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.

ATPG stopped

Open Position Notes:

No open positions.

Closed Positions:

ATPG failed to produce any upside follow through yesterday with a light-volume attempt at a breakout through its descending trend line, ultimately closing back inside its consolidation zone last night.  Today, the stock showed additional weakness, triggering my stop loss to take me out for a 4.3% loss.  This constitutes a breakout failure, and it appears this stock needs more time to base and pull back before it’s ready to go again.  I’m going to stand aside for now and wait for a new pattern to emerge on the daily chart.

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.


ATPG triggered

Open Position Notes:

ATPG triggered a buy this morning as it pushed north of the descending trend line at $22.80, but the highs of the day were marked soon after and the lack of upside volume prevented any follow through from being seen.  By the end of the day, it had finished back beneath the trend line on light volume, leaving it still in basing mode.  I’m going to stick with my existing stop for this one for now and will see how it acts on Tuesday.  It might simply need another shot, we’ll see, but it’s under water at the moment.

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.


WMS & PDCO closed, ATPG added

Open Position Notes:

No open positions.

Closed Positions:

WMS continued higher on Friday with a push toward Target 2 early in the session.  With earnings due out on Monday, I had planned to exit this position either Friday or Monday at the latest, so with the stock approaching Target 2, I rang the register to close out the position for a 6.4% winner.  This one took a couple of weeks to make the move, but the trend was easy to ride, which is always nice.  The stock ultimately moved well beyond Target 2, so if you were able to exit at higher levels, good work!

PDCO climbed steadily on Friday as it approached my Target, but with the weekend looming and only a small amount more to gain before my planned exit, I decided to close this trade out slightly early to ring the register.  Key resistance was approaching, and I felt the weekend risk with so little to be gained made it an easy decision.  So, I’m out of this trade for a nice 4.4% gain in a trade which never went against me.

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:

WMS pulled back slightly today after reaching a new high earlier in the session, but volume was light and couldn’t propel prices higher.  This appears to be a healthy day of rest for the stock, so I’m sticking with my existing trade parameters for now.

PDCO gave back a little ground today, but volume here was light as well and the low from Tuesday was respected.  This also appears to be a day of rest for the stock, so I’m sticking with my existing trade parameters for now while waiting for some upside follow through.

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.


CAG stopped, WMS & PDCO stops raised

Open Position Notes:

WMS posted a solid gain today, reaching a new multi-month high as it climbed higher into the unfilled gap from last October.  Target 1 isn’t far away now, and today’s action indicates the prior two days of rest were enough to generate higher prices.  I’ve tightened my stop tonight, but overall I like the way this one is acting.

PDCO pushed higher today after some brief consolidation in recent days, hitting a new 52-week high and ending the day at its best levels of the session.  My target isn’t far from here, so I’ve tightened my stop tonight while I wait for more follow through.

Closed Positions:

CAG simply couldn’t get going very far in my direction, so last night I essentially implemented a time stop by moving my stop loss to breakeven.  That way, I’m either taken out with no harm done, or the trade works in my favor.  Today I was stopped out at my entry price of $25, and it seems this stock simply isn’t ready to move lower at this point.  A trading range may be emerging here, so I’m going to step aside and 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.


VMW stopped, CAG stop tightened

Open Position Notes:

CAG finished lower by a few cents, but overall this one has about reached my time stop since it’s only profitable by a small amount to this point.  The daily chart has a rolling-over appearance to it, but the downside momentum is still absent.  I’m therefore tightening my stop tonight to breakeven, so that if this one turns back up through my trigger price I’ll exit the position.  It seems to be carving out a trading range here, so if that proves to be the case, I would rather exit with no harm and focus my efforts elsewhere.  And if it can weaken further, that would of course prove beneficial to this trade.

WMS pulled back slightly today, but generally respected Friday’s trading range and it finished off its worst levels.  I’ve noted lately that this one could be due for some rest, so I’m exercising some patience here with my previously-adjusted stop loss while waiting for more upside to arrive.

PDCO put in some rest today with a narrow-range bar and a minor loss, and this one is trying to consolidate above the recent breakout zone.  Here again, I’m going to exercise patience while waiting for some follow through, and have already raised my stop once.  I’ll wait for a new high before looking to make another possible adjustment.

Closed Positions:

VMW is set to report earnings on Tuesday after the bell, so with that news coming up, I had tightened my stop for remaining shares last night with a plan to exit on additional strength should it happen to arrive.  Today the stock backed up enough to trigger my stop for remaining shares, taking me out of the 2nd half of my position.  I’m now out with a gain of 3.6% on this trade, and with major fundamental news now on the way, I’ll wait for a new technical setup before looking to re-enter.

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.


STT stopped, VMW & WMS stops raised

Open Position Notes:

CAG took on more of a rolling-over appearance on the daily chart with Friday’s continuation move lower, so let’s see if this one can pick up some speed on the downside.  I’ve been very patient with this slow mover, but am ready to see more than just some minor profits.

VMW had turned higher early on Friday, appearing to begin another leg up before market weakness ultimately brought it down.  It only gave up a few cents on the day, and is holding above the $56 area.  Earnings are due out on Tuesday after the bell, so I’ll be looking to make an exit in the next 2 sessions – watch for an email and on Twitter.  I’ve tightened my stop to $56 just in case we see some early weakness on Monday.

WMS gave up a little ground on Friday, but I was pleased with the rebound from its session lows.  This one is still holding nicely above the breakout zone, so I’ve tightened my stop to breakeven and will otherwise wait for follow through in the days ahead.  Friday was an important day of rest for the stock, so let’s see if it can gather strength again soon.

PDCO moved higher again on Friday, shrugging off market weakness to show some relative strength.  My target for this trade is the $33 level, so it could be reached any day now.  Let’s see if some follow through can be seen to take this one up to that zone.

Closed Positions:

STT got hit with the other financial stocks on Friday, stopping me out for a minor 1.4% loss.  This constitutes a breakout failure with the move all the way back into the lower portion of the base, so I’ll leave this one 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.


No changes

Open Position Notes:

CAG edged lower today on increased volume, moving to the lower end of its trading range for the week.  This stock is still exhibiting relative weakness, which I like, but it’s requiring a lot of patience since it’s having such a hard time getting going.  Sticking with my existing trade parameters for now.

VMW gave up a few cents today, but all in all seems to just be pulling back slightly.  It’s consolidating above the breakout zone, which is healthy to see, and a small bull flag is emerging.  This could spark another move higher in the stock, so I’m still on watch for continuation to arrive.  I’m out of 1/2 already for a nice gain, and will stick with my raised stop for existing shares while waiting for follow through.

WMS headed higher again today, and continues to fill the gap from last October.  This one is acting well, and I’m sticking with my trade parameters for now.  Some rest may arrive soon.

STT is still holding above the breakout zone after a successful test, but we’re still waiting on follow through at this point.  There’s ample room above for the stock to run, so I’m staying patient for now.

PDCO finished the day right near Wednesday’s closing mark, consolidating above the breakout zone.  I still like the overall action in this one so far, and will look for follow through in the days ahead.

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.


PDCO triggered, STT & PDCO stops tightened

Open Position Notes:

CAG bounced slightly today with the market strength, but it did underperform and the stock still remains beneath the recent bounce high.  I’ve been very patient with this slow mover, and although it’s struggling to make any headway on the downside, the daily chart still looks to be carving out a potential lower high in this area.  I’m sticking with it for now.

VMW got a tightened stop last night for remaining shares (already booked 1/2 profits at Target 1), and today the stock put in more rest.  Rather than rally with the market and build on Monday’s strength, it instead pulled back and then bounced, finishing the day right near Tuesday’s closing level.  I’m still looking for continuation in this stock, so let’s see if it makes up some ground on Thursday.

WMS turned nicely higher today, rallying on its heaviest volume in a few weeks as it began to fill the gap from last October.  This is very encouraging to see, and I’m looking for a push to Target 1 in the next day or two based on this action.

STT struggled to make any headway today after a gap up which marked the high of the session.  The stock sold off and went down to test the area of the breakout, before recovering to end the day flat.  I mentioned last night that a test of the breakout may be needed, so today’s move isn’t entirely unexpected.  Nonetheless, I would like to see this one gather some upside traction soon now that we’ve seen a successful test of former resistance, and I’ve tightened my stop tonight as well in light of that.

PDCO triggered a buy today and pushed nicely higher, ending the day right near its highs for a solid breakout.  I’ll now be on watch for continuation in this stock, looking for a move toward my Target in the days ahead.  Given the strength of today’s breakout, I would not expect to be entirely given back very quickly, so I’ve tightened my stop loss for that reason.

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.


TMK & PCL & MSG closed, WMS stop tightened, PDCO added

Open Position Notes:

CAG turned lower on Monday, but today no follow through was seen.  It finished higher by 6 cents, and currently is still flirting with the $25 level.  I’m exercising some patience for now, sticking with my original stop while waiting to see if the recent bounce will prove to mark a lower high on the daily chart.

VMW surged nicely higher yesterday after clearing resistance, running through Target 1 where I closed out 1/2 my position.  I tightened my stop last night for remaining shares, and today the stock put in some rest.  That’s not entirely unexpected or unhealthy after yesterday’s move, particularly since today’s minor pullback came on far lighter volume.  I would like to see it stabilize from here and resume its uptrend soon, so that’s what I’ll be watching for in the days to come.

WMS spent the day inside Monday’s trading range, unable to really build on its breakout.  I’m trying to be patient with this one for now, but have gone ahead and tightened my stop a little bit just in case.  If Monday’s high can be cleared, I think it will bode well for the trade.

STT showed some nice early relative strength today, but some profit-taking sent the stock back below Monday’s closing level by the end of the session.  This suggests that the key level just crossed may need to be tested, so I’m going to exercise some patience here while waiting to find out.  This one has plenty of room to run higher, but continuation needs to be seen in order for that to occur.

Closed Positions:

TMK edged higher for me over the past several sessions, but overall the strength simply hasn’t impressed me.  Today when the market was beginning to weaken, I felt the need to lighten up on some positions, and the underperformance of this one made it among the first to go.  I closed it out for a small $0.20 gain, which isn’t thrilling, but certainly isn’t bad for a trade which was failing to behave as anticipated.  The stock was able to rally later in the session, so hopefully you were able to make a better exit than me.

PCL broke out but never really surged higher with momentum as I had expected, so with a small gain on the screen and a weakening market, I cut this one loose this morning.  I ended up with a gain of 1.7%, which isn’t anything exciting, but it’s acceptable given the lack of continuation this one has shown.  I’ve been patient with it for several days, but ultimately felt the trade should have moved higher by now, so I’m out with a modest gain.

MSG broke out on extremely light volume, and after waiting a few days for either price to gain momentum or for volume to increase, neither really happened.  Today with the market showing some weakness, I felt the morning strength in the stock was worth utilizing to make an exit, so I closed out a 2% winner in this stock which has been trading too thinly for my liking.  The stock trended lower for the remainder of the session, and I’m glad to be out with a gain.