This market is so target rich that it’s easy to miss good setups. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution.
Every day I hear people complain about missing trades. Maybe they were watching one stock because it was the biggest percent gainer, but they missed an RCT or a dollar cross play. I miss plays, too. But there’s one thing I do every day to catch the right stocks at the right time.
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The Big Picture
One of the easiest things you can do so you never miss a trade again is to set an alert.
A lot of people don’t set alerts because it takes a little time. Instead, they put all the charts up on their monitor (or in different tabs) and try to keep track of everything visually.
Meanwhile, some runner from last week finally did what they wanted but they forgot about it.
Want to know what professionals do?
Pick a Path and Set Alerts
By pick a path I mean you know what stocks you’re watching and know which patterns you’re looking for.
Why is it important to identify the pattern?
If you try to trade the stock without naming the pattern, you’ll get stuck in an endless cycle of chasing or complaining.
Now, knowing the pattern is also how you set the alert. You can’t set an alert without knowing the levels, and you can’t know the levels unless you identify the pattern, right?
Once you’ve picked your path and named the setup, then set an alert.
How?
All trading software lets you set an alert (usually by right-clicking on the chart).
Now, do or don’t set alerts. It’s up to you.
At the same time, don’t complain if you miss the multi-dayers.
Or the dollar cross plays. Or the breakout over yesterday’s high on a low-float short squeeze.
Professional traders set alerts, know what they’re looking for, and get ready to trade.
What if you don’t like the alerts on your brokerage app?
It’s easy: use something else. Find a solution. Find something that works for you because pretty much all brokerage apps have alerts.
Right click, add alert. It’s that easy. When you’re done with them, delete them.
My Take
We live in the greatest time in history. We have more opportunities available to us than at any other time. We have tools, technology, information, mentoring…
Now, I know there are people out there who just want “hot picks” and I feel bad for them because it doesn’t end well.
It always shocks me when people ask how to follow all the stocks on their rolling watchlist but they don’t set alerts.
Watchlist
In case you missed it yesterday, Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) announced positive results for a personalized cancer vaccine.
The stock more than doubled:
MRNA, 8/19/26, 5-min candles, pharma large-cap with solid catalyst
Now, there are two reasons to watch MRNA.
- This kind of move on a large-cap biotech is rare. It’s worth watching just to see how it plays out.
- There are trading opportunities.
Watch MRNA to see if it continues to hold or form a support level. Remember, choose your path before you trade it. Make a trade plan.
If MRNA is too expensive for you, here’s an option: trade an ETF like the YieldMax MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF (NYSE: MRNY):
MRNY, 8/19/26, single stock ETF mirrors MRNA
See more on trading single stock ETFs here.
On My Radar
- Frontier model pause: an attempt at regulatory capture or fear of Open Source LLMs?
- Bond buybacks are good to understand but out of our control
- Hang on, it’s going to get wild in December…
