Below is the 5th ASC Mastermind Lab Course. These are special videos that will be made available throughout the duration of the 12-week course featuring conversations with professionals from across Wall Street discussing topics in their expertise. 

In our last Mastermind Lab, I spoke with Steve Strazza about momentum thrusts. This time, I wanted to talk with a portfolio manager who uses momentum as part of his strategy. Enter Dan Russo, Portfolio Manager at Potomac Fund. 

Dan broke down for us a simple way of implementing momentum into your portfolio management, how he protects against drawdowns while using momentum, and what he sees as the biggest challenges of using momentum. 

Enjoy my conversation with Dan Russo.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. New position in SMH (Semiconductors).
2. No adjustments are needed today.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

Bitcoin Dominance just hit new multi-year highs this week.

In other words, the market-cap of bitcoin as a percentage of total crypto market-cap is the highest it's been in years.

What this means is that the value of Bitcoin today (~ $1.2 Trillion) represents 58% of the value of all the Cryptocurrencies in the world (~ $2.1 Trillion).

And the trend here of Bitcoin continuing to eat into market share continues to move up and to the right:

Meanwhile, Microstrategy is hitting new highs relative to Bitcoin since it first started buying Bitcoin back in the Fall of 2020.

Microstrategy is the 5th largest owner of Bitcoin, holding about 1/4 of the position of Bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto. 

Just to clear up any confusion, I am absolutely NOT Satoshi. I know it would be a lot cooler if I was. But I am not. Sorry to disappoint. 

Now, what I love most about the Microstrategy $MSTR hitting new highs relative to BTC, and also hitting new All-time highs on an absolute basis, is that the "fundamental" guys can't wrap their heads around the premium that $MSTR trades relative to its total ownership of BTC.

People tell me that...

Crypto is shaping up.

As such I'm taking more trades.

Here are three crypto stocks I like.

Let's all raise our glasses for a toast to the outperformers of this bull market.

Ok, now let's get to work finding stocks setting up that will likely catch the next wave of rotating capital flows.

Today's trade is in a name that is slowly becoming a fixture at just about every eating establishment near me, and likely you too.

Here's a one-year chart of Toast Inc, $TOST:

By itself, this is a chart I Iike to buy. But Strazza shares a longer-term chart in the video above that displays the opportunity better.

$TOST is just now showing signs of breaking out of a multi-year base.

But when there is overhead supply to contend with, the breakouts aren't always as clean as we'd like them to be. So we will take advantage of options premiums at out-of-the-money strikes to help keep our cost of participation limited.

Here's the Play:

I like buying a $TOST March 30/40 Bull Call Spread for approximately $2.50 net debit. This means I'll be long the 30 calls and short an equal amount of the 40 calls. The most I can lose is the premium I pay today. And that could be a real possibility if we get a...

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. New position in KRE (regional banks).
2. No adjustments are needed today.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

When investing in the stock market, we always want to approach it as "a market of stocks."

Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks showing leadership and trending higher.

We may have to look harder to identify them depending on current market conditions. But there are always stocks that are going up.

The same can be said for weak stocks. Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks that are going down, too. 

We already have multiple scans focusing on stocks making all-time highs, such as Hall of Famers, Minor Leaguers, and the 2 to 100 Club.

We filter these universes for stocks that are exhibiting the best momentum and relative strength characteristics. 

Setups that will turn into 5x, 10x, and 20x winners during earnings season are forming right now.

You're seeing that normal directionless consolidation that develops before explosive moves.

Our proprietary Breakout Multiplier System is specially designed to identify these stocks before volatility begins to expand.

The time to enter is now.

...

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about Silver futures attempting to emerge from a multi-year accumulation pattern and potentially retesting the former all-time high.

Last week,  Silver made a new multi-decade high in absolute terms and broke a multi-year downtrend line relative to Gold. 

And if the 47th element is about to blast off, we should look closer at the Junior Silver Miners.

But first, check out this chart of the Silver/Gold ratio:

Below is the 4th ASC Mastermind Lab Course. These are special videos that will be made available throughout the duration of the 12-week course featuring conversations with professionals from across Wall Street discussing topics in their expertise. 

The theme of ASC Mastermind Week 2 is momentum trading, and why it works. So naturally it made sense for me to talk to All Star Charts Director of Research Steve Strazza. Steve uses momentum as much in his day-to-day as I do. 

The main concept Steve wanted to hammer home is momentum thrusts, what they are, when they happen, the different types with examples, and how to analyze them. 

Enjoy this Mastermind Lab Course on momentum.

Earnings season is closing in. And the election is right behind it. Surely land mines will be discovered all over the place. There is risk.

So any directional bets I place over the coming weeks will be of a defined-risk nature.

But, where there is risk, there is opportunity. We'll get paid when we're right, perhaps handsomely so.

That is why it is worth wading into the rising rivers here to take some shots while keeping our downsides in check.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. New position in XLP (consumer staples).
2. No adjustments are needed today.
3. Exited SMH position.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!