How I Made 5 Grand in One Week

As mentioned in the comments section yesterday, I unloaded a number of shorts and entered a few longs:

I covered 100 shares of FSLR (short at $187.33) at $164.67 for a $2266 (+12.1%).

I covered 200 shares of MON at $102.43 (short at $114.27) for a $2454 (+10.7%).

I covered 75 shares of GS at 188.06 (short at $202.55) for a $1086 gain (+7.7%).

I covered 400 shares of DNR at $27.01 (short at $26.01) for a $404 loss (-3.8%).

I exited 300 shares of PAAS at $34.62 (entry at $35.86) for a $372 loss (-3.6%).

I bought 300 shares of ANR at $34.05 (currently at $35.44).

I bought 400 shares of HOV at $9.32 (currently at 8.73).

I am still holding DUG (ETF short oil and gas), ANR (long), PRXL (long) and AGU (short).

February performance on completed trades:
3 wins
2 losses
win rate: 60%
average gain: $1935
average loss: $388
total gains: $5806
total losses: $-776

Total Profit: $5030.

Not a bad haul for 7 days of work. Now lets hope I don't lose it all in the coming week.

While I am not happy about the win rate, at least maximizing gains and minimizing losses. Over the weekend, I plan to analyze a few of the trades I made. This type of trade review will become a regular feature of the site. First up will be FSLR. Take a look at the chart and see if you can get behind my strategy



BTW, for those new to the site, all entries can be viewed by going to the trade label or just scrolling down and viewing my Febuary posts.

Trades and Performance Stats

Here are trades I've recently made. All entries were posted to the site and can be viewed via the trade label. Entries for these trades were made on or after November 9th, and exited this week. I have completed other trades since the 9th, that were posted on the site. I have not included them here, since this post is only to update exits made this week. This weekend I will have performance stats for all trades since November 1.

I sold 300 shares of PBR at $108.06 (entry at $94.61) for a $4035 gain (+14.2%).

I sold 400 shares of VIP at $38.43 (entry at $34.17) for a $1704 gain (+12.4).

I sold 300 shares of MEE at $35.90 (entry at $30.10) for a $1740 gain (+19.2%).

I sold 200 shares of DE Wednesday at $88.10 (entry at 79.11) for a $1798 gain (+11.4%).

I sold 300 shares of RIG at $133.90 (entry at $126.10) for a $2340 gain (+6.1%).

I covered 300 shares of TBSI at $42.60 (entry at $55.26) for a $3798 gain (+28.6%).

I covered 500 shares of the NOV at $72.72 (short at $69.44) for a $1640 loss (-4.6%).

I covered 300 shares of MER yesterday at $58.10 (short at $54.10) for a $1200 loss (-6.8%).

I covered 300 shares of PGJ at $35.37 (short at $32.55) for a $846 (-8.5%).

I covered 300 shares of LEH at $61.10 (short at $59.73) for a $411 (-2.2%).

I sold 600 shares of QID at $37.75 (entry at $40.26) for a $1506 loss (-6.6%).

I covered 300 shares of AAPL at $181.35 (short at 176.08) for a $1581 loss (-3.1%).

Performance stats for these trades:

Win Rate: 50 percent (6 wins/6 losses)

Total Gains: $15,415
Average Gain: $2,570

Total Losses: $7,184
Average Loss: $1,198

Total Profits: $8,231

Thoughts:
My trade rate was not up to my usual standards, at only fifty percent, so I can't say I'm a happy camper. However, I can take some solace in the profits and risk management. I try to keep my losses small and my wins big, and was able to accomplish that goal.

We can also see that my shorts are what kept the win rate down. All of my losses were from shorts (which includes long QID), and I only had one short win (TBSI). I bet you can guess what I will be working on this weekend.

To view my entries, follow the trade label. I am still holding some stocks I've entered over this period, including DCO, FSLR, LEN (short) and OFG.

Trades and Vanity Performance Stats

I sold 1000 shares of QID at an average price of $53.86 (entry at $55.50) for a $1640 loss (-2.9%).

I covered 200 shares of AAPL at $92.05 (short at $90.10) for a $395 loss (-2.1%).

I covered 500 shares of STLD at $41.08 (short at $39.08) for a $1000 loss (-5.1%).

I sold 200 shares of VLO at $61.87 (entry at $60.24) for a $326 gain (+2.7%).

I bought 500 shares of CELG at $53.24.

I bought 1000 shares of VDSI at $17.67.

I bought 1000 shares of SMSI at $15.96.

I hope to detail the three current trades tomorrow with charts.

When I got home I was feeling depressed about the today's losses. One of my trading buddies helped put things in perspective by telling me to take a look at all of the trades I had made leading up to today. So I did :) I've compiled some vanity stats to help pick me up.

Since the February 27 sell off, I have made 24 trades (excluding the three trades I made today that I am still holding). Here is how I did:

• Win Rate: 71% (17/24)
• Total Gains: $13,962
• Average Gain: $821
• 
  
• Loss Rate: 29% (7/24)
• Total Losses: $4,029
• Average Loss: $575
• 
  
• Total Gross Profits: $9,933
• Profit After Commissions: $9,597

In 23 days, I made $9,597 as a part-time trader. Meanwhile, I made $5600 as a full-time worker. Trading Rocks!

Okay, I feel better now. Feel free to curse and throw tomatoes at the screen in disgust over my vane behavior.

To review all of my trades, go to the "Trade" label below.