Your Camel
You have lost your camel, my friend
And all around you people are full of advice
You don't know where your camel is,
But you do know that these casual directions are wrong.
-Rumi
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Condo Fucks, "What'cha Gonna Do About It?"
I owe Trader A a song... he sprayed, but I split too early to get his song choice. I don't think this is his style...
The RO Report, "Bears Are Lame" Edition
No volume behind today's move... you'd think after such a massive run that once the market broke a bit the bears would be out in force.
Instead it felt more like a buyer's strike.
Face it, the price and volume action on this recent rally has been absolutely perfect. If you're bearish, fine, but so far I'm not convinced.
I caught some excellent waves post close. Not that you care.
Anyway, the RO got a bit ass-slammed today. Out of 33 traders today 13 were gross positive or 39%. 3 traders made over $1,000 gross and 7 lost over $1,000 gross. I was #8 of 33. I'll take that anyday.
Note the rare George Michael. When a trader's swing and daytrading account are the bottom two accounts for the day...
"George Michael" - Trader H*, -$11,924 on 17,300 shares traded.
2. Trader B, -$7,545 on 1.3 million shares traded.
3. Trader P, -$7,186 on 458k shares traded.
4. Trader D, -$6,848 on 214k shares traded.
5. Trader &, -$3,912 on 50,000 shares traded.
"Lucky Pierre" - Trader A, $26,641 on 284k shares traded.
2. Trader F, $5,307 on 142k shares traded.
3. Trader C, $5,283 on 680k shares traded.
4. Trader K, $906 on 29,800 shares traded.
5. Trader V, $890 on 52,964 shares traded.
Making Some Changes
I've been busy/lazy, okay? Leave me alone.
I am in the midst of making some changes to this blog. I will be stripping it down and pimping it out, so to speak.
Developing...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A Short Hiatus
An old friend will be visiting for the next few days. There is also a nice swell heading our way which means plenty of surf. As a result, I will not have time to do my regular posts.
I'll "twit" an RO update here and there and have my Friday links up. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Enjoy your week.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The RO Report, "Chiprechaun" Edition
Did you see that exclusive Geithner interview on CNBC today? The man looks like a mix between a chipmunk and a leprechaun. We rallied 500 points today due in part to his magic plan, but going forward I think he should do less TV and more radio. It's hard to look at the dude and take him seriously, is all I'm saying.
Anyway, you can't complain about a 500 point rally. The price and volume action in this market has been perfect since the March 6th bottom. If you've been stocking up on grain and guns and telling your friends to "tune into Glenn Beck" I hope you feel a bit silly today. But like I said, someone needed to bottom out the market, and Fox specials about revolution in America could be the new tell...
The RO kicked ass. Out of 32 traders, 30 were gross positive or 94%. And the two accounts that were negative on the day were both robots. 18 traders made over $1,000 gross and not a single trader lost over $1,000 gross. I was #18 of 32.
Give it up for "Trader A." He's really distinguishing himself in this market. Nice spray.
"Lucky Pierre" - Trader A, $163,706 on 1.6 million shares traded.
2. Trader D, $75,888 on 1.2 million shares traded.
3. Trader Z, $37,983 on 967k shares traded.
4. Trader N, $28,409 on 261k shares traded.
5. Trader P, $23,521 on 1.8 million shares traded.
"Chambermaid" - Trader 10*, -$380 on 500 shares traded.
2. Trader M*, -$324 on 0 shares traded.
3. Trader Y, $1 on 16,900 shares traded.
4. Trader H*, $59 on 0 shares traded.
5. Trader Q, $61 on 22,200 shares traded.
Geithner "Toxic Asset" Plan To Be Released at 8:45
And so we're getting a huge rally in the futures. Let's see what they look like at 9:00am. It's always fun to compare how the market anticipates news versus how it reacts to it when it's released..
UPDATE:
Here is the Treasury's press release of the plan. The futures are off their morning highs but no huge sell-off.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
The RO Report, "Twatter" Edition
I barely traded today. Made some money early and decided not to fuck around with it being a witching day and all. And I was fine with that, until I saw how much the RO made.
Damn! I was #18 of 29.
Anyway, I'm out of here. Have a good weekend all.
"Lucky Pierre" - Trader C, $27,378 on 803k shares traded.
2. Trader Z, $25,042 on 830k shares traded.
3. Trader B, $10,942 on 576k shares traded.
4. Trader N, $10,841 on 341k shares traded.
5. Trader A, $10,823 on 427k shares traded.
"Chambermaid" - Trader T, -$1,078 on 3,400 shares traded.
2. Trader 9*, -$1,073 on 500 shares traded.
3. Trader M*, -$573 on 0 shares traded.
4. Trader $, -$517 on 18,200 shares traded.
5. Trader Y, -$266 on 13,600 shares traded.
Week In Review, "ShittyGroup" Edition
The US Is Facing A Weimar Moment
Some of you may know what the "bangbus" is... you know who you are. Anyway, now there's the "helpful bus." This clip is somewhat safe for work, but you wouldn't want to have to explain it...
I've always thought that figs were evil... pure fucking evil. Now I know why.
Shell Owes Pension $6 Billion, Kills Solar and Wind Projects.
Chocolate Skittles: Like Being Mouth Raped By Candy.
Speaking of mouth rape... Tyler is back from vacation and printing money.
The Reformed Broker redefines some common financial terms to better suit the times.
Okay, let's get back to mouth rape, shall we? NYSE to pay traders for adding liquidity.
Am I the only stock blogger not selling anything? Jesus. Question... what should I sell?
LOLFed explains what B-O-N-U-S really spells.
I haven't watched hockey all year even though I'd say it's my favorite sport to watch. More of this and I might watch more... (NSFW)
UPDATE: I'm on Twitter now. Why? I don't know... all the cool kids are doing it. Follow along if you need more noise in your day.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The RO Report, "Not My Day" Edition
I didn't sleep well last night and woke up in a sour mood. I made a few early boneheaded trades and put myself in a hole. I surfed and had a shitty session. After surf, I was getting a coffee (paper cup you anonymous assholes!) and there was a hot chick at the counter. She said, "You have something in your hair." I reached up and felt and when I looked at my hand, there was some white stuff on it... a bird had shit on me.
That's what kind of day I had.
Luckily, the RO had a better day. How they managed to do so well in this chop is beyond me. If any of you care to share your days, please do so in the comment section. I wonder if the RO outperformed most prop shops today.
Out of 32 traders today, 21 were gross positive or 66%. 12 traders made over $1,000 gross and 2 lost over $1,000 gross. I was #29 of 32 or, a Manservant.
"Lucky Pierre" - Trader A, $15,670 on 118k shares traded.
2. Trader B, $13,226 on 362k shares traded.
3. Trader D, $13,101 on 248k shares traded.
4. Trader H*, $5,821 on 46,900 shares traded.
5. Trader F, $5,358 on 87,200 shares traded.
"Chambermaid" - Trader C, -$10,626 on 416k shares traded.
2. Trader &, -$2,592 on 58,400 shares traded.
3. Trader P, -$674 on 225k shares traded.
4. Trader S, -$592 on 30,900 shares traded.
5. Trader Y, -$287 on 11,000 shares traded.
The Styrofoam Cup
After a recent visit to my mother's house, Judy and I decided to get coffees to enjoy on the drive home. My mother lives near a nice, old-fashioned village with the type of Main Street you can't walk down without seeing friends and neighbors. I parked in front of the bagel place and opened my door.
"No, wait a second," Judy said as she peered out the passenger side window at red block letters reading, "HOT BAGELS." "I think there’s a slightly nicer coffee place on the other end of town."
I re-entered traffic, and after a red light and a couple of near "cell phone wrecks," I pulled into another parking spot near where she thought the coffee place was. But there was no obvious coffee shop, just a clothing store, a pizza place and a florist.
“Just get out and walk around a minute,” she said. “It’s there.”
I opened my car door and stepped out into the Main Street traffic. A woman driving a white Cadillac Escalade and, yes, talking on her cell phone, nearly ended my life. I made it onto the sidewalk, walked a few hundred feet from the car, found no coffee shop, and walked back to the car.
Through the windshield I saw Judy leaning over the front seat playing with our daughter who was in her carseat. When my daughter saw me approach, I ran up to the car door and smushed my face against the window making "farty noises." A woman walked by and shook her head in disapproval but my daughter went wild with laughter. Judy rolled down her window. I put my hand on the roof of the car, leaned close, and dropped the bad news, “I see the place you’re talking about, but it’s out of business.” "Okay," Judy said, "Just turn around and we’ll get it from the bagel shop.”
Now there are a couple of things in life that I am rather stubborn about. One is that I’ll never, under no circumstances, pull over to ask for directions. The other, is that I hate to retrace my steps.
“No,” I said. "We’ll find another place. There are loads of bagel shops around here.” Judy rolled her eyes.
Outside of the main village now, there was nothing but depressing strip malls, newspaper-strewn roads, auto collision shops, self-defense centers, gas stations, and chain stores. Everything was gray. I saw a flock of Starlings lined up along the top of a large green road sign and a flock of Pigeons roosting in the shelter of an overpass. I noticed sagging electrical wires hanging from their splintered telephone poles. A dog with three legs hobbled along the shoulder of the road, stumbled and landed on its little doggie face. A flock of crows watched hungrily as it struggled to regain its footing. A man in a wheelchair wept.
The situation appeared hopeless but I desperately wanted a coffee. It was time to make the easy decision and get on with our trip. Against all of my better judgements and instincts, I pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts Drive Thru and narrowly missed hitting a confused-looking old woman who was wandering around aimlessly in her pajamas.
"Get out of the fucking road, you hag!" Judy yelled from the car window.
"Damn Judy, chill." I said. She really has no patience for old people... Anyway, just then she realized where I was going for our coffees and her jaw dropped in amazement. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Nothing," I said. Keep playing with Chela. Chela chirped from the backseat, "What Mommy? What Mommy?" And then, "Mommy, why is that lady in her pajamas? Does her nose bleeding?"
I pulled up and a man’s voice, heavy with accent, crackled through the brown speaker of the Drive-Thru menu. “Hello! Welcome to Dunkin Donuts, may I take your order please?”
I ordered the coffees. However, immediately after I placed the order, I took a good look at the pictures on the huge menu. Cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee posed alongside various breakfast items... here with an egg sandwich; there, with a bagel. In each of these pictures the coffee was pictured in a styrofoam cup, with a little curl of steam, shaped approximately like a question mark, rising from the surface of the coffee. The styrofoam cups bothered me and my conscious stirred. I thought of a local wildlife refuge near my house and a display they have of certain items and how long it takes them to decompose.
The display is simple. It starts with an orange. A small white sign over the orange says, "Two weeks." Next to the orange is something that takes longer, like a chicken bone, and it says "Two months." To be honest, I don't remember how long it takes for each different thing to decompose, okay? But I do remember that the sign over the styrofoam cup reads, “NEVER.” Styrofoam never goes away. Not in this lifetime, not in the next, never...
I had yet to pull away from the window and I decided I had to act.
“Excuse me?” I said to the menu.
“Yes sir?” crackled the brown drive-thru speaker.
“Can you put those coffees in paper cups? Or do you only have styrofoam cups?”
An unsteady pause told me that taking this dude out of his normal transaction conversation was not a good idea.
“I’m sorry sir…" The man sounded impatient. "You ordered two coffees, correct?”
“Yes, I just don’t want them in sty…”
“Okay then sir," he interrupted, "please drive around.”
“No, wait," I persisted. "See, I don’t want the coffees if they’re in Styrofoam cups.”
“Okay sir, now you are saying that you do not want the coffees.”
“No, I want the coffees, I don’t want the cups.”
“I do not understand sir.”
At this point I stepped on the gas, tore around the drive thru, and gave the worker “the business” with my left hand. The man slid open the drive thru window and yelled, "Fuck you! Fucker man!" as I pulled back onto the depressing road.
Judy looked alarmed. "What the hell are you doing?"
“We'll find a place with PAPER cups!" I yelled in a sort of crazed tone as I swerved to miss a cluster of people protesting a larger cluster of hispanic day-laborers.
However, it wasn’t so simple. At this point, our options had become severely limited. We pointed the car towards the expressway and hoped to find some welcoming little shop that we had somehow overlooked on our many trips. In the rearview mirror I caught Chela's eyes. She was smiling and singing, "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.
To be continued...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Yo La Tengo, "The Summer"
So many hot naked chicks in this video it's hard to know where to start...
The RO Report, "Free Money" Edition
There was no St. Patrick's Day hangover for the RO today.
I don't really understand what all the economic news means. All I understand is market movement. The fact that we ripped, I mean RIPPED off the FOMC news at 2:15 and held most of the ground into the close is very bullish.
This has been one hell of a bear market rally. But it's important to realize that we're still only at 7500. It could still have legs... we have been so beaten down. And really, although the shorts are getting squeezed here, they haven't felt enough pain yet. I kind of feel that this rally is going to end with a real blow-off top at some point. Of course, that's a very non-scientific feel I'm offering...
Anyway, the RO kicked ass. Out of 32 traders today, 26 were gross positive or 81%. 13 traders made over $1,000 gross and 3 lost over $1,000 gross. It's important to note that the 3 who lost over $1,000 gross are all swing accounts... active traders were rewarded by the market today. I was #12 of 32. Okay.
Solid days by a number of traders.
"Lucky Pierre" - Trader D, $27,985 on 1 million shares traded.
2. Trader B, $21,466 on 413k shares traded.
3. Trader Z, $17,032 on 429k shares traded.
4. Trader C, $12,583 on 847k shares traded.
5. Trader N, $8,993 on 131k shares traded.
"Chambermaid" - Trader H*, -$5,246 on 11,400 shares traded.
2. Trader 9*, -$1,224 on 2,300 shares traded.
3. Trader 10*, -$1,021 on 0 shares traded.
4. Trader F, -$559 on 289k shares traded.
5. Trader 4*, -$215 on 0 shares traded. 
Another Person Who Shouldn't Trade
Position sizing is important, so don't take on more than you can chew. If you do you could quickly fail.
Backyard Dancing Body Slam - Watch more Funny Videos
I don't have a history post for the day, so instead I'm going to switch on CNBC and get all "old DT" on you.
UPDATE: Fuck that. I can't torture myself by writing snarky posts about CNBC today. It's too nice outside. I'll be back for the FED news. Don't churn.
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