Good morning, traders…

Let’s start today with a little Cat Stevens…

 🎶 “It’s not time to make a change. Just relax, take it easy. You’re still young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have to know…” 🎶

I can still hear my dad playing that in the background while tinkering in the garage, probably trying to fix something with duct tape and a prayer.

I’ll be honest with you — my dad was about as redneck as they come. Reddest of the necks, through and through. 

But he had this deep well of wisdom tucked into him, and he passed a lot of it on to me through music. 

One of those songs that always stuck with me was “Father and Son.” And that opening line, “It’s not time to make a change,” man… it just landed with me again this week. 

The song rolls through these stages of life — youth, frustration, advice, letting go. 

And I realized that the tension between wisdom and knowledge is the very thing many of us are working through in the market right now.

We’re living through something rare, a historic market event. One of those moments you’ll look back on like the COVID crash, the financial crisis, or the dot-com bubble. 

If you’ve been trading since 2023 or 2024, this may be the first real shake-up you’ve felt. And it’s okay to feel all kinds of ways about it. Confused, frustrated, sad. Heck, I’ve felt it too.

But Wednesday proved something: Some of the most bullish days happen during bear markets…

The New Bull Market?

We were in an uptrend. A clean, glorious trend higher. You didn’t need to overthink it — just buy the dip. That was your job. And it worked… until it didn’t. And when that ended, it felt like a rug got yanked out. That’s normal. That’s human.

Like in life, when something ends — a job, a relationship, someone we love — we wrestle with the loss. First, we struggle to accept. Then we fight to adjust. Finally, we work toward moving on.

Same with the market.

That’s why I’ve been so intentional lately — rolling out new scanners, breaking down new setups, and building tools like the Breaking Point Indicator to help you see when that compression is about to give way to movement.

And just when things look the most bearish, that’s when a huge bullish surge comes out of nowhere.

By the end of Wednesday trading, the market had completely flipped again, surging to the upside (but more on that later)…

Experience Gives Us Wisdom

Knowledge is learning what works. Wisdom is knowing when it works. And more importantly, when it doesn’t.

I shared this with the room because it’s been real for me too. I’ve had to adjust how I trade when the VIX spikes. I’ve had to step back when things get choppy. I’ve had to cut losses faster and let winners stretch. 

This week alone, that happened twice — Monday and Tuesday. Two clean losses. But my rules kept them small.

And then, on Wednesday, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) showed up. I alerted the trade and entered at $0.12. First target hit at $0.18. Second target hit at $0.24. Final exit at $0.48. 

That’s a 300% move in less than three hours.*

I wasn’t swinging for the fences. It was a small position with defined risk and simple logic behind it. 

The kind of trade that fits this environment. You don’t need to be a hero. You need to be decisive, quick, and disciplined.

New Tools, New Focus

I’ve built a new scanner that shows you contracts with at least 2.5x volume over open interest — a reliable signal of real Smart Money activity.

And we’re seeing it work. We spotted VZ before the move, watched it compress, and then break higher.

That’s a pullback setup with volume behind it. My bread and butter.

I’m calling it the Breaking Point Indicator. Because that’s what it reveals — the battleground. The moment when buyers and sellers fight for control, and price finally tips its hand.

And speaking of breaking points…

BREAKING: Trump Announces 90-Day Pause on Tariffs

As I’m writing this, the White House just announced a surprise 90-day pause on tariffs for “at least some countries.”

This led to an enormous upside reversal in the stock market, with the Dow surging 2,700 points to its biggest single-day gain in 5 years:

Make no mistake — this is the relief the market’s been waiting for. Massive news. 

If we get VIX and SKEW returning to more normal levels, this could be the sign of a near-term bottom.

Don’t sleep on this. Most traders never see the biggest moves coming — until it’s too late. 

Back in 2022, while most traders were blindsided, one forecast led to a 503% win* on a single trade. 

Another spotted the banking crisis nine months early and turned it into 860%.* 

Now, Tim Bohen is sounding the alarm on what could be an even bigger move. But this time, it’s not about boring banks — it’s all about AI.

Join Bohen TONIGHT, April 10 for his “FINAL AI WARNING”…

He’ll walk you through his forecast and break down the trading blueprint he believes could hand in-the-know traders an undeniable edge over the coming weeks. 

It’s free to attend, but seats are limited — Click here to claim yours before it’s too late.

Happy trading,

Ben Sturgill

*Past performance does not indicate future results