timothy sykes logo

Time To Trade Less and Study More

Timothy SykesAvatar
Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 10/15/2026 6 min read

The markets have been all over the place the past two days.

And it reminds me of what happened right before the blow off top back in 2000.

I was just a freshman in college, and it started in November and December.

But in the first four months of 2000, I made life-changing money.

It grew my net worth multiple times over (it was CRAZY).*

This choppiness also reminds me that we’re in “crash season.”

When the market is like this, at this time of year, there’s only one thing to do…

Prepare Now for What’s Coming

I’ve noticed that when there are a ton of plays, people say, “It’s fine, I’ll study later.”

Image created with Google Gemini
Image created with Google Gemini

But then, when things slow down, people don’t want to think about trading.

They don’t want to think about the market (and they STILL don’t want to study).

The problem with that is, when things heat up again, they aren’t any MORE prepared to capitalize on the plays.

Also, we’re dealing with seasonality, and you MUST be aware of it.

Why You Should Study Stock Market History

This is the time of year when the most stock market crashes have happened.

Too many people avoid thinking about it altogether…

Image created with Google Gemini
Image created with Google Gemini

I’m NOT saying there is going to be a market crash.

But it’s really important to have the right mindset and a little perspective.

Sometimes you have to go into protection mode.

Whether the market crashes or not, recognize that…

This Is the Time to Study

Post image

Get my after-hours watchlist, free

The Night Tape, every trading day after the closing bell, plus The Second Session guide.

There will be opportunities regardless of what happens. But you have to understand seasonality and cycles.

Image created with Google Gemini
Image created with Google Gemini

Will you be prepared?

In case you don’t know seasonality, here’s a little perspective…

Three of the 10 worst months for US stocks in the past 100 years were:

  • October 1929
  • October 1987
  • October 2008

In other words, this is the danger time, okay?

September and October are considered the two worst months of the year.

We didn’t have a big crash in September. Again, I’m not saying we’re going to have one this month.

But the market is still close to the all-time highs it hit just a few days ago, right?

Guess what?

We’re due for a crash.

When you consider that…

  • We’re probably going to get an interest rate hike
  • There’s still geopolitical risk, AND…
  • The US is kind of handicapped until after the midterm elections…

It’s going to be a VERY tricky next few days.

So, you don’t have to trade as much.

But also understand…

The Market’s Best Months Are Coming

Again, will you be prepared?

The honest answer for the vast majority of people is that you are unprepared to capitalize on big runners. You’re unprepared to capitalize on a hot market.

Take this opportunity NOW, while things are choppy and there’s uncertainty in the markets to STUDY.

Especially as we head into November, December, and January.

Image created with Google Gemini
Image created with Google Gemini

Look, if you put a gun to my head I’d say we’ll either have a mini-crash or more consolidation.

But after that? Everyone gets excited about the new year, and that’s when things can get crazy.

During that blow-off top in my freshman year, I made nearly $800k in 4 months.*

It was TRULY life-changing.

And that’s why I’m SO excited about what Jack Kellogg is sharing with everyone right now.

Jack is an incredible trader. He’s one of the few who has mastered every part of my 7-step framework.

And he has ONE strategy that helped him grow his net worth more than any other. It allowed him to take a small account and turn it into life-changing money.

He’s used the same strategy to do it more than once.

And today, at 10:30 a.m. ET, Jack is going live to share the details…

FREE Live Freedom Cycle Summit featuring Jack Kellogg

During the live summit, Jack is going to reveal 4 new Freedom Cycle stocks he says could turn $1,000 into $4,250 in just days.

© Millionaire Media
© Millionaire Media

I’ll be there with Jack.

If, for any reason, you can’t make it today, don’t worry.

We’ll do it again over the next two days but you MUST register ahead of time.

Join Jack Kellogg, the $25M trader who made $1.5M during the last Freedom Cycle for the free live reveal.

Key Takeaway

Every minute you put into studying now, while the market is choppy, will grow your knowledge account for later.

Lock in and study like you’ve never studied before.

Join me and Jack at his summit to learn how his strategy helped him earn nearly triple the gains I have from trading (in less than half the time).

See you there.

Cheers,

– Tim Sykes

*Results not typical. Past performance is not indicative of future results.


How much has this post helped you?



Leave a reply

Author card Timothy Sykes picture

Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity.
Read More

* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”