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Hit and Run Trading: The Short-Term Stock Traders' Bible

by Jeff Cooper (1996)

Quick summary -- an in-depth PhD-level extended summary (10-30 pages) for this book is coming soon.

Hit and Run Trading: The Short-Term Stock Traders' Bible

Executive Summary

Jeff Cooper's "Hit and Run Trading" is a collection of short-term trading strategies designed for holding periods of one to five days, targeting volatile stocks with specific pattern-based entry setups. The PDF version available is a scanned document with no extractable text.

Note

This PDF could not be fully processed as it appears to be a scanned image-based document without embedded text. The title, author, and catalog metadata indicate it covers Cooper's proprietary short-term trading setups including momentum-based entries, expansion breakout patterns, and other techniques for capturing short-term price movements in actively traded stocks.

Core Thesis

Based on the title and known content, the book argues that short-term trading can be consistently profitable through the disciplined application of specific, rule-based pattern setups that exploit momentum and volatility in individual stocks. Cooper's "hit and run" philosophy emphasizes quick entries at precise levels, defined risk parameters, and rapid profit-taking rather than extended position holding.

Key Concepts

  1. 5 Day Momentum Method: A setup targeting stocks making new 60-day highs with specific pattern characteristics for 1-5 day holding periods
  2. Expansion Breakouts: Identifying stocks breaking out of consolidation ranges with above-average volume for momentum trades
  3. Hit and Run Philosophy: Quick entries with defined risk, short holding periods, and rapid exits -- minimizing exposure to overnight and multi-day risk
  4. Pattern-Based Trading: Rule-based entries derived from specific price pattern configurations rather than indicator-based or discretionary approaches
  5. Volatility Selection: Focusing exclusively on stocks with sufficient volatility and liquidity to generate meaningful short-term returns

Conclusion

While the full content could not be extracted from this scanned PDF, "Hit and Run Trading" is recognized as an influential short-term trading manual that provided a generation of active traders with specific, actionable trade setups. Its emphasis on precise entries, defined risk, and short holding periods remains relevant to modern short-term trading methodology.