Had movement & the day for me offered a few good set-ups. A few of them ended up as day trades. The others still holding. No real big fish today though. A major theme permeating today’s market seemed to be catch & drop. But a few positions were strengthened today so can’t complain.
Then, with his right hand he felt the difference in the pull of the line before he saw the slant change in the water. Then, as he leaned against the line and slapped his left hand hard and fast against his thigh he saw the line slanting slowly upward.
“He’s coming up,” he said. “Come on hand. Please come on.”
The line rose slowly and steadily and then the surface of the ocean bulged ahead of the boat and the fish came out. He came out unendingly and water poured from his sides. He was bright in the sun and his head and back were dark purple and in the sun the stripes on his sides showed wide and a light lavender. His sword was as long as a baseball bat and tapered like a rapier and he rose his full length from the water and then re-entered it, smoothly, like a diver and the old man saw the great scythe-blade of his tail go under and the line commenced to race out.
“He is two feet longer than the skiff,” the old man said.
The line was going out fast but steadily and the fish was not panicked. The old man was trying with both hands to keep the line just inside of breaking strength. He knew that if he could not slow the fish with a steady pressure the fish could take out all the line and break it.
He is a great fish and I must convince him, he thought. I must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run. If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.
The old man had seen many great fish. He had seen many that weighed more than a thousand pounds and he had caught two of that size in his life, but never alone. Now alone, and out of sight of land, he was fast to the biggest fish that he had ever seen and bigger than he had ever heard of, and his left hand was still as tight as the gripped claws of an eagle.
It will uncramp though, he thought. Surely it will uncramp to help my right hand. There are three things that are brothers: the fish and my two hands. It must uncramp. It is unworthy of it to be cramped. The fish had slowed again and was going at his usual pace.
I wonder why he jumped, the old man thought. He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was. I know now, anyway, he thought. I wish I could show him what sort of man I am. But then he would see the cramped hand. Let him think I am more man than I am and I will be so. I wish I was the fish, he thought, with everything he has against only my will and my intelligence.
He settled comfortably against the wood and took his suffering as it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water. There was a small sea rising with the wind coming up from the east and at noon the old man’s left hand was uncramped.
“Bad news for you, fish,” he said and shifted the line over the sacks that covered his shoulders.
He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all.
“I am not religious,” he said. “But I will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys that I should catch this fish, and I promise to make a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Cobre if I catch him. That is a promise.”
He commenced to say his prayers mechanically. Sometimes he would be so tired that he could not remember the prayer and then he would say them fast so that they would come automatically. Hail Marys are easier to say than Our Fathers, he thought.
“Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Then he added, “Blessed Virgin, pray for the death of this fish. Wonderful though he is.”
With his prayers said, and feeling much better, but suffering exactly as much, and perhaps a little more, he leaned against the wood of the bow and began, mechanically, to work the fingers of his left hand.
The sun was hot now although the breeze was rising gently.
“I had better re-bait that little line out over the stern,” he said. “If the fish decides to stay another night I will need to eat again and the water is low in the bottle. I don’t think. I can get anything but a dolphin here. But if I eat him fresh enough he won’t be bad I wish a flying fish would come on board tonight. But I have no light to attract them. A flying fish is excellent to eat raw and I would not have to cut him up. I must save all my strength now. Christ, I did not know he was so big.”
“I’ll kill him though,” he said. “In all his greatness and his glory.”
Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures.
“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” ~John Buchan
This story has so many similarities with trading. I also find my hands constantly cramping up during the battle. I refer to it as “keyboard fatigue”. And I’m constantly wondering why certain stocks take that jump, only to sink back into the murky depths of obscurity. Flies are a great snack if you find yourself unable to exit the monitors during the heat of battle. I daresay the old man would be a trader if he was born today.
OK, Let’s fillet this Barra.
NEUTRAL = 23
DOWN = 28
UP = 62
Not too bad for our little micro view of the market.
CUS = I’m out. Saw that inverted hammer forming and closed. Was a good run from last week. At time of writing a “Evening Star so should retrace tomorrow.
RNI = Nice movement again today. Time of posting, all’s well.
JKA = Even though toppy, the candle was the winner. Indecision could have gone either way but because we have an up day in the market. The indecision goes our way. Always run your calculations and look at all surrounding factors. On a micro scale what you perceive on Saturday morning due to outside influences may have a completely different outcome on the Monday. If you haven’t redone your calculations on Monday morning, then your strategy is based on analysis that you completed on Saturday. This thread is flawed on that basic premise. But that is why I constantly stress confirmation.
BCC = Another closed from last week. Again a nice run.
MUE = Well it broke through & gave the goods.
NXS = View this from the 21st to the 17th. And find the “patterns within patterns”. Look at the entire picture and run your calculations. High of the 11th ran to 22nd = 50% retrace. 27th ran to 26th = 50% retrace. 10th close ran to 26th = 50% retrace + support.
AOK = Nice movement.
DLX = That was interesting.
CSD = Why I always say, get the confirmation. Made a good day trade. Still like to see a confirmed break of the trendline.
