Time management advice for traders

I once did a study of Winston Churchill while in Seminary.

... No, Churchill wasn’t some bastion of Christianity. But he was an example of great leadership, and that was the topic of our class.

His time management was something to behold.

Most peculiar was his habit of taking long afternoon baths. He often dictated ideas to his assistant from the bath, while she penned his statements in the next room.

He was also a fan of the afternoon nap.

Both of these afternoon activities helped him work late into the night, often not retiring for the day until midnight.

The man was a prolific worker, writing quite a few books and leading his country during an intense time of war. I’m not surprised that he had a good quote about time management, he certainly followed his own advice.

When it comes to trading, mastering time is also important.

Part of what I do when selling options is use the decay of time to my advantage.

And on the occasions that I do buy options -- much rarer than when I sell options -- I also have to master time decay in order to maximize my chances of profiting.

Lots of little things to master, because the details always matter.

The reading of the 'core' PCE index comes a day after the Fed held rates steady amid internal dissent and pressure from Trump.

Yahoo Finance

So, the PCE came out with numbers that justify what the Fed did yesterday.  Inflation is ticking up a bit, so not lowering rates makes sense.  For the record, inflation is at 2.8% which is generally considered good, but higher than the Fed’s 2.0% target.  The market does not seem to care.

Yahoo Finance

This is not truly Macro, but these companies are so large that it seems so.  Both META and Microsoft killed it on earnings.  They are so large, that their positive earnings indicate good news for the broader tech market.  I would expect some good trickle-down earnings reports and upswings in the QQQ the next few days.

Comments: Can anyone say “GREEN!” Getting the Fed non-decision behind us took out a lot of uncertainty even if it did not go the way everyone hoped. As mentioned above, the good earnings reports of the Mega Tech stocks is having a very positive impact on the market today. Also, Bitcoin is knocking on the $120k door once again.

Here’s a new idea in a ticker I’ve not shared before with a nice setup and 1.11%+ going into next week. It could also more than cover a single month’s Premium subscription...