Find the Trend and Follow the Trend (trade in a manner consistent with the trend)

By: ShortMeTina

​Today’s blog is short, straightforward and to the point. Your trade should always follow the trend.  Stop fighting the trend.  Meaning, if a stock is running up (you may want to wait for a pullback to long); if a stock is trending down (you may want to wait for a pop to short). 
Fighting the trend is trading in a manner that is in direct conflict to the trend.  I almost feel if we sat down and paid attention to our losing trades; more often than not; we were/are fighting that trend.  
 
Understandably; there are trends within trends and the trend you pay attention to; should have some correlation to the time frame you’re the most comfortable trading.  For example; if you’re a longer term trader; you might find comfort paying attention to the weekly, monthly, maybe even quarterly trend, etc. 
 
Look at some real time examples below.    

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$QCOM
Stock gapped down today; sell off dating back to Friday.  The stock (albeit for a few days); is in a sharp decline.  Following the trend is going short.  More or less any entry would have netted a profit.  I got in around $56 (2 points off today's high-so my entry wasn't even spectacular).  I just followed the trend.  

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$M

Stair case down.  Another stock that's in decline.  Visually you can see it going down. Longing (unless your methodology is different) would be fighting the trend.  
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$VRX

Overall trend dating back for several months is down!  Trying to pick a bottom is fighting the trend.  Each arrow on this chart; was an "opportunity" to short the pop.  I want to short the pop because the overall trend is down. 

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Just follow what you visually see; ensuring to pay attention to time frame.
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