Good Morning! I hope everyone actually got some sleep lastnight, as many people I talked to were very worried about 401k's, Money Markets, and the like. If you're trading with the trend, utilizing GOOD information, and following a plan then you should be ok! If you're still having issues, please take a look at the article below by Blain Reinkensmeyer from StockTradingToGo.com. I asked him to talk about how he gets his morning routine put together for the day. Enjoy the post and trade well!
==================================================================
Every trader has a morning routing when it comes to preparing for the market day. Some traders are more intense than others because they have more at stake. Regardless of the size of your portfolio, here are some tips that can help get your morning started right.
1. Wake up before the market opens: The stock market opens every day at 9:30 AM EST and by waking up before you have time to prepare for any potential market surprises or simply set a strategy up for the day. Some traders wake up three hours before the opening bell, some three minutes; it is all based on your routine you develop.
2. Give the financial news a quick check: For me I simply head over to the INO News page or Yahoo finance and read the headlines. More often than not it gives me a quick glimpse of what the market itself is up to and any stocks that have big news. If you don’t like reading, than simply flip on CNBC and watch a few minutes.
3. Check the pre-markets: This is almost a must if you are a day trader because plays can come about pretty quickly. Personally I use the NASDAQ pre market indicator for attaining pre-market quotes. Pre-market trading occurs from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM EST every day. For the simple trader, the whole purpose of this is to get an idea of what stocks if any are on the move early.
4. Give your portfolio a quick overview: Sign into your online stock broker account and just give your portfolio a look. This is a good opportunity to see if your positions moved the previous night alongside update any stop orders you may have.
5. Active Traders, setup your trading station before the market opens: This is really a “duh” for those that trade out of their homes, but I can honestly say I struggled at this when I used to day trade. I would try to wake up 5 minutes before the opening bell, gather news and get myself setup, and more often than not it doesn’t work. Get your computer running early so you are ready if need be.
6. Read the Paper: Papers such as the Investors Business Daily (IBD) and the Wall Street Journal are an outstanding way to get updated on what the market is up to.
Blain Reinkensmeyer
I like how you suggest a morning routine. This way you get in the habit of monitoring your stocks which keeps you informed on how they are performing.
when you managing a portfolio or a fund, there is always some urgent things you need to amend. Also there is another set of decisions that are not urgent but very important that you need to address and finally which is A must and mostly in our times of uncertainty to make an sustainable effort trying to imagine the different scenarios that may break you down. To establish a routine is perfect and necessary but taking in consideration what I pointed above.
I would add that it's always a good idea right before you go to bed review the stocks your tracking and come up with a rough game plan for the various scenarios that might play out the next morning. I always do my best work in the late night. When I read the headlines of the morning I already usually know what I have to do. No 9:29 AM scramble.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO FEEL GOOD!!!
If you're not in the right mental frame of mind to be an active trader on one particular day, don't push yourself. Take a rest, take a break. Do not feel pressured to trade. TRADE ONLY WHEN YOU CAN DEVOTE 100% OF YOUR MIND AND BODY TO THE TRADE. Anything less will usually result in losses.