here's what works for me:

I use the free section at stockcharts.com to identify technical support levels on the stocks I buy.  I often look for horizontal support which is easy to identify with the aid of a t-square type tool that comes up when you check the inspect box at the top of a chart.  Check it out.  Sometimes I place a stop below that horizontal support or just below the middle bollinger band (dotted line) which often acts as good support when a stock is moving higher; bollinger bands are an option in the overlays section.  Then there are Matt or Steve's triangles, which frequently act as support or resistance, as do moving averages.  Play around with all these to find what feels best to you.  Never expect to sell at the very top and learn to trust your instincts. 

Perhaps more important than any mechanical approach is to insure you only trade when everything else in your life is going well.  Otherwise, your judgement may be clouded.  Learn from your mistakes (we all make them), keep things simple, never have regrets and always look ahead.

Good luck.

Not sure what you mean by "pressure", so my apologies if I misunderstood...but China and India paying for oil with gold is actually bullish for gold.  

Even the article concludes: "The vast sums involved in these transactions are expected, furthermore, to boost the price of gold and depress the value of the dollar on world markets".  

There are so many reasons this is positive for gold its hard to know where to begin.  At minimum, if China and India use their gold reserves for any extended period of time, they'll want to replace those reserves.  To do so these countries are likely to sell the dollars they're currently stuck with and buy gold to replace the quantities they've "spent".  And just imagine if they take kindly to the idea of using gold as money...and start demanding payment from others in this way for things they export.  The dollar would be finished at that point if this idea spreads!!

Looking for a suggestion on raising my stop.  In at 3.97, last closed at 5.23.  Stop currently in place at 4.24.

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=meg

Barnhardt will ultimately be proven right with her claim that Corzine stole the money (or was he incompetent and oblivious to what was transpiring at the firm - you make the call?) and more importantly, that her clients funds were at risk going forward (the reason she closed shop).  

Or is the chart on stockcharts.com in error?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/45411396

I concur.  Having spent more time on the long side of precious metals than the short side, I'll add its been a hell of a frustrating experience....but when it ultimately breaks higher (one day it will - no manipulation works forever), it should be one heck of a move to the upside.

Both flagging out on lower volume; right at their middle bollinger band which is tightening up.  Ready to move higher??

or employ an editor...or at minimum, use a spell checker.  His writing is fraught with grammatical errors and incorrect words...which begs the question of whether we should pay any attention to the content.

If you look at URRE's chart, it rocketed higher on strong volume, then continued to drift lower on extremely light volume...forming a long flag like formation.  For how long should you allow the tail of the flag to drift down on low volume before the pattern is considered broken?? 

In other words, when should one consider the pattern to have run its course without exploding to the upside??  In this situation, my gut was starting to say the flag was getting too long and the stock would not burst upwards, but my disciplined approach said simply leave the stop to do its work and don't interfere by selling early.

Bought URRE at 1.07.  Placed a stop loss with Fidelity @ $0.98.  Stock closed yesterday at $1.03.  Opened today @ $0.938 (not sure if that was bid or ask), my shares were sold @ $0.90 (low of the day), shares immediately rebounded up to $0.976.

What did I do wrong?? 

Unfortunately, that's the US of A...  Its only a matter of time before the world realizes the emperor truly has no clothes.  I can't imagine what a run out of the US dollar will look like, but its certainly in the cards one day.

Purchased ATPG at $10.10 about 5 days ago.  Moved my stop yesterday morning to $10.23 (just below the middle Bollinger Band).  Yesterday the bid came down took me out for a small loss, then almost immediately reversed course forming a dragonfly doji and closed at $10.50.  I was mildly annoyed thinking the marketmaker took people like me right out of the trade, then allowed the stock to rise.  Boy was I wrong.

Today I was reminded just why stops and taking small losses are ok.  ATPG cratered (down $2.05) and closed outside the bottom Bollinger Band at $8.45.  A well placed stop indeed.  

Don't give up, just take a breather.  We all need to step aside from time to time.  When I played the racetrack for a living, trusting your instincts and adjusting your play goes a long way to handling the inevitable hiccups in the road.  Hang in there; you'll bounce back in due time.

there ought to be a mechanism whereby anyone who owns shares of a company is allowed to "opt not to make those shares available to those who want to borrow them".  After all, in theory such shares are the property of the owner.  One either owns a stock or sells it.

If such a mechanism were in place, logic says there would be no shares to borrow.  After all, why would anyone who owned of shares of a company (someone who presumably wants to see the price go higher) allow their shares to be loaned out "for the express purpose of shorting that company and trying to drive the value of the stock lower"??  That would go against their interest.  Instead, owners would want to make "loanable" shares scarce.  No owner would loan their shares out...institutions holding the "stock" on behalf of the owner would be precluded from loaning out those shares...and as a result, no shares would be available to short.

That's what a "free market" should be about!! 

I heard on public radio this morning that Greece's agreed to austerity plan (30,000 public workers laid off) will consist of nothing more than 30,000 workers being given early retirement, instead.  In Greece that means those workers will receive anywhere from 80%-100% pay.  Talk about shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic!!! 

Approaching its 50 and 200 day moving averages.  Thoughts on whether these levels will act as support for a decent entry point??