In a nutshell, I work in the larger timeframes, Daily and Weekly for the most part, and swing trade stocks over weeks and months.
I mostly look for larger small caps, and smaller mid caps to trade.
I keep a rough watchlist of prospective stocks, some that I find myself, others are ideas from Hot Copper posters I like (both F/A and T/A analysts), and wait for an entry that suits (while entries are always important, they are not as important in larger timeframes as for shorter term trading - a daily or weekly timeframe is kind of like slow motion, when compared to a 5 minute or 1 hour chart).
So while it might be a bit boring at times, this kind of trading suits my personality and lifestyle better.
Some other notes-
I prefer to look for stocks with strength (decent buying) in the background of the chart, and a reasonable base (accumulation zone) in place.
I try to find stocks soon after they have broken out, and have begun to trend higher (although I am happy to jump on a mid trend pull back when it suits).
I like it when the stock & sector/commodity are both positive together, and all the better if the parent index is also positive (or at least neutral - sideways).
I generally hold until some sort of decent reason to sell crops up - a serious selling event being the most obvious, although a change in trend or an issue with the sector or parent index may cause me to sell a proportion of the position initially (~50%).
If I get really bored with it all, and something I really like turns up for a short term trade (or scalp), I do have a small account which I use for fun trading.
What I do works for me, and will not suit everyone.
I think most people need to work out where they best fit into the markets, and that is where they should play.
It took me a few years to find out where I best fit, so it is not a fast process. I tried some different area's and timeframes to see how it went......
cheers
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