3SOF

It depends on what are your needs .. Account Size/Trade Size ... How many trades do you place a year? Do you care if you want to trade Mutual Funds? Do you need advanced orders such TTO, Time Triggered, etc.? Do you want to place your trades overnight? Do you care if it is only web based or software based? Answering what you actually need can eliminate a lot of the brokers and narrowing the list. Try to narrow it to as low as two but no more than 5. When you come up with a list, it will be more focused and I will be willing to help and tell you about those "extra" fees some brokers charge? I have done an extensive study on most brokers in the US 

I am with MB Trading and Ameritrade. Both have been good to me but Ameritrade always lacks on giving me the best price when I place a trade with them. Margin Rate on Ameritrade is high too so I don't go on margin with them.

Here is a site with most brokers and their ratings:
http://www.elitetrader.com/br/

Another one that focuses on the main brokers in the US:
http://www.stockbrokerguide.com/usa_stockbrokers.php

Hope this helps!

Quote from: shawFund on December 27, 2005, 01:21:10 PM
  Also, this month return shown in the home page (opened + closed trades) seems wrong.

  If each round trip trade costs $20 commission, so far this month, the account only lost $117.72. That is a loss of -0.78%, not more than 3% loss.

  Could you check into it?.

I know this question is directed to David, but I will answer anyway. He invests 33.33% of the portfolio each time. $5000 is not always 33.33%, it could be more than $5000 or less. Hope this makes sense.

Quote from: David Randolph on December 16, 2005, 07:23:39 AM
So here's my trading plan for NVAX:

1) Sell the fact when there is one;

Would that be selling even if the news hit during the day?

1. Neose Technologies Inc. (Symbol: NTEC)

About the company:
"Neose is a biopharmaceutical company using its proprietary enzymatic technologies to develop improved drugs, focusing primarily on therapeutic proteins. Neose uses its GlycoAdvance® and GlycoPEGylation(TM) technologies to develop improved versions of drugs with proven safety and efficacy. Neose intends to apply its technologies to products it is developing on its own and to products it co-develops and co-owns with others. It also expects to make its technologies available, through strategic partnerships, to improve the products of other parties. Neose's first two proprietary candidates are NE-180 (GlycoPEG-EPO), a long-acting version of erythropoietin, and GlycoPEG-GCSF, a long-acting version of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)."

2. This is a purely technical play. It came up in my different scans several times. It might have some merit after all. It is a very speculative play but you only gain big when you risk big. I think NTEC fits that.

Technical Reasons:

On Daily:
* Improving ADX line
* Breakout of trendline
* Increasing volume

On Weekly:
* Above the BB 20 MA.
* FULL STO broke out of oversold conditions.

Live Daily:
http://tinyurl.com/8sqno

Live Weekly:
http://tinyurl.com/74cyl

Here is the chart:

Quote from: 1reilly on December 08, 2005, 10:23:26 AM
Morgan Stanley
I don't want to muddy this thread up with conversation about options. David surely wants this about VDSI. I'll send you a private E-mail. But for everybody don't use naked options ever. If you ever sell a call or sell a put you better have that stock in your account. Covered option trading is prudent naked option trading is crazy. JMHO

Sorry about the clutter I made too ... Let's keep it about VDSI.

Note: Know how to short or do options before actually risking money. Paper trade first to get a feel though it is quite different when risking money.

1reilly,

who is your current broker?

I am not a big fan with trading options, one can lose pretty quickly with those. I have read that actually selling a call is much safer bet than buying a put since 95% of the calls if held expire worthless.

This sucks!

My broker doesn't have shares to short :-(

Good luck David 

I have got in at around $0.02 around mid Nov., but only with $200. I wasn't going to bet the whole farm  It is a nice gain so far but I waiting for more news.

What do you think?

P.S: Have you tried flying them? It was nice and cheap for $40 to FL one way, cheaper than the my cab ride to the hotel  What a bargin

It really sucked for me to miss this one!

Would have been nice! I guess this would be a nice way for me to learn to check the updates BEFORE the market opens by at least an hour; not an hour later.

Nice pick Dave  Keep them coming 

Quote from: David Randolph on December 02, 2005, 08:02:18 AM
So, my stop loss order will be placed for a maximum 10% loss, that is, if the stock prints $14.40 today, I'll have to sell it and look for another opportunity, hopefully a better one.

He mentioned if it prints 14.40, hence a stop limit order throughout the day.

Quote from: tokyopua on December 03, 2005, 02:09:20 PM
I wonder if BCRX is really still in the portfolio?  The plan David had was to sell if the stock printed 14.40, and I know it did because I followed the plan and bailed myself...

I guess he did; he always follow the plan to avoid confusion. I guess the trade record will be updated on Monday.

I bailed myself as well; hopefully it was the right move 

Would you recommend buying this at its current level (13)?

Thanks 

Was this sold today then? I still don't see it closed under the 3 SOF Fast Portfolio.
(Sorry I am new at 3SOF)