S&P plunged 1% today

What a timing! It was almost that the market was whispering at my ear last evening that it was going to go down sharply today. Just kidding. Well, this is exactly something I have been thinking and expecting: extreme volatility in the last week of the year. Barring anything dramatic happening over the weekend, I think next Monday will be a bouncing back day for the markets, followed by more volatility after the Christmas break. If you would like to speculate, this is the best time for day traders and you may be able to make quick profits within hours if you are nimble enough and of course also right at the direction of your trading. I happened to take a day off today and in the early afternoon I took a shot with a small trade for Microsoft when it was sold off hard. Well, by closing, my position had come up 50% already. Not a shabby trade in any sense that just took a few hours. But always be aware that this is rather risky trading and don't bet too much with your money.