Rob C

Friday 11/08/2019 I had a well-being score of 7.5/10 this morning. Due to my rule breaking day on Monday I am only trading SIM until my mind is back on track. I took lots of SIM trade this morning with BABA and DIS. I was stopped out on my first trade then I lost discipline immediately. Looks like I am not ready to go back live yet. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, ROKU, MU, DIS and GPS. BABA gapped up but was weak going into the open. I had to wait 49 seconds before the volume came in. Volume was good and an 1min reversed hammer was created. Also, 4.5k was sold at the bid and I shorted when the price dropped below a PM level. My stop was the 188.07 level and my target was PDC. The price did fall about 20 cents, not enough to take a partial, then spiked back. I was able to stop out at the right spot for -1R. So this trade was OK. But I guess my discipline is still not back to normal because I immediately lost discipline and took 5 more undisciplined trades. Yes, there were some winners, but they were undisciplined. My discipline is better when I trade live, but after today I am not sure if I will be trading live on Monday. I still maybe in SIM. What I did good today: At least I started with an OK trade. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for that I am still on SIM this week. What do I need to improve on: I need to get my mind straight and discipline back. Unsure how long it will take. Post Mortem. I decided not to edit my journal entry from this morning and instead I will add to it. After seeing my video of the trade and some reflection I realize this was not a very good trade. Since the trade was entered before 9:31am, I have a rule the stop needs to be 50% farther away than optimal or go half shares. The next stop was the high of PM, which was a 50 cent stop instead of the 35 cent stop (full shares) that I took. If I followed my rules I would not have been stopped out and the price did drop one dollar and thus I would have gotten my 2 to 1 reward/risk. I remember making the decision not to follow my rule. I thought its almost 1 minute from the open....

Thursday 11/07/2019 I had a well-being score of 7.5/10 this morning. Due to my rule breaking day on Monday I am only trading SIM until my mind is back on track. Also, it is day 3 of quitting my five can a day soda habit. I took 1 SIM trade this morning with BABA. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, ROKU, MU, NVDA and BIDU. BABA gapped up and was strong going into the open. With SPY being strong at the open I was long bias. Then BABA dropped a dollar at the open on high volume. So much for my long bias. The price found support at a PM level 186.1 and pulled back. I waited for the pull back and then waited for a movement down again. Then the price ticked down and T/S went read and I shorted with 186.81 (PM level and 50MA-1min) as my stop and 185.65 daily level as my target. The price retraced a bit near my stop but after about 90 seconds the price started to drop. I set a limit order at 1.5R (50% shares) and it was filled. Then a few seconds later it reached my target, but it seemed so weak I didn’t cover and waited. Then I covered another 25% at 3R. Then started the 10 minute wait as the price tested $185 several times. When it finally broke $185 it bounced off the 184.88 level. Then I gave up on a big run and took another partial. Then all out when it made a new 5min high. What I did good today: I was happy with my patience today. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for my +2.5R today. I showed patience on the entry and exit. What do I need to improve on: Though my discipline was OK, I was surprised my nerves were a bit strong for SIM. I need to keep an eye on that to determine when to return to live trading.

I wish I had your discipline Mike.

Wednesday 11/06/2019 I had a well-being score of 7.5/10 this morning. Due to my rule breaking day on Monday I am only trading SIM until my mind is back on track. I also quit soda as a punishment. That is a 5 can a day habit so it ain’t easy. Today is when the withdrawal headache started. I replaced the caffeine with coffee, but I guess there are other chemicals in the soda I am now withdrawing from. I guess it is good I am quitting. I took 3 live trades this morning with MTCH and BABA. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, HAS, UBER, MTCH and HPQ. BABA still looks in play with good PM volume and a daily chart looking to break out. BABA was on my main chart and at the open it did its usual no volume sit. But this morning it was really just sat with no volume and a big spread. While I was waiting I saw MTCH setting up and I placed it on my main screen. MTCH gapped down this morning but the last 15 min of PM it worked its way up passed all the MAs. Then created a nice opening 1min hammer. The problem was I had no good target or stop. So when in doubt I gave it a large stop to the bottom of the candle, which was a level respected in PM. It was odd taking so few shares on a $60 stock. Then the stock moved past a daily level and I bought more shares. This buying into a winner is something I want to practice this week while I am on SIM. But, now I am a bit confused of my stop. The 62.80 level is too close. So I chose the avgcost as my stop. I already have a hotkey for that anyway. The first partial I took quickly because of nerves (even in SIM) of the adding in. I also got a bad fill. Then took two more partials on the way up. The price then dropped hard and I took another partial so I could stay in to my B/E stop. Then the price just touched my B/E and stopped me out. Then it went on to a 5% run in 3 minutes without me. But that is OK I was up 1.7R and if I was trading live would have called it a day. I took two more trades, but that would not have been live on a normal day. Both were with BABA. It was good it was SIM since I guess I needed another lesson about stopping at B/E with BABA. I have had a winning trades that I have a stop order at B/E where it flies through and turns a winning trade into a loser. Same thing today. I had a small winner and I was going to let the stop order exit the trade for me. Then the last instant a huge squeeze in about ¼ of a second and blew through my stop and I was now at flat for the day. Wow. Another good lesson about BABA. I did take another trade with BABA (long when it crossed VWAP) so I finished the day at +1.4R. What I did good today: Traded a new stock I normally would not. I also tried adding in, which worked out OK. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for seeing an improved discipline from yesterday. What do I need to improve on: Watch the B/E auto stops on BABA to close to the open. Stock is too volatile recently.

Tuesday 11/05/2019 I had a well-being score of 7.5/10 this morning. Due to my rule breaking day yesterday I am on SIM until further notice. And I quit drinking soda as a punitive action (ah, dying for a soda). Undisciplined trading today. Took 6 trades, 3 winners and 3 losers and I am red for the day. That really shows lack of discipline. When the discipline kicks in on SIM I will know it is time to return live. Did a lot of tape watching today and learned a bit. I even rewatched my trading video twice to watch the tape again.

Thanks Mike

Worse day in 9 months. A bit ironic I wrote in my monthly summary last night that I hadn’t hit max loss in 9 months. I am not trying to place a blame, though it will sound like it. I had an incident on Friday morning, after the trading session, which completely threw me mentally. I couldn’t focus on Friday and Saturday. But on Sunday I thought I recovered and then traded live this morning. Wow, I wasn’t myself from the moment the opening bell rang. I was breaking rules without any second thought. Finally, when I was down 1.5Xmax loss I was just waiting for the platform to auto liquidate my position as I requested through my broker. But it didn’t happen. I finally hit the panic point and exited my position at 2.5XMax Loss. Of course the stock instantly reversed the moment after I exited my position and went for a big run where I would have made a killing. I then immediately turned off my platform and walked away. Looking back on it now the reversal was a good thing. I shouldn’t be rewarded for breaking my rules. Maximum pain is what should happen. I checked my emails with my broker and I see the request for the liquidation of my position and no new trades when I reached unrealized+realized loss of 1.5Xmax loss. Then I saw the broker saying they can’t do that. Not sure why I missed that I thought I had that risk control for months. I requested it again today and hopefully they are able to comply. I have a reasonably sophisticated way of determining if I am physically able to trade. If what is preventing you is completely in your head it is a bit vague to set limits. I guess if you are not sure if you are ready, you are not. I will be on SIM only until I know I am ready to go back. Hopefully, everyone else fared better today.

Live trading summary of the month of October. An interesting month. I made 34 trades, which is about average. I am flat again for the month (as usual) but I think positively of this month. I was down -8R by the halfway point. I made a few adjustments and I ended up the month up +0.5R. The adjustments I made: First, I switched so I only have one montage. I started taking two trades at once and I was doing well, but I knew that was a bad habit and I needed to stop. Once I did I was better at reading the tape, because I could focus completely on it. Second, was I moved my B/E stop outs by 4 cents (not in my favor). I missed two HUGE runs early in October by the stock dropping down and stopping me out at B/E by 1 or 2 cents and going on for 10R runs. Third, I lowered my R from $30 to $10. I always used a R that was the maximum I could handle mentally. But that is not correct. I need to place it in a sweet spot. High enough I feel I am trading live but not stressed about the money. Actually I am increasing now from $10 to $15 next week. Finally, I set up buttons that automatically setup a limit order at 1.5R for a 50% selling of shares. I take partial profits way to early. With that limit order in and on my screen I have more patience waiting for it. A lot of members of my chatroom set a limit order at 2R, but my data shows that very few of my trades make it to 2R. But 1.5R is common enough to make it worth while. Though I create a score card for each trade, I don’t track it any more on a monthly level. I am glad to say I did not hit the max daily loss on any day this month (and the last 9 months). Goals for November: 1) Don’t go hulk. 2) Learn to control your emotions after a loss. 3) Keep using the limit order on 1.5R 4) Increase risk per trade $15. 5) Keep improving health. 6) Keep making SIM trades on 5/10/15 min ORBs 7) Start taking small live 5/10/15 min ORBs. At least once a week. 8] Take a break with the Van Tharp course for traders. There was one recent chapter actually took a month, working almost every day, to finish. It burned me out for the course and I need a break from it. At least a week, but I am OK restarting in December. 9) Work on being able to manage a trade with a bad entry. Either exit or take shares off the trade to renormalize the risk. 10) Allow a third trade if a previous trade was exited well early for a tactical trade management purpose. 11) Stop out at B/E if price reached 1R and retraced. 12) I can look at P/L window again once the trading session is over. 13) The goal is to make money. Stop caring if you are right or wrong about a trade. If it was a good setup and well managed, you will always be right. Plan for next week. BABA is in play at the open (1min ORBs) but not showing much for the 2/5/15min ORBs. AAPL is only in play for the 5min ORB. MU choppier than usual and only should be a focus if gapping big or unusually high volume.

Friday 11/01/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. Due to my wife having car troubles I was unable to trade yesterday. Today was the last day of my trading month (I always end the month on a Friday). I took 2 live trades this morning with BABA. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, MU, AMD, ANET and PINS. I didn’t take PINS that seriously because I did not have shares to short. My game plan was brief, no trading before 1min except for BABA. BABA had a good quarter, popped in premarket than dropped and slowly moved back to the positive all in PM. Thus, the daily showed a nice hammer for the day. I had a strong bias that the price will pop at the open and if I could get in when it broke the 179.30 tech level I would go long. 15 seconds before the open I saw a L2 signal and went long. This was a bit too aggressive and not well disciplined. The 180.41 daily level was my target with 178.70 as my stop. Though in normal trading that stop would have been OK but for premarket that was a bit tight and should have at least went half shares. But I went full shares I was so confident. But, looking back that was too reckless. I placed a limit order to sell half my shares just below the 179.80 level which was both a daily and PM level and is at ~1.5R. Luckily the price did pop at the open and my order was filled. Then the price dropped really fast and I should have exited the trade, but thought to set an order at B/E. Wow so much for the stop order, the price flew through my B/E with such a big slide I gave almost all of my profit back in the bad fill. Then the trade looked like a short with this high volume reverse hammer and two very large sells at the bid. I hope that was the reason and not revenge for the bad exit, but I flipped the position and went short. It was a tight stop at 179.02 daily with a target of 177.94. I did place a limit order at the 1.5R to help me be more patient, but the bad exit on the previous trade had me a little jittery. So I sold 50% at 1R. But after that I partialled better, with 25% at 2R (VWAP) and 1/8 shares at 4R (200MA-5min). Then sold the last 1/8 at a new 1min high. I also took a trade with AAPL in SIM for +1R. Score cards (live trades). BABA BABA 81% 87% What I did good today: I can say that both my trade ideas were correct. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for ending the month on a +2R day. I know I didn’t execute well today, so the profit helps take the sting away. What do I need to improve on: Too aggressive on the first trade on the entry and not aggressive enough on the exit. Essentially, I need a lot of work on trade management. But, at least I feel like I am making progress this month.

Wednesday 10/30/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. Nerves were a bit high due to running a little late in the morning so I wasn’t finished with my PM checklist until moments before the open. I was also nervous by my end of the month self-destructive behaviors were going to kick in. I took 2 live trades this morning with MAT and AMD. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, MU, AMD, GE and MAT. My game plan was brief, no trading before 1min except for MAT and only if it breaks all through all the tech levels. MAT gapped heavily up. And it open with a ton of daily levels below and all the MAs above it. So if it could punch through all the MAs above it I was planning to go long with hopes of the price breaking the PM high then there are no levels to hold it back. The price action on MAT at the open was way too wild with 20-30 cent swings every few seconds which is huge for a $13 stock. The price swings started calming down and I was looking for an entry then I saw 18K shares buy hit the ask and I went long. My fill was bad, but expected. I only took a small share size because my stop was all the way down to the 200MA-1min due to the huge price swings. My target was the 13.45 daily level. After about 90 seconds of wild price action the price calm down a bit and I moved my stop up to the 12.80 level which allowed me to increase my share size. Under one second after my fill someone dropped 19k shares at the bid and tanked the price through my stop. But I watched the price being bought up and dropped and bought up over and over. Looks like there was strong support under 12.75 so I held. Was this good discretionary thinking or was this a drop in discipline? Difficult to tell. I think it was a bit of both. The price moved up but I was nervous so I sold 25% at HOPM. But the price moved right through it to my 1.5R target and the limit order was filled. The price was so wild again that I placed a stop order at B/E. B/E was reached soon and there was an expected slide with the fill. Once the trade was over the 5min chart looked very bearish but there were a ton of daily levels below that I was not willing to take another trade on it. Now usually on my last week of the month, due to very high self sabotage behaviors I usually switch to SIM after I make any profit. So my first instinct was to switch to SIM but I held myself back because I like the setup I saw on AMD. AMD had huge volume in PM and I really like that it open the premarket at the PDC then dropped 50 cents then for the last PM hour the price worked its way back to PDC. The first 1min cadle was a doji then it really sold off. Then 3 white 1min candles with HLs. I went long when the price broke all the MAs. My target was the 33.16 level and my stop was the bottom of the candle wick. R/R was only a little over 1 but I liked the look of it. And the T/S was really flying so I was hoping it would keep moving in the same direction. There were huge green buys flying in but the price did not move much. I placed a 1.5R limit order and waited. The price suddenly dropped and that is when I noticed my share size was wrong by 50% (too large). I wish I realized that when I was in the profit I could have shed some shares off, now in the negative find it more difficult. But now my stop out trigger finger was twitchier knowing my incorrect share size and I stopped out at the break of the 32.7 level and not the bottom of the wick as planned. The price instantly reversed on the penny of my stop. I had to walk away from the platform after that because I knew it was going to go back up and reach my target. And I really wish I stopped trading live after my first winning trade. When I came back to the platform I switched my platform to SIM and then took a look at AMD and yep the price had punch through my target. That is when I noticed I forgot to remove my limit order which was triggered as a short. So I had to switch the platform back to live and cover. I did take a nice reversal with AAPL in SIM. I usually don’t try reversals since it always goes bad. So it was nice to have a reversal winner. Score cards (live trades). MAT AMD 86% 76% What I did good today: I can say that both my trade ideas were correct and if properly executed it would have been a profitable day. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for only being -0.7R down today. My self destructive behaviors were in full gear today so I was lucky to get out with not too much damage. What do I need to improve on: Watch the share size this week. Though I usually am quite solid at it, the wrong share size is my most common self sabotage weapon I use against myself.

Tuesday 10/29/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. PG&E (ticker PCG) turned our power back on yesterday afternoon. I took 2 live trades this morning with AAPL. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, MU, ROKU, AMD and GRUB. I actually had a small game plan this morning. Don’t trade AAPL <1min since the last two days it gave false setups <1min. Make sure you wait for the volume to arrive on BABA before you determine direction. And don’t take GRUB on a trade <5min since I have no idea how it trades. Of course I broke the first part of the plan. L I had BABA on my main chart, but I couldn’t help to see AAPL making a perfect setup. It open higher and bounced hard off of a tech level at 249.25 and dropped and made a nice hammer finishing breaking the PCD and going green to red. I couldn’t help it and moved it to my montage but still resisted entering the trade. But, on the montage I saw that all of its >400K volume was small size trades which I really liked. Then finally the last straw, someone hit the bids with a 10K share sale and the whole T/S tape went red. So I shorted with the LOPM as my target and with the 249.25 level as my stop. Luckily the market was good enough to teach me a lesson not to break my trading plan by instantly reversing and getting stopped out quickly for a full –R. I am even upset that I didn’t exit the trade as soon as it went against me since that is what happens when AAPL is no longer in play. It creates a nice 1min hammer than reverses. But no, I apparently prefer trying to be right than making money and held on until my stop. What the chart and T/S looked like when I took the trade: As soon as I exited and thought to myself it looks like a good long now some big buys hit the ask and I went long. I actually got a good fill with $250 as my target and 200MA-1min as my stop. Soon after I entered I created a limit order for 1.5R. The price missed my order twice by 5 cents so I was feeling some anxiety. The price finally filled my order (barely, so I felt lucky). Two minutes later I was feeling shaky about the trade and sold some more shares, then all out at B/E. Thus, I made +1R and finished the day flat. I really liked GRUB as a 5min ORB since it was making an ABCD pattern as well. Since I stopped out for a full –R and broke my trading plan today I was not allowed to take a third trade. Thus, I took the trade in SIM which turned out to be a +3R win. Score cards (live trades). AAPL AAPL 85% 95% What I did good today: Waited for my 1.5R limit order to fill. Sold some shares when I lost faith in the trade instead of waiting for B/E to sell. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful for being flat today. It should have been worse since I didn’t follow my trading plan. What do I need to improve on: Follow my morning trading plan! Must control the FOMO.

Thanks Mike. And I have been very impressed with your discipline and amazing journalling this year.

Plan for week starting 10/28/19. Well PG&E (stock ticker PCG) has cut off our power again starting yesterday. So I will not be trading Monday and possibly Tuesday. Interestingly Friday was the end of 4 weeks of trading this month. Though October is a 5 week month. So at the end of my months I tend to be finished at B/E. I guess my subconscious thought it was on the end of month so I am at 0.2R so far in October. But I was -8R down this month and slowly worked my way back. It should be interesting what happens next week and what week my subconscious thinks it is. Back test data shows AAPL is back in play at the open. But for 1min or sooner ORBs. BABA is also back in play at the open for 1/2min ORBs. MU and ROKU are no longer in play at the open. Due to a shortened week don’t worry about the 5/15min ORBs. If you take one great, if not that is OK. AAPL may be good right at the open, BABA after 1min. Keep $10 risk per trade. Try to set a limit order for 50% shares at 1.5R. Also try and get out at B/E if the price reaches 1R and retraces. Keep trading 5/10/15 min on SIM Continue with the Van Tharp’s Peak Performance Course for Traders. Remember you can take a third trade in a day. Try and take partial profits on the way down as well if you lose faith in the trade. Instead all out at B/E or exit too early.

Friday 10/25/2019 I had a well-being score of 6.5/10 this morning. I took 1 live trade this morning was with AAPL. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, MU, NVDA, INTC and YNDX. INTC was on my primary screen at the open. I was watching and waiting for INTC to settle down and I saw AAPL setting up. AAPL quickly created a nice hammer and I went long when it broke the 50MA which it was respected in the premarket. My target was $244 with my stop at the LOPM. The price moved up reasonably quick as SPY started moving up as well. I took 25% partial at PDC and another 25% at the HOPM. Both partials were planned and were fine. Then I took a poor partial at the 1.5R level. I think just because I am use to taking one there. But had no reason to. Then the 1min chart started forming a really nice wedge with the top at 243.97. I really thought if it breaks that level it was really going to move and I will end the week with a nice 2R trade. It did break the wedge, but quickly fizzled and I exited the trade, shortly there after, when things started looking gloomy. The wedge that formed: Once the trade finished, all the other stocks on my watchlist, either already moved or did not have a setup. After a few minutes I called it quits for the week. I didn’t even take a SIM trade. Score card (live trade). AAPL 94% What I did good today: I like the AAPL trade. I liked I caught the top with a partial profit. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful to get +1.2R today, since the trade fizzled after less than a 2R move. What do I need to improve on: For the most part I liked my trading today.

Thursday 10/24/2019 I had a well-being score of 5/10 this morning. Only 4 hours of sleep again. I took 1 live trade this morning was with AMAT. Lots of gappers this morning. My watchlist today was: AAPL, BABA, MU, PYPL, TWTR and AMAT. TSLA was too crazy for me, so it didn’t make the watchlist. I really liked the daily chart for AMAT. Just before the open the price popped up and found resistance at the last daily level before a lot of open space. Then about 30sec after the open it popped up again and found resistance at the same level. Volume was good but it sat at the level for a few seconds. Then a mild signal appeared in L2. It was only 11k shares, which for a $50 stock is not big, but it was the final signal I needed to go long. But there is an issue, Since we have broken out of a range in the daily I don’t have any target. Also, the only possible stop was 50 cents away at the 52.69 level. So I went small share size so I had the correct risk for a 50c stop. But, I was hoping I may be able to add some more shares later. After 2 minutes the price formed a good level at 52.40, so I can add shares with VWAP as my stop. As soon as I did the price dropped and almost stopped me out. Then a minute later finally broke out a bit and I took a 25% early partial mostly due to nerves and seeing SPY really dropping. But, I should have been more patient because the price continued up and I took another 25% at 1.5R shortly after (which should have been my first partial). Then 3 minutes later I took another 25% at 2.5R. Then the price dropped fast and I thought SPY is finally acting on the price and I exited the trade. I took 3 SIM trades which I am flat. Score card (live trade). AMAT 92% What I did good today: I like the setup on AMAT What I am grateful from today? I am grateful to get +1.4R today, especially since I was long when SPY was plummeting. What do I need to improve on: Add shares on the pull back!!

Wednesday 10/23/2019 I had a well-being score of 6/10 this morning. I took 1 live trade this morning was with AAPL. TXN gapped down and took the rest of the semi’s down with it. So they were my focus. TXN was on my primary chart at the open and side charts were: AAPL, BABA, MU, NVDA and ROKU. TXN open with no direction. I quickly noticed AAPL had lots of volume without any large blocks. I also liked it was bullish going into the open. The price moved up slowly and broke the 242.20 level than the price sat on a spot for several seconds with T/S really moving. It felt like it was a coiled up spring. Then I saw some reasonably large asks in L2 and I went long. Since we are at an all time high I didn’t really have a target but I had a tight stop using the 242.20 level. The price immediately moved a few cents buying up the asks then sat again. I placed a limit order at 1.5R (50% shares) and tried to sit on my hands. About 45 seconds later it filled my limit order. Then a minute after that I was stopped out at B/E. AAPL’s L2 entry signal: I switch to SIM right after the AAPL trade since I really wanted to take a trade with TXN but was really nervous trading it live, even with small share size. So I switched to SIM early today and took a losing trade with TXN (-1R). Then I took two more SIM trades, both winning, to finish my SIM trading positive. (+0.8R). Score cards (live trade). AAPL 94% What I did good today: I liked I caught the L2 signal today on AAPL. What I am grateful from today? I am grateful I switch to SIM early and locked in my live gains (+0.7R). What do I need to improve on: I was happy with my trading today.

Tuesday 10/22/2019 I had a well-being score of 6.5/10 this morning. Feel surprisingly OK for having only 4 hours of sleep Took 3 live trades this morning was with NVDA, MCD and HAS. I liked a lot of stocks in the premarket. I chose AAPL, BABA, NVDA, ROKU, MCD and HAS. HAS was on my main screen, but NVDA set up first. NVDA had gapped up ~1.5% in PM and has strong opening volume. It created a small hammer and went through the MAs. I went long when it broke the HOPM and got a good fill. My target was quite far away at the 202.74 daily level and my stop at the 200MA-1min. the R/R was really large. Then I made a hot key mistake. I meant to press my hot key to set a limit order at 1.5R instead I instantly sold 50% shares at 0.7R. So even though it reached my target I only made 2R. But after that kind of hot key mistake I am really happy squeezing 2R out of it. My next trade was early 5min ORB on MCD. The price created a mini ABCD below VWAP. I was waiting for the new 1min low to go short, than I heard Andrew say he was going short. I usually don’t do well on stocks that Andrew and myself are in the same trade. I did hesitate a second then went short with half share size. Though my target was $200 there were some really strong levels to pull the price down (LOTD and the 201.20 daily level). My stop was the high of the previous candle. As soon as I took the trade T/S screeched to a halt. I got all out before my stop. I do like I bailed on the trade before Andrew announced that he did. I really liked HAS for a 15min ORB. HAS created a small 15min candle that was just breaking through VWAP. The 5min chart looked great with three bullish candles HH/HL. Volume was solid so I went long (half shares) when the price broke a PM level I had marked. I thought the 103.82 daily level above it was weak so my target was the $105 level with the 103.07 level as my stop. To my surprise the price did bounce hard from the 103.82 level and I was quickly stopped out. Investigating after the trade to double check if that daily level was stronger than I thought I noticed my chart was set wrong. It was set for 2 days data not one so the 200MA was in the wrong place. Actually, the price bounced from the 200MA. I wouldn’t have taken the trade at that time if I saw that. The chart I used for the trade (2 days of data). See below for the correct chart. Compared to the chart I should have used which showed the strong resistance obvious. Score cards (live trades). NVDA MCD HAS 87% 93% 91% What I did good today: Lots of good learning today. I traded a 1min, 5min and 15min ORB live today. What I am grateful from today? 33% win rate. A big hotkey mistake and another chart mistake, that both went against me. So I am really grateful I am still up +1.4R for the day. What do I need to improve on: Watch the chart settings. It looks so obvious now that my chart Y scale was off, but I didn’t notice during trading.

Hi Mike, thanks for the note. I did have exiting rules but they have proved incorrect. I analyze the data again and create new ones which again prove to be incorrect. Then I don't trust my rules anymore and take partial profit to quickly. So right now I am trying a "discovery" style, where I will try some different rules, more to teach myself patience and discipline more than optimized for profit. So far so good. Hopefully a more permanent set of rules will be designed from this.

Monday 10/21/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. Was on a >1min restriction this week. Took 2 live trades this morning was with YNDX and ROKU. YNDX, ROKU and AAPL were the stocks I liked the most in the PM. I liked ROKU the most but it was on SSR. AAPL’s daily chart looked great, ready for a breakout. YNDX gapped up big with lots of volume and I liked how it traded last time. Though I liked YNDX the least of the 3, I placed it on my only montage. So I actually traded all of those 3 stocks today. Two live and one SIM. All 3 setup really nicely before 1min after the open and all 3 would have been winners. But due to my 1min restriction I had mixed results. YNDX opened with good volume (but not great) and created a nice hammer and broke a daily level when it finished its hammer. This is my favorite setup. But it occurred less than 1 minute so I waited. After a minute the price passed all the obstacles and there was just open space. It did move 1% from open, but since it gapped 10% I thought t wasn’t extended. So I went long at the break of the 1min wick with 33.68 daily level as my target and VWAP as my stop. The price did move 10 cents in my favor than retraced and I was stopped out (yes by a penny as usual) for a full -1R. But that’s OK I was going to get stopped out a minute later anyway. ROKU had a strong open with OK volume (also not great) but went red to green. I was about 50 cents late to the entry, but I was still in the YNDX trade. R/R was still good even with the late entry. My target was the 200MA-5min with $130 as my stop. I set a limit order at 1.5R (50% shares) and waited. It took a minute to get my limit order filled, but then the price dropped fast and I was out at B/E. A few cents lower it reversed again and reached my target. I took 1 SIM trade with AAPL for +2.7R Score cards (live trades). YNDX ROKU 89% 92% What I did good today: Traded fine with the new DAS setup. I was patuent waiting for my 1.5R limit order to be filled. What I am grateful from today? Not trading in the first minute. Grateful for my -.3R today since I did not trade my best today. What do I need to improve on: Patience. Both setups were just OK. I should have waited for a setup with more volume.

Plan for week starting 10/21/19. I reduced my risk per trade, last week, to $10 and it worked out OK. I changed my DAS setup, this weekend, so I only have one Montage. I am starting to get more comfortable taking two trades at once. I need to prevent that. Back test data shows the usual stocks are no longer in play at the open. AAPLs amazing 15min ORBs from two weeks ago were gone last week. The only stock showing promise is ROKU and only on the 1min/2min ORB. Here is my plan for this week: No trading before 1min after the open I must take at least one 5min ORB and one 15min ORB live this week. If I have not taken either by Thursday I am placing myself on a no first 5min rule for Thursday and Friday. ROKU is worth a chart since it may be in play for 1min/2min ORB. AAPL 5min ORB may become in play later in the week. Keep $10 risk per trade. Try to set a limit order for 50% shares at 1.5R. Also try and get out at B/E if the price reaches 1R and retraces. Keep trading 5/10/15 min on SIM Don’t add to any trade, even winners. Continue with the Van Tharp’s Peak Performance Course for Traders. Remember you can take a third trade in a day. Try and take partial profits on the way down as well if you lose faith in the trade. Instead all out at B/E or exit too early.

Van Tharp Institute Peak Performance Course for Traders Vol 3: How to Control Losing Attitudes Chapter 4: How to use your brain We mostly receive low quality data from the markets. Psychologists estimate that 80%-95% of the information we pay attention to in our heads is total junk. So our thoughts are mostly junk we mistake as reality and the only info we get from the markets is vague concepts that adds more junk to your head. Oh boy! This means that traders do not have direct sensory feedback about their trading performance. Research shows that one of the most important attributes a trader can have is personal control. Only 10%, of the top traders, answered this question true: “I don’t have control over the direction of my life is taking.” 60% of the bottom traders answered it true. There is a large difference between the world and our experience of it. Investment success comes from internally representing events appropriately; it has nothing to do with the events themselves. You trade your beliefs in the markets not the markets themselves. Investment success requires that you develop an adequate internal representation of yourself and the market. Internal models develop through three processes: generalization, deletion and distortion. We generalize what we see or experience in the market. If we believe something about the world we pay extra attention to information that supports that belief. Contrary information is deleted. Deletion reduces the world to proportions we are capable of handling. An interesting experiment performed on distortion. A group was given playing cards and asked to recognize them In the deck there were a few abnormal cards (like a red spade). Many, in the experiment, identified the abnormal cards as normal. Some, even with a long exposure (40x what was needed to recognize a normal card) were still not recognizing the abnormal card. They saw what they expected to see. We see patterns in the charts that we want to see. We have to break through the distortions by analysis. The course now asks to take the answers from the DT (Distorted Thinking) test taken in the last chapter and the answer questions to help you evaluate your internal models. If I answered true on any DT Test question I need to answer questions listed in the course. I only answered true on 3 questions out of 15. That seems like a low number. Not fully sure why I don’t generalize much. I did notice on my trader’s inventory profile, one of the very few positive attributes I had was I take responsibility over my trading performance (or lack of it). Maybe that helps. The question I stated was true: After that one big loss, I’ve been afraid of that market. Q: How does that loss cause you to be afraid? Do not feel in control. Q: How specifically are you afraid? I feel that any trade in that market has a high probability for failure. Q: What is it about the market that scares you? I feel I cannot trust any stock (or the CEO of that company) in that market Q: Does that have to do with the market or you? Both I should always cut my losses short? I answered true. Q:What would happen if you didn’t cut your losses short? Their accumulated sum would be larger than my winnings. Q:Should you always cut your losses short? No. If you have a really good stop and indicators are still in your favor, you may miss the big move. Q:How should you cut your losses short? Ideally at break even. Whenever my account value drops by more than 30%, I get depressed. Q:If your account value did not drop by more than 30%, then you would not get depressed? Is that true? Not necessarily. If I am not seeing progress, or digression that would affect my mood negatively. Q:What specifically depresses you? Not seeing progress over a large time scale. Q:You would be fine if your account dropped by 20% or 29%? If I saw progress in my trading at the same time as the drop, that would be fine. Trying to learn how I internally represent a memory the course ask you to choose a memory that occurred yesterday. Then review it step by step with respect to the submodalities supplied in the course. My memory from yesterday occurred while my family and me were at a pumpkin patch. First the course wants to answer the questions from a visual memory perspective. Was the memory visual? Yes Visualize, did you see the picture? Yes Angle of view? From my eyes Brightness? Darker than I know it was yesterday Color? The memory is in color, but minimally Color intensity? Weak Contrast? Weak Distance from you? Closer than I know what really happen. Focus? A bit blurry Framed or panoramic? Framed Movie or still? Still Number of pictures? ~5 Self in or out of picture? Out Size of central objects? Correct human size Size of picture? ~3X3’ 3-D quality? Good Then you are asked to answer questions on how to remember while using your Auditory system. Did you hear voices? Yes Whose voices? My wife’s and daughter’s Where were the voices located? To my side and behind me Were they clear? Yes Loud? Yes What was the pitch? Realistic Timbre? Realistic Was the rhythm present? Not really Then you are asked to imagine you are on the ledge of a 40 story building, with the wind at you back. Then imagine looking straight down. What were the details from your memory on the ledge, were the feelings intense or weak? Surprisingly intense Was movement present? Yes Was it steady or intermittent? Intermittent Where were the feelings located? Heart pounding How much of your body contained those feelings? Just the chest Were your feelings warm or cool? Cool Did you feel texture? No Rough or smooth? NA Was it flexible or rigid? NA Was any pain present? No These details are called kinesthetic submodalities. Next ask to compare a time that you were stuck versus when you were resourceful. I compared when I was unable to get out of a trade on Etrade and another time I was stuck in a trade on DAS but figured my way out. My memory of both are just visual. Stuck, Resourceful Was the memory visual? Yes, Yes Visualize, did you see the picture? Yes, Yes Angle of view? From my eyes, From my eyes but a closer view Brightness? Darker than I know it was, Darker than I know it was Color? The memory is in color but minimally, in color Color intensity? Weak, normal Contrast? Weak, normal Distance from you? Normal, Closer than I know what really happen. Focus? A bit blurry, still blurry but better Framed or panoramic? Framed, Framed Movie or still? Still, Movie Number of pictures? ~3, NA Self in or out of picture? Out, Out Size of central objects? Correct, Correct Size of picture? Screen size, Screen size 3-D quality? Good, Good

Thursday 10/18/2019 I had a well-being score of 7/10 this morning. Was on a >1min restriction this morning. Took 2 live trades this morning was with ROKU and GIL. ROKU and KO were on my two primary charts with MU, AAPL, and GIL on my secondary charts. I liked KO and GIL, but was nervous trading GIL since I have never looked at the stock before so I had it on a side chart. ROKU open with OK volume and made a small 1min hammer. Then made a bullish candle and I went long at the break of the 50MA-1min. My stop was VWAP and my target PDC. R/R~2. It took about a minute to get stopped out. I keep forgetting I need to trade ROKU like I trade BABA and give it a large stop since it tends to slide through VWAP and reverses a lot. Essentially this is what happen. The price dropped a few cents below my stop and reversed and reached my target. I should have used the bottom wick as my stop. Right after I stopped out on ROKU I looked around and saw GIL dropping back to VWAP. I was hoping to go long after it bounced from VWAP. As I transferred GIL to my main screen I heard Andrew announcing he was going to take GIL. Usually if I take the same trade as Andrew it is usually doesn’t work out well for me. So I hesitated for a second, then decided to take the trade. For some reason I took a really tight stop (at the end of the wick). That is not correct and it should have been VWAP. So what looks like I took too many partials, really wasn’t. I took partial profits a t 1R, 2R, and 3R. Then after 3 minutes and 3 rejections of the $25 level I decided to take a large partial if it bounced from $25 a fourth time. It did get rejected and I took a large partial locking in 2R profit. Then seconds later it shot through $25 (figures). I didn’t have many shares left but I decided to squeeze out what I could. Though I caught a 7R run I only made 2.3R I took 3 SIM trades where I am flat. Score cards (live trades). ROKU GIL 83% 88% What I did good today: Setups were fine. What I am grateful from today? Not trading in the first minute. Grateful for my +1R today. What do I need to improve on: As usual trade management. Plan for tomorrow: I plan redesigning my DAS Platform this weekend and work on my Trader Performance course. I am losing the momentum on it.

Thursday 10/17/2019 I had a well-being score of 6/10 this morning. Took 2 live trades this morning was with NFLX. NFLX and ROKU were on my two primary charts. I really liked NFLX was selling off into the open, though I didn’t have a bias. Then NFLX had lots of volume at the open and was strong. In 20 seconds the price moved up a dollar, engulfed the last 1min PM candle and almost engulfed the PM 5min candle. I waited for a break of the 305.84 daily level and I went long. Though I have traded BABA a lot, so I should know better, you need a REALLY clean break with these stocks that always have a large spread. It was just a small break, so I should have waited. My target was the 200MA-1min and 50MA-5min with a long stop down to the 304 level. What the chart looked like when I took the trade: The price instantly reversed on my and hit my stop within seconds. At that moment it looked like a really good short and I flipped my position. My new stop was the 305.84 daily level and I really didn’t have a target since it was just wide open space on my chart. Which I have learned is not a good thing. But there was a 301.67 daily level that could be a good place to take a first partial. The price did move in my favor. But then the price stalled and the one big bid disappeared from L2 so I took a 25% partial. Then there was a really big buy on T/S but the big bid came back. So I had mixed signals. I was right at B/E and I remember my prefrontal cortex trying to convince my reptilian sector of my brain that it is time to get out of the trade for a small profit. But the reptilian part one and I stayed in the trade. I stopped out when I clean break of the $304 level was made and a sizable ask appeared. So actually the setups were fine today. It was my trade management that caused the -1.5R today. Then I made way to many SIM trades. Most of them undisciplined. Score cards (live trades). NFLX NFLX 83% 90% What I did good today: Setups were fine. What I am grateful from today? Stopping out early on the second NFLX trade. What do I need to improve on: Trade management. Plan for tomorrow: No trading in the first minute (except AAPL/BABA and only if they are in play). I need to practice trading in other time frames.

Wednesday 10/16/2019 I had a well-being score of 5/10 this morning. Sloppy trading today. I am grateful I finished at break even. Took 2 live trades this morning was with ROKU and BAC. I really liked both the daily chart on both stocks (ROKU and BAC). Since they trade completely different, it was uncomfortable having them as my center focus, but I did. I also had AAPL on a side chart to look for 10/15min ORBs and YNDX since it had a small pendant forming on the daily. ROKU immediately went green to red, but I was not ready to trade it. ROKU is so choppy I needed to wait for a really strong sense of direction. The plan for BAC was to go long if it broke the HOPM with volume. So I was watching both, then I felt ROKU moved enough to short it. But, it was 75 cents away from the stop (PDC) and ROKU loves to swing way pass tech levels and then bounce. So I gave it a $1 stop all the way 25 cents passed PDC. But, since the target was the 200MA-5min I still had a R/R>3. The price started to move in my favor, but this is where I ran into poor trading. I am not sure why but I took a look at BAC. But, ROKU is the type of stock you need full attention so I shouldn’t even have looked. But, I did and saw I missed my entry and the stock was heading up. I still can’t believe I chased it and got into another trade. Two trades at once is fine for stocks I really know well, but this was not smart. So I went long with BAC as well and got filled 2R above my originally planned entry point. Not sure why I did that. There was no R/R. Now I am in two trades at once so I didn’t feel comfortable setting up my 1.5R limit order with ROKU. So this proves how helpful it is to have that limit order up on my chart. Because without it I went back to my regular MO. I started hitting the sell button like a woodpecker on steroids. Too bad because ROKU did reach my target and I only made 1R. So I am really embarrassed about the BAC trade. It was definitely FOMO. I was just upset I missed my entry so I went long anyway. My stop was the HOPM, which should have been my entry. The price went against me immediately and slowly moved down to my stop over the next few minutes. Of course 2 cents after my stop it reversed and went back up passed the HOTD. I also took one SIM trade. A 10min ORB on AAPL. I made +1R. Score cards (live trades). ROKU BAC 88% 60% What I did good today: I did catch ROKU with a solid setup. What I am grateful from today? For being at B/E after a bad day trading. What do I need to improve on: Really need to limit the two simultaneous trades, unless I really know the stocks well.

It was great you were able to take profit with just one sell. I don't have the discipline to do that yet. I was curious where your potential stop was on this trade?