Let’s start with the basics of a swing trading strategy. Rather than targeting 20% to 25% profits for most of your stocks, the profit goal is a more modest 10%, or even just 5% in tougher markets.
Those types of gains might not seem to be the life-changing rewards typically sought in the stock market, but this is where the time factor comes in.
The swing trader’s focus isn’t on gains developing over weeks or months; the average length of a trade is more like 5 to 10 days. In this way, you can make a lot of small wins, which will add up to big overall returns. If you are happy with a 20% gain over a month or more, 5% to 10% gains every week or two can add up to significant profits.
Of course, you still have to factor in losses. Smaller gains can only produce growth in your portfolio if losses are kept small. Rather than the normal 7% to 8% stop loss, take losses quicker at a maximum of 3% to 4%. This will keep you at a 3-to-1 profit-to-loss ratio, a sound portfolio management rule for success. It’s a critical component of the whole system since an outsized loss can quickly wipe away a lot of progress made with smaller gains.
Swing trading can still deliver larger gains on individual trades. A stock may exhibit enough initial strength that it can be held for a bigger gain, or partial profits can be taken while giving the remaining position room to run.
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Swing Trading and CAN SLIM
Although the CAN SLIM Investing System is built for longer-term investment periods, its rules can still apply in a swing trading environment.
Take breakouts from consolidations. Prior uptrends are a must. Sideways action that resists giving up much ground is preferred. High Relative Strength Ratings are a key statistic for limiting your universe to the best prospects. And volume gives you confirmation that institutions are accumulating shares. The twist added by swing trading is the timeframe.
Rather than consolidations that are typically five to seven weeks at a minimum, you might be looking at half that time or even less.
The flexibility in looking at shorter time frames comes from lowered profit goals. A prior uptrend of 30% or more needs the longer time frame of a sound base structure before continuing for similar sized gains or better. But if you are looking for a gain of 5% to 10%, the requirements are much less.
By the same token, volume characteristics of a breakout also can have a shortened time frame. Rather than the 50-day moving average of volume as your threshold for heavy turnover, look to the volume of the shorter consolidation area for clues. If the breakout volume can surpass the recent activity, that can be a sufficient confirmation of strength.
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