You most certainly are. Reading your posts is a welcomed contrast to the majority of the stuff that is written on this board; I'm looking forward to your continued writing. -- Paccc P.S. And add more quotes to the end of your posts, I really like them!
In a week when TXN, OPEC, bonds and interest rates conspired to draw me down to the abyssal depths, the icey shelf of support held firm. Meanwhile, my guide in hostile waters, incommunicado. As the cracks begin to form beneath my feet, I stand teetering on the brink of the precipice...
As the megalodon swarm beneath the ice, thick black bodies ramming the shelf, the cracks spread, spider-webbing across the flimsy surface. Desperately I skate across, searching for solid ground, yet the obsidian behemoths give chase, hurtling through the murky waters. Colossal frames thud against the undersurface, and shockwaves knock me off my feet. With a deafening shudder the cracks deepen, ice splintering above and below. Then suddenly, all is quiet. Deathly quiet. They gather, poised. A stillness that lasts an eternity. As they circle and converge, there is a distant light and a hum. Beneath the ice the ceremony continues, obsidian specters parting then coalescing, ever deeper, descending. And the light cruises closer, brighter now, rippling through the water with a mechanical hum. Beneath, nothing but inky blackness. And the light whistles closer, swift and blinding. I shield my mask, swaying now from the sudden ripples underfoot. Below the ice, a shadow flashes. Silent. Menacing. The humming is all around, the water ripples against my face, the white-hot light is upon me. With a volcanic roar the ice erupts, shards exploding like underwater shrapnel. The leviathan crashes through, lifeless black eyes, and all I see are daggers, jagged and bloody and wild. My head snaps back. Violently, Iâm jerked aside, and as the gleaming black carapace rockets upward, never-ending, Iâm sucked backwards, propelled by an unseen forceâ¦
I hate to interrupt such a magnificent display of fluidity and grace, but I'd like to offer a few words of encouragement. Hang in there, I think we've all been in a situation before when the underlying for every position goes big the wrong way all at once. Most of your plays I think have a solid base. I'm considering AAPL myself. The market seems to be finding some support and energy held. I'm looking for a rangebound move though. Every so often it seems that the world conspires against us. Continue pressing forward. Success is nigh at hand. I just had one question. Do you plan on hanging onto the short front month calls till expiration? Or, are you considering buying them back cheaply given the fast decent to support and holding onto the LEAPS to take advantage of the rebound?
What a relief... from the monotony! Neoxx, I think you're posts are great. (Sometimes too great, and I need to look up the dictionary, but nevertheless the smooth flow of the prose is well worth the effort). At the end of the day, I might learn some better English (if not Trading) from the Elite Trader forums. Keep writing. -Ram
Hi Cache, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I was definitely getting nervous, at one point sitting on a paper loss of 15% of my account value. All I could see were red candles, free-falling through 50-SMAs, support levels. Everything was being violated. What's more, I didn't have a definite plan in place for damage limitation, and I couldn't contact my coach. Apparently, he had a fever which flagged up on the temperature sensors at a Taiwan airport. They held him for some testing. Apparently they've really tightened up on airport security since the avian influenza virus. Anyway, I was waiting for markets to open yesterday with baited breath, when a table fell on my foot. Don't ask, long story. I was convinced I'd broken something. So I sent myself down for an X-ray (the perks of working in a hospital ). Hadn't realised that there was a mini-emergency in ER, and X-ray was heaving. Ended up waiting an hour, all the while picturing all my positions falling through the floor. Breathed a massive sigh of relief when I got back to a computer and saw support holding. Even bigger sigh of relief when things started to rally. MRVL/OIH/SLB in particular had me pretty worried at one point. Managed to get through to my coach, who'd arrived back in the States, and who was fairly nonchalant about the pullback. But you know how things are when you're alone in unfamiliar territory, right? Anyway, MUCH happier about my positions now. In fact, if I had some spare cash, I'd probably add to a couple of those positions. -Cache, as for the front-month, I've been advised to let them expire, then either sell the April calls or close the whole position and open a more profitable one, this time keeping about 10-15% cash to take advantage of opportunities that may crop up.
pvram68, Thank you for your kind words. For the time being, trading is still an exhilerating game I can't get enough of. I hope my enthusiasm shines through my posts. A dream of mine has always been to become a professional writer. But I decided a while ago that I wouldn't attempt to juggle two demanding careers. And my writing needs a lot of work before it reaches the standard I'm aiming for. So I've left it on the sidelines for now, biding it's time, until I'm older, wiser and (hopefully) financially free. Well, that's the plan anyway! Best wishes, Neoxx P.S. Sorry if I'm a little prolix at times. Can't help it!
Heart pounding, muscles taut within the bio-engineered wetsuit, I stare in awe. Like a bloodthirsty missile from an infernal launch pad, the monstrosity courses ever higher in itâs maniacal ascent, cleaving the waters in two. Dull and black and scabrous, moving with singular intent. And as the blood-seeking bullet recedes into the afterglow of the surface waters, Iâm suddenly aware, aware of the physical sensations. Seated, Iâm pulled effortlessly through the water, the vibrations from an underwater engine thrumming beneath me. Wheeling about, I see my unlikely rescuer. A Mark-III guide droid, riding a Neo 350ZX. Submersible superbike on steroids. Ahead, the San Fermin coral formation. Famed for the intricacy of its sweeping elliptical design, the vibrant aquatic flora, and the unforgiving cross-currents. My visor dims. The X-Lyte unit, designed to augment and artificially enhance the wavelengths of light that penetrate the deeper waters, flashes red. At least Iâm not driving. A flash of sparks. The Mark-IIIâs sputters. Designed in 2020, this model was primarily intended as a tourist droid, to ferry recreational divers around the coral formations. At fifty metres and above. Depth guage reads one hundred and thirty. A familiar voice grates through my receiver, âSorry Neo. Best I could doâ¦â