• Trying to figure out where the S&P 500 is headed

    For a daytrader watching SPY for an intraday scalp, some days can feel infuriating, which is why I chose to not try and pursue my once dream of being a “daytrader” per se; I know myself too well, and sitting there all day waiting for a move can feel like watching water start to boil…

  • Analyzing highly shorted stocks for a swing trade

    One of my absolute favorite things to do is go to the library and check the bi-monthly updated Short Interest Analysis on the Bloomberg Terminal—there were some amazing trades from the top shorted stock list back earlier in the year: DM, MPW, GM, RIG, and BYND, just to name a few. And with the combination…

How it all started:

About 4 years ago in February of 2020 I was working in a small real estate office in Brooklyn and one of my colleagues was trying to get people to download Robinhood using his referral link. Not having the slightest clue as to what I was getting into, I obliged and downloaded the app on my phone. It was right when Covid had just began: lockdowns were underway, mask mandates were on the horizon, and nobody knew what was to come. I was not sure which stocks to buy, so I turned to Twitter to start searching for what people were talking about. I went with my gut instinct to buy Alpha Pro Tech aka APT since they were a N95 face mask manufacturer and I had a feeling the sentiment would follow. Well it turns out I was lucky because the stock ended up running from just $9.31 on February 25 all the way to $18 on February 27th and $38 on Februrary 28th. I could not believe my eyes at what I saw on the screen; how was this even possible? And well, I guess you could say the rest is history…because I haven’t stopped thinking about stocks since. Never would I have dreamed of me ever being interested in the market (in fact, I used to delete the Stocks App from my phone before all of this). But some things just happen for a reason I suppose, and while I have had some great trades and some absolutely horrific trades, I am constantly learning every day. I am so thankful to have been able to devote my time studying the market learning not only all aspects of technical analysis, but even diving deeper into the fundamental side doing company and industry research. In some ways even though it’s been almost been 5 years, I feel like my investing journey is just beginning, and why I started the Stonks and Whatnot blog. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and connecting with traders and investors alike navigating this ever-changing and totally unpredictable market.

About the author:

Kaitlin Duffy is a writer from Cleveland currently residing in New York City since 2014. While stocks were never really on the radar in her early career and she did not take the traditional road to learning about trading and finance, she has proven that it is never too late to learn something new. When she is not reading, writing, making playlists on Apple Music, watching the latest film, shitposting on Twitter, or eating a bunch of delicious food, she is working on her newest entrepreneurial venture East End Agency and just trying to find a decent setup. You can find her roaming around the streets of Manhattan or at the bar at 5pm drinking an Old Fashioned.

Kaitlin Duffy

Writer, Blogger, & Amateur Wannabe Stock Trader