The Stock Trading Reality Podcast

I recently came across an article on CNBC that sparked a topic that doesn’t get talked about enough. Perhaps you are well aware of day trader geography, but oftentimes it’s one of those concepts that hides in plain sight. The best way to find success as a day trader (or really any kind of trader/investor for that matter) is to ensure your expectations are aligned as closely as possible with reality. A key component in this task of ...

“Today” (the day I recorded this episode) I was reminded of how I need to do a better job of deploying my critical thinking skills around the economic calendar. Thankfully the trade I was in turned out really well, but wow, the opposite could have just as easily been true. I know I’ve talked about the economic calendar before on the podcast; however, the lesson I was reminded of “today” is certainly one worth offering up to you as ...

My YouTube live streams continue to deliver these podcast episode ideas! This past week I had a few interactions that, once again, reminded me of how some people could better themselves as a trader by doing one simple thing. To be fair, I suppose it is not the simplest thing to do, but again, to be fair, it’s also not in the realm of reasonableness to say this thing is impossible to do. I admit I probably get more frustrated than I...

The Trump Tweet. We’re all aware as traders by now how a single press of a button can send the markets into full blow roller coaster mode. We’re also aware of how a press conference about a certain topic can contain an off the cuff remark that, once again, sends the market into full blown roller coaster mode. I’ve been asked enough now the same general question where it makes sense to address it via a podcast. The question goes som...

More and more people are asking about AI and what I think the effects it will have on the markets. It’s not a crazy question at all. Is AI something that is going to wreck the markets and destroy everything we know as traders? Are we going to be eaten alive by its vast intelligence and ability to think way quicker than we are? The core of the question is this: will there be any room for human traders, or are we going to become inst...

There is nothing worse we can do to ourselves as traders and investors than deceive ourselves. Deception can be a tricky thing. Self deception can be an even trickier thing. I wouldn’t say I was shocked by the discovery, but the livestream on YouTube continues to deliver valuable lessons and reminders for us in the trading world. There is quite a bit of self deception occurring and I’m doing my best to put an end to it. I used to f...

Not a whole lot of money but want the opportunity to grow it fast? Looking for something that moves extremely quickly? Did you stumble upon someone explaining just how much money can be made with these small cap and low float stocks? Listen. I get it. I really do. Like most of us, when we first get started on our trading journey we don’t have a whole lot of capital to work with. Because of this, the logic follows that by trading th...

Do you have the entire context when it comes to risk management? This is a critical skill within the world of trading and one that must be mastered if you want any true chance at success. Perhaps you’re now asking, “How do we determine the entire context for risk?” Well, in all actuality, it revolves around a single question. Once you answer this question, the numbers will drive themselves from there. Without this question however,...

Hmmmm… is this type of trading fake? That’s what I was recently told and perhaps you’ve heard someone make the same claim. This interaction happened on a live stream which was ideal as I could interact with this person in real time. Did this person bring hardcore evidence to the table to support their claim? Were they able to present a case that did indeed expose this trading strategy as fake? I think it’s worth examining their cla...

Do you find yourself struggling in an area of your trading? You aren’t alone! The world of trading is a constant struggle. Oftentimes, it’s the struggle against all those crazy voices in our head that want us to do really stupid things. Other times, it can be more of a unique struggle that won’t be the same for everyone. In this episode of the podcast, I wanted to take the time to share with you a recent problem and struggle I’ve b...

Unless you went outside, dug a hole, and shoved your head into it.. You know things have gotten pretty wild around the world from an economic standpoint. If you’re anything like me and others know you’re “in the markets”, you know things are getting dramatic when people start texting you with “you ok?”... “what is going on?”.. Etc. We’re in a unique time and I want to point out what I believe to be t...

One of the more challenging parts of being a trader is figuring out the difference between good goals and bad goals. Unfortunately, this is not always a black-and-white situation where a goal is blatantly bad (or good). If you wonder why day trading failure rates are so high, in my opinion, I would say “goal setting” is one of those core reasons. I realize this sounds a bit backwards. Most of us growing up are taught to set goals, ...

As I’ve now been live streaming for almost two months now, I’ve gathered many more real time interactions to my “experience database”. Over the years I’ve interacted with plenty of people through customer service emails, YouTube comments, and people joining my communities. There’s something a bit more unique about the live stream as I can, in a sense, have a real time conversation with them. Through this, I’ve noticed a massive pro...

I truly hope after listening to this episode you are a bit angry at me because you feel as though I’ve wasted your time. I hope you are thinking the whole time, “Come on Clay! Really? You really needed to clarify this for me?!?!”. If this is indeed the case, I am so relieved and will have a bit more peace in my rest. Because, as you’re about to see, what you may find super obvious is… unfortunately for some…. Not obvious. So in my ...

It’s taken me a while to gather my thoughts on this issue and organize them in a coherent manner. To be fair, maybe they are still all over the place and none of what I am going to talk about will make sense; however, I’m pretty sure it will! In the spirit of respecting your time, if you are a swing trader or an investor, PAM’SS PLANT is not for you. I suppose if you are one of those people who just enjoys all ...

I want to be a full time day trader! I’ve heard this said time and time again over the years. It’s a super ambitious goal and one that I can’t fault people for having. In the spirit of being brutally upfront: it’s a TERRIBLE goal. Please! Before you go kicking me to the curb as some kind of hater or a person trying to send out negative vibes, hear me out! It won’t take long, but if you give me a chance, I’ll ex...

This is more a public service announcement than anything else, but I want you to all be aware that I have begun live streaming during the lunchtime portion of the day. This is free and open to everyone and anyone. You don’t need to be a premium member and you don’t even need to be a subscriber to my YouTube channel (but if you’re not… come on!!!). What’s the live stream all about? What can you expect? I want to take a few brief mom...

I started claytrader.com back in 2013, so yeah, I’ve been asked quite a few questions over the years. The question that has got to be one of the most popular is this: “Hey Clay, what is the best indicator?” or, slightly varied, “what is your favorite indicator?”. While I can’t say there is anything wrong with this question per-se, it does open the doors to some potentially very faulty ways of thinking about the market. If you are c...

Listen. I've lost count of how many stocks I have shorted over the years. It is a whole lot! As much as it pains me to say it (as it reveals a mistake on my part), I have wasted soooo much time over the years with shorting stocks. To be fair, when I first got started the abundance of new approaches to the market didn't exist; however, I stuck with shorting stocks way longer than I ever should have! What I shoul...