To: Gush who wrote (4011 ) 1/19/2005 2:03:00 AM From: Walkingshadow Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 8752 Hi DaGushman, And welcome, this is a place where we all learn, regardless of starting point. Personally, I find questions like yours very very helpful---the best way to really learn something is to have to explain it to somebody else! I do not anticipate QQQQ going over 40. Instead, I think it will get halfway up that black candle from early January and run out of gas.139.142.147.218 In general, black candles are bearish, white candles are bullish. But this is a very broad generality. Probably a more valid rule of thumb is to say that tall white candles that are associated with a lot of volume are bullish and supportive, and tall black candles that are associated with a lot of volume are bearish and resistive. So on the weekly chart I posted above, the white candle currently forming is bullish for several reasons. And I expect it to get taller. But it has a dark cloud above that will try to squash it---that tall black, volume-heavy candle from the first week in January. That will act as fairly strong resistance, and I think that is one factor that will stop QQQQ in its tracks. There are other factors that I detailed in my previous post. Then, there are market internals and sentiment, which I haven't posted much about, but which also mostly (not entirely) support this interpretation. << Do you anticipate the expiring of Jan options this Friday(end of business) to cause the market to loose strength? >> No. Expiry is often associated with increased volatility, which in turn tends to be associated with decreased price movement (volatility and price have a roughly inverse but fairly close relationship). That said, I would not be surprised if---coincidentally---that was the time when QQQQ began to reverse. In other words, I expect a rally into that tall black candle, where QQQQ will run out of gas and then begin to reverse down. That very well could take the rest of the week to play out. Re AAPL, I don't think we've heard the last from that stock. I think there are still big boys accumulating there, and various forces trying to keep a lid on the stock price. When this market resumes its long-term uptrend, I think AAPL will kick ass and take numbers. Personally, I think it would have been a better idea to buy at the money or in the money calls if you are buying front-month contracts (a very risky trade, as you know). That way, any rise in the stock price is almost all translated to the intrinsic value of the contracts. Oh, one more thing: dark bars don't scare me. They tell me where might be a good place to close a long position and consider a short entry (well... that's a bit of oversimplification, but relevant to the case in point, QQQQ). Big difference. So they can be just as friendly as a tall white candle. When elephants move, mice get trampled. I just want to know when the elephants are moving and in which direction and position myself accordingly so I don't get squashed. Hope this helps, T