The Trading Post | 03.17.26

March 17, 2026

Good morning,

AI stocks ripped higher on NVDA momentum, oil cooled but isn’t done messing with traders, the dollar flexed again, Fed “do nothing” expectations are locked in, and single-stock volatility is back in full force.

Let’s jump in.

Yesterday’s Post-Market Performance

As of 03.16.26 market close.

Market News

  • AI STOCKS RIP AS NVDA SURGES ON GTC, OIL COOLS, ALL SECTORS GREEN AHEAD OF FED WEEK: Momentum remains intact—but fragile. Trade leaders long above yesterday’s lows, but failed breakouts = fast shorts back to prior resistance. CNBC

  • OIL WAR PREMIUM EASES, BUT ENERGY STILL IN PLAY: Crude pulled back, not collapsed—treat energy as a mean-reversion playground. Fade extensions, buy trend pullbacks into key MAs. CNBC

  • DOLLAR POPS AS “KING USD” RETURNS: Strong USD = pressure on metals and multinationals. Gold/silver rallies into resistance look like fade setups until proven otherwise. CNBC

  • FED WATCH: “DO NOTHING” EXPECTED, VOLATILITY GUARANTEED: Markets priced for calm… which usually means anything but. Expect chop, fakeouts, and post-Fed trend resolution—not before. Reuters

  • SINGLE-STOCK FIREWORKS: NVDA, GEV, AI NAMES DOMINATE: Liquidity and volatility are back—opening range + prior highs/lows = your roadmap. Anything else is guessing. MarketWatch

Earnings We’re Watching

  • Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (ASO) - Tuesday (BMO) 

  • Lululemon Athletica Inc.  (LULU) - Tuesday (AMC) 

Trade Ideas

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET), Apollo Global Management, LLC (APO), Ares Management L.P. (ARES)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA), Bloom Energy Corporation (BE), Cameco Corporation (CCJ), Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS)

DoorDash, Inc. - Common Stock (DASH), Entegris, Inc. (ENTG), Eaton Corporation (ETN),
F5 Networks, Inc. (FFIV)

Futu Holdings Limited (FUTU), Lemonda, Inc. (LMND), lululemon athletica inc. (LULU),
Onto Innovation Inc. (ONTO)

Philip Morris International (PM), Roku, Inc. (ROKU), SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY),
Constellation Brands Inc (STZ)

TTM Technologies, Inc. (TTMI), WW International Inc (WTW), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN),
Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET)

Want to learn how we trade these? Learn the setup we call the “High Volatility Switchback” trade.

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Daily Moment of Zen

❝

In trading and investing, it's not about how much you make but rather how much you don't lose.

Bernard Baruch

Why It Matters:

Most traders obsess over the upside… and quietly ignore the one thing that actually determines survival: downside control.

Because let’s be honest—blowing up is way easier than getting rich.

This quote is really about asymmetry. If you lose 50%, you don’t need a good trade—you need a miracle (100%) just to get back to even. That’s not trading… that’s digging out of a hole with a spoon.

The best traders aren’t the ones hitting home runs every day.
They’re the ones who consistently avoid big losses while letting winners do just enough work.

Cut losers early.
Size properly.
Respect levels.

Boring? Yes.
Profitable? Also yes.

Because in this game, you don’t get paid for being right—you get paid for staying in the game long enough to matter.