Glen; RE:" Trading from Overseas..."
I plug in to the 'Net and do everything from Paris that I used to do in San Francisco, Glen. There is no difference whatsoever, real-time quotes are the same, etc. There are tariffs on local telephone calls to your ISP, which add up when you are connected for hours - else, the costs are about the same, too. Market opens at 15:00 CET (Central European Time) which is 09:00 in New York. The U.K. is one hour earlier than the Continent. Most American ex-patriots living over here use "call-back" services to call long-distance to the States (800 numbers in the States are not "free") to reduce the costs, Glen. So, voice communications / TeleFAX with brokers work just fine, too.
Could you explain your trading process ?
...has changed this year, Glen. I now buy LEAPS to fill up my long-term, or "core" porfolio, rather than equities themselves. All of these are "long" positions. I tend towards large-cap TechStocks and, although I almost always have a position, I adjust the sizes of each position within the portfolio relative to their performance.
I "trade" with about 20% of my capital, and do not use margin reserves for leverage (although certain trades are "on margin" by requirement, even though they are backed by cash). I use E*TRADE, DATEK and LOMBARD on-line brokerages. I "trade" long and short. I consider F/A and use T/A for timing. My T/A is simple trends and horizontal supports, along with readings of weekly/daily/intra-day candlesticks.
Recently I have begun to focus upon OEX index options and this SPY thingy, which is the S&P-500 index in "stock" form. I buy calls and puts, and write calls and puts on equities, too. I was averaging 40% pre-tax returns per year until QTR-3 this year, where my fondness for TechStocks and reluctance to take profits bit me in the ass real good!
What is your trading style, Glen ?
-Steve |
