Real World  |  MAY 2002

Strategies For Single-Stock Futures by Don Bright

Strategies For Single-Stock Futures by Don Bright With single-stock futures ready to make an entry into the markets, you need to be armed with the right strategies. I ’m often asked what the traits are that successful stock traders have in common, and although there are many, what I find binds all good traders together is adaptability. We all thrived through the euphoria of the dotcom phase, and the Nasdaq’s meteoric rise past common sense into obscenity. Many a genius was behind a computer when the buy-and-hold mentality permeated the shell of proprietary trading. Television analysts and online brokers found gigantic audiences in the nouveau stock market aficionados. Initial public offerings (IPOs) were all the rage and a sure topic for cocktail party discussions, and the Internet had become the vehicle for bathrobe-attired investors to ply their newfound trade. The markets were flying, and paper millionaires were sharing their exploits in chatrooms and videotapes. Yes, it was pretty hard to stay out of a game like that. Everyone seemed to have an interest in the market.

by Don Bright