Well here we are. I am back from the Las Vegas Traders Expo. It was a great time and I was able to meet many Scottrade clients. While it is a different format than the User Summits that we have been doing, I was able to get some great feedback for future ScottradeELITE rollouts.

Don't look now but the markets are trying to rally. For me, I have learned much about my trading during these past few months of extreme volatility.

First, developing a game plan and sticking to it. There were a few times that I found myself holding on to something too long because of the way I felt about the trade. I have personally gone back to basics. Design a trading plan with specific rules and stick to them. Rules help eliminate some of the emotional aspect of trading. It helps take money off the table and also leave a position before it gets too far gone. 

Secondly, it has taught me a new way to look at the markets. Using sector based ETF's, it is easier to identify what arenas are heating up or cooling down. After developing a concept, there are ETF's that allow one to drill down even further into a particular sector. Past that, one could look all the way down into the individual stocks that are within that portfolio. 

Last. Trading with confidence. If you have a strategy, test it. More specifically, back test it. Is the trading strategy working as designed? If not...back to the drawing board. Tweak it, flip it or start over. Once the strategy results are to your liking, trade with confidence. 

Just some of my take-aways in the recent market turbulence. I hope all is well out there. Happy trading. Let me know if you have any feedback or questions for us. 

Todd