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Trading Lessons

How to Trade Selectively in This Market

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Written by Timothy Sykes Reviewed by Jack Kellogg Fact-checked by Ellis Hobbs
Updated 3/23/2026 5 min read
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We’re seeing a lot of spikers, but in this choppy market they’re only spiking for 1, 2… maybe 3 hours.

Some plays aren’t even spiking for an hour (like when shorts get squeezed)…

Try 4 minutes. 

So, you have to recognize what’s going on.

You have to learn to trade with discipline…

… AND fit trading into your schedule…

Take the Quick Hits

Take what you can, but recognize that you don’t have to sit in front of your computer all day (especially in this market).

Take the quick hits and remember:

These plays come up, but they’re tough to judge (you’ve got to be FAST).

Some people say “give it more time.”

But I’m not going to give it more time when I’m busy.

For example, yesterday (March 23) urban-gro, Inc (NASDAQ: UGRO) spiked in premarket trading but faded into the open.

Then it ripped roughly 17% in about four minutes…

Source StocksToTrade UGRO 3/23/26 1-min candles, selective trading in a choppy market

Then it looked toppy.

I’m okay with giving breakouts time but when they fail, you have to accept it.

And I’m not going to give it more time when it looks toppy.

I didn’t even trade UGRO, but the lessons are right there on the chart..

Don’t Fight It and Don’t Get Stubborn

You don’t have to double or triple up.

If you catch yourself saying “no, this has to break out”… stop.

The stock does NOT have to do anything you want.

It doesn’t care about your feelings OR your schedule.

It’s not just me saying this.

More Breaking News

Mari, my first female millionaire student, is sharing more of her journey.

Why Mari Stopped Trading (Hint: She’s Baaaack)

It’s pretty incredible to see how transparent Mari is (and I think you’ll get A LOT from watching this).

Congratulate Mari, not just on making millions, but on recognizing how to implement trading into her life.*

Most people don’t talk about this…

Trading can get overwhelming and Mari is AMAZING at talking about it. 

You have to try to fit trading into your life and NOT overwhelm yourself.

This is always true but especially now in this choppy market.

THAT is how you trade selectively.

What if you miss trades?

Missing Trades, FOMO, and Learning

Check out that UGRO chart again. I completely missed the afternoon breakout (and that’s okay).

Why?

Because even though I was busy filming a brand new guide, I still learned from UGRO.

Also, recognize that it takes time.

You might struggle in the beginning like Eduardo…

Eduardo struggled for his first five years (his wife was supporting him).

Then he really broke through (he’s now at nearly $3 million in profits).*

That’s his dream home (and it’s BEAUTIFUL).

Putting It Into Perspective

It really comes down to five things (the first three are specific to trading, the last two are about mindset:

  1. Take Singles. They add up. You’ll learn without the stress (and without blowing up your account).
  2. Look for Breakouts (but learn to accept when they fail).
  3. Look for Volume. Check the UGRO chart one more time. The crazy volume came in when it spiked BOTH times.
  4. Mindset Tip #1: Fit trading into YOUR schedule and life (avoid the overwhelm)
  5. Mindset Tip #2: Stay in the game through the early struggles (and know that you’ll still struggle some later on, when the market changes or you’re learning to size up.

One more thing…

Tomorrow (March 25) I’m going live with Tim Bohen to talk about what he says is “hands down the simplest way to make gains in the stock market right now.”

I’ve spent 25 years looking at trading systems.

I’m excited about what Bohen’s sharing (I’ve never seen one this easy to act on).

Cheers

 

*Past performance does not indicate future results

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Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity.
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* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”