A happy Sunday to you,
I shorted exactly one share of GLD (the gold ETF) at $500 last Thursday.
Friday afternoon, I covered the trade at $435.
I made $65 on a single share…of GLD.
Writing words that ridiculous should tell you something about the state of the market.
When you can take one share on an ETF that typically barely moves a few bucks in any given day, risk $10, and you walk away with $65, it's a sign that the bubble has burst.
Honestly, I don't consider myself the best trader out there. However, I know how to handle volatile markets.
And it's quite simple: Cut your size.
Think about it this way…
Say a stock typically moves $10 in a given day. Now, it's moving $20. Cut your size in half. Boom, you've adjusted to the volatility.
Yes, this sounds simple. But REALLY ask yourself if you actually do this. For years, I would let greed overcome me.
I'd see other traders post their massive gains, think about how much I was missing out, go back to normal size, and get blown out.
Markets like these can be exceptionally lucrative. But you have to know HOW to handle them…and yourself.
The first thing I can help you with pretty easily.
Don's got this great volatility bundle at a stupid cheap price. The insights here can pay for themselves and then some in a trade or two.
You can check out what's included HERE.
The self-control part…that's harder. So, try to make a deal with yourself.
Before you jump into a trade, look at the volatility, whether on the chart or using an indicator like Average True Range (ATR). Ballpark how far you are from the average. Then cut your size accordingly.
For those that care, the formula is: 1- (Original Range / New Range).
So, if ATR was at 5 and now it's at 7? Cut your size by 1 - (5 / 7) = 28.6%.
Or, you can always ask ChatGPT.
Jordan Schneir
Editorial Director, TheoTRADE
Brandon Chapman: GLD Not Done Falling
The Ghost Prints Console has been warning us for weeks. Heavy put buying in GLD and SLV was a dead giveaway about the growing nervousness of the precious metals trade.
Yesterday that nervousness turned into a fever. Selling fever.
It carried into today and took all too many 401(k)s with it.
The options market had been screaming warnings for the last 48 hours. Most traders ignored them. The ones paying attention saw too much danger in what was coming.
Even today, somewhere, someone is loading up on SLV, thinking they are getting a bargain.
They. Are. Not.
Simply put, there are better trades out there.
CLICK HERE to continue reading Brandon's article.
Gianni Di Poce: Why I Just Raised Cash to My Highest Level in a Year
I have been bullish on stocks since late April 2025.
Don and Professor Bierman like to tease me and call me a perma-bull, but the truth is, I am far from that.
I like to focus on leadership, cycles, and technical setups.
Right now, the first two of those are flashing serious warning signs.
This past week, I raised my cash percentage to the highest level since last year's correction.
I'm not ready to start pulling the trigger on short positions.
But this market's conditions are becoming a lot frothier.
CLICK HERE to continue reading Gianni's article.
Jeff Bierman: One Variable Changed His Life
Peter P sent me an email with one question. How do I make an adjustment?
I showed him how to speed up one indicator from two perspectives. That was it. One tweak. One variable change.
He turned that adjustment into $435,000 extra profit in one month. He has now made millions off of it.
I taught three hours at Loyola Thursday night. Got home late. Barely slept five and a half hours. Next week I have six graduate presentations in applied portfolio management.
My students build hedge fund prospectuses. Some work at Goldman. One secured a job at Drexel House Capital Management. Another is now a portfolio manager at Key Bank.
The lesson I drill into all of them is the same one I spent this entire week teaching. The devil is in the details. One variable can transform your results.
The Genesis Cog Scanner identifies setups.
But customizing the signals to match your DNA is what separates survival from destruction.
CLICK HERE to continue reading Jeff's article.
Blake Young: How to Remain Calm in Turbulence
I had a different plan for what I would discuss this weekend.
However, given the wild market action we saw today, it seemed appropriate to talk about turbulence.
I've traveled extensively throughout my career, visiting more than 200 cities over a 15-year period. While I don't miss required travel, I do enjoy recreational trips, though I definitely miss having airline status.
Having flown so frequently, I've ridden out some rough flights.
I distinctly remember one flight where we were navigating through a storm, and the turbulence was so severe we were literally leaving our seats, testing just how "low and tight" our seatbelts were fastened.
Each drop and bounce was accompanied by screams and expletives throughout the cabin.
Despite the fact that these drops caused my stomach to turn like a rollercoaster, I wasn't afraid.
Sure, experience played a role, but I believe the real reason I remained calm was twofold: understanding what I could control and knowing the facts that kept me safe.
CLICK HERE to continue reading Blake's article.
Tony Rago: The One Rule That Saved My Week
Wednesday morning, the NQ printed a first-hour bar almost 500 handles wide.
The DeepSeek selloff had arrived. Nvidia was down 17%. The tape was moving 10 points in a blink. And traders in my room wanted to know what to do.
My answer was simple: nothing.
"When the NQ gets a 50 ATR, it's just a no trade. Unless you are in a position and holding something, it is a no trade."
This is where most traders go wrong. They see a big move and feel compelled to participate. They watch 200 handles of downside and think they need to be short. They see a bounce forming and want to catch the reversal.
But wanting to trade and having an edge are two different things.
CLICK HERE to continue reading Tony's article.
