Chris "CJ" Johnson, Lead Host & Senior Analyst, Monument Traders Alliance Editor's Note: Yesterday markets were down after a tech selloff - but we weren't worried. The truth is... Down markets create the perfect environment for one of our favorite strategies – The Dark Ticker trade. In fact, we closed a 100.69% overnight winner with this strategy today. Click here to learn more about the Dark Ticker. - Stephen Prior, Publisher
Dear Reader, Every position in your portfolio started the same way - with an idea. It might've been sparked by a news headline, a chart pattern, a conversation, or a gut feeling backed by decades of experience. But no matter the source, each one had to claw its way out of the 16,000+ publicly traded companies in the U.S. to make the final cut. Let's put that into perspective. There are roughly 6,000 stocks listed on major U.S. exchanges like the NYSE and Nasdaq. Add the 10,000+ OTC stocks in the mix, and you're staring at a universe of more than 16,000 names to choose from. Even if you're running a 50-stock portfolio, you're picking just 0.3% of the market - which means you're passing on 99.7% of it. Most traders don't think about it this way. But every new trade idea is an act of elimination, filtering through noise, hype, and volatility to find just one or two names worth your capital. That makes the idea generation process one of the most difficult - and most valuable - skills in all of trading. The Relentless Pressure to Find the Next Trade The average active trader is juggling between 30 and 40 open positions at any given time. But markets don't sit still, and neither do portfolios. Trends shift. Volatility hits. Earnings surprise. Breakdowns and breakouts trigger rotation. That means you're constantly replacing old trades with new ones. And the pressure to find that "next setup" never lets up. It's easy to feel paralyzed by the sheer scale of the market, especially in a rapidly changing environment. I've worked with traders who run 4-screen Bloomberg terminals, and I've seen them freeze in place trying to choose which five tickers deserve their attention today. The truth is, idea generation is hard, and anyone who tells you it isn't either isn't doing the work or is blindly following someone else's trades. My Approach to Trade Ideas My own process relies on a structured blend of quantitative filters and market narrative overlays. I start with big-picture macro and sentiment trends, run my universe through technical and behavioral screens, and emerge with a short list that I can apply my Behavioral Valuation process to. It's not easy. It takes time. But I trust the process because it consistently helps me identify asymmetric opportunities on both the long and short side. But even I'm not immune to idea fatigue. And this morning was one of those rare moments where someone else did the hard work for me. A Fresh Spark from Nate Bear and the Holiday Trading Challenge I dropped in on Nate Bear's Daily Profits Live session this morning, just as the opening bell kicked off the Holiday Trading Challenge. Now, I've streamed with Nate over the past week on the Monument Traders Alliance YouTube channel (check out our stream here), so I'm familiar with his short-term trading style. But today, something clicked. Despite our very different strategies - Nate trading intraday momentum, while I focus on longer-term trend structures - I walked away with something incredibly valuable: a short, curated list of real-time trade ideas that I could immediately filter through my own lens. Not every idea was a perfect fit. But the heavy lifting was done. And in this market, that's worth its weight in gold. A few of Nate's Trading Ideas B. Riley Financial (RILY) Nate's team flagged this one early. Shares of B. Riley Financial exploded 190% higher on Tuesday following earnings, and the momentum carried into Wednesday morning with another 10% gain at the open. It's a classic short-term momentum setup - one that I might normally pass over until I see consolidation. But after Nate's breakdown, it's now on my radar for potential re-entry signals using my behavioral signals. Lemonade (LMND) This one hit a little closer to home. I've tracked Lemonade for years as a behavioral volatility trade. This week, LMND reclaimed the $80 level, and Nate's team and The Chat were buzzing with call options on the name. It's a high-beta, high-sentiment trade with history - and it's always welcome on my watchlist. | 
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