by: Chris Stucchio

In the good old days before the computer revolution, stocks were generally priced by traders using pencil and paper. Analysts would read news, study corporate financials, and then give ideas to traders. Trading happened in a physical trading pit. When a large player (Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan) wanted to buy a large block of shares, they would hire a pit trader to trade on their behalf..

The pit trader would be told to buy a bunch of shares of GOOG at the best price he could. Before electronic trading, order flow was determined by price-height priority. If a trader is really tall, you are more likely to notice that he wants to fill your order. Similarly if he was loud, had a bright jacket, or was otherwise noticeable. Those days were far more civilized than our modern system of price-time priority and electronic markets, or at least that’s what Michael Lewis wants us to believe.

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Mario Draghi is waiting it out.

The president of the European Central Bank left all rates unchanged today. To be fair, that was what many economists expected, but the decision to stand pat came in the face of data that is no doubt making these decisions harder: a report Monday showed that annual inflation in the euro zone reached its lowest rate last month in more than four years, at 0.5%. That’s a long way below the ECB’s target of 2%.

And Thursday business surveys showed the economy slowed slightly in March. 

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LAW REPORTER

A proposal to loosen rules in Ontario for what is known as the "exempt market" could mean billions in new financing for small companies, proponents say. But critics warn the move could see more investors sucked into unsuitably risky businesses or frauds.

In the exempt market, companies can raise capital without using a prospectus, the detailed disclosure document that is normally required reading for anyone buying shares. Under Ontario's current rules, investors in this riskier market must meet high thresholds for minimum income or assets.

The Ontario Securities Commission is now proposing to allow any investor to buy up to $10,000 worth of equity a year after seeing less-detailed disclosure documents known as "offering memorandums."

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By: Scott Welsh - March 26th, 2014

It seems like a simple question.
You love trading, you’ve got your system, your account is funded, and you’re ready to go. You pull up your chart and…choose what exactly? The sixty minute chart? The one minute chart? Daily? How about tick charts? Which time frame should you trade?

At the start of my day-trading journey, I wanted minute charts because I wanted to go to work in the markets every day. It really, really bothered me to get all fired up to make my millions and then watch as nothing set up. After about an hour, I got bored and angry and my head started to hurt. How can I make money if I don’t get any trades?

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