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Trading Lessons

Want Hot Market Success? Focus On Plays Hitting New Highs

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Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 4/22/2026 6 min read

We’re seeing so many Supernovas in this crazy market.

Sometimes they even have multiple runs in one day.

When that happens, you gotta recognize that it’s scary.

What if you buy something thinking it’s gonna break out…

… only for it to drop 25%…

… and then bounces and finally DOES break out?

In this market you have to understand that breakouts are nice…

Supernovas are nice…

But you can’t be too aggressive.

And you can’t be hard on yourself if you sell too soon.

You have to be very, very cautious.

Still, these ARE the right plays to focus on.

Especially if you have a small account.

Here’s why…

The Setup

What you need to understand in this market is that seconds matter.

So, for fast gains (and small losses)…

Focus On Premarket Runners and Big Percent Gainers

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I’ve been saying this for months (years, even).

There are a lot of strategies and you WILL have to figure out what works best for you.

But if you start with the big percent gainers in premarket and throughout the day, at least you’ll be on the right track.

Every strategy my millionaire (and successful but not yet millionaire) students use, starts with the basics.

Why focus on big percent gainers?

Because those are the most volatile stocks in the market on any given day.

And THAT is where the money is flowing…

For example, Spirit Airlines (PINL: FLYYQ) spiked yesterday on news about a potential government bailout…

You could have played that as one of Tim Bohen’s dollar cross plays, or a high-of-day breakout, or any other number of strategies.

The point is, it was one of the biggest percent gainers in the entire market.

Here’s another example…

Elong Power Holding Limited (NASDAQ: ELPW) spiked after-hours on April 21, faded through premarket yesterday, and then…

…squeezed 38% in six minutes right after the open.

These kinds of stocks are in play every day. But you have to be there watching.

To understand more about how to actually trade them, read to the end because I have something special for you.

Millionaire Moves

How cool is this? We took this picture nearly 4 years ago at my conference in Miami.

Wisso isn’t a millionaire, but if he keeps at it and doesn’t get too cocky, I believe in him.

I can’t wait to see how many new millionaires we create in the next couple of years.

There are SO many Trading Challenge students finding success but ONLY after putting in effort over time.

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

50 people have used my formula on their journey to becoming millionaires.*

If you want to discover how they did it, I’m hosting a 2-day virtual event May 1st – 2nd.

The best part is…

It’s FREE. That’s right. My team wanted to charge $497 for this (and we could), but I said no.

For this specific bootcamp, I’m not looking to gatekeep anyone.

I’m looking for dedicated, ready-to-crush-it traders who are ready to take their trading to the next level.

Again, it’s FREE… but you have to register ahead of time.

Yes Tim, I’m In

 Show Me How to Crush the Market

More Breaking News

Catalyst Watch

There’s a TON of interest in the markets again from retail traders.

With the hot market, the PDT Rule going away, and stocks making big runs…

It’s a great time to be a trader (and a great opportunity to learn).

Keep focusing on the big percent gainers and stocks hitting new intraday, multi-day, multi-week highs.

As always, if they fail, get out.

On My Radar 

Final Thoughts

Stay disciplined, take singles, and cut losses quickly.

Yes, I say that over and over and over again.

They really are the keys to the kingdom.

Focus on plays hitting new highs in this market, both to learn and to trade.

And be SURE to join me next week for my Millionaire Formula Conference

Cheers,

 

– Tim Sykes

 

*Past performance is not indicative of future success.



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Author card Timothy Sykes picture

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”