Up Trend In Tact

This week started off where Friday left off as selling hit the tape through Wednesday with the Russel taking the brunt of it and breaking the pivot low established on 07/12. Given the Russell's importance, being the first to break the sequence of higher lows and lower highs suggested that the rally was breaking down, however this didn't stick for more than a couple of days and as of today the Russell reclaimed that pivot with a strong 2.43% move.

$RUT

Although the Russell cracked this pivot briefly, the NASDAQ did not and the 07/12 pivot low has now held for 11 days. In addition, the volume on the positive days has been higher on average than the volume on the negative days.

$COMP

Additionally further strength has been shown in the SPX which held its pivot and closed today with a new lower high.

$SPX

On the indexes there has been continued strength evident by the sequence of higher lows and lower highs which is positive. Unfortunately this has not been achieved in a linear manner as of yet and there continues to be volatility and choppiness as the right side of the range is being carved out. With 3-5 up days followed by 3-5 down days with multiple gaps and range bars of 1-2% being the norm, as of now it has been difficult to choose a side –long or short, due to the whiplash nature. There also continues to be a mix of influence upon the market whether it be news from Europe, current weather conditions in the US and the effects of drought, as well as individual stock catalyst through this earnings season. This being said, the action over the past two days furthers the bullish case as the market continues to shrug off bad news and bad earnings.

Weekend Review 07/20/12

Since the 06/04 pivot the SP has increased a modest 7% over 7 weeks. Unfortunately this move has been anything but a persistent up trend due to the intraday volatility and whiplash from the sharp pullbacks that have occurred along the way. The appearance of higher lows and lower highs is visually constructive action but the underlying breadth that I follow is indicating some issues.

The first and most critical is the lack of buying pressure, particularly a follow through to what at the time looked like a very bullish kick off on 06/29 when 675 stocks in my universe were up 4% on increasing volume from the previous session. This move was also highlighted by the 2% move with a close near the high as well as kicking off from a pivot low established by the prior pullback. The flaws began to become apparent a few days in when there was no follow through indicating there was not a rush to get into the market and a mere 4 days afterward selling began to outpace buying.

4% Adv/Dec

In addition the most recent 3% leg up comes on a declining ten day differential of buying to selling. A divergence of an increasing index coupled with decreasing buying should begin begin to set off flags.

10 Day Buying/Selling

This lack of participation also shows up on the Primary that I follow which will increase sharply when there is strong buying and bidding up of stocks. It started moving from the 06/29 buying day but quickly peaked within 3 days before rolling over, and ever since has been showing lower peaks before quickly turning back down after a string of positive days.

Primary

On the one hand the action on the indexes is positive, however there's also some danger to be thoughtful of because there is still a lot of headline risk to this market along with catalyst risk as earnings are looking less than stellar. Given that this move has come on weak breadth is further reason to tip toe here because for the duration there has been a lacking in buying support, so a sneeze of selling could hit this market hard and be contagious.   

Divergence

The indexes ended this week with some subtle divergences across the board.

First, the SP established a lower high on a closing basis:

SP 07/20/12

Secondly, the NASDAQ did not:

COMP 07/20/12

Third, the Russell which had a short period where it outperformed the other indexes failed to establish a lower high this week and lagged as well closing the week down 1.18% overall:

Russell 07/20/12

   This underperformance shows up more clearly when compared to the SP:

$RUT:$SPX

Additionally some of the long time IBD darling stocks have taken some clear hits this week as well.

So far a consistent theme has been the indexes getting some traction for 4-5 days before pulling back. Thus far the higher lows have held and as long as they do I'll view this as positive. It's becoming evident this earnings season that there is still some excess to flush out as indicated by the number of stocks that are getting their wings clipped, particularly the old guard IBD type leader stocks that have held their ground the longest. AAPL reports Tuesday and I suspect they'll be anything but stellar so it's my view that market reaction to this will be very important given the divergence that occurred this week during what has thus far been a muted rally.

$COMP

Bottoming Process Continued

On June 11^th I published a post “Bottoming Process” and noted a few of the common technical chart patterns along with a few of the poorer performing Russell 2000 stocks up to that date to be compared to. The primary point of the post was to be aware what components the indexes are comprised of and be aware of whether or not they were suggesting bottoming patterns in accordance to the model. Since the indexes are lagging, burrowing under to the individual stock will get one closer to the actual price action and behavior under the surface.

What I wanted to start this post with is comparing 6 of these charts then and now as a follow up. The premise at the time was that unless these charts began to put in floors and stabilize then the likelihood the market was putting in a bottom was the less probable scenario. Worth keeping in mind as well is that simply because these have floored is not enough, stocks behaving well should be monitored in addition to note topping behavior and a next wave of potential selling.

  

On occasion a market will sell off and put in a sharp V-Shaped bottom, but the more probable scenario is going to be action like that which has been occurring since the June 04 pivot low. Action reminiscent of trying to find one's footing on a sheet of ice as limbs flail akimbo until there is traction and stability. Something that stood out to me when analyzing the NASDAQ chart today is time and factors of it, particular mine. Through observation and empirical evidence I've decided upon a time frame of 5 days in which a stock has to prove itself to me or else I will stop myself out. In keeping with this theme I wondered why in turn I was not analyzing market action based upon this same time frame.

Eventually a market will reach a low that will be “the low” and when that is we can not determine with 100% precision, especially at that moment. But what we can use is time. The longer a low holds, the more probable that becomes the low of the move. So I broke down chunks of 5, 10 and 20 days price action from that low and a key higher low that followed thereafter. The underlying hypothesis for me and one I intend to use from this point forward is that: if it is a low it should be not be breached for a five to ten day period and thereafter any key higher low pivot should follow to confirm. This is just one piece of information however, the second is the pure statistics of market action.

Over the past 84 years there have been 294 pullbacks of 5% or more which averages out to 3.5 per year and of these at least one will be in the magnitude of 10%. A move of 15% occurs 14% of the time and 8.5% of the time a move of over 20% will occur. If a move is going to 15% it obviously has to punch clearly through 10 and this information helps formulate a belief about current market structure and time. Once a market hits 10%, a not uncommon pullback, the chance that it goes much further decreases, therefor the probability there may be a bottom forming increases. So by combining the magnitude of the move in addition to the the length of time a key pivot low goes unbroken can assist in getting on the correct side of the market move much earlier.

Another aspect of time to be aware of is the horizon. A move of 4-6% is a modest pullback and the horizon for the return to uptrend will be shorter than if there is a much more corrosive move of 10-15%. A move of this size will not bounce back swiftly so expectations of markets breaking to new highs rapidly should be muted. These types of moves need a longer span to unwind before commencing the next uptrend.   

Weekend Review 07/13/12

There's an expression, “It looks good on paper.” I use this when I look at 1.43% index moves that lack volume and buyers. But this is just one day of many and the larger pattern forming is that of a series of higher lows which is constructive. The longer this pivot holds, the more it affirms the uptrend and confirms that a bottom has been set in place in June. In the least it's safe to say that the market is currently range bound as it's been well over a month since a new lower low was established.

What I continue to pay attention to is volatility as I've chosen to define it by the number of overnight 1% moves and the number of intraday 2% moves. The previous one before Friday's was 9 sessions ago. These moves are illustrated at the top of the chart and a clear pattern emerges during periods of sustained up moves and that's a lacking in these types of days. In smooth up trends the market is much more orderly and efficient as higher prices are continually supported.

I've also been keeping tabs on the historical volatility of the market which this week dipped below .50 for the first time since April. I've noted that during times of sustained up trends this tends to stay below .50 for prolonged periods and as volatility increases it undulates above and below and of course spikes during violent down moves. This is much in keeping with market internals as up trends tend to be slow and methodical, ranges can be sleepy quiet or chop and slop, and down moves tend to begin with a bang.

SPX 07/13/12

Additionally the Primary that I follow flipped again, so this continued vacillating of this indicator is like being at an intersection with a foot on the gas and a food on the break as the light blinking from red to green. I make it a point to trade more often and more aggressively when it's flashing a solid green but that hasn't been the case.

Primary

Part of the reason for this indecision is that there hasn't been a pattern of aggressive buying or capitulation selling. Every time there looks to be buyers coming into the market, after a few days the selling hits in a drip by drip fashion. Clearly the money I want to be following aren't taking positions and stampeding over each other to get in on price as of yet, so I'll continue to look for the signs that they are.   

Constructive Action

The overall market looks to be firming here.  Over the past few months a lot of macro level news has hit the wires which on face value looked bleak, yet has thus far only dented the indexes approximately 10%.  The current catalyst for stocks is earnings season which commenced this week and over the next couple some big names with the ability to move indexes will be releasing, so while less than stellar results will clip individual names, should the general market shrug this off that would be very constructive.

Looking at the NASDAQ, there have been a string of key pivot lows.  The longer each holds the more positive this is for the bullish argument.  The current volume pattern is less than ideal however, as the recent down days have come on heavier volume and yesterday's 1.48% move was anemic.

$COMP 07/13/12

Widening the time frame, the past three years have shown consistent range bound Summer action which didn't resolve until the Autumn.  If this continues, it may be another month or two until a consistent up trend is established rather than a week or two of potential.

$COMP Weekly

One last positive sign I saw today is that the Russell has begun to outperform the NASDAQ.  The under performance has been evident since February and didn't begin to turn around until April.  Since the end of June there's been a persistent uptrend.

$RUT:$COMP

Stalling Action

One of my simple rules is to shut down when the Primary Trend flips which is it very close to doing now.  There was similar action a year ago where the PT was is the green zone but vacillating.  Currently the wavering depicted on the graph has me very cautious here.

Primary Indicator

 Two things I was watching coming into this week was HV and the trajectory of the differential between the 15 and 30 period moving average.  HV has declined this week and the 15/30 has peaked and is deceleration.  While I view declining volatility as a plus, at the same time this move is either resting, or stalling out.  I don't see an edge for me regardless so I'll be sidelined for the rest of the week.

SPX

Non-Horseshit Stock Advice

Back in my younger days when a Tonka truck could stop a Mack truck and a Japanese die-cast robot shot a projectile that could put your eye out, things weren't so much child safe as child approved. After all, what were parents going to do with their brats when they're at the casino or the track but find the arcade or playground to dump their children off at. It was on one of these trips that I first laid money down on a pony. I was about 6 or 7 at the time and the only experiences I had with a pony prior to this was eating paste and dog food, or having a photo taken on one by some guy going up and down the street taking pictures of kids on his miniature pony and returning sepia prints for a few bucks.

Suffice to say my horse won and while I wouldn't say I was hooked, I have made trips to the track over the years. Eventually I even developed a ritual. I'd pick up the next day's Racing Forum and head off to a bar to peruse the races over a couple of beers and take notes and mark down races of interest. I'd pick out which horses had speed and which horses tended to lay off and close in the last few furlongs then envision how this might play out.  On the train ride down to Bay Meadows I'd carry my dog eared copy of Bukowski The Most Beautiful Woman in Town and read the short story "Non-Horseshit Horse Advice" for its gems and wisdom. .

Before the race started I'd head down to the paddock where over time and through acquaintances I'd begun to develop a keen eye for the equine ass and could pick out which horse had legs and which horse was taped up and looking a little gimpy, and which horse was agitated or had a little too much sheen. Occasionally I might come across a friend of my dads who had some intelligence to pass my way. There's always tips at the track.

Overtime I begin to pick up on the little clues about track internals and note which jockey/trainer combination is best, which jockey tends to get the best rides and is the consensus track favorite. At Bay Meadows it was Russell Baze and good luck trying to get some odds on this mounts. I also picked up on some of the tactical themes like how the horse you like is in a higher stakes race down the line and might just be using this as a practice run and the jockey is going to lay off the pace so perhaps it's better to look at another. Sometimes it might be a horse brought down from another state and this is a step up in competition or in some cases a step down so should be viewed in this context. Perhaps the horse was a feisty colt last race and is now a gelding.

With the amount of time I've spent at the track however, I've never heard anything along the lines of: I like Winsome Lonesome in the 5^th. The filly is coming off a solid trend and has just had a 0 line MACD cross and isn't overbought on the RSI. One would think that if ever there was a place made for technical analysis it would be at the sports book. Most TA is based off of price and volume so surly substituting total amount of purses and total amount bet on this horse's races could substitute. Alas, I've never heard of any such talk.

Come to think of it, I've never heard any TA talk outside of the market. I've never walked into a sports bar during an NBA finals and heard a conversation go:

“Who do you like in this game?”

--Well Bob, I like Durant's cross over.

“Yeah, he's been working on his dribbling technique, hasn't he.”

--No Bob, I mean his ADX cross is showing some positive momentum and there's the OBV confluence in his points per game, but I'm having a little issue with his PT/F ratio.

“PT/F ratio?”

--Points per foul, Bob. It's overvalued right now so I'm expecting a drop in performance this game because he's likely to get into foul trouble early and benched for long periods.

So here's my non-horseshit stock advice. Be careful when starting out the technical analysis route because if it is as meaningful as claimed it would be applied in every day life more often than it is --if it is. More importantly, be doubly careful when using formulas used in every day life and applying them to markets. I recommend simply this, first learn how markets work, learn their mechanics, their internals and their structure. There is no doubt there are people who use TA successfully as part of their set ups and make a ton of money, but anyone going this route must fully understand what it is before applying:

ADX Formula

Weekend Review 07/07/12

Given that this was a shortened week signals should be adjusted and taken in context. True, price ultimately trumps volume, but short days and weeks with a lack of participants can lead to larger variance in price swings and spreads. Friday exemplifies as the indexes were at one point 1% down but volume was also at the low end. Additionally a well known breadth indicator the McCellan Oscillator was at the utmost extreme of it's range this week suggesting an imminent pullback on the horizon.

This brings to mind something I wanted to delve into this week, knowing one's time frame. The importance of this can not be understated because it is pertinent to one's methodology and plan. This concept is discussed in literature so I don't want to recycle the typical rational behind it, rather I want to approach if from the point of breadth and market internals. Typically I'm looking for market health as determined by my breadth indicators to determine the path of least resistance then swing trades on a 3-5 day time frame. I didn't see this as a viable strategy walking into this past week, so I cut my time frame down to day trades and used smaller time frame indicators to determine near term probability of market bias and whether or not there was an edge to trade from the long side.

One thing I didn't want to do is get bogged down in is analysis and looking for indicators to affirm my beliefs and tell me something I wanted to hear. Additionally I didn't want to add more complications in analysis and misplace energy where I don't need to. I already have a solid foundation in place for getting a read when the market is conducive to my trading style and at this point I simply want to hone this skill further, but not to the point of trying to micromanage intraday ticks. My main goal is to continue refinement of my tools and have a cohesive box to place them in. This does not however mean I should become staid and not continue expanding my knowledge base by finding indicators in keeping with the spirit of my trading philosophy.

One thing I looked at this week to get a short term view was the McCellan Oscillator which put in a yearly high reading as can be seen on this chart. Common wisdom dictates that a reading over 300 is an extreme zone and suggest a pullback on the horizon. This was useful information for me to use as a guide to my time frame and risk tolerance. By dropping down a level and using breadth that more closely reflects daily activity, awareness of extremes on this horizon allowed me to adjust my tactics accordingly by looking to exit my positions out at the end of day unless they showed me solid strength by closing at their day highs.

T2106

For intraday bias I opted to use a scan on my watch list to help me assess if I should be taking entries on that particular day. By being aware of the percentage of my watch list that is moving off the open and showing demand I can gauge fairly quickly if I should trade or stand aside. A couple of days this week less than 10% of my watch list passed my scan during the first hour so this led me to believe that I didn't have an edge because the market wasn't showing an upside bias by my standards. I was adamant this week about not chasing the market but letting it come to me by patiently stalking my list and not letting the fact that there were three positive closes influence me to find trades.

Consequently by forcing patience upon myself this week and having a clearly defined strategy and enforcing stricter price patterns I gained new insight into my holding period. It began to crystallize that if my typical holding period is three days why should I be entering on a day if I would be selling. This in itself began to prune trades off my list quickly because I realized I was not buying early enough off a pivot point and adding unnecessary risk by placing myself at odds with my beliefs. I've been opening myself up to trades that have a greater probability of being faded.

The last thing that I acknowledge was that a shortened week would increase trade variance so I'd have to be even more stringent. This was also insightful because it clarified something I've been addressing for a while now about my time frame, which was how long should I give a trade to confirm my entry and how quickly should I be moving my stop. As a shorter term tactical trader I've too often allowed price to pressure my position and had difficulties determining when I should be ratcheting my stop to move toward capital preservation. During the last uptrend I had the most difficult time deciding what to do on the third day with a position when I opened up my holding period to 5 trying to take advantage of a trending period. Too often by day five I'd turn a slightly positive trade into a slightly larger loss due to bad judgment.

Coming into this week I expect Monday to be a key day to how the week may unwind. I'll first and foremost pay attention to whether or not this pullback continues or buyers step in. Last week we had a slight spike in the HV so if this continues to rise I'll become more cautious until it doesn't. Should it dip I'll take that as a positive. The slope of the 15-30MA differential has flattened and I'll be watching for any deceleration and dip as a caution flag as well. The recent higher low will be the key pivot I'll be watching for the overall health of this move. Until all indicators smooth out and a more linear uptrend commences I'll continue tactically towards short term opportunities until there is a well defined upswing allowing for more aggression.

SPX HV

It Just Doesn't Matter

I've experienced at least a dozen ways in which a trade can go south and I'm sure I'll experience a dozen more I hadn't even thought of.  I've stopped keeping track of the number of times I was top ticked and found it too demoralizing to continue tracking the number of times my stop was bottom ticked only to watch price rebound to new highs.  I was surprised to find out that there are ticks you can get filled at below the low of the day; yes, that's correct, the printed low of the day may not have been the actual low.  I stopped keeping track of the number of times price came within a penny of my exit target alert only to close out at the end of the day below my entry –or worse –stopped out.  But, you know what... It just doesn't matter.

Something I've been working on in my trading lately is taking another shot at a stock that I've exited or been stopped out on.  Usually I'd find a few or more reasons not to reenter such as not wanting to deal with wash rules, or not being able to handle taking a second loss on the same stock so soon afterward.  The problem with this is that it is anathema to the way world class traders think and act.  World class traders will take multiple shots on the same stock if they still define it as a quality set up with an edge and a valid entry signal as defined by their rules.  This is what matters to them, not the emotional attachment to a ticker and the recent experience of taking a loss or two.  It's about the set ups and not the bias to a particular symbol.

Bias to a symbol is a common theme with greater repercussions than one might think.  It is in part why I would not take another shot on the same stock, and it's also why at times I'll have a more favorable view of a set up if I know what the symbol is regardless of how less than stellar the chart may look.  So, in order to think and therefor act like a trader I've made a conscious decision to get over the hump by occasionally taking another entry.  This past week LF was my stock.

One of my rules based upon assessment of my trades is to exit a stock if it closes lower than my entry. Empirically this makes sense because why should I be long something that is not going up?  Emotionally however, this was a difficult hurdle for me to overcome as it forced me into accepting a number of scratch trade which increased my losing percentage and string of losses as well as having the appearance of adding up to a significant amount; however, my statistics don't lie and coming to grips with the simple fact that this is a high probability failure trade on my time frame finally convinced me it's acceptable to take a larger number of small losses and increase the frequency of my trading (I had to spend a lot of time improving trade management, but that's another story). With this in mind I took an entry signal on LF on Monday and closed it at the end of the day and ditto for Tuesday. Come Thursday I witnessed, much to my chagrin, LF bolting out the gate and up nearly 6% before my scan alerted me.

Now I was faced with a dilemma, let it pass and miss out on what's been setting up to be a good trade opportunity or take a third shot and, heaven forbid, watch it reverse hard on me and get stopped out a third time.  I took a few moments to contemplate and noted that it was currently priced at my maximum chase point on a stock at this price level, 6%.  I decided to take the trade, it was still a good set up.

Quickly the entry was confirmed as the price continued higher and I found myself up 5%.  It seems just as quickly maximum adversity kicked in like steel toes to my teeth and the market sent a simple reminder to me that no matter how solid the set up, anything can and will happen, especially when least expected or prepared.  Conveniently the stock was downgraded and after hour news hit the wire that the CFO was resigning and I was quickly preparing myself for the acceptance that the stock would gap down like a stone.  Regardless of how I felt about the downgrade being a bullshit call, particularly since it was done during market hours which is rare, and irrespective that I didn't believe the CFO resignation was an issue, I didn't expect the market reaction to take this view and basically accepted this would be a loss.

The set up was sound, the entry within reason, and the amount risked tolerable.  I took a shot, and then another, and finally one more.  This I can control.  Entering and getting stopped out 30 seconds later I can not.  Entering and having a BS downgrade that could have been done premarket instead of during hours and after an 11% move I can not.   In the end, however, it just doesn't matter.  It just doesn't matter how the trade gets from A-Z as long as it's part of plan.  Yes it may at times be an emotional roller coaster and yes sometimes will be more difficult than others, but in the scheme of things it's just one trade and it just doesn't matter.  Occasionally there will be that isolated trade that stings and hurts so badly it flashes before your eyes before you take a signal, but over time these become fewer and farther between.  As my sample size grows larger these trades shrink, and in the grander scheme of things, it just doesn't matter.  One thing that truly matters is trading with a solid  plan that allows one to get to this point that it just doesn't matter.

Developing Process Loops Part 2

Previously I began a small series on developing a process loop and have been meaning to follow up on it for some time, but... Anyways, I thought I'd make the time to follow up with another post and share an example.

It is not hyperbole to claim that checklist save lives. When surgeon Atul Gawande decided to implement the use of a checklist in his practice the following occurred: "When his research team introduced one in eight hospitals in 2008, major surgery complications dropped 36% and deaths plunged 47%." Time Magazine

If something as simple as a checklist can have such an impact in critical care situations making use of one in trading it follows can be just as beneficial. The use of a simple checklist has become an invaluable tool to me because it helps keep me focused on the tasks at hand and lets me know when I'm straying too far from what I am trying to accomplish before, during, and after a trading session. My checklist is not simply a to-do list, it is also a to-don't list as well as information rich feedback to analyze later.

When developing a process loop consistency is crucial. More than simply a set of instructions, a process loop is a form of behavior modification. In fact I'd make the bold statement that a process loop may be one of the most important aspects of trading to develop due its potential to influence and instill better habits and develop a core of stability. By making this the focal point of every trading day one is developing a key habit –controlling what one can control. Since this premise is crucial to trading the best means of developing this attitude is through the discipline of a daily routine.

Trading is paradoxically simple yet utterly complex. Too often the road to trading success begins with the wrong goals –making money. This is of course the ultimate point to trading but in reality its jumping onto the autobahn in a Pinto when one should really be hiking up a scenic switchback at a measured pace with a focus on each step. It's my opinion that one of the biggest mistakes new traders make is approaching the markets without an approach –without a method. My initial foray in trading was wrought with the classic errors of searching for a means to make money without understanding what I was doing in the first place. I went through the gamut of technical analysis from MACD to RSI to moving average crossovers, technical patterns etc...

There are too many variables in trading to get lost in. If something isn't working switch the parameter and when that doesn't work switch the oscillator and when that doesn't work widen stops and when that doesn't work increase size. Over the past two years I've made these changes and alterations but one thing that I've kept consistent is my daily task list because it is within my means to do so. It's been the one rock in my trading that I've been able to build a solid foundation upon. Part of my process was to devote myself to understanding market breadth and write a daily report. This lead to insight in how markets actually work and not how I thought they did. By focusing upon mechanics and internals I began to deduce how stocks move and by how much and this information led me to make alterations to my trading plan, not what I wanted price action to do.

Over time my process morphed into my methodology which carried over into how I view markets and how I can create set-ups around it. Until recently I was still stuck in the muck and mire of a host of issues such as being able to take a signal, accept a stop, take a profit and avoid greed, letting profits turn into losses etc.... A process didn't make me immune to commit these sins of omission, but it definitely began to shine a light where my attention should be devoted and gave me the skill set to break these tasks down in a manner in which I could address them. What I began to learn is that the most important thing for me to do was not to address the whole, but rather work on the pieces and hone in on one task at a time. One of my biggest flaws of late and something that consistently showed up on my daily journal was trade management and by going through my journals and creating a composite this rang out loudly that it needed to be tended to. Without a daily process I would not have developed this body of work that allowed me to do so.

Returning to the value of a checklist, one thing I found noteworthy wasn't what I was checking off, but what I wasn't. A checklist isn't simple a rote instruction to follow, it's a feedback loop as well and what mine was telling me was that I needed to figure out if I wasn't completing a step because of disinterest, distraction, or it was no longer useful and that step could be devoted to something else. Most importantly it's a clue to me that I may need to take a step back from trading because if I'm not following through on an important task then I'm becoming lazy and this in turn can led to greater problems such as reverting back into a bad habit that will prove harmful to my account. Additionally what it tells me is that I need to refocus on mental state management, something that I've been keenly aware of as a weakness and have spent a considerable amount of time studying and improving.

My Process Loop