Each Monday, Stockhead’s resident day trader gives us a peek at the highs and lows of his trading diary and hints at what might be coming this week.
Platform used: Marketech
Round Trip: $10 (previously $40 on alternative platform)
Rules of engagement: Never hold any positions overnight (unless forced) and try to avoid any suspensions (if possible). No shorting.
Monday August 2
Come in to the news that Afterpay have agreed to merge with Square. This is fantastic news to me as it will add some spark to the market.
I wonder what Z1P will do and how the CBA/APT ratio will now be blown out of the water, as I wait for the 10.00am opening… and we’re off!
APT open at $124, up from $96.86 and seven mins later Z1P opens up at $7.44, up from $6.65 and so my trading day begins. FMG is my first trade and then Z1P and then a thing called CIA.
Buy 1000 FMG at $24.14, then 1000 Z1P at $7.14 and finally 1000 CIA at $7.27, as they are the biggest faller, down 6% or so. Out go the FMG first at $24.31 (+$170), then the CIA at $7.33 (+$60) and then the Z1P at $7.20 (+$60). Three turns and up $290.
Z1P fall back to $7.13, so buy a 1000 there and back in for another 1000 CIA at $7.27. Out go the Z1P at $7.20 (+$70) and then at last, my first trade in APT at $118.26. Buy 300 and sell them at $118.68 (+$126).
So now up a total of $486. Sell the 1000 CIA at $7.29 (+$25) as I’m thinking that’s prob my day over.
But oh no.
It starts to get very hairy, as I can’t help myself and I get back into APT at $118.01 for 300 shares. Next I buy another 300 at $117.03. Then I buy 600 at $115.90 and then another 600 at $115.71.
I am now down $2,400 on 1,800 APT as surely, having opened at $124 and touched $125, they must (I pray) bounce.
They do! Hallelujah. 600 out at $116.67 and 1,200 at $116.66. That’s a turnaround of $2,916 and a profit of $516. Buy 2000 Z1P and make a 3c turn and my final trade is to buy 1000 APT at $116.01 which I sell on a limit at $116.21.
APT fall back to $115, whilst I am at Bunnings of all places, with 15 min left in the day. Should I? Nah, I think and leave them, drive home and they close at 4.10pm at $114.80
Overall, up $1,287, with only one heart attack halfway through the day. Phew!
Tuesday August 3
Square’s shares are up 9%-plus having been down 6% at one point. This bodes well for APT and Z1P.
Z1P ticks up over the whole day and APT settles around $128. Don’t get a chance to play in either.
Pointsbet opens down 9% at $10.00 due to a stock overhang. I managed to pick up 1000 at $9.76 and sell them at $9.89 on some short covering.
FMG are hovering around the $24.00 level. Put my foot on 1000 at $24.03 but really waiting to get set before 11am in a bigger parcel. Finally get another 3000 at $23.91. Time is 10.28am. Sell 4000 at $24.03 five min later.
For some reason I had the urge to buy some NAB, first thing. So I bt 1500 at $26.42. Should have resisted the urge as had to buy another 1500 at $26.32 and then finally another 3000 at $26.30. My last trade for the day is to sell them at $26.38 to make $270, which took all day to lock in. Very boring.
BHP was more fun, profit wise, as bt 2000 at $52.76 and 2000 at $52.68 and sold them all at $52.85 for a profit of $520. A lot better and shorter timing than trading NAB. Banks are boring.
All up plus $1280 for today, with FMG being a classic 11am trade, which makes my day.
Wednesday August 4
Wait around till 11.15am with not much luck so head out for a coffee. In between sitting down and ordering I notice that both BHP and CBA have fallen off their highs and now below $54 and $102.
Buy 2000 BHP at $53.78 and sell them at $53.85, just as coffee arrives.
Take a sip and buy 1000 CBA at $101.73 and sell them at $101.89 as my mug was being taken away.
I tell you that sometimes getting out and away from the computer is a must, as it clears your head and with the phone app, everything flows from my screen to my phone seamlessly.
So, make $310 gross whilst coffee for two came to $11 and my beautiful companion didn’t even know what I was doing until I left a generous tip. I also bt some ANZ and sold them after our beach walk.
Not a big day profit-wise, up $370 but a big day mentally.
Thursday August 5
At 6am, the AFR is calling the market to drift. BHP and RIO lower in NY trading and also news that an FMG miner has arrived on site with COVID, so going to be an interesting day for FMG. May react, may not, but expecting a spike downwards intra day, at some point.
Interestingly enough BHP crack first on the downside. Having reached a high of $53.90, I pounce on 2000 at $53.36 and sell them for $53.52.
Finally FMG crack. After reaching a high of $24.09, at around 1.20pm they start their descent and buy 2000 at $23.46 and then out they go at $23.51, for a $100 profit. All up plus $420 and managed that whilst getting caught up in a pre-COVID lockdown shopping trolley war.
Friday August 6
My first day trading in a lockdown and hard to concentrate with other humans around.
Had a nibble on 2000 Z1P at $7.76 as APT holding steady, up $5.00 or so. Went a tad early as had to buy 4000 at $7.71 and then frustratingly bought another 4000 at $7.66.
Had a sell limit on at $7.75, which went off whilst I had fallen asleep in the sun.
The biggest faller of the day was DHG, so bt 2000 at $4.55 and another 2000 at $4.49 and waited for some short covering to arrive.
Just after 1.30pm, the covering arrived and out they went at $4.58.
All up, plus $740 today and $3667 gross for the week or $3057 after brokerage.
Strange week, which started out with the APT bid and ended with me in a snap lockdown.