NFP reports are known to induce volatility in the financial markets, as well as set the tone for price movements each month. So, it is in your interest as a trader to know how to read the NFP report and…
Introduced by the ISM in 1948, ISM Manufacturing Index, or PMI, is a useful resource for assessing the health of the US manufacturing sector. It is one of the key macroeconomic indicators financial market traders monitor on economic calendars because…
Ascertaining the market condition is often necessary but can be very difficult, which is why the choppiness index can be very powerful for your trading. What do you know about the choppiness index? The Choppiness Index is an indicator created…
QQQ – TLT Strategy (With backtest and trading rules) A Bond and Nasdaq 100 trading strategy. This strategy trades the NASDAQ 100 and long-term treasury bonds from the long side, using the ticker codes QQQ and TLT. We include interest…
Nick Radge’s Weekend Trend Trader trading strategy is a mechanical and systematic trading system designed for part-time traders, allowing them to make decisions and manage trades during the weekend when markets are closed. In this article, we explain the Weekend…
With trading strategies, there are many different ways to trade and as many different types of trading strategies. It’s important to remember that what works well for one person might not yield the same results for you. Conducting thorough data analysis and backtesting, along…
Compounding in trading involves reinvesting your profits for exponential capital growth over time. This blog post will guide you on how progress compounds in trading and present key strategies for maximizing returns. You’ll learn to set effective goals, develop a…
Are all-time highs in the S&P 500 bullish or bearish? This is a common question among investors when the market hits new peaks. Understanding whether new highs signal continued growth or a potential downturn is crucial. In this article, we’ll…
Today we are presenting three free mean reversion strategies. They were partially published on this website a few years back, and today we make some minor adjustments and present their performance on different ETFs. Furthermore, we discuss why mean reversion…
Trading SPY And S&P 500 Using VIX (VIX Trading Strategies). The VIX is a popular measure of the implied volatility of S&P 500 index options. Put shortly, the VIX is a mean reversion indicator: when the risk premium increases (VIX…
You can develop and create profitable short-selling strategies and systems, but you can’t expect to find many; they normally trade infrequently. This article presents several short-selling strategies in the S&P 500 (SPY and ES) and consumer staples (XLP). Moreover, we…
Below we have a few selected End-Of-Day Trading Strategies. (EOD trading strategies) Since we started writing in 2012 we have presented over 200 free trading strategies, and we present a monthly trading edge for our paying subscribers (which you also…
The 9/30 trading strategy is a trend-following strategy that uses two moving averages — a 9-period EMA (exponential moving average) and a 30-period WMA (weighted moving average) — to spot trading opportunities when there is a pullback. The 9-period EMA…
This article shows a rotation strategy between healthcare stocks and the S&P 500. The trading idea is pretty simple, but it beats the buy and hold of the S&P 500. Moreover, we believe this strategy is more rational than at…
Of the many classifications a stock can have, one of the most significant is relative to its size. It is well known in the market that small caps tend to perform better than large caps, something called the small-cap effect….
I guess most traders have heard that “the trend is your friend“. Personally, I don’t do trend-following strategies, I go the opposite way: buy weakness and sell strength – mean reversion strategies. However, this depends on the instrument you trade…
How do you do overnight trading? Is it possible to make money via overnight trading? Can you make money by owning stocks or indices for just one day? Is overnight trading good? You do overnight trading by buying the close…
What Does A Follow Through Day Mean In Trading? As a stock trader, you may likely have asked this question several times: “How do you identify a stock rally?” That might have been the question that led William J. O’Neil…
New traders often think that there is that one indicator that would help them make big profits from the market all the time. Unfortunately, there is none, which is why the triple screen strategy was invented to exploit the strong…
What are the worst days of the year for trading stocks? Let’s find out and test from the year 2000. We did a backtest where we optimized the month and trading day to find the WORST trading days for the…
The common belief is that large-cap stocks don’t perform very well because they are already big and they don’t grow at high rates. However, is this true? What is the large-cap effect (factor) trading strategy? In this article, we are…
Gap fill trading strategies are popular among traders, especially when it comes to playing the opening gap of the S&P 500. But what exactly is an opening gap? This article explores the basics of gap trading strategies, focusing on understanding…
Trend following has many followers, for some investors and traders trend following is like a religion. But does trend following work? And if so, why does it work? Yes, trend following does work. If we look at history, even simple…
Dogs Of The Dow (DOD) Some investment strategies allow you to enjoy maximum dividend income, and Dogs of the Dow is one of such. But what does it really mean and how has it performed lately? Dogs of the Dow…
Bear market strategy refers to the techniques traders and investors use to trade the market during a bear run. They include entry, exit, trade management, and risk management strategies investors use to protect their assets and even make some profits…
What happens in the coming days after a very bad Friday when the stock market goes down? Let’s backtest and find out if we can make any money from it. Friday 22nd of April was a very bad day in…
In May 2015, Micheal A. Gayed published a paper called Lumber: Worth Its Weight in Gold Offense and Defense in Active Portfolio Management (free download at SSRN). We used that paper to make a profitable lumber/gold ratio trading strategy for…
Gap down trading strategies in stocks capitalize on downward price gaps between trading sessions. This strategy outlines specific entry and exit criteria to exploit these opportunities effectively. Entry occurs on the next trading day if certain conditions are met, while…
The Weighted Moving Average (WMA) is a valuable technical indicator employed by traders to assess the direction of trade and assist in making informed decisions on when to buy or sell. This article looks at the math, theory, and basics…
In this article, we present some Larry Williams trading strategies. Larry Williams has marked his name in the register of successful traders. He has authored several books and is very popular in the trading industry. Born on 6th October 1942,…
Channel trading can be profitable when used correctly. It can help you to track and speculate on the prevailing market trend, especially if you are a swing trader. But it can also be used in range-bound markets. Both mean-reversion traders…
One of the best edges in the stock market is the overnight edge – the price action from the close until tomorrow’s morning (or close). Is it still working? Can a trend filter improve performance? Empirical evidence – the overnight…
A Russell 2000 Death Cross occurs when the 50-day moving average of the Russell 2000 index crosses below its 200-day moving average. This is often seen as a bearish signal, but a new study by Rob Hanna on his blog…
Three german researchers have written a study called Is Poker a Game of Skill or Chance? A Quasi-Experimental Study. I was made aware of this article in Peter Warrens’s blog (only in Norwegian). I totally agree with the content. Most…
Variable moving average strategy backtest Traders have always looked for ways to improve the performance of the exponential moving average, and using a volatility index (VI) to adjust the smoothing period as market conditions change has given rise to the…
One of Warren Buffett’s investment advice is, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful!” That basically explains the contrarian trading strategy. The contrarian trading strategy is one that goes against the prevailing sentiment in the…
A market-neutral strategy is a type of investment approach that enables an investor to benefit from both rising and falling stock prices. This is achieved by taking long positions in one stock and short positions in another stock. The strategy…
Today we want to delve into John Ehler’s Trading Strategy and an indicator created by this famous author to investigate financial instruments quantitatively. In August 2006, John Ehlers published an article in Stocks & Commodities titled Modeling The Market =…
The world of stock trading is a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape, where traders employ a wide array of strategies to capitalize on market movements. However, sometimes very basic strategies can perform really well. The 5 consecutive higher open trading strategy…
I believe experience is the most important asset for any speculator. In this article, I explain why experience matters in trading. It’s simple: the longer you survive, the fitter and stronger you get, and thus more fit to prey on…
Simple Moving Average Trading Strategy revolves around the use of a simple moving average (SMA), which is a technical analysis tool that helps traders identify the direction of a market trend by averaging the closing prices of a security or…
The Dow Theory is widely considered one of the earliest forms of technical analysis in the western world and has always been a very integral part of technical analysis since then. But what is the theory about? The Dow Theory…
Volatility goes up and down in any financial market. Low volatility is often followed by periods of high volatility and vice versa. Bollinger Bands are one of the tools a trader can use to measure volatility. What is the Bollinger…
It’s possible to make Friday Jobs Report trading strategies. One of the most important macro numbers on this planet is the monthly US job report. As a bonus, at the end of this article, we provide you with the code…
The utility sector has taken a major hit over the last couple of weeks. Below is XLU, the ETF that tracks the sector: But as you can see, it’s not the first time it has “collapsed”, but it has caught…
This Big Down Day Trading Strategy, centered around the SPY ETF, focuses on identifying significant downward movements and capitalizing on them. By analyzing simple variables like the average difference between daily highs and lows over a specific period, we unveil…
Hull moving average strategy backtest Experienced traders know that the best trading indicators are those that can reduce lag, eliminate noise, and quickly respond to sustained market changes. The Hull Moving Average (HMA) seems to tick those boxes. What do…
Energy sector trading is the process of gaining exposure to multiple stocks in the energy sector as a means of diversification and generating profits. Investment can be done by buying an ETF that tracks the sector or by building a…
Golden Cross Trading Strategy is famous and a cited phenomenon in the media. In this article, we look at the performance of the Golden Cross in the S&P 500. A Golden Cross involves two moving averages – one short and…
Mean reversion has worked very well on most Western stock indices for about four decades since the advent of futures trading. It has worked even better during the bull market after the financial crisis in 2008/09. Perhaps counterintuitive, long strategies…
Gold is one of the most famous commodities in the world and is a great diversifier for those trading mainly stocks. However, its price has gone nowhere in the past decade, so we decided to test some strategies and try…
The 5-Day Low Overnight Trading Strategy focuses on trading the S&P 500 when it opens at a 5-day low but closes higher than its opening price. This strategy involves entering trades at the close and exiting when the market opens…
The exponential moving average strategy is one of the most commonly used among traders. But do you know what it is? And do you know if an exponential average strategy can be used profitably in the stock market? Backtests indicate…
With the tight regulations that followed the 2008/2009 financial crisis, this sector has been stable with steady growth. But let’s see what it has to offer. In this article, we discuss the US financial sector and we show you an…
Momentum trading is the opposite of buying low and selling high: momentum is about buying strength. Can we make a successful momentum strategy for S&P 500? Yes, a momentum strategy for the S&P 500 works. We use monthly bars and…
The dual momentum trading strategy by Gary Antonacci, what is that about? As the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, once said: “Trying to time the market is the number one mistake to avoid.” It is almost impossible to consistently time…
Investing in international stocks can be a rewarding venture, offering diversification and access to global opportunities. However, the decision to buy stocks when they are at all-time highs can be met with skepticism. But a question arises: Is it profitable…
This article presents a SPY volume trading strategy. Understanding the significance of trading volume in SPY and the S&P 500 ETF is crucial. This article explores the relevance of volume in SPY trading and presents findings from historical data analysis…
When stock markets are oversold, we can expect strong returns over the next few days. But in the long term, returns gravitate toward the average returns. Thus, oversold stock markets only predict short-term results, not long-term. We do a backtest…
The information technology sector has the highest weighting in the S&P 500 index, representing more than a quarter of the index’s market cap. Over the last decade, the sector has been “hot” and had a spectacular bull market. In this…
The stock market is officially open for 6.5 hours daily and has an opening and closing price for each stock. What is the opening price of a stock? The opening price of a stock (or any asset on an exchange)…
The advent of Artificial Intelligence is here, and is forecast to combine with and revolutionize many industries in the years to come. One such combined industry is ‘Robotics and AI’, and traders are increasingly seeking ways to position themselves to…
Crafting a strategy that adapts to changing conditions is crucial for success. One such strategy gaining attention is the ETF sector rotation trading strategy. In this case, we are going to be focusing on the Consumer Staples and Consumer Discretionary…
Introducing the “3 Day Low Trading Strategy”! This strategy is based on Larry Connors’ double 7 method and aims to capitalize on the stock market’s mean-reverting tendencies. It involves identifying ETFs that close at a 3-day low and have an…
S&P 500 trading strategies can sharpen your market understanding. This article delivers straightforward techniques for trend, momentum, and volatility trading, providing the know-how for strategic market engagement. Understand when to enter and exit the market with strategies suited for different…
IWM is the ticker symbol for iShares Russell 2000 ETF, which is one of the main ETFs that track the Russell 2000 index. The ETF provides a way to invest in the index and gain exposure to small-cap U.S. stocks….
When should you sell a stock or position? Many articles and videos deal with when to buy, but less focus is on when to sell. When should you sell? What method should you use to sell? What is the best…
Commodities, being closely tied to weather patterns and economic activity, exhibit high cyclical characteristics. Similarly, stocks also display cyclical tendencies. Given this, is there an opportunity to capitalize on their optimal performance? The commodities to equity ratio tries to do…
Wheel Trading Strategy The wheel trading strategy is a popular options trading strategy that involves generating income from options by buying and selling puts and covered calls. It is a systematic approach to trading options, allowing investors to potentially generate…
Today we’ll present a strategy that we first wrote about some years ago – an article called big moves on Mondays – but we have made a small twist to the strategy. We call the strategy for the Big Reversal…
Triangular moving average strategy backtest Moving averages are the most common and useful technical indicators in forex trading, owing to their effect in smoothening out price movements and showing the actual direction of the trend. There are various types of…
The material sector is considered the primary producer in the supply chain because the companies here provide the raw materials used by other industries. Stocks in this sector tend to do well in a strong economy. However, the sector is…
Today we will look at a strategy published by Michael Gayed in his paper An Intermarket Approach to Beta Rotation: The Strategy, Signal and Power of Utilities. Gayed’s paper is among the most downloaded papers on the SSRN website. The…
Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and it certainly has one of the best foods. However, they have struggled to grow their economy and, accordingly, their stock market. The Italian stock market is currently trading…
The channel breakout trading strategy is one of many ways to trade breakouts. Breakouts are a popular trading strategy. As the name suggests, this method involves identifying and capitalizing on significant price movements as an asset breaks free from its typical…
In this article, we backtest Larry Connors‘ 3 day high/low Method/Strategy. How has the strategy performed since it was revealed in his book in 2009? The 3 day high/low method/strategy performed well in Connors’ book, and it still works pretty…
Triple exponential moving average strategy One of the not-so-common moving average indicators used by traders is the triple exponential moving average (TEMA). It is an important trend indicator used by traders to identify trends more closely than a traditional moving…
The real estate industry group, previously stuffed inside the Financials sector, was elevated to a market sector level in 2016, making it the 11th sector in the S&P 500 index. Let’s take a look at the newest addition to the…
Bond trading strategies are a great inclusion in a portfolio of strategies because they offer diversification and, most likely, uncorrelated returns. Bonds are complementary. First, you might want to have a look at other articles related to bond trading strategies:…
Is there a safe investment asset strategy? A while back, Meb Faber published a white paper called What Is The Safest Investment Asset. Faber wanted to answer if there is such a thing as the safest asset in the world….
Introduction to the Z-Score Trading Strategy: The Z-Score is a statistical measure used in finance to assess a company’s financial health and its likelihood of bankruptcy. The Z-Score Trading Strategy employs this metric to make improved investment decisions. The Z-Score…
High Probability ETF Trading, published in 2009 and written by Larry Connors and Cesar Alvarez, contains some interesting strategies. They are all mean revertive and tested on the most popular ETFs at the time of writing, which was the end…
Volume-weighted average price strategy backtest Several indicators are used for technical analysis; some of these indicators combine different market data to tell a better story about what the market is doing. The volume-weighted average price (VWAP), which combines both volume…
Stock indexes are widely used as benchmarks for tracking a basket of stocks within a particular sector or segment of the market. Investors use the indexes to assess the overall health of the sector, they compare the performance of their…
The RSI is one of the most popular indicators used in technical analysis. However, most people use it as a mean reversion indicator rather than a momentum indicator. Today, we show you an RSI range-momentum trading strategy. The RSI range-momentum…
Meb Faber’s Tactical Asset Allocation strategy is an active trend-following strategy that uses market timings and allocates assets across four asset classes: stocks, bonds, REITs, and commodities. These four asset classes are divided into five categories: U.S. stocks, foreign stocks,…
Let’s look at at price pattern that shows that Tesla’s stock price booms every time this happens. It doesn’t happen often, but it has worked well so far: Tesla’s Stock Price Booms Every Time This Happens The trading rules are…
How important are the best days compared to total profits? In trading, you want to avoid negatively skewed trading strategies. These are strategies that have fat left tails and might wipe out all your profits from many trades. You need…
Pairs Trading Strategy involves being neutral to the direction of the market. This article looks at what pairs trading is, how it works, and its advantages and disadvantages (pros and cons). The main benefit of pairs trading is market neutrality….
Zero-lag exponential moving average strategy backtest (ZLEMA) The moving average is no doubt one of the most widely used technical indicators. While there are different traditional types, many variations are being created all the time to improve on the old…
Identifying core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats leads to fact-based analysis, fresh perspectives, and new ideas, which are the benefits of a SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis is a technique for assessing the performance, competition, risk, and potential of a business,…
A big part of a successful trading strategy is seasonal trading. As we are about to see, this is especially true in commodities. Today we will look at a silver seasonal trading strategy where we invest only in the best-performing…
Taking advantage of the popularity of Tradingview and its powerful tools for technical analysis, we will explore Bollinger Bands and their potential for creating a trading strategy. Stay with us until the end to see how we use the tools…
QQQ Trading Strategies and Systems The QQQ is the largest and most liquid ETF that tracks the Nasdaq Composite Index. It is a popular investment vehicle for both individual and institutional investors. However, successfully trading the QQQ can be challenging…
Are there any daily seasonalities in the S&P 500? I did some research into SPY, an ETF based on the S&P 500 components and a very good proxy, based average return on which day of the month. To get a…
Does trend following work in the S&P 500? We recently came across an article called Breaking into the Blackbox: Trend Following, Stop Losses, and the Frequency of Trading: The Case of the S&P 500. It’s written by academics, but in…
Yes, the turtle trading strategy still works today. It is a trend-following strategy, so it works in markets with clear trends. While the original strategy, which is based on identifying breakouts, still works reasonably well, traders have modified the turtle…
The Utilities sector is known to outperform the S&P 500 index when there are market downturns, especially during periods of recession. Let’s take a look at the sector and discuss an example of an utilities trading strategy. Utilities trading strategies…
One often-mentioned expression in the financial markets is “risk on risk off”. What is it, and can you use it to develop a profitable risk on risk off trading strategy? A risk on risk off trading (RORO) strategy takes advantage…
The PENTAD Timing Model By Nelson Freeburg is an active, complicated strategy that uses four stock indices and one advance/decline line for producing buy/sell signals. This timing model is designed for the US stock market. Using this timing model, you…
