Earth to Wall Street

How long have you been blogging?

I have been writing for Earthtowallstreet since October 2007.

What got your started blogging?

The short answer is the dream of becoming a trader. The long answer to that is where trading $10 million worth of stock transactions in my first 90 days as a trader has lead me to. It took living and breathing the life of a day trader full time for 90 days that taught me most of what I have learned in trading. It taught me things that one should never do, the things you must do to survive. Trading $10 Million worth of stocks teaches you what no one can teach you, what no book can imprint on your mind and soul. Only living and feeling what it takes to make a lot and lose a lot can give you the experience and lessons of greed, fear, pain and the discipline in the end you must find to go on to succeed. No one can learn these things without doing them, its not ever going to be the same as doing it your self and the discovery of you and the unknown. I took the road of the unknown with gusto and I learned what no one could have taught me otherwise. One has no idea what it's like to make $16,000 in the first day of trading or $38,000 in 90 minutes and how that effects one mind or how it feels to lose $33,000 in one day. No one knows how it feels to lose $250,000 either and what one must learn to do in order to keep from doing it. I learned by doing. I quit my day job and gambled it all on my dream of becoming a trader.

I got the attention of traders and market makers on September 19, 2007 on the NYX Yahoo Finance message board declaring that NYX had bottomed at $69 for the time being. I made some extremely accurate predictions on that stock days in advance more than once. I gave exact times and dates for it's price action three days in advance, describing the pricing levels, times and chart action and volume levels as well. It came to pass as I had described it. A blog was designed for me by one of the traders on that message board. I was called an interviewed by options trader from the IBD as well as a retired market maker who had worked on the floor of the NYSE during this time because many people wanted to know how I was able to predict with such accuracy. I told these same people during this phone interview we were going to see a possible Depression. I also told them China would soon sell off in heavy panic and that their markets would collapse as well.

What is the focus of your blog, i.e. how does it set you apart from the other bloggers out there?

The focus of my blog is to share my own personal take on the markets. It is more like a personal diary. I am unorthodox, my methods are not from the main stream. I use my intuition. I use my own ability for speculation of the future in deciding my stock picks.

Most blogs did not predict during October and November 2007 that Depression like market conditions would occur in 2008 and to short the markets and protect profits made on the long side of the markets. My blog did, saving those who listened their life savings. I was a strong bear sending the message as early as late October 2007 that a storm like our generation had never seen was about to take our markets much lower. That sets me apart from most speculators, market makers and main stream professionals. I didn't lose money, I made money during this down turn. I tuck with my own conviction and those who followed me saved their life savings from the market carnage. I am proud of those who I helped. I am also proud that I do not charge for my experience.

What is it you hope a reader will come away with when they visit your blog?

I try to share my personal lessons concerning the study of the markets and how we the trader are the greatest study of all. One can not learn the markets without learning ones self and how we understand ourselves. The market study is the easy part. The hard part is learning about ones self and where we fit in. I try to teach that we all have the ability to learn our own gift of speculating, that we are all just as good or better than the experts. I try to teach that the power of positive thinking is a gift we all have and should practice.

Do you like to be edgy in your posts and try and stir up some controversy?

I am extremely controversial as I write what is on mind no matter how radical it might be taken.

Do you think it being edgy gives you a boost in subscribers?

I think sometimes I am a bit to edgy which hurts more than it helps subscriber-ship numbers.

When did you start to trade?

My first day trade was on October 18, 2004. I made $16,000.00 my first day and became hooked.

What is your favorite instrument to trade (stocks, options, forex, futures, bonds, etc.)

My favorite instruments are etf's and etn's. They are the easiest to predict.

What is your favorite strategy to trade?

I phase into positions and I phase out shaving off profits. I always use the least amount of money I can to make the most. It is 100% opposite of how I began trading. When I began trading I used the all in tactic. Now I make more money using a fraction of what I use to.

What time frame do you like to trade?

I like short term quick trades, days, weeks vs. buy and hold. If the profit is their I take it and move on. For someone new coming into the markets, what steps would you recommends they use to get started? The most important lesson is to start small. I always stress that the amount should be small. The goal is to make the highest yield in profit with the least amount of money over and over. The goal is NOT to get rich quick. The goal is to learn how to control greed, control fear using pure discipline. Buy with target points in mind, sell with target points and follow through without emotion.

What is the biggest stumbling block you see for most beginner traders, i.e. where do you see them making the biggest mistakes?

They want to go all in with too much money. They do not want to take the time to learn the tactics. They brag about how much they do make only to see themselves lose it all back because they have no plan, no discipline. Two things happen to most traders. They make a lot and then lose it all back and they quit, or they lose it all and give up. Only those who make a lot and have lost a lot with extreme determination and balance survive. Those who learn self discipline and patients and are very head strong and self convicted can make it. They also learn not to day trade. They learn to isolate themselves from others opinions, that their own conviction is sacred. They learn how different things contaminate their thought processes over time. Only time and the markets teach you this.

In today's trading environment, where do you see the biggest opportunities for traders?

The biggest area of opportunity is different for every individual. I like etf's etn's and stocks. Their are others traders that like other investing or trading vehicles.

What do you see in store for the markets in 09?

I see a further collapse of our entire economic system with further damage being done with the gamble of printing more liquidity, sending our national debt level upward, further dangerous dilution of the dollar, combined with a weakening GDP, combined with further unemployment increases. I see further decline in the credit markets as a second wave of mortgage resets takes place and I see more bank failures and more huge bank write offs as credit card debt deteriorates the bottom line of our major banks especially Citibank. I see the psychological feel good Obama effect waning as real numbers continue to roll in with earnings declining further upon further demand destruction. The fact is we are still going to see further demand destruction and over supply as the credit markets will not feed enough financing in large enough amounts into our global economic picture to stave off further selling pressure.

If a turnaround, when do you see that happening?

I see a turn around happening when most everyone has given up on guessing where a turn around lies.

If not a turnaround in 09, why not?

There are too many people thinking we just about to go through a turn around. We still to this day have not seen total capitulation. This is exactly why it will take so long for a bottom to be set in place. There is still lingering hope and until enough damage is done to extinguish this last resilience the market will not have found it's true bottom. A bottom will be put in place when most can not afford to buy it because most people will have either lost all hope or will have lost too much money to gamble further. These people will never return to the markets.

If not a turnaround in 09, when?

When all hope is lost by the majority of the markets. I see one more huge down turn that will finally take the wind out of the majority. When the end of the world seems close, that will be the bottom, when all hope is lost.

Do you use technical analysis?

NO

So, what do you use as an indicator to trade the markets?

I use human behavior.