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24.Sep.19 Red day. -2r. Watchlist: $ROKU, $PDD, $SNAP, $ENPH and $BB. I really liked $BB for the rising devil setup, but it didn't happen today. Trade1: $SNAP had gapped up and was bullish. Took ORB at the open after a strong bull candle. I am using Kyle's hotkey now and made a mistake, went short instead of long. Got out imm. Went long on the pullback again. Price spiked 20c (which is a lot in $SNAP). I actually had a Range order for 2R, but the price din't reach my target and dumped. I noted the 1min shooting star, but held on to get stopped out. Just saw the recap from Andrew, he took long at the exact same position as me, but partialed at HOD, unlike me. Trade 2: $PDD had gapped down. It opened strong, but dumped after hitting 20MA on daily. I took VWAP pullbackshort, but the stock moved very slow with low volume and not much action on L2. I got out as per my rule, that if the price doesn't move in my direction quickly at the open I get out. Good: I have started using @KyleK29 hotkeys and really like them. A big shoutout to him. I managed my trades well today. Improvement: I had my 2R range order on $SNAP, but the price din't get there. I thought about partialing once at HOD, din't do it. Stayed in the trade even after seeing the shooting star on 1min.

9-24-19 Woke at 7:50 with 4 hours sleep and a little groggy..... SSS and a coffee so far..... PAT: Back to sitting on my hands for at least the first 5min.... Somebody scold me If I take a trade before this........ I will only take trades in the first 15 min with a clear ABCD on a lower time frame than the ORB..... I will be attempting to go Live around the 21st of Oct. so it is now crunch time.... Get back to my normal trade sizing and scaling out.... Notes: SIT on my hands for the first five!!!! ...... ROKU only for an A+ setup...... 2 bad trades come here to journal...... I have a possible appointment around noon time so I may need to set orders and run.... PreMarket routine: Got a little reading done.... got a little exercise and stretching done.... No meditation today.... For some reason my charts/pictures will not upload.... I will try again tomorrow..... Got it working...... AMD PB#1....... 5min ORB down with reverse ABCD on 1min...... Took Full share size with Hot Button..... Hard Stopped...... 2/1 RR...... May start waiting 15min after open to start trading......... If I trade any earlier then I should take 1/2 share size..... PB#3..... Trend pull back to the 9ema on the 2min.... Wish I would have kept this for the long run but it does look like I would have got stopped at 1128 anyway.... the only thing would have been more profit taking on the way there...... 2/1 RR +8.20 OSTK PB#1..... 10min ORB with ABCD on 1 and 2min......... Full Share w/ Hot Button.... Hard Stopped..... 1.5/1 RR....... Bad RR and same as above..... PB#3...... Trend of the 9ema without a new low on on 5 or 15min..... my RR was 2/1 here but something drastic happened in the stock price and the bottom dropped out.... I got out as quick as I seen it for more loss than I wanted to allow.... I searched for news and could not find any..... -107.00 ROKU PB#2.... VWAP Reversal/False Breakout...... I did figure this would be a false breakout and wanted to get the scalp..... I did get it but with the spread on this stock it was tiny...... FOMO and a bad trade...... This was being discussed in the chat and I did have FOMO..... I took a super quick tiny profit as I knew this is not one of my setups.... +23.50 TVIX PB#4..... Opportunity trade on the spy dumping.... I will keep my stops on these very tight as these trades are strictly traded on scalping the news or tweet that has come out..... -8.00 MU PB#3....... Trend on both trades first one stopped out and second took partials and out at BE..... RR on first was 2/1 and on second was 3/1....... +10.58 X PB#3 .... Trend........ Got all out on accident at 2/1, meant to partial 50%..... This would have made me a bit more but it would have stopped me out soon after.... +55.00 NUGT PB#3... First attempt failed and stopped out (entry on 2min is off the chart..).... second attempt worked out except that my first partial should have been an add on here, I also did not have a Reason2Exit..... This trade was not managed very well as I could have made a bunch more...... +129.44 Cons: Did take a couple trades I shouldn't have...... Mismanaged some of my good trades and cost me ....... Pro: stuck to my stops..... Did find a couple of nice Trend Trades PB#3..... Favorite Trade: NUGT.... Notes: Not sure I am liking the new hot buttons but maybe its because I only have them set up for full share size (they seem to be costing me more), I will try to add more of them this Thursday night..... R = 50.00: +111.72

I stay out of the chat room for durations of time during the day so I can focus on my sole setup, wedges. They’re working very good so far and I don’t focus on R:R; I focus only on daily goal. I’m happy with 1R (and less) as that gets me closer to my daily goal and in this mkt I’m really tired of seeing a green trade quickly turn to red! Let’s just say that in this choppy market we are definitely building the muscle needed to succeed when the mkt is a little easier!

Hi all, So I was going through some old messages that I've received over the years, and I stumbled upon a question (and my subsequent answer to) from a fellow trader who asked If I wouldn't mind sharing the strategies I used while growing my CMEG account -- twice -- from from a couple thousand, to over $20k each time. I'm going to paste my response below, because: 1) I think it may inspire someone on the fence relative to trading by providing an over-the-shoulder look into my days, 2) encourage those of you out there who may be doubting yourselves (because if a guy like me can do it -- ANYONE CAN) , and 3) highlight the notion that trading is NOT rocket-science, and largely dependent on our own personality/psychology. I've said it 1,000 times, and I'll say it once more: Trading is 90%+ psychology. I could teach my 7-year old daughter how to trade, but I'll never be able to control her mind....That portion of her being, as it is with all of us -- is an inherent battle within ourselves that very few external influences could effectively sway. As always, questions/comments are more than welcomed.... -- ---- --- --- -- --- ---- --- --- -- ---- --- --- Hi xxxxxxxxxxx, To be honest, I didn't trade much differently than my "normal" way of going about things. During the first run, I had to take somewhat smaller positions, and I did find myself trading more of the low-float variety, but once the account was around $3-4k, trading normal is all I did. My "normal" position size varies, depending on a few things, but my ideal trade is a mid-cap stock (priced in the $15-40 range), with medium to high float, and a tight spread. I like to start with 200-400 shares, then scale in to about 2-3x my initial take as my comfort level with the trade increases; if I don't gain comfort with the trade, I'll stick with the initial entry, or stop out. Anyways..., as the account grew, I would occasionally take more chances, but for the most part -- I just kept things "normal," as mentioned... The strategies I use are both simple, yet complex. Andrew would probably laugh at my saying "simple" (he calls me a very complicated trader, lol), but that's only cuz I'm looking at so many things at once (I call it the "big picture"). The first thing I always do is get a feel for the overall markets: I listen/watch CNBC, search for headlines, and check the major indices... I start trading the premarket around 8:45 am...with very small position sizes... I call this my "warm-up" for the day; kinda' like a football player warms up during his pregame... During this time, and as I'm filtering through my scans, I ALWAYS check the day charts of the stocks I'm interested in. I ask myself, "what is this supposed to do today; which way will it end based on a swing traders perspective?" By about 9:00 am I usually know what I'll be trading on the day, AND I have a very good idea of which way I want to trade the stocks on my list (but things can, and do change). At 9:30 am I'm usually hyper-focused on 1-2 stocks. I'm waiting for confirmation that my pre-market analysis is panning out. Usually it takes a few minutes, but there's always a huge chunk of volume that'll come in and move the stock one direction, or the other... At this time (about 4 minutes in), I've usually already begun to scale in, and will add to my position on obvious pull backs. If we get a clear cut 5-minute candle (white, or red), I'll usually play that direction till about 9:45 am (scalping profits, and reentering on pull backs). Again, though, things can change...so I'm always ready to stop out... At about the end of the first 15 minutes (this time is often ruled by "flag" type patterns; which are easy to see on the 1-min chart), I'll watch the 5 minute chart for reversal dojis; I guess I should clarify that I'm primarily using the 1-min chart for entries/exits during the 1st 15 minutes. By this time (~9:45am) my attention is now spread over about 3-6 stocks, and anything that's hitting my momentum scanners. Again, I'm looking for reversal dojis on the 5-min chart (or anything else that would indicate a reversal), and using the 1-min chart to enter, scale in, exit, etc... After this reversal is over, I'll often take another reversal around 10am ish, set a hard stop, then walk away... I HATE trading after 10:00/10:30 am, so my goal is to set it, and forget it from here on... Often times I'll fall victim to more trades, though....but again-- my goal is to be done after I've closed out the trades I took at 9:45. After a short break, I'll come back to the computers, and see if there's anything else worth taking a "set it/ forget it" type trade..., and then I'll handle other business (I used to have a YouTube channel, but now that I've deleted it, I have lots of free time! Lol ***edit -- I actually brought the YouTube Channel back last week; just search my name, Daniel Thomas, and add Day Trader at the end and I'll pop up)*** EVERYTHING I do is rooted in the ideals of support/resistance. Whether it's a pattern, a candle formation, a previous area of consolidation, walls/stacks in level 2, a moving average, VWAP, etc... IT'S ALL THE SAME. We're either going to fight the support/resistance, then violently push through, Or we're going to bounce (off the supportive/resistive area). So I look at all of it....and I'm looking it all somewhat simultaneously. There is ALWAYS a very obvious sign when we approach support/resistance, so having an open mind (to incorporating every thing I'm capable of seeing) helps me take high probability trades. I think this is why Andrew calls me "complicated," because when most traders are looking for a finite "system" for taking trades, I handle it more in a more multi-dimensional way. Anyways... I think people can trade ANY "style" with a small account. Of course it's harder due to the capital limitations, but it's possible to trade whatever style you're comfortable with. With a $1,000 account, and receiving 4:1 leverage, you can take roughly (depending on maintenance requirements and leverage restrictions): 800 shares of a $5 stock, 400 shares of a $10 stock, 200 shares of a $20 stock, etc... The key is to trade within your comfort zone, and ignore everybody/everything else. If you like flags, play low floaters... If you like obvious reversals, play mid-to-large caps. 100 shares of a $40 stock that moves $2 is $200 gain/loss. And 1,000 shares of a $4 stock that moves .20 cents is the same (+/- $200). Pick what fits your personality, and run with it... Also... keep in mind that with a small account, it's almost necessary to take on more risk than you normally would. At some point there is a cost to doing business (commissions, platform fees, etc.), so making 2% on a $1,000 account isn't going to pay the bills. My point is, even though you're in a smaller account, your risk is still present. I look at "small" accounts as an "opportunity" to trade somewhat normally, with a significantly tilted risk to capital. In other words... All I need is a few good days to even out my risk on capital, but I know/understand that a bad trade on day 1 (or 2...or 3...etc..) has the potential to blow up the account. I think the $4k mark, give or take, enables me to trade nearly identical to the way I trade in a $50k account. The problem many traders run into (I know I did) is taking on larger risk as the account grows larger (primarily by taking on larger sizes). If you can moderate what you do as your account grows, and you trade anything like I do -- when you get to $4k you're off and flying... Moral of the story... Pick a style that fits YOUR personality. For me, its mid-cappers with tight spreads and respectful float metrics. I can trade the low-floater pennies too...which I do on occasion, but they're not necessary; even if you have a "small" account. Avoid over-trading, avoid jumping the gun (FOMO), and take what the market gives you. If you don't see a trade -- don't trade. The markets aren't going anywhere; there is always another trade waiting on the horizon... And I'll end with this... I have talked to a lot of people that have found success in waiting for the first 10-15 minutes to pan out before taking a trade. There's a "sweet-spot" around this time every morning where the range to come is still profitable, and yet the volatility has simmered down. And I say "sweet spot," because-- again-- I think trading after 10/10:30 leads to more problems than it's worth (namely over trading with minimal reward potential). Day traders DO NOT trade for 40 hours per week like a "normal" person works their job(s). We prepare, study, etc for 40 hours (or more) per week, but our actual trading is MOST EFFICIENT for just that first hour, or so, of the day. My biggest struggle when going full time was appreciating this reality; that the money is made from 9:30-10:30, and sticking around much longer is most often a bad idea (unless you're just watching, but NOT actively trading). This is why I'll still take a trade after 10, but i WILL NOT (I try not to) sit around and watch it... I'll put a hard stop in, then come back around 1:30/2pm to see how it panned out.. In any case... I know I probably didn't answer your question like you hoped for, but I'm not into selling pipe dreams and false "strategies." The BEST thing any would be trader can do is get in repetitions....preferably in simulator...then trade the markets based on THEIR unique personality. I swing a golf club differently than you, I shoot a basketball differently, and I even sing karaoke differently (okay, I never really sing karaoke)... We can learn from each other, of course....implement things we see others do into our personal game plans...., BUT no matter how closely you study my golf swing, free throw, or vocals -- yours will ALWAYS differ... Trading the markets is very much the same... Keep me posted as the account grows... STAY GREEN, Daniel

Hello BearBull Traders. I have created some journaling software that I have found useful. I call the program Structjour, as in a Structured Daily Trade Review Tool. It is meant for Day Traders in Stock Equities (who use DAS and/or IB). I have been working and using this program for about a year. Its sill a pre-release (version 0.9.9-Alpha). The design has been inspired by members of BBT (Thanks Pete, William, Robert and too many others to list). Anything I got wrong is all mine. I am seeking feed back in bug-reports, requests, suggestions and assistance in any form that you believe will help make this more useful. It has only ever run on my system and I am expecting un-planned-for bugs and oversights. Its alpha software and the installation is a bit geeky. If you don't mind that, I would appreciate your feed back for bugs, user interface suggestions, features and whatever. The features of the program include: Import from DAS Trader Pro or Interactive Broker Statements. If requested I plan to include other brokers' statements. Tickets are divided into trades and displayed showing entries, exits, PnL, and the diff between initial entry and exit and some other stuff. A place to enter your initial target and stoploss can detect when the stop is violated and figures the lost PnL. The loss amount can be edited to reflect loss of real or potential PnL due to breaking your rules. For your trade review, there is a strategey dropdown to choose from, a location to describe entrances/exits, a location to analyze, and a location to summarize which will be included in your daily summary. The strategy dropdown box on the main page can add new strategies to your list. Strategies are supported by the strategy browser where you can define your strategies and check whether to include them in the dropdown box on the front page. In the Strategy browser, you can define your strategy and provide a couple images for each strategy. Additionally you can add and view web pages that relate each strategy. I have an idea that some people may want to provide a 'strategy package', a group of defined strategies that can be uploaded into the Structjour database. Charts can be 1) automatically generated 2) copied from the clipboard or 3) loaded from a file. Data for automatic chart generation has three possible sources. Alphavantage and Barchart (free APIs) and Interactive Brokers python API using IB Gateway or Trader Work Station. If you have all three APIS setup, structjour will choose one based on availability and your set preference. The setup for Alphavantage and Barchart requires you get an API key (very simple and available to everyone). The ibapi data (setup more complicated) has the advantage of providing after hours data and long historical availability. Automatic chart generation can include Moving averages and VWAP. All charts are stored in a directory for that day providing easy access. Input files are limited to DAS Trader PRO exports and IB statements (Activity, Trade and Flex statements). At some point in the future, other brokers' statement formats may be added (depending on interest) Review suport includes setting your original target and stop loss. Exceeding your stop loss will trigger an amount lost to be shown. The Amount lost can be edited used to display and explain missing potential income from not following yhour rules. Each trade has a notes and analysis section. Navigation between days is done with a date widget. Just Change the date and click read or load to read a new file or load saved data. The daily summary has a place to store notes that refer to the whole day. A summary of Wins and losses is displayed that includes the summary made for each trade. Everything is stored in a light-weight sqlite database The entire day can be exported to an excel file which includes the easy to read forms for each trade and the charts. All of your trades can be exported to an excel file (a tweak of 'DisciplinedTrader.xlsx) which shows monthly and yearly statistics This software is free and I plan for it to remain free for BBT. Installation instructions: From any shell that runs python 3.6 or greater type pip install structjour The program will be installed in your python scripts directory. Click on it, create a shortcut or run it from the command line. Features of the program Import from DAS Trader Pro or Interactive Broker Statements. Tickets are divided into trades and displayed showing entries, exits, PnL, the diff between inital entry and exit and some other stuff A place to enter your initial target and stop loss can detect when the stop is violated and figures the lost PnL. The loss amount can be edited to reflect real or potential PnL loss. There is a strategy dropdown box to choose from, a location to describe your trade, a location to analyze your trade, and a location to summarize your trade. The summary will be included in a daily summary. The strategy dropdown box on the main page can add new strategies to your list. Strategies are supported by the strategy browser where you can define you playbook and determine which strategies should be included in the front page dropdown box. In the strategy browwer youo can describe your strategy in detail, provide a couple images. Additionally you can add web and view pages that describe your strategy. Charts can be 1) automatically generated that include entries, exits and moving averages, 2) Copied from the clipboard, or 3)Loaded from a file. The data for the automatic chart generation has three possible sources, Alphavantage and Barchart (free APIs) and Interactive Brokers python API using IB Gateway or Trader Work Station. If you have all three APIs setup, structjour will choose one based on availability, time of day and preference. The setup for Alphavantage and Barchart requires an APIKEY (very simple and available to everyone) The IB data requires an Interactive Brokers account to be effective. Navigation between days is done by entering the date in the date widget. The daily summary provides a place to store notes that refer to the entire day. It also gives a summary of wins, losses, average win/loss, max win and loss and provides a traditional table based view of the day's trades All the data is stored in a local sqlite database which is represented as a file in your machine. Export the entire day to Excel. They are shown with a similar form as structjour including all your charts and analysis Export all your trades to Excel to show longer term, monthly and yearly statistics.

I think it's safe to say that there will be a lot of various "ah ha" moments as to when it all came together but for me personally, it was recognizing that I'm not very good at momentum trading, and when I changed my course and started focusing on trend trading. I know that, psychologically, I have a very difficult time exiting positions (winners or losers) so I had to develop a strategy that MATCHED that personality. With that in mind, it was going back, reviewing both my winners and losers, studying the charts, and putting everything together that I had learned up to that point together. I think it's very easy as a day trader to become very focused on one key element of trading (strategies, chart patterns, level2/tape, volume, support and resistance, etc) but it's once you put it all together that it all starts to make sense and things start to turn around.

Tuesday 9/23/2019 I had a well-being score of 6/10 this morning. I took 2 live trades this morning, both with AAPL. So AAPL and BABA were on my market open watchlist with MU, AMD,and ROKU on my 5min ORB watchlist. I liked the daily chart on BABA. Not sure which way it was going to move, but thought it would move. And I liked the PM chart on AAPL and was long bias. BABA again did not get volume at the open. AAPL got volume but gave a red first 1min candle. Even though I saw SPY dropping I was too long bias to take the trade. Then the 2nd 1min candle engulfed the first in seconds, then pulled back and I went long with a good fill. My target was the 221.51 daily level and my stop was the bottom of the previous candle. The price quickly popped and I got a first partial with small shares. Then price quickly retraced. Since I took a partial I moved my stop up to VWAP and a PM level. I was stopped out by a penny or two for >-0.5R loss, so it does not give me the right to take 3 trades today (one of my rules so I don’t take the 3rd trade as a revenge trade). When I was stopped out the volume for BABA arrived and I was waiting for a setup (pull back). While I was waiting AAPL setup again and I went long. Five seconds later BABA setup perfectly. But I have a two trade limit, so I watched BABA drop like a rock and never look back. Would have been a huge stress-less trade. Instead I entered a very stressful trade. The 221.51 target was now too close for AAPL, so I chose the very strong 22.39 level. My stop was LOTD. Which gave an R/R>4. The price retraced and touched my stop twice while I was watching BABA really move without me. Also SPY was dropping and I was really losing faith in the trade. So when the price reached back up to my entry I took a few shares off. Then it popped a few cents and I sold more. Essentially I sold half my shares at B/E to reduce my risk. Then the price moved up to the 221.51 level where I took two partials. Then retraced to stop me out by a couple of cents again. Then it went higher and actually reached my target. That’s OK I didn’t have too many shares left. What hurt is the first S/O and selling half my shares at B/E. I don’t look at my P/L until the EOM but I instinctively look at each trade and estimate the P/L. Today looks like I am flat. Just like my trading for the last 8 months. No mood for any SIM trades. I was nervous I was going to FOMO trade and I had to turn off my platform early. Yep another day that represents the month I have been having. Where I saw the two stocks I am focusing on, both fly big today and I wasn’t on board. Score card (live trades). AAPL AAPL 88% 87% What I did good today: Well again I recognized and took good setups. What I am grateful from today? Walked away before I FOMO traded. What do I need to improve on: At the end of the month I will evaluate my S/O strategy after taking one partial profit. Last month I really didn’t have enough data to determine a strategy. Hopefully at the end of this month I will. What I am doing now is not working.

24 September 2019 SNAP SNAP was forming a ascending wedge at VWAP. Once it broke this wedge I took it look. My stoploss on this setup was a new 5 minute low. It formed a 15 minute hammer, which is a bullish sign. WYNN After the first 5 minutes WYNN had formed a ascending wedge. When it roke out the wedge and the 5 minute opening range I entered a long position. It did pop up, but not enough to hit my profit target. It stopped me out below VWAP. NFLX I saw Netflix was on a bearish harmonious chart. The first enter was not too great. It hadn’t formed a clear wedge with a flat bottom. I was having fomo that it would drop without me. 3 minutes later it made a better triangle pattern and add to my position. It did break the wedge, but then got bought back up and stopped me out. I’ve had 3 losers in a row, which led to hit my max loss. I quit trading for the rest of the day.

24 Sep 2019 I came online rather late today (10:30pm) as I am running some errands. Saw NFLX and all charts (except 15 min) stay below WWAP. Wanted to go SHORT at the arrow indicated in 1 and 2 min chart but in the end only got filled below 50MA. A bad entry (yucks) and managed to take some profit for this trade. One green trade and taking rest now.

Great trading day! I wish I had your discipline. I had the same issue with my first trade as well. I got into an unsatisfactory trade (mine due to a bad fill). I had exactly the same opportunity as you did. I could have gotten out with some profit. Instead I held on for a -1.2R loss. While you smartly just took the profit and ran. Nice job! Also, you stopped trading when you thought you may be emotionally compromised, is a major experienced trader move. Awesome!

Hi Vikram, today would’ve been a good day for me to sit on the sideline, ended up at -1.5R and over traded a little. Got burned on $bhge and not sure why I traded it as not sure it was in play. You did good at +1.5R! These choppy and low vol days are a real grind with little reward.

23Sep19 Greenday. +1.5r. I have been trying to be very patient now and trade only setups. I took only 2 trades today, both didn't give me huge moves, I got out for small profit. Watchlist: $X, $ROKU, $TEVA and $OSTK. Trade 1: $X. $X had gapped down at the open and selling before the open. I was expecting to catch the Rising devil, but the setup didn't occur, $X was very strong today. I waited. At 11AM, the price hit 50MA on 30min (also 200 on 5min), created a hammer. As I was already Short biased, took short. Took one partial, but the stock was strong so got out before my SL. 0.5r Trade 2: $BHGE. Another reversal setup. 5min cfreated a hammer at a daily level $24.3. Took it short once again, the price didn't drop as I expected, so got out for +1r profit. Good: I felt the market was difficult to trade today, took my first trade after 1.5hrs. Although both my trades didn't go my way, I read the price action and closed my position before SL, making small profit. Improvement: Happy with my trading (or lack of) today. I missed the ORB on $AMD, this is one of my setups.

23 September 2019 EXAS Trade 1 The first trade of the day was on EXAS. It was a harmonious chart play. On the first two minute it made a significant move up. I waited for a pullback to enter for a long position. It did pull back to VWAP and I hit my hotkey. My stoploss was below the three moving averages. Unfortunately it didn’t work out. CHWY This was my V shape opening range breakout pattern. It was forming a V shape on the 1 minute chart and it engulfed on the 5 minute. My entry was a little bit late. It should have been right when it broke the 5 minute body and the break of VWAP. My stoploss was below the moving averages. Partialed out some at 1:1R and got the rest out below VWAP. ROKU This was a bad version of a ascending wedge. There was no clear triangle forming on the minute. It made 3 touches to the top which made me long biased. There was also a moving average coming up on the chart. I should have exited this trade earlier, when it made a new 5 minute low. Not really happy with this trade EXAS Trade 2 I made another trade on EXAS. This setup was a ascending wedge. It was on a uptrend on all the time frames. It was flattening out at VWAP and once it broke that level I went long. Put my stoploss for the break of the triangle. NFLX This was the trade of the day. Bearish Harmonious chart was forming on all the time frames. I got in at the break of the flat bottom of the wedge. About 10 minutes later I saw it was forming another descending wedge and added to my position. I started partialing along the way down on levels of whole dollars and daily levels. This trade brought me back into the green for the day. I had a realized 4R on this trade. Ended the day around +1R.

Monday 9/23/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. I took 2 live trades this morning, with AAPL and BABA. I have no directional bias on BABA but thought it may move today, based on how it broke out a little on the daily then retraced back. I had a small long bias on AAPL, from its 50 cent climb in the last minute of PM. AAPL made a small hammer on OK volume. From the moment I clicked buy until the order was filled the price jumped 20 cents. My target was the 200MA-5min and my stop was the previous HOPM. So that bad fill made my R/R~2 reduced to 1.2. Sadly it took me 5 minutes to finally want to take the right action and reduce my risk. And then I missed my chance. So sadly I made my big trade management mistake and held on to a bad fill trade again. But I do give myself a little slack here because I did take two trades at once. And for the first time had to manage two trades where one was long and one was short. Which I found a bit demanding. So I did take a partial profit, but I should have taken 1/3 shares off at least to place my risk back to -1R. Or just completely exit the trade for a profit. But, instead I only sold 1/8 of my shares. After 5 minutes I finally came to my senses and wanted to take a large partial. I was planning to take off half my shares when it hit 219.30 level again. The problem is when it did my cursor (I use a mouse not hotkeys) was 2 screens away on the cover all button because I was about to be stopped out on my other trade. So I missed my chance and 2 minutes later got stopped out at my originally planned stop for an estimated -1.3R. I don’t look at my P/L anymore so it’s just an estimate. I had so many chances to get out with small profit or B/E after the bad fill. I need to break whatever belief I have that I need to stay in the trade and try to be right. I rather just make money. I also took a live trade with BABA. 2.5 minutes after I entered (and was still actively in) the AAPL trade, BABA was setting up nicely as a short. It was weak and gave 3 strong red candles. Then pulled back to the 180.45 level and found resistance. I shorted on the bounce from that level. I expected there would be a bad fill and entered with less shares. Instead I got a good fill and now felt FOMO for having too few shares. This brings out another trade management issue I have. You must manage the trade based on the trade’s very individual risk. Which on this trade was 30-35 cents. Instead I tend to manage the trade based on my fixed risk, which was 50 cents (based on the shares taken). This caused me to mismanage the trade. So I entered the trade with 178.80 level as my target and the 180.45 as my stop. I took 3 very small partial profits on the way to 2R where I would take a large partial. But here in lies the problem. How am I defining 2R? Trade specifically I have already reached about 2.7R and should take a large partial profit. But instead I am thinking my fixed R=$30 dollars which translate to 50 cent risk for this trade and thus I am only at about 1.8R. So I was waiting for a slightly lower price to take my large partial profit. That price didn’t occur until almost 20 minutes later. Instead the price retraced. Did I take another partial, reducing my risk, so I could stay in the trade longer? No I just instinctively got all out when it made a new 1min high. I took a few SIM trades and was flat on SIM trades for the day. So again today was like the rest of the month. I have been taking good setups but mismanaging my trades and still not profitable. If wise, on the AAPL trade, I should have gotten all out at my first partial, after my bad fill, and walked away with a +0.7R. Or at least exited the trade immediately after the bad fill for no loss. Instead I stayed in for a -1.3R loss. Then on BABA I should think of the risk as a vey individual, trade dependent quantity. And took a heavy partial at 2R. Instead of waiting for the inflated 2R based on fixed risk. Thus turned a good +1.5R trade into an OK +0.8R. With only mildly adequate trade management skills this should have been a solid profitable day. Instead I have about a -0.5R day. Score card (live trades). AAPL BABA 84% 92% What I did good today: Though not well, I was able to handle taking two trades at once, at the open. One long and one short. That was a bit demanding. What I am grateful from today? That I am learning from my trades. These trade management rules will take many trades to learn from. But I am learning. What do I need to improve on: Must make reducing my risk more automatic reflex. Either a bad fill, trade not going well, or nearing B/E but want to stay in the trade longer, I should just take a few shares off. Look at each trade’s risk independently.

9-23-19 Woke at 7:35 with 4 hours sleep. I do feel fine not too groggy. SSS and a coffee. PAT: Messed up on XLNX on Fri. with a ridiculous share size and not realizing the spread was so large...... I also took trades once I realized later in the day how bad I had messed up so I will no longer treat this as SIM.... I worked hard on my playbook and need to stick to it taking only B+ setups and better..... Notes: I installed a couple of Kyles Hot Keys (Hot Buttons for me) and will give them a try when I want full share size.... PreMarket Routine: Read a little in a technical book..... Did some stretching/exercise and just a bit of meditation..... MU first..... PB#2 full share size with Kyles hot button.... second ... PB#1...... 5min ORB with ABCD on 1min.... Full size with Hot Button...... hard stopped out....... third.... PB#1...... same trade except ABCD on 2min..... Hard stopped out..... fourth ..... PB#2 ...... VWAP false breakout.... tight stop and 1/2 share size without good confirmation..... stopped out below the 9ema ...... fifth.... PB#2 .... another attempt at VWAP false breakout with a little more confirmation..... looking at the 5min for the False Breakout.... stop at below VWAP 49.85 with Kyles Hot Button for full share size.... Target is HOD at 50.12.... took 25% off at HOD to reduce risk a bit (if I hit my stop without a partial I will be way above max loss for the day) and at my target.... All out at break of VWAP on all time frames...... Again I wish I would have taken my profits more when I was at 2.5Rs .... -48.40 ROKU first.... PB#1..... 5min ORB..... second..... PB#1.... 10min ORB...... booth of these trades I am setting my stops too close because of the aggressive price action.... I should stay away from ROKU from now on..... I just started trying it and now realize it is not for me.... -117.00 X PB#1.... 10min ORB with ABCD on 1 and 2min...... Used the Hot Button for full share size and hard stop.... I ended up micro managing the trade and deleted the stop and ended up getting out without a Reason2Exit which ultimatly cost me my day as it is now over 100.00 winner.... PB#3.... Trend... took this trade and the 2nd KMX trade below but had to leave and set orders for them... came back for a nice winner here and a tiny one on KMX.... Had to get out of these so I can get to work a little early today.... +98.84 KMX Both trend trades PB#3 one looser and one winner for a 0.37 winner LOL Cons: Took trades out of FOMO and less than B+ setups...... Micro managed a couple trades and ended up Red instead of a solid Green for the day...... Pros: Don't have a lot of good things for today..... Favorite Trade of the Day: None to speak of ... R = 50.00: -66.79 Notes: Will need to get back to my old tight self when I was taking more profits on the way up.... Use my stops as I am supposed to..... I do not have much time here for the daily Journal so it is cut a little short....

23 Sep 2019 I took 2 trades today on the same stock, ROKU. Both are not fantastic. 1) FOMO and went short but with a very lousy entry but managed to get some profit. Pure luck and no trading strategy. 2) Saw harmonious chart and candle sitting on all MAs. I took long but I got out as when the next candle start to retrace on 1 min chart. In red today and decide to stop trading for today. Peace.

Today got a little bit late home from work. But it didn’t got me stressed and prepared well for trading. Trades OSTK The stock was gapping down on the daily chart. In the first minutes of the opening it formed a flat bottom on the 1 minute chart. I saw it was down trending on all the time frames and under all the moving averages (harmonious chart). I got in when the 5 minute opening range breakdown occurred. On the way down it found another flat wedge bottom. I wanted to partial but got accidently got all out. At the time I saw it was forming another wedge I re-entered and took a partial at the daily level of 16. The rest I got out at a squeeze above break down. This was a awesome setup. This moves should happen every day. MU trade 1 Tis trade was a descending wedge play in combination with a 10 minute ORBD. I did partial early in this trade (not even 1:1). Because it had already made a big move. My original target was the daily level at 49.93 but it never touched it and got out above the 20 EMA on the 1 minute chart. MU trade 2 At this point I saw that MU was down trending on the 1, 5 and 15 minute chart. I got in at the second touch of the wedge (should have been the third). It dropped a little bit but got bought up quickly after the drops. I didn’t like the price action and got out at break even. CHWY CHWY gapped down on the daily chart. On the 1 minute it did a false VWAP breakout. On the 5 minute it did kind of a reversed ABCD. And it was forming a descending wedge below VWAP and all the moving averages. I was happy with this trade, but it unfortunately didn’t work out. ADBE This wasn’t a wedge play. It looked like a false VWAP breakout. The stock also engulfed on the 5 minute. I decided to take it short below VWAP and under all the ma’s. my target here was LOD and my stop was the break of VWAP and the 20 EMA. ROKU ROKU was making a reversed ABCD on the 15 minute chart. On the 1 minute it made a descending wedge and on the 5 minute it had started a downtrend. My entry was at the flat bottom of the wedge, wich was also a new 5 minute and 15 minute new low. After a couple minutes it made a huge drop and covered along the way down. This was a great setup. Today I ended at daily goal. My winning trades on OSTK an ROKU were awesome plays. I managed my risk well on the other trades which got at +3R. Finally after a 6 day losing streak a good day in the books.

Greg, I know exactly how you are going thru. I was in SIM for over a year before going live, yet I lost $8K in the first week. Went back to SIM after a month, came back lost $10K more. This is called "addicted to action". My suggestion to you is to read and put to practise Mark Douglas principle in "Trading in the zone"if you haven't read it yet. It is not completely a discipline problem because I considered myself to be very disciplined person. I played very advance electric guitar and bass. I trained many year in free style kick boxing. The kind that your couch pushed the sand bag at your face until your nose broken. You just wiped the blood and continued. I could lock myself up in a room for 4 hours straight to read technical books like Cisco or Juniper. Those books are like eating cardboard. Those skills take serious discipline. But you can see that I am not better than you when it comes to trading because of the instant gratification. However, I realized that trading is psychological in nature. How we trade is a reflection of who we are. If you're frustrated, the stock will creates event that caused you more frustrated. I am stable now for a few months. This morning I trades 2 stocks only and made $800. Most of the time, I trade just one stock and make average $500. Here my suggestions to you. 1. Don't come to the market to try to get something or to fight. Come to the market to look for opportunity. Tell yourself, I don't have to trade today if nothing good. 2. Plan your own trade by join Carlos in pre-market. FYI: Talking about lack of sleep. I left work and got home at 1am PST every day just to wake up at 5:15 to plan my trade and go back to sleep around 9:30am and again wake up at noon to go to work. So I am with you regarding lack of sleep. I've done this 1 1/2 year now. 3. Before market open, do deep breathing exercise by closing your eyes and visualize something fun and happy while taking multiple long deep breath. I ALWAYS nervous before market open. So this will help me relax and not too jumpy or anxious (FOMO). Remember, how we feel will attract the same result to us. 4. I choose "CONSISTENT" over making money. The moment I got my first win, even if it's $50, I shut DAS and my PC down and go to sleep. I don't care how many good stocks are in play. This will reinforce your inner strength because you do what you said you're going to do. It's not easy. But after 2 weeks, it becomes natural. We make habits then habits make us who we are. Be strict with your rule but flexible with you outcome. Everything else you seem to get them in control there. Hope these help. I will add more when I can recall what I did back then to stop this kind of compulsive aka addicted to action. I can tell you this, when your mind is calm and you don't try or struggle to win, the setup will come to you. For me the winning trades are obvious and easy. I see what I need to see and get in right on the money and ride it all the way. In the past I would flip my position 10 times on the same stock without even knowing that it's consilating or being choppy. I just know one thing "I got to win". That's how bad or stupid it was. Looking back I can only laugh at my dump behaviors. I wanted to win at all cost. The market thought otherwise. To me because I did so well in the SIM and when it comes to live trade it did not work, I could not let that happen. I am no where near perfect yet but I am on my way. I wish you the best !!! Johnny