Sam Shames

Sam began trading futures and equities in 2006 as markets were reaching a crescendo. Learning how to find opportunities in any market condition was the most important lesson from this time. He primarily looks to market correlations and follows a strategy where he looks to take advantage of both daily and intraday trends. The strategy is top-down first, starting with the market moving indices and futures to heavily weighted stocks to make sure that they are pulling in the same direction. Once that is established we review whether timeframes line up, meaning are the lower time frames in sync with the longer time frame trend. Tide first, then boats. Sam is primarily a swing trader and does not have a preference on length of time to hold a trade. As long as the trend and market correlations signal continues to be valid, he will hold the trade. He will also cut the trade if any of the underlying conditions change, take profits, and look for a re-entry when the clarity of the trade setup returns. As an aggressive swing trader, Sam works to understand the markets through technical analysis and recognizing the distinct psychology and correlations of each chart.
The Coming China Dollar Problem

The Coming China Dollar Problem

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The U.S. Dollar has been very much in focus over the past couple of months. Traders believe that the Fed’s easing policies may have a negative effect on the Dollar moving forward. It won’t, and here is why. All currencies are traded as relative value, meaning that in order for the Dollar to fall another … Read more

The Race to the Bottom

The Race to the Bottom

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Let’s review the big news of the week, specifically, the Fed and the ECB both trying to out-dive the other. On Tuesday, we had Mario Draghi essentially front-run the Fed on Wednesday by stating that the ECB was very open to lowering rates and additional asset purchases. What does this mean? Well, it means that … Read more

Wile E. Coyote Market

Wile E. Coyote Market

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Let’s go back to December 2018. The market was rapidly falling, the fear was palpable, there was blood in the streets … and then what happened? The Fed capitulated on their rate hike schedule. The market cheered and rallied from a V-shaped bottom back to the previous all-time high. Everyone likes a rally, but let’s … Read more

10x Bars

Let’s Talk About Stock Trends

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Let’s talk stock trends. What are a couple of things we want to see when a stock is trending? Higher highs and higher lows combined with momentum. But how do we know when the momentum in a trend is cooling off and it’s time to GTFO (Get the Funds Out)? That’s where the 10X Bars … Read more

Sam’s Chart Setup for Trading Cryptocurrency

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Sam’s chart setup includes all the studies and indicators he needs to effectively swing trade in any market. Check out the studies and indicators he uses to trade the markets. This trader’s core setup for charting equities, futures, and cryptocurrencies includes: ThinkorSwim and TradingView charts      8, 21, 34, 55, 89 period exponential moving averages      Darvas … Read more

The Simpler Guide to Ethereum

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What is Ethereum? Ethereum is an open source Blockchain network that allows developers to build decentralized applications on the platform. Ethereum has similarities to Bitcoin in that they are both decentralized crypto-currencies and digital assets. Ethereum differs from Bitcoin in its end-use goal. Bitcoin aims to be the world’s currency and to facilitate transactions between … Read more

The Simpler Guide to Bitcoin

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What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is both a digital currency — similar to U.S. Dollars, Euros, or Yen — and a digital store of value similar to gold. It is created and backed by the Blockchain. What is the Blockchain? The Blockchain is the technology that Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies are built on. The Blockchain … Read more