Mad Money vs Trade Triangles ... which is better for you?

Every once in a while, I like to flip the TV channels and watch Jim Cramer on CNBC. It's not that I think that Jim Cramer is a spectacular trader, I just think he is a talented and amusing guy. The last time I tuned on the tube, CNBC's Jim Cramer was naming his top five picks to get you through these recessionary times.

So with pencil in hand, I quickly scribbled down his top five stock picks on a piece of paper and shoved it into my pocket. I actually forgot about Mr. Cramer's picks until today when I found this crumpled piece of paper with my handwriting on it. This paper listed the five stocks that Mr. Cramer picked on the close of business on January 8.

Read more here and stay on the blog:

So here are Mr Cramer's top 5 picks and where they closed on 1/08/09:

Adam Hewison

President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub

If you're trading on the news, you're already behind the eight ball.

There's an old adage in trading, "buy on the rumor, and sell on the news."

Most often, news and earnings reports have already been factored into the markets. The people who are aware of this information have already taken the appropriate action. These people do not include the general public. Individual self-directed traders tend to receive their news through the normal channels such as CNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the web. News by nature is a recap of worthy events, therefore the news tends to be old and comes too late. By the time these news stories are written and make their way from the TV or printing press to your eyes, the markets have already made their move.

The concept of buying on the rumor and selling the news is correct the majority of the time. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Recently was earnings surprise that came out on Apple (NASDAQ_AAPL) on the 21st of January, 2009. Apple blew it out of the box and surprised many with its strong earnings, most of which came from overseas.

Only by following the market action can you have a handle on what's going to happen in the future. A recent example of this is eBay, I just finished a video on eBay a few days ago that I recommend you watch. It is a perfect example of market based price action predicting the news. When the news came out on eBay having its first quarterly loss in its history, it sent the stock down over 10%. I can't think of a better, or more recent example of market action predicting the news. And yes, it was a profitable trade for our MarketClub members.

My hope is that this blog posting will help you understand how professional traders use the news... but not to watch, just to sell.

Every success in life and in the trading,

Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub

5 Ways to Ponzi proof your portfolio and sleep well at night.

I've been in the financial arena for over 30 years. I must say I that I am appalled to see scum like Bernie Madoff stealing money from honest people.  In many ways he's committing one of the most heinous of crimes. He's destroying the financial standings of  unsuspecting victims for his own selfish greed.

In my opinion, he should just go right to jail as he has already confessed to the crime. We've seen them throw people in the slammer for much lesser offenses, but that's just my opinion.

Okay, so how do you Ponzi proof your portfolio? The key here is to take control of your own financial future. This is not as difficult as you might think. Not to mention that the mistakes you may make are your mistakes, and not that of a crazy, old guy down in Florida who may run off with your money too. I'm just amazed that anyone thinks that they can actually get away with this garbage. Everyone knows a Ponzi scheme is doomed to failure; there is not enough money in the world to keep them going. By nature... it eventually has to collapse. But, if you take control of your own money... and remove it out of the hands of people like Madoff... then you can sleep more soundly at night.

Watch this short video on how to Ponzi proof your portfolio here:

Here is what you need to do:

# 1: Take control of your own destiny by learning how the financial markets work. They are not as complicated as everyone makes them out to be.

# 2: I believe that once you learn how the markets work, you must create a game plan to stay on track and to reach your individual objectives.

# 3: One of the easiest ways to tell if a market is going up or down is to use a simple technical analysis indicator, or our "Trade Triangle" technology, which literally points out the direction for you.

# 4: Following a proven approach in the markets is one of the easiest and fastest ways for you to accumulate wealth. Sometimes it is difficult to know who to trust. The key here is to trust in yourself. You don't have to hand over your money to someone who could potentially ruin your financial future. Don't give them that opportunity when you are capable of steering your own financial ship.

# 5: This is perhaps the most important element of Ponzi proofing your portfolio: discipline. You must be disciplined to take both profits and losses. By following a market proven system and your game plan, I think you will be happy with the results of your work. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it yourself... you stuck with a plan and made your final decisions.

Many people think you have to spend hours upon hours looking over and reading the financial press to find winning trades. Remember, that the financial press is old news and the real news is happening through price action movement. However, you can start yourself off by selecting stocks that are well financed, have good liquidity, and have a history of big swings. However, you need to ensure that your portfolio is diversified into several non-correlating markets. If you trade that diverse portfolio throughout the year, with a game plan and disciple, I believe you will see the results you are looking for. Once you do this, you have not only created a Ponzi proofed portfolio, but you have also made it practically bulletproof as well.

Okay, let's sum up what I've just said: First, you need to create and implement a game plan. Next, you need to use market proven strategies to help guide you in the correct direction of the market. Thirdly, you need to follow your game plan with discipline. Fourthly, you need to make sure that you are investing in a diverse group of holdings (stocks, bonds, real estate, futures).  Last, but not least... you can sleep well at night.

Every success in what promises to be an exciting future for all of us,

Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub

This Stock Is Ready To Rock ... New Educational Trading Video

Yesterday, I made a video on gold - you can watch it here. Today, I have been looking at a market that has a lot of potential on the upside based on its relationship to the gold market and a classic chart formation. This particular chart formation is one of the most reliable in the arsenal of patterns that I watch. Making this pattern even more powerful was the fact that our "Trade Triangle" technology kicked in today for the first time in six months for this particular stock.

The chart formation we are talking about is called a "head and shoulders" formation. This formation is well-known to any serious market technician as it has proven to be one of the most powerful and reliable formations over the years. Another positive about this formation is that it actually measures how far a move will travel on the upside or downside. You can have a "head and shoulders" top which would indicate prices going lower, or you have a "head and shoulders" bottom indicating prices going higher.

In this short video, which lasts four minutes you'll see exactly how I analyzed this particular stock and what the upside potential is for this market. There is no charge for watching the video and no registration is required.

I highly recommend that you take four minutes to watch this educational training video and see how you can benefit from this particular formation.

Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub

This market is getting wound up ... so pay attention (New Gold Video)

I think that the gold market is getting wound up. If I'm right, we're going to see an explosion in gold to the upside.

Here's the reasoning behind my optimism for this market: Right now we're seeing gold in an accumulation phase. A move over the $875 level in the spot market will signal the first step to propelling gold in an accelerated upward trajectory.

Certainly a move over the $890 level, basis spot, will begin to bring in many new buyers. When this happens, I expect gold to go into a crisis mode as more and more people look to preserve their capital and seek haven in this yellow metal.

Watch video here:

I would not be surprised to see more backing and filling as the bull market regenerates itself for an upward move. What may create this is a further deterioration in the world equity and banking markets, and the potential of nationalizing the banks both in Europe and in the States.

While this seems extreme, we are living in difficult times. It even appears to be getting even more complicated and fragile. I do not see any fast turnaround, via the new Obama administration, and I think they have been given an impossible task.

There is no guarantee that spending ourselves out of this recession is going to work. It even sounds like a silly plan when you say it out loud, "Let's spend our way out of a crisis that started from spending what we don't have." We will be printing more money and devaluing the dollar and its purchasing power. This can only be reflected in higher gold prices as investors try to maintain their purchasing power.

I have given you the key levels to look for. If these levels are broken on the upside, I would ask that you seriously think about taking long positions in this market. Currently, the April electronic contract is the one that has the most liquidity and that's the one to look at if you're not trading in the spot gold market.

Every success in the markets and in life,

Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub