TK All-Star’s Blog posts
Collars: If bearish, why not sell the stock?
Larry McMillan answers Condortrader's questions. The following post is in response to another question on my first blog on collars (The Basics of the Collar Strategy). If you like, please contin... more
Collars: Using different months for calls and puts
Larry McMillan answers S90911's questions. My next couple of blogs are in response to a couple of questions that have been asked by readers after the first two posts (The Basics of the Collar S... more
How Iron Butterflies Make Money
Doc Maher examines YoungCash's trade. Iron Butterfly trades can be very profitable; however they usually have small profit ranges. Particular attention must be paid to the set up and management ... more
Throwing Good Money After Bad
Doc Maher explains why this is a losing strategy. Thanks for the comments on my prior post Moving Your Stop and Taking Profits, which was the third part in a detailed series on Swing Trading. In ... more
Liquidity of FROs
Nicole Wachs addresses some concerns. "I love the idea of trading FROs being like "options with training wheels" for people who don't want to deal with the potential of unlimited downside risk ... more
The Net-Credit Collar
Larry McMillan continues the collar series with examples of this variety. In The Basics of the Collar Strategy, we defined a few terms: "macro" protection, "micro" protection, and "collars." ... more
The Basics of the Collar Strategy
Larry McMillan discusses this play and how you can use it to hedge your portfolio. To learn more about how to use Collars, please go to Play #8 in the online version of The Options Playbook, l... more
FRO Trading Requirements
Nicole Wachs provides some easy to use information. This blog was prompted by some comments from Dan Sheridan's post, Top Five Reasons to Trade FROs. Thanks for the questions Locogmac. Below I ... more
Using Delta to Trade Strangles
Doc Maher and Nicole Wachs team up for a discussion of Bellins1's trades. "I knew it was going one way or the other." Does this sound like you? If yes, you are probably familiar with strangles. ... more
Top Five Reasons to Trade FROs
Dan Sheridan shares his take on this new investment product. You're bearish on a certain stock, but not overly so. Shorting stock is one method to use here, but you would rather not tie up so ... more
Stay Out of Trouble
Doc Maher explains how the broader picture plays a large role in the success of your trades. In addition to making a plan, before I take a trade I get a good sense of the overall picture surro... more
Does Short Interest affect Outstanding Shares?
Larry McMillan answers a question from Snowman. The following post is in response to a question on Short Interest from Snowman. As stated in TradeKing's Glossary, Short Interest is defined as: ... more
Moving Your Stop and Taking Profits
Doc Maher wraps up his AAPL stock trade. In Swing Trading with Stocks I explained some of the basics of this technique. In Managing Your Swing Trade, I demonstrated how and when I would enter a ... more
Trader Weathers Storm for Large Gain
Dan Sheridan explains how a trading plan can help one deal with emotions. You're as bullish as a matador, so you decide to buy a few calls. To possibly offset some of your gains and reduce your... more
Swing Trading with Stocks
Doc Maher explains how to refine your method with Advanced Orders. I have noticed that many of you have various ways of getting into trades with different reasons for entry. Once active in a po... more
Managing Your Swing Trade
Doc Maher continues his lesson on using stops and planned exits. In a previous post, I introduced the concept of swing trading. As with any kind of trade, managing risk and reward is essential... more
Deciding when to use Leap Calls
Dan Sheridan provides some guidelines and offers alternative ideas. Leap calls have some key differences when compared to shorter term calls. Understanding these characteristics is absolutely n... more
Trying to Capitalize on a Selloff
Larry McMillan covers the nuances of using VIX calls when expecting a Bear market. Historically the fall is known for sharp market selloffs. Typically when this happens, overall volatility inc... more
Frustrated by getting stopped out
Doc Maher uses Technical Analysis to optimize trade entry. Have you ever been yanked out of trade, only to find that your initial idea was correct? Your timing may be the culprit and contributing... more
Are Repair Strategies Worth It?
Doc Maher analyzes some trade adjustments. Have you ever had a position that was not quite working out? Did you wonder if there was something you should do along the way? Or should you ditch at t... more
