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"An Approach to Successful Stock Trading Combining Company
  Fundamentals with Chart Technicals"

Comments or Questions (TSM Service, Methodology, Performance or Your Success Stories Go Here - (rmiller@triplescreenmethod.com)


TSM Methodology & Results for Last 27 Quarters (2,520 Trades)

TSM Stock Performance (27 Quarters from 2003 through 2nd Quarter 2010)

A list of new TSM picks (accumulated from 23 fundamental, a value, and an earnings quality/revision screen) is published in Monday's TSM Report: 50 to 150 stocks with strong fundamentals, with projected quality earning’s performance (Zacks), and with remaining value (two year PEG ratios). This is the list that I search daily over the next week looking for those stocks giving strong technical signals (usually pullbacks), i.e., those stocks that are likely to make a bullish run over the next 1 to 10 days.  The quality of the pullback is characterized by its 2-period RSI:  two consecutive closes below 15 provides and excellent buying opportunity either at the close or at the next day's open.

During two quarters in 2006, for example, 174 picks (longs and shorts) were forecast in the daily TSM reports, each with their respective buy/short points and profit and loss targets: 164 (94.25%) gained at least $0.25, 152 (87.36%) gained at least $0.50, 140 (80.46%) gained at least $0.75, 129 (74.14%) gained at least $1.00, 99 (56.90%) gained at least $1.50, 76 (43.68%) gained at least $2.00, 52 (29.89%) gained at least $2.50, 32 (18.39%) gained at least $3.00 and 18 (10.34%) gained at least $3.00.

Yearly results for TSM forecasted stocks are summarized in the following table. Bottom line: in an economic climate that restricted the S&P 500 to a +3.49 percent gain, the TSM stocks have gained 1,956 percent; a $35,000 account would have grown to $719,585 in 27 quarters.  Perhaps most impressive were the results in 2008:  when the S&P fell -38.5 percent, the TSM stocks returned an impressive +110.7percent, as short-term stock picking was virtually the only strategy for success because of the constant sector rotation of money.

Here's how I recommend you use TSM data.  First, look at the "Market Update" for a technical interpretation of today's S&P, comments on current economic conditions, and watch outs for historical factors, like the six-month cycle.  Did you know, for instance, that if you had invested $10,000 selectively in only the good six months of the year from 1950 through 2006, that stake would have grown to ~$500,000, while a similar amount invested exclusively in the bad six months would have lost money over the 50+ year period? 

Next, move to a discussion of "TSM Stock 'Pick of the Day' " highlights a stock trade (mostly longs, some shorts and some inverse ETF funds to hedge) that combine TSM's unique qualification of fundamentals, earnings revision fuel, and remaining value at its current price with technical patterns ripe for buying or shorting.  About 20 picks will be made each month, and each will have its own trade management criteria: both profit ranges and stop loss points to sell half positions. Open positions are forecasted, tracked and updated daily (see the Index box on the daily report, "TSM Performance (Current Quarter)").  Find a current list of all closed TSM trades for stocks forecasted over the last 27 quarters from 2003 to 2010 .

 In addition to the TSM stock trades, most daily reports will contain a list of potential Naked Put Positions.  This list is chosen to meet return (>18 percent annualized) and downside protection (from 5 to 15 percent depending on time to expiration) criteria.  Usually, from one to 10 opportunities are presented from the 1,000s available for this group of TSM stocks. 

If you're interested in learning Day-Trading Methodology, particularly for TSM stocks, the "Day-Trading Edge" provides statistical edges that are constantly being developed.  For example, over 52 trading days between 11/05/07 and 1/18/08, 80 percent of the time AAPL made either its high or low of the day in its first hour of trading. And over 80 percent of the time AAPL traded at least $1 higher and $1 lower than its prior day's close.  Both provide trading edges important to the day trader, as I write this (04/11/08), TSM has developed six such trading edges.  Others are sure to come.

So, how has the TSM approach performed? Very well is the simple answer.  Over a 27-quarter period between 4th quarter 2003 and the end of second quarter of 2010, 2,658 half-position trades were forecast (mostly long but a few short and inverse ETF plays):  1,839 winners and 819 losers for a 69.2 average percent win rate ( with about 101 half-position trades executed each quarter) [last 13 quarters the win rate averaged 76.2 percent: 80.5, 78.0, 73.2, 73.1, 72.5, 74.1, 73.2, 61.7, 76.0, 82.6,  91.2, 73.5 and 81.4 percent, respectively, from 2nd Q '07 to 2nd Q '10--over some very difficult times] ; 25 of the 27 quarters produced greater than 5 percent gains--18 greater than 10 percent; the 27 averaged 12.3 percent and ranged from -6.2 to +23.9)  [find a complete breakdown by quarters here] and only once did the TSM approach actually lose money (-6.22 percent in 3rd Q or '03).   The average trade lasted 6.3 days (3.25 days in '08, 3.88 days in '09 and 9.2 days in '10), and a $35,000 account would have grown to $719,585 (1,956 percent return) while the S&P gained 3.49 percent over the same period.  See Results for further information. 

Finally, take a look at the "Trader's Corner."  It offers a series of articles aimed at teaching the components of the TSM approach.

Is TSM the "golden goose" that will make you millions?  No.  TSM is a sound approach to picking quality stocks for longs and failing stocks for shorts.  Even so, it's stringent trade management criteria (profit and stop-loss targets for 1/2 position trades) result in profit only 69.2 percent of the time (76.2 percent on average over the past 13 difficult quarters).  Albeit, over 98 percent of the picks are profitable during the trade's life but some 30.8 percent don't meet the TSM profit target and get stopped out for a loss.  The market's true "golden goose" is sound trade management.  Don't let anyone ever tell you different.

The most foolish refrain heard concerning stock investment:  "It's a quality company, and its stock price will recover.  I'll just hold and wait this temporary downturn out!"

Good luck and good trading,

Ric Miller, Ph.D. and Master 6-Sigma Master Black Belt Statistician

Results for Last 27 Quarters (2,658 Trades)

Returns 2003 (4th quarter) through 2nd quarter 2010:  With the close of 2010's 2nd quarter, let's summarize the 27 complete quarters in which long/short trades have been forecasted since 9/15/03.  Results are in the accompanying Chart and Table.  The TSM approach primarily buys undervalued, fundamentally sound stocks giving quality technical entry points:  pullbacks and breakouts.  Each entry is accompanied by profit and loss exit points: two for profit.  See trade optimization details in the 8/29/05 report.  The following chart tracks the account balance and percent drawdown over the 27 quarters.

Distribution of TSM Trade Returns for 2006:  The chart below shows that 154 of the 175 stocks traded in 2006 (88.0%) had gains from the buy or short price of at least $0.50, while 133 (76 percent) had gains of $1.00 or more over the life of trade. 


Truthfully, the TSM approach is at its best in a bullish, trending market.  It's based on a sound combination of technical and fundamental criteria that are hard to beat.  A complete 27-quarter record is shown in the following table.



TripleScreenMethod (TSM) Methodology and Results for 2003 to 2010