I’m going to give you the quick and dirty on what matters this Friday. Price always matters of course but since we’re heading into a quadruple witching after two weeks of sideways churn institutional traders are now faced with a dilemma.

If this market is freaking you out a little right now you are in very good company. Yes I’m talking about myself of course but my lack of modesty comes with a disclaimer: Unlike most of the muppets drawing lines on charts I have evidence to back it up whereas the retail brigade is eternally focused on the rear view mirror, a.k.a. historical price or volatility.

One single overarching characteristic that separates seasoned traders from all of the noobs and spectators is that they have grown to be a lot less reactive to market events. This applies equally to large and sudden moves to the up- or downside. The market has a knack for pressing our collective buttons but once you’ve been around the block a few times you start to see a pattern and like a seasoned poker player you begin to recognize a few tell-tale signs that monkey business may be afoot.

Convict Scott here. Alt season is upon us, praise all the various Gods. I’m generally happy with 20%-30% a year in my “real trading”… but 20%-30% a week is absolutely possible during alt season. So how do we know it’s time to bank some serious coin?