Argentum 47 Inc (ARGQ)

[QUANTUM314]

The Ax

The most important market maker to look for is called the ax. This is the market maker that controls the price action in a given stock. You can find out which market maker this is by watching the level II action for a few days - the market maker who consistently dominates the price action is the ax. The ax isn't always trading the stock in one direction or another. Sometime he is keeping it in a tight range and sometimes he is not there at all and another ax may step forward. Note that there are times where there is no ax present. The point is the ax is the one to watch closer than all other parties or MMs. Many day traders make sure to trade with the ax because it typically results in a higher probability of success. Note that the ax is not static. On any given day any party can be an ax, there may be one ax in the morning and another in the afternoon. If a big order comes onto the trading desk of a firm that doesn't do big volume in a certain name, the ax will take care of it and command the action. An ax can easily use an ECN to hide much of their action. They can and will use fake outs. Keeping an eye on Level 2 will reveal the ax.

Each market participant is recognized by the four-letter ID that appears on level II quotes. Here are some of the most popular ones: NITE, ETRD, SCHB, TDCM & ARCA.