Guide to Day Trading Strategies

R O S S C A M E R O N
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Chart of stock gapping up and squeezing 40% at the market open.
Gap and Go Momentum Strategy
I developed the Gap and Go strategy after realizing a pattern with stocks that are strong in the 
pre-market session, surging when the market opens at 9:30 AM. The 
À
rst advantage of trading 
these gappers as soon as the bell rings, is that the stocks that are strong in the pre-market 
session will almost always trade on high relative volume during the day. Many day traders do 
not take trades for the 
À
rst 
À
ve minutes of the market because of the extreme level of volatility. 

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H O W T O D A Y T R A D E
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I realized I can capitalize on this volatility by using the pre-market charts as a gauge of the 
strength in individual stocks. It is important to note that the Gap and Go strategy works best 
on stocks under $20. Gap and Go stocks priced above $20, typically require smaller size to 
accommodate larger price ranges in the 
À
rst few minutes of trading.
To 
À
nd Gap and Go candidates, I look at my stock scanning window for the biggest percentage 
gappers. This shows all the stocks gapping up at least 4% versus the previous days close. 
Sometimes a stock will be gapping up, but will only have 100 shares of volume in the pre-market 
session. I usually disregard these stocks because they lack volume to con
À
rm the move. When 
I 
À
nd a stock that is gapping up more than 4%, and has more than 50k shares of pre-market 
volume, I consider it a gap and go contender. The price must be consolidating near the top of 
its pre-market range and there must be a catalyst driving the move. If a stock gapped up 30% 
and pulled back, and is now gapping up only 10%, I usually do not trade it because it has already 
shown weakness during pre-market trading. If I am unsure of the news, I will look through press 
releases to see if the company just reported earnings, issued a press release of some type, if 
there is a price target upgrade, or in the case of biotech and pharmaceutical stocks, I will check 
for FDA approvals or results from clinical trials. This information is readily available online but 
can also be accessed by asking fellow traders. If I cannot 
À
nd any catalyst to account for the 
move, I will typically be very cautious about taking a trade right out of the gates on that stock.
The Gap and Go strategy requires a combination of fundamental and technical analysis. As 
day traders, we are primarily technical traders, but when a stock is surging up pre-market we 
need to understand why. I do not dig into reading the entire earnings report or press releases, 
but I recognize the importance of good quality news versus subpar news. Remember, that 
uncon
À
rmed news sources should always be considered suspect.
Once I have done my due diligence and researched the catalyst, I will begin to map out the 
triggers and windows on the daily chart. It is important to remember that a stock with a strong 
catalyst can override all daily support or resistance areas. The most important levels for me to 
determine are my entry price and my stop price. The best Gap and Go candidates will already 
show a 
Á
at top breakout or a bull 
Á
ag pattern in the pre-market chart. It is also worth noting 
that I do not usually trade pre-market unless a stock has more than 500k in pre-market volume. 
I prefer to wait for the market to open because that is when the big volume comes in.
Each morning, I create a watch list of two to four stocks that are good Gap and Go candidates. 
As I have said before, I want to trade the most obvious setups, and that is the same with 
the Gap and Go trades. I want to be trading the biggest percentage gapper with the most 
volume, because it is the stock everyone will be watching. More traders watching it means 
more volume at the breakout spots. Once I have mapped out the levels on the daily chart and 
marked the pre-market highs and lows, I am ready to prepare orders for when the market 
opens at 9:30 AM.

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