Dirty Dozen, Long Only Portfolio, End of March 2017

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I'm going to apply the same trend-following system that I use for my ETF Trading Portfolio to these dozen popular stocks. Sharp readers will notice that there are currently only 11 stocks in the portfolio, so I'm looking for reader suggestions for the twelfth stock (Chipotle maybe?). These are the eleven I came up with so far:

  1. Alphabet (Google)
  2. Amazon
  3. Amgen
  4. Apple
  5. Facebook
  6. Gilead
  7. Netflix
  8. NVIDIA
  9. Starbucks
  10. Tesla
  11. Twitter

Unlike the ETF Trading Portfolio, this is a long-only portfolio ... when a stock flips short, I simply close the long position and go to cash. You can see that Facebook and Tesla are the most recent positions put on in April and February, respectively.  I plan to update this table at every month end.

A Method to His Madness

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I have been following this day trader on Twitter for a couple of weeks now. He reveals quite a bit about how he operates and has several dozen videos on YouTube which I found instructive. Let me walk you through his stock selection routine (as I understand it).

He tweets his watch list every morning before the open:

All of these tickers are drawn from the Up Gappers screen using Trade Ideas (an invaluable tool I highly recommend).

GNCMA was a buyout, but I'm not sure why he skipped over GBR. In any event, he put the next six tickers on his watch list. They're all low-float, mostly single-digit priced stocks. 

At the open he narrows down the list further by watching what is on the move just after the market opens. Again he uses Trade Ideas for this. Watch his Trade Ideas setup videos (one and two) to understand the filter criteria he uses: 

Then at the end of the day he always posts his P&L (which I think is a little nuts since it gives one "performance pressure," but maybe he thrives on it):

So we can see that he did in fact trade BNTC (long), CYCC (long), and DFFN (short). He doesn't generally reveal how much size he's doing and *never* reveals his exact entries and exits (for obvious reasons). Nevertheless it's worth studying his stock selection routine and I recommend you follow him on Twitter if you are a fellow (or aspiring) day trader.

Gilberto Santa Rosa Medley

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Nice to see that Gilberto in his mid-fifties, double-chinned, mustache-less and wearing glasses, is still able to belt out all the old hits and do a little soft-shoe shuffle. Backup singers, "20 feet away," shown to advantage.... 

Sigueme en YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Ss... FACEBOOK : Juancito Juan Lora Piratex INSTAGRAM : Juancito Piratex

Suicide or Local Dope

Added on by C. Maoxian.

This Dutch guy reminds me of Nick Cave ... have your young son watch the video to see how attractive young women respond to hideous old guys *who are making music.* It might inspire him to take up an instrument (even a ukulele will do). 

http://3voor12.vpro.nl/

Weight Watchers Progress -- Month Two

Added on by C. Maoxian.

(Please first read my Weight Watchers Progress -- Month One post for background, how I did not actually *join* Weight Watchers, and my original tips for success.)

First Things First

I weighed in at the end of December 2016 at 206.5 pounds and weighed in at the end of January 2017 at 198 pounds for a loss of 8.5 pounds on the month. Oddly I was disappointed by this excellent result. I did have quite a few days in the month where I "blew out" the point range, consuming two or even three times the recommended amount, but I quickly got back on the bandwagon after those special occasions.

It makes sense that the rate of weight loss would begin to decline, but I was "anchored" on the ten pounds a month idea, which is a little crazy. To have lost ~20 pounds in two months is great and I'm feeling good.

New Daily Point Range

As I explained in my month one post, I could only consume 26.5 points of food a day while in the 200 to 224 pound range. Once you go under 200 pounds and enter the 175 to 199 pound range, you have to reduce your food allowance to 24.5 points. I am unwilling to do this. Also, I would like to reintroduce beer into my diet (one bottle is 3 points and I limit it to one bottle a day). So, I'm not expecting to lose any weight in month three, or maybe a little bit... stablizing around the 195 pound mark would be nice.

Exercise

I still row religiously (Concept2), 30 minutes a day as I've done for 20 years, through fit and fat, and it doesn't make a huge difference when it comes to weight loss, I don't think. Of course it's better to do it than not do it, but you could take a 30 minute walk or do some similarly modest exercise and get the same benefit no doubt.

Cheating Your Sweet Tooth

One of my key tips for success from month one was sucking on Ricola Honey Herb drops whenever you have a hankering for sweets, which for me is about once an hour. Nobody has a sweeter sweet tooth than me, but these little drops sate me when I'm jonesing for sugar.

Honig-Krauter, baby.

Honig-Krauter, baby.

Cheating Your Salty/Savory Tooth

My new key tip for success from month two is Seaweed Snacks. Just as I have a hankering for sugar every hour, I also have a hankering for salt every hour, and the way to deal with it is to eat a package of roasted, salted seaweed. My kids grew up in China, so they naturally like this snack, but it's a foreign taste for a redneck like me who grew up in Appalachia, an acquired taste. I've learned to like it though.

Two problems with these snacks: the packaging is very wasteful (bad for Mother (Earth)), and they're expensive ... maybe 40 to 90 cents a package, I don't know the exact number. But it's worth it if it's keeping you from snacking on other stuff and getting fat. Wegmans has a family pack for $6, but I can find less expensive, better quality ones in my local Chinese grocery. (I'll post a picture of that brand once I buy another bag.)

12 pack is $6

12 pack is $6

Going Forward

I will write a post at the end of month three, but don't expect any additional progress, just stabilization. I can say unequivocally that the Weight Watchers program is a good one ... a smart, safe, sensible and effective method for weight loss. Go to eBay and buy a PointsFinder card and you'll be on your way!

Long Set-up in Boeing

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I was away from my desk today but the cracked laptop was still running so I can see what happened when I get back to it ... Boeing came on the radar at midday, which means it gets put on the Idiot Wave watch list and a good one appeared at 14:00 sharp ... turned out to be about a 5x winner (or more if carried into the close).

Click to enlarge

Short Set-up in Nvidia

Added on by C. Maoxian.

NVDA has been unusually active since reporting earnings late last week, so it should be on your radar for idiot wave setups ... and fortunately around 11:30 AM today it gave a decent risk/reward spot to get short with a $107.75 first target. It's hard to keep an eye on things if you're working off of one cracked laptop monitor, so you might want to crack open your wallet and get several big screens (they're so cheap now, it's crazy).

Once again it didn't get down to the target by the end of the day, but still, covering at the close was nothing to cry about. 

Click to enlarge