Interview  |  JUL 2006

Interview: Michael “Trader Mike” Seneadza: From Swing Trading to Daytrading by J. Gopalakrishnan

Stocks & Commodities V. 24:7 (62-67): Interview: Michael “Trader Mike” Seneadza: From Swing Trading to Daytrading by J. Gopalakrishnan Atlanta, GA–based independent stock trader Michael Seneadza received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but he started swing trading for a living in 1999 after working in the information systems industry for nine years. He launched his well-received blog at his website, TraderMike.net, in 2003, providing daily market commentary and education material. Last year, he pulled another switch, shifting from swing trading to daytrading. STOCKS & COMMODITIES Editor Jayanthi Gopalakrishnan interviewed Seneadza via email and phone in early May 2006. Q: Michael, how did you get started trading? A: My initial exposure to the market was via an investment investment club that some college friends started back around 1992. A couple of years later, I opened my own account. Over time, I got more and more into the markets. Around 1997 a few things came together that really increased my interest in trading. Q: What were they? A: At that time, I was consulting as a software developer for an energy trading company. Being in that environment really got me curious about trading. Also during 1997, I happened to read ""Trader Vic: Methods Of A Wall Street Master"" by Victor Sperandeo, and William O’Neil’s ""How To Make Money In Stocks"". Motivated by those two books, I wanted to learn all I could about trading. I bought about 10 more books and I began to read Gary B. Smith’s column at TheStreet.com. The more I learned, the more I was convinced that I wanted to trade full time. In mid-1999 my project ended, and I decided that it was now or never to give trading full time a shot.

by Jayanthi Gopalakrishnan