Leaderboard

Not bad of a day, but could've been better. Took two trades only as I wasn't fully in sync. Was second guessing myself on some trades and decided to sit out after being positive for the day. I will note that trading on $2.95 commissions gives me a bit more hope versus $4.95. Had I traded on SureTrader commissions versus CMEG today, I would be near break-even. Commissions were $23.60 versus a normal $39.60. That saved me a considerable amount for a small account. That $4 less per one trade in/out took some pressure away. Watchlist: $CGC 5/6/2019 Missed the ORBU from looking at the other stocks on my watchlist. Waited for a pullback and went long 300 after the price action closed above the 50MA 5-minute. After 2 minutes, took half. Price action neared the 9MA 1-minute and I covered everything near break-even. $CGC offered some more opportunities, but I watched the rest of the day. $AMD 5/6/2019 Second guessed myself on $AMD the second time. First move, I went long 300 after thinking the price action would bounce off the moving averages. the 1-minute looked good, but got caught in a trap. Sold at break of the 9MA 1-minute and VWAP 5-minute. Waited for another opportunity and got a good entry above the 9MA/VWAP 5-minute. Long 400 shares and took half off at the top of the 5-minute candle. Waited and the price action neared the 9MA 1-minute and sold all. Part of me thought it would turn back into a short or like $CGC, but I sold at "C" of an ABCD pattern. Good opportunity to add or go long from there. I'm satisfied with the trade. $OXY 5/6/2019 Didn't trade it, but was watching it before it exploded on the ABCD pattern at open. I didn't touch it because I felt like the price action was choppy. Result:

Family that trade together stays together. First day trade for the pups. Whatever it takes start 'em young.

Monday 5/06/2019 I had a well-being score of 6/10 this morning. Nerves were not good, but I had extra time before the open to meditate so nerves were good by the opening bell. The reason for the extra time is I woke up early (4:30am my time) to test my new DAS layout (major change) in SIM and then live (1 share) in premarket. But, when I started up my account the DAS layout did not open correctly. So back to normal setup. Disappointed. Took one live trade with AAPL. AAPL gapped down with the rest of the techs. It moved so well I never even looked at another stock. AAPL had a nice 1min hammer on good volume. It was setting up for a “Vish” setup 1min ORB. It still had a lot of tech levels in front of it. But I decided to go long when it breaks the 1min VWAP. But just above it was a daily level and the $25 mark, not making the best setup. So I reduced my share size accordingly (not by too much). I waited for a clean break of VWAP since I have been burned lately with the stock instantly reversing on me as if I didn’t wait for a clean break. So I gave up about 10c on the entry. This is what it looked like when I took the trade: 1min Chart 5min Chart But now the first partial at $25 level is really close. But I have learned my lesson and took my first partial there. The second partial I took just because I didn’t feel like I took a first partial since the stock moved so little, but not happy that I took it. The third partial was correct at the 50/200MA. The fourth partial was completely wrong and not sure why I did it. The 1min chart was still making HH and HLs and should have waited to see if it broke the 200MA. It was a bad partial. Then AAPL broke through the 200MA and yes a partial should be taken, but since I took too many partials already I did not have enough shares left. So I sold all my shares there. At 9:37 I felt like going back in on an ABCD, but ~$1 trade on AAPL is usually an one and done day. Plus after two bad weeks and a really bad Friday I just wanted to lock in a good day. Yes I missed the big run on AAPL but that is OK. I still had a good day. My score card on the trade was only an 87%. Everything was good except the score on taking partials where I gave myself a low score. What I did good today: I like that I held myself for that extra half a second to make a clean break of the tech level on the entry. I have been lately entering the trade as it breaks the level not through the level. How did I challenge myself today? Started with bad nerves but was able to reduce them and feel fine by the open. What I did bad today: Too many partials. What can I do better tomorrow: I need to trust the trade more and wait for the levels to take partials. After all these months I still feel like every win is just luck and I need to partial fast before the trade goes against me.

those are mine!

Hi All. New member to the chat group here.

I replied on the Facebook event. Excited to meet people for the DFW meet up. Tiana (BIT2018)

Great trade Mark, you really let that run.

Tuesday 5/07/2019 I had a well-being score of 6/10 this morning. Nerves were fine when until about 5 minutes before the open. Then when I saw in the premarket that AAPL may pop in the first minute I got stressed. I hate trading the first minute. Took one live trade with AAPL. AAPL gapped down and the last 25 minutes before open it bounced off the $205.73 level 3 times. So I was expecting a pop up and thought, if it happens, it will happen right after the open. So this got my heart pounding. To calm myself down, I told myself I would only enter the trade in the first minute if one scenario occurs. If AAPL drops back down touched the 205.73 level again and then moves up passed the $206 with strong volume, then I will go long. ONLY if it does that, which is unlikely since so many things can occur at the open. After I said that to myself I calmed down. So at the open AAPL drops down and touches 205.73 and moves up passed the $206. So of course that really got my heart in my pounding again. So I went long at 9:30:35am, wow so early. My stop was the 205.73 level with my target of the 200MA/$207 level. This is what it looked like when I took the trade: 1min Chart I know it looks like I took a lot of partials, but every partial was where I planned it, so I am quite happy about that. Now you could say my partial plan was bad and you are probably be correct, but following my plan of where to take partials is tough for me. Now AAPL did make it easy by moving really fast. There was seldom a stall point where I got nervous. Sometimes I mark several premarket levels. Usually just the high and the low, but sometimes if there are other local extrema I will mark them as well. So AAPL today had four premarket levels marked. So my first partial was at one of these extra premarket levels, then my second partial was at the 50MA. Third partial was at my target (200MA), then another “extra” PM level was my fourth partial. Then I took a heavier partial at the premarket high of 207.39, leaving me with only a few shares left. Once the price dropped below the 200MA I exited the trade. When I watched my video of the trade I saw that there was a level 2 signal right before I took the trade, but I never look at L2 during the first minute after the open so I missed it. I am giving myself a high score card of 94% for the trade. Since I just got ~$1.40 move from AAPL I was done for the day. I have been really lucky with AAPL this week so far. What I did good today: I took my partials where I planned to take them. How did I challenge myself today? Took a trade under one minute from the open, though that really stresses me. What I did bad today: My plan for where I take partials may be too abundant. What can I do better tomorrow: Work on when to take partials. I still need to let the winner run more. Also, I need to fix my new DAS layout.

Tuesday June 7th, 2019 Sleep: 7.5 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. Only took one trade today, an engulfing crack in SQ. I was watching this for an ABCD on the 1min at the PDC but the selling pressure couldn't push the stock higher so i waited for the 5min candle to close. when the stock made an engulfing crack, i got in on a pullback to the 50MA on the one minute chart. Entry was right on time, i just put my stop loss too far and only got 30 shares. sold 75% at 2R and the rest a little above the previous, previous day high. all in all, good trade. GOOD: setup, entry, R/R RFI: stop loss too far from entry. it should have been right over the 200 MA on the 1min chart. MOOD: good. CONSISTENT: yes, trade went exactly to plan. What i did good today: only took one trade i was confident in. What i did bad today: put my stop loss too far from my entry. What can i do better tomorrow: put your stop loss at a logical level but not so far from your entry that it messes with your share size.

Didn't trade well today and got beat up bad. A lot of my entries were late and ended up immediately stopping out shortly afterwards. I'm slipping back into old trading habits (waiting for the close) versus entering the moving averages when I see the opportunity. Felt like I was reacting to the market versus anticipating a particular direction. Reacting meaning I'm already late on the trade. I got lucky with $SQ today, but it shows that had I waited for the pullback where I normally would take my trades, I would have gotten a safer and better entry. $AIG, each of my trades were late. $HTZ/$MNK, I think both of those attempts were good for a long, but again my entries were late. I could have stopped out at break even if I took it a few minutes early then swapped over to a short after getting the close below VWAP and then waiting for pullbacks on the 1-minute at the moving averages. I will go back and practice these trades, but my losses today reflect my poor entries. A part of me also feels like I'm beginning to get more long biased on trades. Will check on that too. Watchlist: $SQ 5/7/2019 Went long after the first 5 looking for a push up to previous day close. My entry was utter trash. I didn't wait for a pullback or anything. I don't think it was FOMO, but I really wasn't thinking about waiting for pullbacks today. Had I waited, woudl have gotten not only a better entry, but more profit and a better risk to reward. Also, my stop loss would have been super close to VWAP which is how I like to take these trades. I got lucky and it worked out, but I held through a nasty pullback. $AIG 5/7/2019 Trash trades of the day go to these. Went long at open on a late entry looking for the squeeze up and got caught in a fade. Attempted again on another trash entry and got caught again. Then swapped over to short on a late entry and stopped out before the squeeze. After getting the close below the 9MA/VWAP 5-minute, went short again on another late entry and stopped out. The type of sizing I take I need to get in closer to the moving averages because the pullbacks are always brutal. The move of course happened after I covered. $MNK 5/7/2019 Was looking for a long off the ABCD pattern and the close above the 9MA/VWAP 5-minute. I think I was late here as well since I normally get in at the moving averages, go bigger on size with a tight stop loss below the 1-minute moving averages. 2 -minutes before my entry would have been the best entry because my stop loss would've been less than 10 cents. When the move didn't work out, I would have taken a partial where my entry is and then stopped out at break even (similar to my $SQ trade). That's how I should have traded it, but my entry was late. $HTZ 5/7/2019 Went long looking for the pop after getting a close above VWAP/9MA 5-minute and previous day close. Price action was above the 50MA 1-minute too. I caught the top of the price action and it faded. Sold everything for a loss. Should have taken this trade a few minutes earlier. Then swap over to a short after getting that close below VWAP/9MA 5-minute and 1-minute. $O 5/7/2019 I was skeptical of this one, but after getting the close below the 9MA 5-minute, was looking for low of day. I should have anticipated a squeeze to the 50MA on the 1-minute before this decided to move, but I do feel like I got a good entry. My share sizing was large on an already crappy day, but I stuck to my stop loss. It was hit and I got out. Result:

Joined BBT community in September 2017 after day trading 9 months on my own. Wish I had found Andrew’s book and the community earlier, but since then the knowledge gained and support of BBT has been amazing!

May 6, 2019 - 3 Trades on $AMD (1 partial and 2 stops) Well after having 5 long days away from the market, I was ready to get back at it. Unfortunately, I failed miserably at ensuring I got back into the market correctly. I got 4 hours of sleep, woke up and traveled 2 1/2 hours to work getting in around 4:45am to start my pre-market routine. I was behind from the beginning in my entire routine and it reflected in the way I traded today. I got all I deserved. The best part, although I can't say I like it, is that the market did not reward me for my extremely bad behavior on entries. I will say that my discipline on stopping out saved the day.

This is my humble set up as of now. Currently trading on Simulator. Very grateful to have come across Andrew's Book and the BBT Community. I am a lifetime member, so it'll be my pleasure working with you all during this lifetime! Andrew's book is important but so is that Coffee Maker!

I have been trading with Andrew for over 1 and half year now. The best thing I like this community is the help and education from each other. People here are just sharing the most honest opinions and hard learning experience to help new traders. I have learned a lot from you guys. So, a big thanks for Andrew, and other members, Robert, Carlos, Brian, Norm, William, etc. I did not trade with my current setup at very beginning. I gradually upgrade to what I have today. I have four trading monitors, two are wide screen, which I actually learn from Robert's setup. I have 9 montage, but one montage is mainly for switching back and forth based on Trade Ideas' alert. I mainly trade on my other 8 montages. I have another IMAC to watch the chat room and Benzinga news. My next step is to buy one or two more screens for my current PC, so that I can run everything on one computer.

I think much of what I would consider extra education has already been posted above, so I won't revisit that. I can add one thing that I've learned a TON from: Bad trades, specifically reviewing them. Not journaling, or even rereading a journal, but just take a screen shot of the chart on a bad trade. Go back and look at it several hours later, or the next morning, or that weekend. I promise you'll look at it and say "What the hell was I thinking? What did I see there?". It is really eye opening. Screen time, practice, and education will make you capable of finding good trades; learning to avoid the bad trades will make you profitable. It is correct that I don't recap my bad trades and rarely share for public consumption, I try to show the things that work and reinforce that. I'll be the first to admit I'm green (new) in this game and no guru or wizard. I have plenty of rough days. This is a journey and I'm much closer to the beginning than the end, just trying to enjoy the process and become a little bit better of a trader each day! Doing recaps is part of my education process as well and knowing they will be seen by the public makes my live trading more disciplined because of that...nobody wants to look like a fool.

I don’t post my wins or losses. Frankly, I find that distracting so I tend not to pay attention to those posts. I also don’t volunteer my watchlist, but I’ll share when asked. I’m there to learn and help where I can, but I typically help with general information and DAS related topics. I’m also knowledgeable about the ups and downs of being a relatively new active trader, as it relates to psychology, so I’ll sometimes share when it comes to that. As a new trader, I’m not comfortable giving trading advice or making trade calls. A) Many will post their wins, B) some will post their losses, and C) you’ll never REALLY know who is consistent because of A) and B) mentioned above. I’ve learned from Andrew (he’s the reason I joined a year ago) and I’ve also learned various things from Brian Pez, Robert H, Carlos, Peter D, William ADog, and Norm. The chat community is helpful for many, including myself, as there is an abundance of knowledge. You just have to figure out what info to take from whom. We can all learn a great deal from this community Jason W is my boo. We encourage each other to get in the room early, start prepping for the day, and get motivated. That, for me, is very important.