The rhythm of this stock trading business
The rhythm of this stock trading business
So, I got sick over the weekend.
I won’t punish you with the details, but now that I’m (mostly) recovered, it got me thinking about how easy it is for our rhythms to get thrown off.
... and how hard it can be to get back into rhythm.
For example:
I’m a writer, which requires a ton of creative energy.
When I first got into the freelance writing world, something that astonished me was how necessary it was to slow down, read, and walk around.
Literally part of my workday had to be reading (and it usually went better if I walked too).
Because outputting words requires inputs to draw from. If I never put information into my mind, it won’t be there when I need to take it out of my mind.
Yet this morning I find myself struggling to get going.
Which makes sense because I’ve had so little input this weekend.
It’s hard to really sit and read when your mind is jumbled with sickness.
Plus low energy of being on the recovery end of an illness means that my “get up and go” is, well, gone.
It’ll come back, I just have to rebuild my reserves.
And get back into rhythm.
Trading as a business is no different.
There’s a rhythm to the market swings. And there’s a rhythm to the week-to-week work we do in order to extract money from the markets.
Of course the markets are a relentless boss.
They are open when they are open and closed when they are closed.
(I know, profound. 😆)
What I mean is, whether I’m ready to give the markets my best or I’m out running errands or I’m out sick, it doesn’t matter. The markets move when they want for their own reasons.
Sometimes they move for irrational reasons.
That’s probably been the most frustrating discovery of all. Knowing that when trading the markets I can do all the proper technical & fundamental analysis as possible, gather the best data, and still watch the markets do the exact opposite of what they “should” do!
😠
It’s maddening sometimes.
I think it happens most around earnings.
I don’t know how many times (countless) I’ve watched the markets react to earnings in a completely weird way. Lifting off on bad earnings, flushing on good earnings, and everything in between.
Yet, even in the chaos of irrational moves, there is still a rhythm.
Earnings come four times a year, generally in the same weeks.
The markets still ebb & flow. Moving up and down on the charts in a general direction.
I like to think of the stock chart flowing like a river, especially when looking at the overall moving averages.
Just like rivers have a current of chaos channeled into a general direction, so to do the markets.
Yes, sometimes floods & droughts come, but, overall, the river flows.
My trading strategy aligns much closer to a long-term investor than a short-term scalper. Even if it brings in profits from the markets each week.
I’ve designed it to flow with the overall rhythm of the market.
And I’ve hit my targets for the year well.
I’m excited for 2026, that should be another year of doubling my accounts. (And that compounds quickly, even though it’s not “get rich quick.”)
If you want to learn more about my system, it starts with my free “Options 101” mini masterclass. Which you can gain access to by subscribing here:
— Ricky Ketchum