Details from AA open on Wednesday and GE closed yesterday posted below. Symbol: GE (LONG) Date Entered: 4/5/16 Price Entered: $30.89 # of shares: 270 Total Investment: $8,340.30 Stop set: $28 (MAX RISK $400 - 4.5% portfolio loss) Target set: $38 (TARGET GAINS $1,961.80 - 23.02% profit) Date Exited: 6/30/16 Price Exited: $31.45 % Return: +1.81% Profit (after $20 total trading fees + one round of dividends): +$193.30 Immediate Thoughts: I entered into GE as a long-term trade and have since decided that I wanted to abandon when it got closer to $32. I collected one round of dividends ($62.10) as well. While it was a profitable trade and I still think it will eventually hit my target, I'm finding I enjoy swing trading more and think this money could be better utilized elsewhere for a little quicker returns. When my portfolio gets larger, I'll consider another entry into GE to let my money sit for awhile. I'm OK with how the trade went. Symbol: AA (LONG) Date Entered: 6/29/16 Price Entered: $9.02 # of shares: 397 Total Investment: $3,580.94 Stop set: $8.90 (MAX RISK $47.61 - 0.5% portfolio) Target set: $11 (TARGET GAINS $766.06 - 21.95% profit) Current profit/loss: +3.55%
Weekly update on OPEN positions (total gain/loss since position was started) - forgot last week so this is the last two weeks: LONG plays: BAC: Entry price $14.11. Current price $13.10. -7.16% BYD: Entry price $18.49. Current price $18.30. -1.03% AMD: Entry price $4.31. Current price $5.07. +17.63% FCAU: Entry price $6.90. Current price $6.24. -9.57% NAV: Entry price $12.96. Current price $12.12. -6.48% WYNN: Entry price $87.58. Current price $91.79. +4.81% AA: Entry price $9.02. Current price $9.55. +5.88% SHORT plays: None open -------------------------------------------- Weekly update on CLOSED positions this week: LONG plays: KMI: Entry price $17.08. Exit price $18.72. +9.60% BP: Entry price $30.78. Exit price $33.70. +9.49% FCX: Entry price $10.28. Exit price $11.80. +14.79% DIS: Entry price $104.14. Exit price $95.33. -8.46% SLV: Entry price $15.57. Exit price $16.88. +8.41% GE: Entry price $30.89. Exit price $31.45. +1.81% SHORT plays: XRX: Entry price $9.94. Exit price $9.03. +9.15%
Unfortunately, that one was a paper trade. A few of the plays in this thread are not, but I'm not going to specify which ones because they all are picked the same way. When I increase my portfolio size at the end of the year, I'll probably move out of paper completely.
Details on my NFLX position posted earlier. Guess I should have sold at the spike today. Symbol: NFLX (LONG) Date Entered: 7/5/16 Price Entered: $93.75 # of shares: 78 Total Investment: $7,312.50 Stop set: $92.50 (MAX RISK $98.02 - 1% portfolio) Target set: $110 (TARGET GAINS $1,247.50 - 17.33% profit) Current profit/loss: +4.44%
Closed my position in BYD today because I've recently entered into WYNN and do not want to be too heavily invested in any one sector and I like the upside of WYNN more than that of BYD. Symbol: BYD (LONG) Date Entered: 5/17/16 Price Entered: $18.49 # of shares: 352 Total Investment: $6,508.48 Stop set: $18.03 (MAX RISK $161.95 - 2% portfolio loss) Target set: $21.22 (TARGET GAINS $940.96 - 14.76% profit) Date Exited: 7/8/16 Price Exited: $18.73 % Return: +1.30% Profit (after $20 total trading fees): +$64.48 Immediate Thoughts: As I mentioned above, I exited this trade early as I don't want to be too heavily involved in one industry, and with my confidence in WYNN, I decided that was the better option. I decided to lock up my profit in this one. With the market also near ATH's, that means potential pull-backs as well. Didn't quite go as planned, but profit is profit so it's hard to be mad.
Symbol: AA (LONG) Date Entered: 6/29/16 Price Entered: $9.02 # of shares: 397 Total Investment: $3,580.94 Stop set: $8.90 (MAX RISK $47.61 - 0.5% portfolio loss) Target set: $11 (TARGET GAINS $766.06 - 21.95% profit) Date Exited: 7/11/16 Price Exited: $10.03 % Return: +11.20% Profit (after $20 total trading fees): +$380.97 Immediate Thoughts: I didn't quite hit my target, but I didn't want to gamble through earnings. I decided to lock up 11.2% profit before gambling on earnings. I entered this trade because AA was dipping and appeared ready to bounce off support at the 200MA which had been tested multiple times. It was trading in a channel between $9-$10 for quite some time but had broken out and hit $11 once before dipping back to $9. I decided to enter the trade with a tight stop below the 200MA and below $9. I didn't get to ride another breakout above the normal trading channel resistance at $10, but I did make a good profit. Apparently I should have gambled on earnings as AA beat earnings and is up another 3.5% after hours. Oh well, I've been burnt on earnings before, so I'd prefer to lock up profit when I can.
Haven't been very active in trading lately as I've gotten a little busy + with the market being at all-time highs, finding good entries for the way I trade has been difficult. Closed my position in BAC today with a small profit as I entered before Brexit and have had trouble getting it back since. With the reversal candle that was looking like it was going to form at close today, and resistance coming up at the 200MA, I am expecting this to head down. Not to mention the unlikelihood of a rate hike has made me hesitant to continue holding this stock. I'll take my small profits and move on. Details later. Position was closed at $14.36.
Symbol: BAC (LONG) Date Entered: 6/9/16 Price Entered: $14.11 # of shares: 449 Total Investment: $6,335.39 Stop set: $13.70 (MAX RISK $179.50 - 2% portfolio loss) Target set: $18 (TARGET GAINS $1,726.61 - 27.57% profit) Date Exited: 7/20/16 Price Exited: $14.36 % Return: +1.77% Profit (after $20 total trading fees): +$92.25 Immediate Thoughts: Thoughts posted above. I am OK with how the trade went. Things didn't pan out the way I was hoping and Brexit through the financial sector for a loop. I was correct to not sell even though I dropped well below my stop during brexit and figured the market would correct itself back to where it was. I need to make sure I don't make a habit of holding stocks below my stop though (like I did for almost everything I still had open through Brexit).
I lost a lot of money because of student loans, and now I have a big problem. As a result, now I am engaged in trading. So far, everything is going relatively well. In the university I have already stopped doing something, or just ordering all the tasks completely. The university is very distracting from the really necessary things.
I was doing both simultaneously, just didn't have enough capital back then to have as many positions as I wanted, so I had a paper journal for trades I would make (of the same relative size) if I had more money. I'm no longer trading paper.
