Trading Strategies

There are many reasons why some succeed at trading, while others badly fail. One of the biggest differences is in trade preparation, establishing proper targets, and being able to stay in the position. Having a sound trading plan and strategy can make the world of difference to any trader, no matter their experience level. Top professional traders share their expert trading strategies to help you become a more consistently profitable trader.

Articles on Trading Strategies

The rally continues. Nine of the eleven S&P SPDR sectors were higher last week, notes Bonnie Gortler of bonniegortler.com.
Today’s message signals a shift in tone. We’ll try and decipher what investors can expect going forward, states Lucas Downey of Mapsignals.com.
Happy second birthday bull market! As you can see in the MoneyShow Chart of the Week, the S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) has rallied sharply since October 2022, when the current bull run began.
Sideways-downward pressure may slow rallies in Gold and S&P500 futures, but the Euro and Crude Oil prepare for breakouts; The Euro may bounce in its directional range break from a narrow-range price, writes Trevor Smith of Trevor's Trading.
Netflix (NFLX) has been at the top of my radar for the past few months due to its trend and relative strength, states Danielle Shay of Fivestartrader.com.
Thus far, this year’s “Worst Months” have been choppy – with declines in late-July/early-August, a second round at the start of September, and again here at the beginning of October. Current weakness appears to be setting up nicely for our annual Seasonal MACD “Buy” signal, highlights Jeff Hirsch, editor-in-chief of The Stock Trader’s Almanac.
In early September, the S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) had a rough week, losing 4.1%. There was a ton of momentum in one direction where it would have been easy to let short positions ride without worrying. Timing this is the difficult part. Price action can help, notes Gav Blaxberg, CEO of Wolf Financial.
Mike Larson is on vacation. The MoneyShow Market Minute will resume Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Trading in financial markets can be a rollercoaster of emotions, challenging even the most experienced traders, states Steve Burns of New Trader U.
The Dow recently closed above 42,000 for the first time, and it could charge a lot higher. But some traders appear to have a good case of the ya-yas. Here are three ways to defend yourself (and profit) from short-term chicanery, writes Keith Fitz-Gerald, editor of 5 With Fitz.

Experts on Trading Strategies

Virtual Learning

Spend a powerful session with Bryan Perry, senior editor of Quick Income Trader, an options trading service highlighting practical techniques to generate consistent and extraordinary profits. Since launching Quick Income Trader in June 2017, the Naked Puts strategy boasts an annualized rate of return of 338% (our average trade netted a 28% gain with a holding time of 31 days, which works out to an annualized gain of 338%). Naked puts are an uncovered bullish strategy that Bryan will demystify while conveying its simplicity to manage. This workshop will conduct a deep dive into naked put writing, risk management, and premium collection for beginners and experienced traders.  

There is a set of rules that are essential for survival and success in trading. Ignoring or violating them leads to failure. In this rare public appearance, Dr. Elder will share with you these rules and show you how to follow them. There is nothing intellectually complicated about trading, but it places enormous demands on your personal discipline. Psychology, technology, and risk management are the key themes that Dr. Elder will address to help you with your development as a trader. At the completion of his talk, he’ll answer participants’ questions. 

The key to trading isn't having a high winning percentage and then letting the law of large numbers play out. It's quickly cutting losers and maximizing opportunities. In this talk, Jason Leavitt will discuss what happens after you're in a trade—how to stop out and when to "push" and shoot for a big win.  

IBD’s MarketDiem newsletter gives you hand-picked trade ideas for stocks and options right in your inbox every weekday during market hours. Our team does the research, so you get smarter trading insights, timely market analysis, and even bite-size investing lessons––all in a quick 5-minute read. Subscribe today for $4.99 per month or just $20 for the entire year.   

Global markets are going through a period of dramatic change. See how you can identify exciting opportunities across asset classes with the Elliott Wave Principle. 

Parabolic moves happen rarely in stocks and commodities. When they do happen a lot of money can be made and also quickly. How can this be achieved while limiting risk? 

Join Dan Keegan and Aravind Siva as they discuss the ins and outs of long straddles, short straddles, and long-time value spreads. It’s a session you won’t want to miss! 

IBD’s MarketDiem newsletter gives you hand-picked trade ideas for stocks and options right in your inbox every weekday during market hours. Our team does the research, so you get smarter trading insights, timely market analysis, and even bite-size investing lessons––all in a quick 5-minute read. Subscribe today for $4.99 per month or just $20 for the entire year.   

Robert has placed multiple times in real-time, real-money Forex and Futures trading contests with double to triple-digit annual returns. He will show you the setup he uses for 90% of his trades that you can apply to any market and any time frame. Robert began to develop his original integration of practical Elliott Wave and Fib Time and Price trade strategies in the late 80’s and continued to simplify it over the past 30 years. In 45 minutes you’ll learn to identify high-probability trade setups for whatever market you trade. Don’t miss this rare live event with Robert. 

In this presentation, Ken Calhoun will show you exactly how to identify and trade these volatile patterns for both swing and intraday trading. Bring one or two of your favorite stock or ETF tickers and we'll give you tips for trading those, as well.  He will discuss:

a) Avoiding False Breakouts: We're seeing more of these in today's choppy markets; discover how to dodge these bullets.

b) Swing Trading Sustained Gaps: For many stock traders, these lucrative breakout runners can last for several weeks. Learn what to look for on daily swing charts.

c) How to day trade gap continuation and reversal patterns with confidence and skill. Nuances in these patterns are what make them challenging; learn what I've seen in 25+ years of day trading stocks.

d) 3-Bar Breakouts: Whether you use bars or candles, these "triple play" setups are a favorite from my institutional traders. I'll show you how to trade them as well. 

Be sure to mark your calendar for this special fast-paced professional trading event. 


In today’s uncertain and computer-driven market, lots of traders are making one critical mistake. They don’t know how to manage a trade once they are in it, so they hold and watch a winner become a loser. Learn how to line up a successful trade, set a realistic target, and know when a trade is not going to work out, so you can exit before incurring large losses.

Trading requires a disciplined approach and there are techniques you can learn to use now that can minimize your risk and increase your profits. The secret lies in knowing how consistently profitable traders find trades and manage them well from start to finish. Anyone can learn these trading strategies—all you need is a commitment to discover what works and the confidence to implement them. Whether you trade stocks, options, or futures, we’ve gathered the top experts here to show you specific tactics that can be used immediately to spot opportunities and trade them profitably.

Trading is a dynamic enterprise. If you aren’t improving your systems, strategies, and technology you may be losing ground. Our experts will keep you up to date on all the cutting-edge tools—as well as some that have stood the test of time—to keep you on the fast track to trading success.

Whether you're just starting out or a veteran trader looking for fresh ideas, or you are interested in learning day trading strategies, stock trading strategies, and everything in between, this section is made for you.Every article, video, or event is designed to bring you the latest intelligence available so that you can make better trading decisions, starting with your very next trade. Our experts will help you gain the edge you need to succeed in any market environment.