The Most Precious Thing In The World

What's The Most Precious Thing In The World To An Intermediate-Term Trader?

Some would say it's the list of criteria you use in order to make that critical decision:

"Is this a stock I should buy?"

After all, you may have spent 20 hours pruning down your list of candidates from many thousands to a couple dozen -- your vision getting more nearsighted in the process.

But what good is your toil and sweat if -- at the moment of decision -- you buy the wrong stock? Or, just as aggravating, you buy the right stock at the wrong time?

Hedge fund manager Tim Truebenbach has your plan of attack. All you have to do is click into his trading lesson "Here's The Checklist I Use Before I Buy Any Stock" and you'll be on the way toward:

Making solid decisions that are based on hard evidence, not emotions.

Much like commercial pilots running down a pre-flight checklist, Tim runs down his own every single time he considers placing the buy order. He knows the odds are considerably more favorable than if he didn't have the list.

Even if you have a checklist...are you sure you have included every factor that is critical for winning intermediate-term trades? Got your quarterly earnings in there? How much volume do you need? Have you included institutional sponsorship?

Just one missing piece of the puzzle can make the difference between a winner and a loser. Get your winning plan of attack together...learn how to do it from Tim's lesson.

Learn From The Biggest Blunders Of The Best Traders

Has this ever happened to you? You've got your head in your hands. You've just made the most incredible trading mistake ever. You're shaking and debating over whether to quit the business and put all your money into savings bonds.

Every great trader (at least the ones I've seen) has been there. They reached a point of extreme pain and they had to ask themselves:

Am I going to sit here and die?

Or will I learn the strategies and money-management techniques I need to know in order to survive and be successful?

Yes, it's the great turning point. And when you read Brice Wightman's special report: "The Biggest Blunders Of The Best Traders And What They Learned From Them," you will indeed feel the agony that has been experienced by the great traders like Borsellino, Boroden, Cooper, Landry, Najarian, Yordanoff, and others.

But most importantly, you will also get a huge adrenalin surge and boost to your own prospects for long-lasting success because you'll know what it means to stare failure in the face -- and fight your way out of it. The emotional impact of near-disaster will make a mark on your thought process every time you trade.

Every great trading career has been built on the learning experiences derived from big mistakes. If you have ever questioned whether you're cut out for this business, read Brice's lesson. You'll see how you may be closer to realizing your dreams than you think. 

Schools Do it. Business Does it. Professional Sports Does it. Shouldn't Every Trader?

What is it? Measuring performance.

One of the surest ways to get on the path to consistent gains is to continually measure your performance. When you set goals and know where you stand at any given moment, the impetus to do whatever it takes to get there becomes automatic. This is perhaps more the case in trading than in many other endeavors.

Be mindful of the fact that if you don't measure your performance, the odds will be stacked up against you because you're essentially driving down a treacherous mountain road wearing a blindfold. It's only a question of when will you go over the cliff.

Loren Fleckenstein shows you how to get a handle on your performance in his lesson "Want to Trade at Your Best? Start by Measuring Your Performance." Every day I see traders flocking to Loren on the Intermediate-Term Message Board, and he's always online to lend a hand. They all know Loren's got some great insights into this topic and all aspects of trading. Be sure to check out this lesson that is so incredibly important to your success.

P.S. All the rumors you heard last year were true. Loren was a big hit at TradingMarkets 2000. Don't miss out on learning his most advanced strategies when he co-leads Gary Kalbaum's upcoming workshops. You'll get strategies that will enable you to get in on the big winners in the next bull market. Be prepared.

Candlestick Guru Tsutae Kamada Gives You Another Good Reason To Look At Candlesticks

Savvy veteran traders have noticed that many of the best single- and double-bar chart patterns, such as key reversals and inside days, are carbon copies of what Japanese traders have been using for hundreds of years in their candlestick formations.

What's valid is always valid, right? Now...candlestick guru, Tsutae shows you just how useful they can be on long-term charts.

With the numerous examples he gives, you will see why top traders like Goran Yordanoff and Carolyn Lueck are among the many who swear by their effectiveness.

Are you a little fuzzy on the overall direction of the market? The setup that looks good at close range may look a little blurred when you zoom out. Tsutae Kamada will cure your myopia with "Clarifying The Long-Term Outlook Using Candlestick Charts."

What's Up At TradingMarkets World

Find out how one former sandlot trader made it to the big leagues, starting out trading just 100-share lots before being called up to the majors to sling half a million shares per day -- all in under two years. Marc Dupee scores an interview with Lindsey Weinger in Meet the Traders. BTW, you might be surprised when you read what she has to say about technical analysis.

Need to fill in some holes in your trading library? "Best of the Best" this week gives you some excellent ideas in books, software, videotapes and cassettes that will help you improve your trading results.

Check out Len Yates' great volatility trade in Trade of the Week. This is yet another example of how you can put together a great trade when volatility, chart pattern, leverage and market dynamics all work together hand in hand.

In addition to the Trading Lessons described above, please see our latest Trading Advisor. As always, if you'd like your trading questions answered, please send them to questions@tradingmarkets.com. Send any suggestions, recommendations and other input to suggestions@tradingmarkets.com.

Feeling off the wall? Send submissions for "Genius of the Day" to genius@tradingmarkets.com. Send your "What Do You Think?" ideas to poll@tradingmarkets.com.

Have a great weekend,

Eddie Kwong
Editor-in-Chief
TradingMarkets.com