Anatomy of a port snapshot

We've always said that the stock market is a game or contest between yourself and hundreds of thousands and even millions of traders out there. In this dog eat dog world, you will need every advantage to get ahead. And you will need all these little things since they will add up. 

One of the best ways to improve your trades is to document them. This is one of the secrets that differentiate an average trader from a good or even great one. 

Taking port snapshots is one way for us to be able to grade ourselves in this game. Think of it as our report card to check our progress in our trading journey. Like an iceberg, the port snapshot is just the culmination or the result of our hard work. 

What you don't see is the work and difficult times that we had to endure to get to the level of achieving those port snapshots. 

The port snapshot can tell if we did enough preparation and legwork in doing our trade plans and if we were able to execute properly on these said plans. It can tell a lot of things if you only know how to look hard enough. 


Let's take a look at the most common components of a port snapshot:

STOCK NAME/CODE - This shows that out of the 200+ stocks out there in the PSE, a trader is able to identify which one would make a possible move. A port doesn't need to have too many stocks in it to earn. Contrary to popular belief, too much diversification is not good for your investing/trading. 

PORTFOLIO % - Sometimes a 100% allocation does not mean that the trader went 'all in' with no money left to spare. Maybe the trader just saw that this was the only stock or setup worth trading and only used a portion of their port allocation there. 

Nevertheless, the higher the allocation, the higher the conviction of the trader in that stock. 

AVERAGE PRICE - The entry price of the trader to the trade. If all buying was done in one tranch then this should be on an ideal breakout point and easy to trace. If buying was done in tranches, the aep should only be slightly higher than the ideal breakout point.

Having a great AEP shows the precision of the trader's entry. It can also usually show the trade profile of the trader. A bounce player or tsupitero or a position trader. 

CURRENT/MARKET PRICE - The exit price of the trader to the trade. The trader could have set GTCs and sold at this particular price. 

PERCENT GAIN/LOSS - Similar to the current/market price this can be treated as the final grade of the trader for a particular trade. Again, they could have sold here using GTC or sagasa sell. 

BLACKED OUT PORTIONS - This is usually for security reasons to protect the trader. But some traders out there would rather not have any blacked out portions and are secure enough with themselves that they feel it's not necessary. Kudos to them. 

See the many possible stories in one port snapshot? Learn to read between the lines and maybe it can help you to improve in your own trades. 

This is the beauty of people posting port snapshots, it can serve multiple purposes. One is to prove that it is possible to make it in the market. Another is to show that we walk the talk and don't just post analysis on a variety of stocks. First and foremost, we at the tribe are traders. We do this for a living and to earn. We want to prove to others that it is possible to trade full-time. That it is possible to survive without relying on tips and analysis of others. 

Keep this in mind next time you see someone post a port snapshot out there in the world wide web. Don't just admire or be jealous of the gains. Stop and try to dissect it. That might help tremendously in your own trading. 

It is possible to live the dream. You just need to work for it. 

So to all my fellow traders out there, cheers!