March was an interesting month. I saw my losses deepen while I simultaneously started using my 25 free trades up from SogoTrade. It's quite fortunate that I didn't have to pay commissions for this month. When I'm dealing with perhaps twice the size that I'm comfortable dealing with now, it might not be such a big deal.

As it was, I learned this month that I need to size my positions more appropriately so that my trades do not control my behavior. Also, I was using AMD largely as an index proxy, and this methodology started to have no edge as AMD started diverging from tracking the indexes (particularly XLF) and slowly sank beneath the waves.

Worthy of note is that I went into this month holding 300 shares of JMBA long that I originally purchased at $3.05 a share.

March 4, 2008

1. 10:53 Buy 250 AMD @ 6.50
2. 11:50 Sell 250 AMD @ 6.51 Net Gain: $2.47
3. 12:21 Buy 250 AMD @ 6.52
4. 15:07 Sell 250 AMD @ 6.61 Net Gain: $22.47

March 5, 2008

5. 11:50 Buy 100 COIN @ 15.9699
6. 13:10 Sell 100 COIN @ 16.12 Net Gain: $14.99

March 11, 2008

7. 10:36 Buy 300 AMD @ 6.17
8. 11:24 Sell 300 AMD @ 6.27 Net Gain: $29.95

March 12, 2008

9. 11:35 Buy 300 AMD @ 6.61

March 13,2008

10. 10:28 Sell 300 AMD @ 6.51 Net Loss: -$30.05
now there are commissions...
11. 11:08 Short 300 AMD @ 6.50
12. 12:03 Cover 300 AMD @ 6.63 Net Loss: -$48.02

March 14, 2008

13. 12:15 Buy 300 AMD @ 6.45
14. 12:44 Sell 300 AMD @ 6.40 Net Loss: -$24.05
15. 9:48 Sell 300 JMBA @ 2.31 Net Loss -$226.53 (I held this one way too long and should have cut it at <$100 loss. Rookie mistake.)

March 17, 2008

16. 11:15 Buy 300 AMD @ 6.35

March 18, 2008

17. 14:51 Sell 300 AMD @ 6.39 Net Gain: $2.95 (when will the AMD garbage trades stop?)

March 19, 2008

Now we're on SogoTrade... free trades again but no stops! Unfortunately I briefly continue my madness before massaging my strategy into place. I also start trading more than one position at once, which is VERY BAD for my novice state. Henceforth, I will trade only one position at a time. Also, I begin to learn to work with more appropriate position sizing, but not before some mistakes...

18. 11:51 Buy 300 AMD @ 6.30
19. 13:35 Short 300 HALO @ 5.75
20. 15:39 cover 300 HALO @ 6.00 Net Loss: -$75.02

March 20, 2008

21. 12:25 Short 100 CHNR @ 17.20
22. 15:24 Cover 100 CHNR @ 16.95 Net Gain: $24.98

March 24, 2008

23. 10:06 Short 200 VVTV @ 5.81
24. 10:45 Cover 200 VVTV @ 6.10 Net Loss: -$58.02
25. 15:45 Sell 300 AMD @ 6.20 Net Loss: -$30.03

is the AMD madness over?

March 26, 2008

26. 9:55 Short 300 BPAX @ 3.31
27. 11:26 Cover 300 BPAX @ 3.16 Net Gain: $44.98

March 27, 2008

28. 10:34 Buy 100 SOLF @ 13.14
29. 12:08 Sell 100 SOLF @ 13.80 Net Gain: $65.98

March 28, 2008

30. 14:16 Short 300 BPAX @ 4.70
31. 15:33 Cover 300 BPAX @ 4.50 Net Gain: $59.98

Conclusion

From these numbers, I had realized losses of -$222.97 for March 2008. With the addition of $90.09 in realized gains from February, I have lost -$132.88 since I started trading.

However, I must have messed up somehow, because my account balances don't quite jive with my trading journal.

Account Balances
Zecco: $2588.68 (deposits of $2750)
SogoTrade: $2533.40 (deposit of $2500)

So according to this, I'm down -$127.92 - I'm not sure really sure where I messed up my numbers although I do know there's a little bit of money market interest floating around.

Lessons Learned

Only be present if there is opportunity.

If you feel like you need a second opinion on whether to take profit right then and there, TAKE THE PROFIT.

Size positions correctly. Too big and there's too much perceived risk. Correctly sized positions lead to rational decision making.

Also, although I don't like SogoTrade, I do like the little account balance graph they give you.

Thus ends my trading month of March. I would be violating the pattern day trader rule to make a trade on Monday or Tuesday of next week.