The upside gap that occurred in the S&P on 11/29 closed today as economic woes continue to linger within the market. The gap closed around 2:30 EST and bounced higher immediately following the close. I talk about the gap phenomenon quite often in the newsletter and recently in the blog.
I actually placed a trade buying SPY 141 puts for $1.75 per contract on 11/30 and sold today shortly after the gap closed for $2.50 per contract. Once gaps of this magnitude close they typically reverse direction and start to move back in the direction of the gap. This is why I sold shortly after the gap closed. Knowing that this typically occurs why would I jeopardize a 43% gain. Had I waited until the trading session was over I would have actually broken even at best. The bid/ask spread was $1.70 to $1.80 so I would have been lucky to get $1.75 and even then I would have had a losing trade due to the cost of commisssions. I am never greedy… okay, almost never. I talk about how I trade gaps in great detail in my White Paper. Check it out, I think you will find that it is a valuable resource.
RSI Wilder (5) for December 1, 2006
- SPY - 55.0 (neutral)
- DIA - 46.5 (neutral)
- IWM - 47.8 (neutral)
- QQQQ - 36.0 (neutral)
Andrew Crowder, Chief Investment Strategist, www.crowderinvestments.com