Slope Of Hope with Tim Knight

Seven Hundred BILLION Dollars

Who Had Broker Trouble?

OK, change of heart, I wanted to do one other quick post before the weekend.

I'd like to know (via the comments section) who had troubles with their broker this week? By that I mean downtime, bad fills, and other horror stories. I had a couple of bad "events", one of which was that Principal was down all day long.

If you're not comfortable sharing your story in comments, you can email me (see the "Contact Me" link in the upper right). Thank you! (By the way, if you decide to give thinkorswim - - my employer - - a try, use the ad on the right column here on this blog. No, I don't get any money for you doing so, but frankly my employer is nice to host this blog, and it would be good for those who haven't tried it to "show some love" and try a new platform!)

I will be doing a post this weekend, by the way (probably Sunday). There will be plenty of charts!

Completely Exhausted

The week is done. Finally.

I am completely exhausted from lack of sleep and hard work. I need some recovery time. I'm not going to post again until this weekend. I hope to catch up on comments and get a sense for the chatter that's been going on.

I'm not sure if my post will be Saturday or Sunday. Sign up for my Twitter notifications and I'll tweet everyone when the post is up. I hope you made it through this week OK. I did, all things considered. Thanks.......

NASDAQ Trades Cancelled!

NASDAQ Operations has recently updated the status of the following NASDAQ Market System(s) to the NASDAQ Trader website:

Pursuant to rule 11890(b), NASDAQ, on its own motion, will cancel all trades greater than 20% away from the prior day??s close executed today between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. ET. This decision cannot be appealed. MarketWatch has coordinated this decision with other UTP Exchanges except CBSX, NYSE & AMEX. NASDAQ will be canceling trades on the participant??s behalf. This decision cannot be appealed. The stocks affected are as follows with the reference price (previous close) to calculate the high & low break point: ACWX($40.83), AHD($24.82), APL($24.46), ARA($44.34), BBY($41.23), BWV($45.90), C-G($15.30), CHRS($5.31), CNBKA($16.47), CRA($16.23), CTV($40.55), CVI($12.05), DOG($69.40), EEV($117.50), EFU($122.00), EFZ($95.00), EPR($57.54), EUM($95.50), EV($35.97), EXH($36.90), FIG($10.45), GBL($48.30), GGB($12.72), HBHC($57.11), HCP($41.25), IAI($28.24), IGT($17.88), IHI($60.02), IVE($61.63), IVW($58.58), IWD($65.89), IWF($50.28), IWM($71.80), IX($61.03), IYG($72.73), IYK($59.90), IYR($65.07), KRE($41.36), KSU($48.12), MI($22.98), MMS($37.56), MOR($8.15), MTX($62.74), MYGN($62.74), MZZ($61.01), NGT($25.33), ORCL($18.75), PAGG($26.44), PCBC($24.06), PRFZ($48.20), PSAU($27.03), RMS($88.02), RSP($40.46), RXD($78.66), SCC($90.20), SDP($72.20), SDS($72.50), SFG($49.50), SH($72.20), SIVB($59.41), TDG($37.98), UBSI($34.50), UKW($41.86), UVU($37.81), VV($54.30), WABC($64.68), WTFC($32.81), XRT($33.99). The list of reference points with high and low break points will be posted on NASDAQTrader.com.

Please refer to the link for additional system status updates.

http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=MarketSystemStatus

Rudyard Kipling

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

Perfect Retracement by $MID to 78.6% Fibonacci

Short-Tempered

For your consideration, a few choice charts for shorting. I am like a kid in a candy store.

Amazing Opportunity to Short $UTIL

I have put 100% of my IRA into SDP this morning. Everything.

Spreads Make Options Unpalatable

OK, I can't help myself. I've got to say - - if this is the "new world" of options, forget it. I'll just trade ETFs. There is no way I can trade in a market where the bid/ask spread is 50% of the price.

This sort of risk would really handicap me.

Quiet Day Ahead

No, I don't mean in the markets. I imagine there will be a little activity there. I'm talking about no flurry of posts. Between work, getting some trades in, and an early afternoon meeting, I'm not going to be posting. So --tawk amongst yerselves. If you can find anything going on to chat about. Good luck today!