Ooops

I forgot to mention the price of the VTMS.  I bought at .15.

New Action

I will admit to a little hesitancy in making a big new move after this week.  You just have to power through that though.

That said, I pulled the trigger on a medium size lot of VTMS.  I like the news out of the company earlier in the week and think the market may reward them.

Let's see.

Refreshing my head

Sorry I took a little time away from the blog.  That painful day a couple back really got my goat.  The damage was painful but certainly not fatal.  I just tend to like to take a little time off after a big hit in order to clear my head before re-entering the fray.  I have since then cleared all those positions and minimized the damage.

Overall it was an unpleasant few days but the damage was only about 452 bps.  Painful but certainly recoverable.  Fortunately I had built up some good gains heading into that and the portfolio is still showing good gains for the past few months.

Now that they are all cleared I can refocus.  There is not much out there today.  I did make a quick turnaround trade of literally about two minutes on FONR.  I bought at 1.8995 and sold at 1.94 for a quick gain of 2.7%

I have my eye on a few other things mostly a couple penny stocks HYSR and VTMS.  I will let you know if I buy them.

I need an aspirin!

The hangover from yesterday continues.  I tried to escape the bundle of bad that I had heading into the morning.  The results follow (if you are easily frightened avert your eyes):

DTRO sold at .00163 loss of 32%
MDFI sold at .0051 loss of 25%
GVDI sold at .00954 loss of 13.3%
HSCO sold at .0025 loss of 16.7%
DGZ sold at 16.094 gain of 3.8% (fortunately a significantly bigger position than the others)

The net is still ugly a drop of about 142 bps.

I added 1 new name today, picking up some HBWO at .025.

It was painful to dump those for losses but in most cases they dropped further which helps ease the pain a little and now that they are gone I can refocus and try to find better options.

UGHHHHHHHH pretty much sums it up

I was apparently not smart enough to outfox the miserable market today.   The new entry stocks are doing terrible.  DTRO closed at .002 and MDFI closed at .0051 both down right near the point where I should sell them.  I probably will tomorrow.

I added a couple new ones near the close, GVDI at .011, the price it closed at,  and HSCO at .003.  That one closed at .0033 up small.

I did sell some of the KEPI at .007 but it is too illiquid to get rid of it all in one day.  It's turned into a nightmare stock.

Overall the portfolio was down 143 bps.  The market itself was down 162 bps so I beat it a little but still a very disappointing day.  Let's hope for brighter things tomorrow.

Morning moves

A rainy Tuesday morning.  The market is blah but I am making trades.  I dumped the MXGD at a disappointing .0042 for a loss of 6.7%.

I added some new ones this morning too.  I bought a bunch of DTRO and MDFI.  The DTRO I got at .0024 and the MDFI at .0068.  Let's see what happens.  I worry about the overall market weakness being an anchor weighing things down, but these two look strong in either case.  The gold short continues to help a little.

Close of Day November 15

The day ended rather uneventfully.  I did not make any more moves in the portfolio.  The morning action was good for a gain of about 84 bps. on the whole portfolio.  A good day.

The status of the remaining active trades is as follows:

KEPI closed at .006
SFIO ended at .006
DGZ rallied a little on the gold weakness to close at 15.89
CIGX went to 1.72
the new entry MXGD ended up a little from the buy at .0046

The plan going into tomorrow is to get out of KEPI if it shows any morning strength, same for MXGD.  The others I plan to hold a little.

New Buy on November 15

The day has been quiet.  The morning was great and the portfolio is up nicely between a combination of the LFBG gains and a few prior holdings.

I just added a load of MXGD, Midex Gold at .0045.  The stock is running nicely on huge volume today.

I plan to hold overnight and sell into a jump in the morning.

Good Morning

I am a happy guy this morning.  I got to move my car just before getting a ticket, and then my stocks opened up. Happy days.

I sold the LFBG at .0113 for a gain of 17.7%.  The SFIO is up small and even the dog that is KEPI is trying to rally, though weakly.  It is at .0006 up a tiny bit.

I have my eyes on FDEI and COPI this morning as new addition possibilities.  Both are rallying big but if they pullback could be interesting.

Sorry I missed a day of writing

I was out of town Thursday afternoon and Friday so missed writing.  Not much happened in the portfolio today anyway.  I got out of the FLTT at basically a breakeven which was good since it dropped like a brick shortly after.  The KEPI continues to be quite weak and probably should have been sold already.  I will be out of that soon.

The DGZ short of gold was strong today and helped me defend against the overall market weakness.  Both of my other smoking stocks are doing okay, hovering around even which I consider good with the market being weak.

Finally, I did add some LFBG at .0096 near the close today.  The company makes computer games which are now being sold in Walmart and still the stock is under a penny.  It has climbed on the news but could have more legs.

Enjoy the weekend.  :)

As I feared a less than great day

I dumped the DPW and got a really bad execution, getting out at 1.5603 for a loss of 8.8%.  I also got out of SRZ at 3.90 for a gain of 2.4% .  Overall the portfolio is down about 49 bps on the day snapping the winning streak.  The overall market is down too though so it is not surprising that there is little to do.

I did add some SFIO at .0059 which I plan to hold and hope for a bump as the CNBC special on cannabis gets closer.

I also bought some CIGX, an interesting company that is trying to make safer smoking of cigarettes a viable option.  They have had insider buying recently and I like the fundamental picture there.

The only other new addition today was FLTT which is up small at .0052.

New Buy

Okay I found a potentially good one here.  I just bought a lot of FLTT at .005.  The range of the stock is .0025 to.005 which is huge.  I hate to buy at highs of the day but this one feels strong to me.

I am also considering buying CMSI.  The company is a cannabis firm and had surged in the past as the vote to potentially legalize cannabis drew near in CA.  When the vote failed the company dropped back to under .02 but I think the battle there is not over and any new mention of potential legalization could benefit the stock.  I also saw that CNBC is coming out with another show on the cannabis business in early December and I think the stock may rise heading into that airing.  A few others in the industry are CBIS, SFIO, GRNH, and PCIO.  I am considering which to buy but leaning toward GRNH or CMSI.

Thursday morning and not much happening

I sold the XDSL this morning before my meeting at .0121 for basically a breakeven.  I am actually kind of happy to get out at that price since it was down at the end of yesterday.

The other holdings are still lagging, with KEPI at .0062, DPW at 1.58, and SRZ dipping to 3.88.  I am not looking to make any moves on them yet but will if they show any further signs of weakness.

I also don't see much in the way of new ideas today and it appears that the winning streak may end at 3 days, however it doesn't look like this will be much of a down day, only a minor dip.

Close of day November 10

It was a mixed bag today.  I sold the VTRO at 4.6746 for a gain of 2.8% which brought the total for the day to a gain of 79 bps on the whole portfolio.  That was the good news.  The bad is that I am still holding KEPI and XDSL, both of which are underwater for now.  The DPW is also lower but is more than offset by the rise in SRZ.  It looks like I may be starting tomorrow a little behind the eight ball and have my work cut out to keep the winning streak alive.

It doesn't help that I have a 10:00 meeting that I can't push back either.  I hate having a meeting around the market open but this was unavoidable.

Let's hope I can keep the streak going. :)

Mid Morning Report

I took my hit on TRDX and dumped the stock for .0101, and a painful loss of 20%.  OUCH.  Thankfully it wasn't a huge position but still not exactly fun.

I did sell the SAEIE at .0834 for a solid profit of 41% which more than made up for the TRDX.

Finally taking the plunge on my anti-gold conviction I bought a bunch of DGZ, the short gold ETF at 15.5078.  I just feel like the gold bubble may be showing signs of cracking.

As for the other trades, VTRO and SRZ are up small today and DPW is down a bit.  KEPI is holding steady and so is XDSL.

Overall the SAEIE sale makes the day a winner so far but the morning addition trades have me feeling a little grumpy.  We'll see what happens with those.

The Patient is Stabilizing but Still Not Out of the Woods

I hate both TRDX and XDSL.  TRDX is down to .0105 ughh.  It hasn't hit the Sell Point yet but it's close. XDSL is at .114 which is not terrible but also at a loss currently.

I did manage to sell the IROG at .155 for decent quick gain of 9%.

SAEIE is showing new strength though at .09 which helps a lot, and KEPI is holding the .007 to .0075 level which leaves it down but not at Sell Point yet.

Overall, the morning could be better, but disaster is being avoided for now, largely by the renewed vigor of SAEIE.

I don't see many new ideas today, but that's okay as I have my hands full with what I am holding already.

Fear and Loathing in the AM

This morning has me worried.  I already sold the HNSS at a small loss, getting .022 when my cost was .023.  I just didn't like the early feel of the stock.

The KEPI is also underwater and looking weak.  I am not sure if I will sell it yet, but not happy.

I added some new ones too which are not exactly jumping out of the gate.  I added TRDX at .013, IROG at .142, and XDSL at .012.

None are showing great strength after my buys.  This has the feel of a LOOOOONG morning.

Close of Day November 9

It was a good day overall with some nice gains.  I am still holding the SAEIE which closed at .075, and the VTRO which dropped some and closed at 4.29.

At the end of the day I added a few going into tomorrow.  I picked up some SRZ and a small amount of DPW looking for a rise after the market gives them credit for the earnings picture.

I also added some HNSS which I hope opens big tomorrow after a nice rise today, and a tiny amount of KEPI which could bounce nicely after a swan dive.

The entry prices for each are SRZ at 3.81, DPW at 1.71, HNSS at .023, and KEPI at .0099.

A good day overall but not very dynamic at least until the close.  See you tomorrow. :)

Nearing the Close

Drawing near to the close of the day.  Not much to report but I am considering a few new buys.  SRZ looks like a nice little spot to rebound after reporting good earnings the other day.  The stock has not fully appreciated the news in my opinion and I hope to ride a little bounce on it.

I'm also interested in DPW although a little worried about the almost complete lack of volume in the stock.

A couple pennies have me intrigued too.  HNSS looks very interesting for a quick jump in the morning, and CDIV could also move strong although that one's long downtrend is cause for pause.

Mid Day Doldrums

A day that seemed promising has turned quite boring.  There is very little interesting to trade that I see anyway today.

I just sold SNEY at .0083.  I didn't get the .01 that I hoped for but still it was a gain since my entry price was .0075.

Now I am just left holding the VTRO which is doing little right now plus or minus, and SAEIE which is still up but has given back some gains.

I am watching DANR and one other penny stock which had been up a lot but pulled back.  Neither is worth buying just yet though so I am holding steady with the stocks I brought in and not adding any new entrants.  Sometimes the market just doesn't give you much to work at and it is better to do nothing than try to make trades happen that aren't prime.  That just too often leads to losses.

AM Checkin

Things have calmed a bit but CPMCF really rallied nicely.  I sold at .203 for a gain of 13%, not bad.

So of the stocks held over night DGRI and CPMCF are now gone.  I am still holding SNEY which is treading here at .0083, VTRO also holding at 4.50, and SAEIE which is up nicely at .076.

I have not added new today but am watching IMEN at .0026, RENG at .0046, and LLNW at 8.65.
Any decent entry points on those could call for a pulling of the trigger.  I'll let you know.

Morning

New day and a lot of things moving around.  I sold the DGRI early today at .0465 for a nice gain of 36% on  that position (just wish it were more shares). :)

The CPMCF is still weak but now bounced twice off .152.  That level seems critical.  I am ready to dump it, but waiting a bit.

Same for SNEY, I don't love the way it opened.  I may take the trade off soon.   The market itself is trying to climb and gold continues to be unstoppable. I am toying with a short there but have not decided to jump in front of that potential train yet.

Close of day November 8

That was a wild day.  It started out kind of boring truthfully but picked up steam in the afternoon.  First the annoying news.  Remember that TAON I sold for a small loss at .019????  Well, at first it looked like the right move as it dropped to .0155 but then it rallied big and closed at .03!!!!!! Frustrating to say the least.

Enough of the negative stuff.  The DGRI that I bought at .0343 closed at .0395.  It reached .0465 during the day but I held on and am hoping for a good open.  We'll see, but at least I am up good on it at the close.

Also my SNEY which I thought might lag around .0075 rallied and closed at .0086.  I have to like that since I am in at .0075.

Finally, at the close I made a flurry of buys.  They are VTRO at 4.55, CPMCF at .179, and SAEIE at .059 all of which were down today but I think have potential to bounce.  The net for the day was a gain of 49 basis points.  I would have to give myself a B+ for the day if I were grading.  I made good gains on most and feel good about what I am holding, but am mad about the TAON.  If not for that sale I would have had a very big day.  However, I have to remember that I sold for a reason and it did continue lower initially, which had I held, I might have sold even lower at my stop loss.  It hurt me today o TAON but I think discipline like that should be helpful in the future.

I have a full plate of stocks going into the morning.  Here's hoping for a big day and happy trading!

Mid Day report

I am out of FCEL at 1.54.  Not the biggest win ever booked but still a gain of 2.7%.  I also added a decent allotment of DGRI at .0343.  This is second big day up for this stock, which can be scary but the volume today is huge, and will likely crush the 60 million shares traded Friday.  That gives me confidence it could end up big on the day.  At mid day now I am up around 49 bps and feel good about DGRI.  That and SNEY are the only active trades to discuss.  As an aside, SNEY is trying to rally at .0079, hitting .008 briefly then giving back some.  This one may take a little more patience. :)

Quick shot

I bought some URRE at 2.09 and before I could even get here to post it the stock ran and I dumped it at 2.16 for a quick gainer.  The fun in it was that the trade was almost exactly enough to offset the TAON blunder and now when considering the carried over from last week trades I am up on the day again, albeit modestly, around 25 bps on the whole portfolio.

I also picked up some FCEL at 1.50.  It is at 1.55 now and I may take profits soon.  Not sure yet.

Could be better, but avoided disaster

Okay so I knew I didn't have a great feeling on TAON and now I know why.  It made a strong move to .0265 but before I could exit it already started giving back.  It then lingered around .02 and just felt weak.  I cut my losses and got out at .019 for a loss of 5% which is not great but I feel vindicated since it has since continued a death spiral and reached .0155 before now settling in around .017 which means I lost a little but saved a bunch by getting out when I did.

Sometimes knowing when to cut losses seems to be the biggest part of trading well.  Meanwhile SNEY is holding steady at .0074.  That may be held for more than one day.

This day just feels uninspired in the market.  The only thing working is gold which I am not really interested in right now.  If I make any other trades I'll post but it feels like a day to stay mostly on the sidelines.  Now between my carried over night trades and the loss in TAON I am about even on the day.

Now we're getting going

Second trade.  Bought some TAON at .02.  Not a ton of it because I hate to chase near daily highs, but it just seemed to show good strength twice of the .018 level and if it can break .022 who knows...

First trade of new day

We're in action.  I was waiting for a little pullback in SNEY before grabbing some shares.  I got it and pulled the trigger, scooping up a bunch of it at .0075.  The range for the day is .006 to .0082.  The beauty is this stock was over .01 not even a week back and could easily get back near there.  Okay okay so moving up .0025 per share sounds less than invigorating but on a percentage basis it is big and I grabbed a boat load of shares.  Let's see what happens. :)

Morning Watch

A lovely NY morning with hail coming down and me scrambling to move my car for alternate side parking.  The market started a little weak but is trying to stabilize.  I haven't made any moves yet other than to dump some holdings I brought in from last week.  I was fortunate to make a small profit on them and am now looking for new ideas.

A few pennies have caught my eye as potential.  IMGG is continuing strength from last week and is at .21 up about 35%.  TAON is hitting new intraday highs at .019 up 170%, DGRI is at .031 up 82% and SNEY is trying to regain some of the ground it lost late last week.  I hate to chase at new highs so will not likely buy any of those here, but if given a pullback might consider them.

Among more pricey names (though not exactly high flyers) URRE is hovering near 2.10 and FCEL is looking somewhat promising.  Again, I want to wait and get a feel for how things develop before pulling any triggers but I'll let you know when and if I do.  Those are just some things that piqued my early interest.

Introduction

Hello, thanks for reading.  A big passion of mine has always been trading actively and developing different models to generate alpha in the market.  I want this to be a place to share thoughts on investing and trading.  As background, I am a former Investment Manager for NewMarket Capital Partners' flagship hedge fund of funds.  Prior to that, I was a Senior Investment Officer for the City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Retirement.

I plan to use this blog to post my thoughts and trades as they occur.  Hopefully many will be productive musings and lead to investment gains.  However, knowing how maddening tricky the market can be, I imagine some will be times I grouse and complain about things gone awry.  Thanks for being patient with those too and allowing me the outlet. :)

I will try to make the posts as timely as possible and will let you know what I trade and why.  I am new to this whole blogging endeavor and I know the format could use some work, but I am looking forward to seeing how it takes on a life of its own and develops over time.