, so I’ll look to exit this one prior to Thursday’s closing bell one way or the other.  I’ve tightened my stop just a bit more tonight to keep reducing risk since the clock is ticking on this play, but technically it remains a favorable setup so I’m trying to stick with it and give it a chance to pop.  If I do get a decent pop, I may look to send out an intraday alert via email (and Twitter), so keep an eye out for that if you’re watching my exit here.  For now, it’s still hovering around the $69 area where the trend line was originally pierced, so it has yet to really commit.

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.

AGP triggered & stop tightened

Open Position Notes:

SLB gapped higher this morning, sold off quickly to fill the gap, then lifted for the remainder of the day without violating either the morning high or low.  It was some unusual price action, but overall the stock made some upside progress to return to the key $78 level.  With an already adjusted stop in place, I’m going to leave it untouched as we head into Tuesday’s session.  I’d like to see this one reclaim the $78 level for good and build from here, but for now the stock is still showing some hesitation so I’m doing my best to be patient.

APOL spent the day in a choppy range after a mildly positive start to the day.  It crossed the flat line numerous times, ultimately finishing down just a couple cents on the session.  This one rallied a few days last week to breakout and now is resting, so I’m content to stay with it here so long as it doesn’t fail the breakout and start to weaken.  I liked the fact that today’s volume was minimal and lighter than previous sessions, again just suggesting to me that this is a rest phase.

AGP triggered a buy this afternoon as it cleared the $69.10 level to break out, made some initial progress, then gave the move right back in the latter portion of the session.  This is a bit disappointing to see, and it could be that with earnings scheduled for Friday traders simply are unwilling to commit to a breakout here.  I mentioned last night I’d aggressively raise my stop if this one triggered today, so I’ve moved my stop to just beneath today’s low.  Should this one struggle to make progress, I will continue to aggressively raise my stop in order to reduce risk, and will definitely be out by Thursday’s closing bell.

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.

AGP added

Open Position Notes:

SLB pulled back Friday to dip beneath the $78 breakout zone it had recently cleared and tested in recent days.  To see that level surrendered is not encouraging, although the stock did hold above the uptrend line of the past three weeks.  My adjusted stop has not yet been hit but it’s not far away either, so I may get taken out of this one soon if it doesn’t shape up.  Could be it just needs a bit more time, but for now it’s struggling to free itself of a key level after having a few opportunities to do it, so I’ll stick with my tightened stop and see if it can lift.

APOL triggered a buy on Thursday as it crossed through the trend line at $53.55 to begin turning higher after its multi-week pullback.  The triangle breakout here looks to hold some promise, and I was encouraged to see that despite mild weakness on Friday the stock was able to hold its breakout for the second straight day.  Also, Friday’s low served as a test of the breakout zone, which I also liked.  A look at the 15-minute chart gives this stock the look of a rally and a rest, so I’m sticking with the play for now and will be watching for follow through in the coming days.

Closed Positions:

No closed positions.