Press Alt+1 for screen-reader mode, Alt+0 to cancelAccessibility Screen-Reader Guide, Feedback, and Issue Reporting | New window

Prepare For A Pullback

Tim SykesAvatar
Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 9/23/2025 2 min read

In this article Last trade Oct, 10 1:26 PM

  • QQQ-2.37%
    QQQ - NYSEINVESCO QQQ Trust
    $596.23-14.47 (-2.37%)
    Volume:  57.88M
    Float:  639.35M
    $594.33Day Low/High$613.18
  • SQQQ+7.31%
    SQQQ - NYSEPROSHARES TRUST
    $15.56+1.06 (+7.31%)
    Volume:  200.26M
    Float:  219.66M
    $14.35Day Low/High$15.70

Hey traders,

We’ve heard the fears from investors about an overextended AI sector …

Week after week, the market pushes higher. Mainly driven by AI investment or new tech-related business deals.

Look at a chart of the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) below. The strength is undeniable.

But today we’re experiencing a slight pullback.

Every candle represents one trading day:

There are rumblings that today’s pullback could be the beginning of a larger dip to correct the market.

Is it true? I don’t pretend to know the answer.

Every day there’s a new batch of investors and traders who are humbled by the market.

Instead of joining that group, I wait until the price action shows me what it wants to do.

The real question is: How do we trade a market that falls lower?

And for that, I do have an answer. One that might surprise you …

The Proshares Trust (NASDAQ: SQQQ) is an index that seeks the daily investment results three times the inverse to the Nasdaq-100 Index and QQQ.

In other words, when the QQQ goes down, the SQQQ goes up.

And during today’s market pullback, the SQQQ showed us a perfect intraday consolidation and breakout higher.

On the SQQQ chart below, every candle represents one trading minute:

During larger-market uncertainty, keep an eye on inverse index assets like the SQQQ.

These plays can follow my patterns perfectly, especially during times of maximum fear or greed.

Watch my video below for a full tutorial of my trade process.

This is how I make gains while the rest of the market is gripped by fear:

Cheers,

Tim Sykes

*Past performance does not indicate future results


How much has this post helped you?


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.
Read More

In this article (YTD Performance)


* 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”

ts swipe photo
Join Thousands Profiting From Smart Trades!
TRADE LIKE TIM
notification icon
Subscribe to receive notifications