Monday 23 December 2013
From Marketwatch;
"Apple strikes deal with China Mobile: WSJ
(This story was published by The Wall Street Journal Digital Network's AllThingsD site at http://allthingsd.com/)
After years of talks, Apple confirmed on Sunday that it has at long last reached a deal with China Mobile to officially carry the iPhone.
China Mobile will start selling the iPhone 5s and 5c starting on Jan. 17, with pre-orders starting this Wednesday.
"Apple's iPhone is very much loved by millions of customers around the world," China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua said in a statement. "We know there are many China Mobile customers and potential new customers who are anxiously awaiting the incredible combination of iPhone on China Mobile's leading network. We are delighted that iPhone on China Mobile will support our 4G/TD-LTE and 3G/TD-SCDMA networks, providing customers with high-speed mobile service."
Apple Tim Cook said he is excited to begin working with China Mobile.
"China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world's largest network," Cook said. "iPhone customers in China are an enthusiastic and rapidly growing group, and we can't think of a better way to welcome in the Chinese New Year than getting an iPhone into the hands of every China Mobile customer who wants one."
Even before the China Mobile deal, Apple has been making some inroads in the giant market. According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone 5s, 5 and 5c were October's number 1, 2 and 4 top-selling smartphones, with Apple grabbing 12 percent of that month's market share."
Seems this is a very big deal for Apple.
"Apple strikes deal with China Mobile: WSJ
(This story was published by The Wall Street Journal Digital Network's AllThingsD site at http://allthingsd.com/)
After years of talks, Apple confirmed on Sunday that it has at long last reached a deal with China Mobile to officially carry the iPhone.
China Mobile will start selling the iPhone 5s and 5c starting on Jan. 17, with pre-orders starting this Wednesday.
"Apple's iPhone is very much loved by millions of customers around the world," China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua said in a statement. "We know there are many China Mobile customers and potential new customers who are anxiously awaiting the incredible combination of iPhone on China Mobile's leading network. We are delighted that iPhone on China Mobile will support our 4G/TD-LTE and 3G/TD-SCDMA networks, providing customers with high-speed mobile service."
Apple Tim Cook said he is excited to begin working with China Mobile.
"China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world's largest network," Cook said. "iPhone customers in China are an enthusiastic and rapidly growing group, and we can't think of a better way to welcome in the Chinese New Year than getting an iPhone into the hands of every China Mobile customer who wants one."
Even before the China Mobile deal, Apple has been making some inroads in the giant market. According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone 5s, 5 and 5c were October's number 1, 2 and 4 top-selling smartphones, with Apple grabbing 12 percent of that month's market share."
Seems this is a very big deal for Apple.
Saturday 21 December 2013
Friday 20 December 2013
I'm in a drawdown phase right now, the trading has been going really well, and at the point that I thought a drawdown would likely be due, it starts to happen. People who have followed me over the years have probably seen that sometimes I get calls on the tops and bottoms of markets right.
It is therefore somewhat ironic that I also that a top in my equity curve occurred at the time that I felt that a drawdown would be due at some point.
Let's see what today brings.
It is therefore somewhat ironic that I also that a top in my equity curve occurred at the time that I felt that a drawdown would be due at some point.
Let's see what today brings.
Thursday 19 December 2013
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Dow futures
2 wins and 2 losses (1 of the losses was an error entry made whilst trading on a train - far from ideal)
There ought to have been a further winning trade but my Internet connection went off-line for a period. There was also a further signal that would have led to a winning trade but that came after my trading cut off time rule by 37 seconds, and I need to be disciplined with plan rules.
Euro futures
2 SIM trades, 1 win and 1 loss
The big news today was the Fed is due to taper QE3 and my goodness the market loved it. A very interesting day as the news brought a massive influx of volume and liquidity into Dow futures that enabled my strategy to work very well indeed and this appears to have given me new insight into why the strategy appears to work so well on Euro futures. The volume and liquidity on Euro futures seems a lot more stable and constant and this I think is key when using order flow to trade. Although it does move in waves it is smoother and less prone to erratic behaviour often seen on stock index futures.
2 wins and 2 losses (1 of the losses was an error entry made whilst trading on a train - far from ideal)
There ought to have been a further winning trade but my Internet connection went off-line for a period. There was also a further signal that would have led to a winning trade but that came after my trading cut off time rule by 37 seconds, and I need to be disciplined with plan rules.
Euro futures
2 SIM trades, 1 win and 1 loss
The big news today was the Fed is due to taper QE3 and my goodness the market loved it. A very interesting day as the news brought a massive influx of volume and liquidity into Dow futures that enabled my strategy to work very well indeed and this appears to have given me new insight into why the strategy appears to work so well on Euro futures. The volume and liquidity on Euro futures seems a lot more stable and constant and this I think is key when using order flow to trade. Although it does move in waves it is smoother and less prone to erratic behaviour often seen on stock index futures.
Monday 16 December 2013
Saturday 14 December 2013
I've been researching trading other futures markets using the same strategy I use on the Dow, since if the underlying theory behind my trading strategy is correct it follows that it ought to work on some other markets.
I looked at the Australian dollar over a reasonable series of trades - so looking at points where my strategy would result in a buy or sell and how trades and profits (or losses) would result;
The results show Australian dollar futures are not a market to trade.
I also looked at Euro futures and was surprised with the results;
These are backtesting results, not actual trades taken. Since the results are impressive I'm going to trade Euro futures on a SIM account for perhaps 2 or 3 months to see if I can replicate these results in real-time trading. I can do this alongside the Dow trades that I make on my live account.
I started yesterday;
3 SIM trades yesterday
2 wins and 1 loss
I looked at the Australian dollar over a reasonable series of trades - so looking at points where my strategy would result in a buy or sell and how trades and profits (or losses) would result;
The results show Australian dollar futures are not a market to trade.
I also looked at Euro futures and was surprised with the results;
These are backtesting results, not actual trades taken. Since the results are impressive I'm going to trade Euro futures on a SIM account for perhaps 2 or 3 months to see if I can replicate these results in real-time trading. I can do this alongside the Dow trades that I make on my live account.
I started yesterday;
3 SIM trades yesterday
2 wins and 1 loss
Thursday 12 December 2013
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Tuesday 10 December 2013
This particular trade was closed at breakeven. After identifying the opportunity and getting a great entry the position went my way in a big way, but I held too long and an economic report caused a sharp rally in the Dow alongside a sharp fall in the Australian $ - I got out with no profit. The lower part of the chart below shows the gains in the position got up to $1350 at one point before reversing;
If you see a decent gain quickly - it's best to take it, but that's what this is about, seeing what is and isn't realistic from these types of trades.
If you see a decent gain quickly - it's best to take it, but that's what this is about, seeing what is and isn't realistic from these types of trades.
Monday 9 December 2013
Saturday 7 December 2013
Friday 6 December 2013
Thursday 5 December 2013
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Tuesday 3 December 2013
2 trades today
1 win and 1 loss
A very interesting day today. Very heavy shorting from the retail traders as soon as the opening bell sounded yet the market rallied during this period for the first hour (when I was long). More and more piled in on the short side and the market buckled. I had a further trade later on, a short, however in hindsight that was an error. It wasn't a crystal clear cut decision to enter as the picture seemed slightly fuzzy yet on some measure it was a legitimate short - overall it was borderline. Although at the time it was slightly frustrating, thinking of the bigger picture I've made over 100 trades with this strategy and I've only made two errors out of all of those since I started trading this strategy. Overall my trade selection and execution has been first class. I'm still up today anyway, just not as much due to the error.
Trading such as this can only be measured over periods of 3 months and more otherwise there is a real risk of getting the wrong perception of the actual performance. So far it's fair to say its going well, and it appears consistent. Let's see where we are three months from now.
1 win and 1 loss
A very interesting day today. Very heavy shorting from the retail traders as soon as the opening bell sounded yet the market rallied during this period for the first hour (when I was long). More and more piled in on the short side and the market buckled. I had a further trade later on, a short, however in hindsight that was an error. It wasn't a crystal clear cut decision to enter as the picture seemed slightly fuzzy yet on some measure it was a legitimate short - overall it was borderline. Although at the time it was slightly frustrating, thinking of the bigger picture I've made over 100 trades with this strategy and I've only made two errors out of all of those since I started trading this strategy. Overall my trade selection and execution has been first class. I'm still up today anyway, just not as much due to the error.
Trading such as this can only be measured over periods of 3 months and more otherwise there is a real risk of getting the wrong perception of the actual performance. So far it's fair to say its going well, and it appears consistent. Let's see where we are three months from now.
Monday 2 December 2013
On Friday I went short Dow futures and long Australian $ futures but only on a SIM account (ie it's not a trade on my live account but a trade on a demo account). I want to explore this type of trading to see how I get on first. I'm attempting to capture an expected convergence between these two instruments.
The divergence between Dow futures and the currency markets has been visible for a number of days and I used the trendline break of the Dow on Friday as an entry signal for this trade;
The divergence between Dow futures and the currency markets has been visible for a number of days and I used the trendline break of the Dow on Friday as an entry signal for this trade;
Sunday 1 December 2013
http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2013/11/29/8-signs-youre-an-entrepreneur/
Forbes;
Forbes;
"8 Signs You're An Entrepreneur
Most people don’t grow up wanting to become an Entrepreneur, they grow into it. I’ve found that there are 10 different signs that are very good indicators that you’re an Entrepreneur or an Entrepreneur in training.
Passion
This is by far something that will qualify you as an Entrepreneur. If you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing, you’ll never succeed. There will be days/months/years when you don’t make any money, you have no customer and everything just sucks but your passion will drive you to keep pushing forward. It’s this passion that will help you to become the Entrepreneur that you’re meant to be!
A great example of passion is John Walsh, creator of Americas Most Wanted. He’s been running this show for 23 years. Why does he do it? What many people don’t know about Walsh is his son Adam was abducted in Sears and later murdered. He’s passionate about what he’s doing and keeps going it today because of his passion. His passion led him to a conviction of the murderer 25 years later. It’s passion like this that makes for amazing Entrepreneurs. Would he have pushed so hard to catch criminals had this not happened? We all have reasons for starting a business, find your passion and it’ll push you through the hard times.
Doesn’t Take No For An Answer
An Entrepreneur doesn’t take NO for an answer…ever. They may concede but they will never give up. They will figure out a way to fit a square block into a round hole.
Competitive Nature
Entrepreneurs are extremely competitive. Much like above, they don’t take no for an answer and they are unwilling to lose. It’s not in your nature. You can’t, because if you do… well that’s not even possible. Many companies are formed out of such competitive natures. They feel like they can do a better job.
A good example of this would be Google GOOG -0.2%. There were 100′s of other
Search Engines out there before they started. Larry Page and Sergey Brin believed they could build a better search engine than all the others combined and because of their competitive nature, they would not lose to anyone. Think of how they crafted it, Page Rank. They were ranking pages. They were making pages compete against each other. It’s been a competition ever since.
Enneagram = #1
If you haven’t taken the Enneagram test, you should go take it today. This is a personality test that will tell you what type of a person you are, what career choice would be best for you and what type of a partner you would best fit with. The test, which is a bit intense consists of 100′s of questions. It will tell you what type of a person you are normally, and what type of a person you are under stress.
They have a free version that should take you no longer 5 minutes. It’s well worth your time. Most Entrepreneurs are number 1, The Reformer. They are principles, purposeful, self-controled and perfectionists. Does this sound like you? Take the test and find out.
Self-Starter
When I was starting my Entrepreneurial career I watched as my boss Lane Livingston pull into work at 7am every morning and not leave till 6pm. He would always tell me that he “got the majority of his pressing work done before anyone showed up.” It’s self starters like Lane that motivated me to start work daily at 630am. It’s true, you get the majority of your work done before anyone even shows up. Ever since he taught me this I have started work early.
Self-Starting isn’t just getting up early. It’s working your tail off day and night on things that are important. Entrepreneurs are people who tackle projects as they come up and finish them. They don’t have someone looking over their shoulder. If they don’t get it done, they don’t have a place to live. They put everything on the line.
Think Outside The Box
Passion
This is by far something that will qualify you as an Entrepreneur. If you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing, you’ll never succeed. There will be days/months/years when you don’t make any money, you have no customer and everything just sucks but your passion will drive you to keep pushing forward. It’s this passion that will help you to become the Entrepreneur that you’re meant to be!
A great example of passion is John Walsh, creator of Americas Most Wanted. He’s been running this show for 23 years. Why does he do it? What many people don’t know about Walsh is his son Adam was abducted in Sears and later murdered. He’s passionate about what he’s doing and keeps going it today because of his passion. His passion led him to a conviction of the murderer 25 years later. It’s passion like this that makes for amazing Entrepreneurs. Would he have pushed so hard to catch criminals had this not happened? We all have reasons for starting a business, find your passion and it’ll push you through the hard times.
Doesn’t Take No For An Answer
An Entrepreneur doesn’t take NO for an answer…ever. They may concede but they will never give up. They will figure out a way to fit a square block into a round hole.
Competitive Nature
Entrepreneurs are extremely competitive. Much like above, they don’t take no for an answer and they are unwilling to lose. It’s not in your nature. You can’t, because if you do… well that’s not even possible. Many companies are formed out of such competitive natures. They feel like they can do a better job.
A good example of this would be Google GOOG -0.2%. There were 100′s of other
Search Engines out there before they started. Larry Page and Sergey Brin believed they could build a better search engine than all the others combined and because of their competitive nature, they would not lose to anyone. Think of how they crafted it, Page Rank. They were ranking pages. They were making pages compete against each other. It’s been a competition ever since.
Enneagram = #1
If you haven’t taken the Enneagram test, you should go take it today. This is a personality test that will tell you what type of a person you are, what career choice would be best for you and what type of a partner you would best fit with. The test, which is a bit intense consists of 100′s of questions. It will tell you what type of a person you are normally, and what type of a person you are under stress.
They have a free version that should take you no longer 5 minutes. It’s well worth your time. Most Entrepreneurs are number 1, The Reformer. They are principles, purposeful, self-controled and perfectionists. Does this sound like you? Take the test and find out.
Self-Starter
When I was starting my Entrepreneurial career I watched as my boss Lane Livingston pull into work at 7am every morning and not leave till 6pm. He would always tell me that he “got the majority of his pressing work done before anyone showed up.” It’s self starters like Lane that motivated me to start work daily at 630am. It’s true, you get the majority of your work done before anyone even shows up. Ever since he taught me this I have started work early.
Self-Starting isn’t just getting up early. It’s working your tail off day and night on things that are important. Entrepreneurs are people who tackle projects as they come up and finish them. They don’t have someone looking over their shoulder. If they don’t get it done, they don’t have a place to live. They put everything on the line.
Think Outside The Box
You’re going to have to think outside the box now days if you want to change the world. Founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos said “Entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time.” I like to call this thinking outside the box. If you just think inside the box, nothing will ever change. You have to be willing to take chances on crazy things.
Einstein was considered crazy for years before he proved the theory of relativity, he later received the Noble Prize for his crazy findings. Bezos left his well paying job at a hedge fund in NYC to start a company out of his garage that would later be called Amazon. He left his job because of a law that passed that said retailers didn’t have to collect taxes in states where they didn’t have a physical presence. Brilliant or stupid, you ask me?
Unpredictable
Most entrepreneurs plans change by the minute. You have to if you’re going to get ahead in this World. You will truly know that you’re an Entrepreneur if your business life is a little unpredictable. ”Entrepreneurs have to pivot consistently” according to Eric Ries of Lean Startup. This is what will dramatically improve the odds for success.
Strong People Skills
To succeed in business you have to be willing to communicate. Communication is one of the keys to success and every Entrepreneur should have this. I will put a caveat on this though. There are many Entrepreneurs that aren’t good at this but team up with someone that is VERY good at this. An example of this would be Mark Zuckerberg. When he started The Facebook he didn’t quite have the skills to make things work. I believe it was more business skills that he needed in the beginning more than money, you can get money anywhere. He needed Edwardo Saverin to be the business end and people end of the company.
If you don’t have people skills you need to find a partner with them. Someone on your core team needs to have strong people skills in order to succeed.
Remember, being an Entrepreneur is neither a part-time or a full-time job. It’s a lifestyle."
Einstein was considered crazy for years before he proved the theory of relativity, he later received the Noble Prize for his crazy findings. Bezos left his well paying job at a hedge fund in NYC to start a company out of his garage that would later be called Amazon. He left his job because of a law that passed that said retailers didn’t have to collect taxes in states where they didn’t have a physical presence. Brilliant or stupid, you ask me?
Unpredictable
Most entrepreneurs plans change by the minute. You have to if you’re going to get ahead in this World. You will truly know that you’re an Entrepreneur if your business life is a little unpredictable. ”Entrepreneurs have to pivot consistently” according to Eric Ries of Lean Startup. This is what will dramatically improve the odds for success.
Strong People Skills
To succeed in business you have to be willing to communicate. Communication is one of the keys to success and every Entrepreneur should have this. I will put a caveat on this though. There are many Entrepreneurs that aren’t good at this but team up with someone that is VERY good at this. An example of this would be Mark Zuckerberg. When he started The Facebook he didn’t quite have the skills to make things work. I believe it was more business skills that he needed in the beginning more than money, you can get money anywhere. He needed Edwardo Saverin to be the business end and people end of the company.
If you don’t have people skills you need to find a partner with them. Someone on your core team needs to have strong people skills in order to succeed.
Remember, being an Entrepreneur is neither a part-time or a full-time job. It’s a lifestyle."
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