Dan m Trading Journal

[Daniel Meakin 96]

I'm from the UK and joined BBT about 2 weeks ago after reading Andrews 2 books and have been sim trading since, mainly had red days due to overtrading and not taking proper set ups, I've since worked on this and am currently on a 2 day green streak.

People have spoken about the importance of keeping a journal so I'm giving it a go. At the moment it will just be a record of my trades and and some notes about why i took it, the plan, entries, exits and how i thought it went but may add some more detail to it if necessary, especially once I go live.

I typically take buy/sell in 100 shares with the aim to enter trades with a maximum loss of $10, so risking 10c, but will take less shares if the risk is clearly higher.

I try to practise a variety of setups but always have my main focus on volume price action.

So here goes.

3/7/19

Mood is pretty good, feeling nervous to try to keep my streak alive, as well as knowing I'll be posting the results online..

Things to work on today:

Only taking proper setups that are verified by volume, and waiting for a good entry with a focus on not chasing and then getting stopped out on a pullback.

 

trade 1: 5 min orb on BUD, momentum seemed to be bearish, after the pullback, volume was gaining as price decreased so i entered.

entry was decent on a slight pullback, waited for at least 1 R before my first partial.

shouldve got all out earlier but was convinced it was going to be a false breakout so kept my original stop loss and lost most my money gained.

 

Trade 2: MA trend on NVDA, in hindsight I should know this is a bad time for this strategy so shouldnt have taken this. 

even so entry was OK not great but i took half shares, got one partial before i stopped out. not good

 

MA trend on AMRN: already held the 50 on the 1 min and bounced right back, so my entry was good i think.

took a partial slightly early as i got nervous followed by a hotkey mistake before i went all out.

starting to get a bit frustrated but was only slightly red so still okay.

 

 

trade 4: reversal on FB, saw a double top had formed at an even 197, so took this trade early before any moving average crosses to minimise my risk with stop above the top.

think i shouldve waited for the cross and didnt stick to my stoploss so lost a fair bit on this.

 

 

trade 5: VWAP false breakout, saw it broke above VWAP twice and formed a double top at 2 resistance levels. my entry wasnt good, almost got stopped out because i thought it was about to run.

waited a good amount before i started partialling and eventually got stopped out with a good profit.

 

Trade 6: MA trend, stock bounced off the 50 on the 1 min chart with increasing volume so got it, entry was OK for stop losing the 50.

tried to take a partial at 1R and ended up buying more... almost got stopped out then another hotkey mistake.

luckily once PCL broke the stock ran so i made a nice profit. 

definitely time to stop after this since i was making stupid mistakes.

 

overall almost hit my target but stayed in the green...

did brake rules though. going to set physical stop losses for reversals to minimise losses.

still need to work on entries and thinking about is this a good setup.

 

 

[Daniel Meakin 96]

10/7/19

Didn't trade on Friday, Monday or Tuesday because I was at a music festival but now I'm back and just about recovered-ish.

I feel like I've had a fairly long break and not feeling 100% so going to try to take it a bit slower today.

 

Trade 1: 5 min ORB ROKU - seemed very strong at the open with very bullish volume, took some profit at 1 R, then stopped out below VWAP.

 

 

Trade 2: kinda ABCD/trend trade NVDA - saw a pullback with low volume on the 1 min and seemed to have support at a daily level.

 

Trade 3: ABCD on MU: shouldn't have taken this trade, the volume on the pullbacks suggested a reversal but i stayed in it and took some profit before being stopped out.

 

Trade 4: Reversal NVDA - Saw a very high volume bearish candle after some resistance at 162ish so put stop above the 9, almost got stopped out but waited to see if it lost the 9. target was VWAP and took profit along the way.

 

Trade 5: ABCD NVDA - looked like it round some support at 160, got in on a low volume pullback with stop below 160, took some profit at vwap and the 50 but started to lose faith when the volume started increasing with the bears so got out at break even.

 

overall I doubled my target, maybe I should've stopped after I hit it, but I was feeling good and generally was obeying my rules and trading well... I think.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

11/7/19 feel good today after a great day yesterday and a nice relaxed morning.

 

Trade 1: Went for a 5 min orb short on NVDA since it had increasing volume on the 1 min but got stopped out above VWAP. i carried on watching and saw the next 5 min candle engulfed the first, so went long on a pullback on the 1 min and turned out to be a great trade..

 

Trade 2: this wasnt really a setup just went on volume and a break of VWAP, stop loss above VWAP. made a keyboard mistake and bought more when i meant to partial which annoyed me. but still an ok trade and got out completely when volume suggested a reversal.

 

Trade 3: ABCD on NVDA, saw it found support at 164ish so went long once i saw the volume come in. took some partials but got out when the price dropped at brake even.

 

Trade 4: chased a reversal on ROKU. I was frustrated about the last trade i think and brian said something about roku so i jumped in... this is when i know i need to stop because i have fomo..

 

a good day but I think i get frustrated pretty quickly when things don't go my way and then make hasty decisions. - need to work on this

[Daniel Meakin 96]

12/7/19

didn't sleep well last night so feeling a bit rough and anxious for some reason. Feel like i'm going to make mistakes today so going to try extra hard to only take proper set ups.

Trade 1: 5 min ORB on NVDA - first 5 min looked bullish with alternating high vol large white candles and small low vol red candles. almost got a perfect entry but the price moved as i went long.

took partials along the way but was patient with my final exit for a huge profit. definitely my best trade yet. 

 

just because its friday and i doubled my target in 1 trade im gonna call it a day. Feeling good

[Daniel Meakin 96]

15/7/19 

spent the morning moving my trading station to somewhere more comfortable and eager to get into it today

 

aaaand that was awful

Trade 1 and 2: went for a 5 min ORB NVDA once volume started increasing, got stopped out below VWAP. Saw volume increasing in the other direction, got stopped out again above VWAP.

 

Trade 3: saw volume increasing after a bounce off VWAP and this time i was right and got some good profit, almost back to break even.

 

Trade 4: This was a stupid trade was hoping for a continuation but had a crappy entry, very frustrated by this point so then got in again for a reversal and stopped out AGAIN..

 

Trade 6: tried to get into NVDA again for a bounce off the 20 EMA, got stopped out.

 

Trade 7: Tried AGAIN once it came back... got stopped out and took a reversal without any moving average crosses, and got stopped out AGAIN. 

 

Really really terrible day, was 1 for 9 and my worse loss yet. gonna go away and come back and try to look for some proper set ups.

 

took 2 more trades on NVDA, first a moving average trade, then took the reversal after the double bottom formed, making profit on both, slightly reducing my losses for the day but still a really bad day. lots to work on tomorrow

[Daniel Meakin 96]

16/7/19

after a disappointing day yesterday, going to try to be more cautious today. been reading a book on VPA which im going to try to link to my charts as they develop throughout the day...

 

Trade 1: Chased a 5 min ORB and got stopped out... stupid!

#

 

Trade 2: 5 min orb on MU, took one partial then stopped out at break even. took the reversal above VWAP with one partial then stopped out. Getting into trades way to hastily.

 

Trade 4: not really a setup just bearish volume, took one partial then stopped out at break even.

 

Trade 5: MA trend trade on ROKU just a quick scalp courtesy of andrew...

 

Trade 6: heard kurt speaking about trend trades so waited for a low hammer on NVDA for an entry and it worked out pretty well.

 

Trade 7-2000: just putting the 15 min chart in to show how ridiculous this looks. some were scalps on the way up, others were trying to get in fo a reversal and getting stopped out. and although it looks pretty bad i actually made a big profit on it, respecting my stops and then getting in again when the setups were ready so taking this as a win.

 

Overall a very stressful day and i probably over traded and didnt take good setups in the morning. i think when i dont get a good 5 min ORB i tend to jump into things too quickly so in future going to really sit on my hands if i dont get into a good ORB and wait for something to setup. apart from that i was good at taking quick stabs at trades and getting out if its not ready and back in when it was.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

17/7/19 

really bad sleep last night and hoping for a less stressful day today, but still finding myself excited to get into it everyday which is encouraging.

 

Traded like a crack head.

 

Trade 1: really nice engulfing pattern on MU, entry wasn't great just above PCL, with stop loss somewhere below that. took good partials and got out when it started stalling. 

Very good overall trade for me,

 

Trade 2: looked like a false break out. volume to me looked like it was short. didnt go my way so got out. not a terrible trade just got it wrong.

 

Trade 3: This was a false breakout but i think i was long biased because ROKU had such a good day yesterday and expected it to go higher. Took a huge loss from this and got really frustrated.

 

Trade 4: This looked long to me, not really a setup though. If i had a better entry i wouldnt have got stopped out and it actually was long after i got out which was even more annoying but didnt get back in.

 

Trade 5: Waited for a pullback to get into the MA trend. volume still looked like it was bearish but got stopped out as the pullback was too big.

 

Trade 6: starting to really hate ROKU. just moves too fast and since im in sim ive just been sticking in general to 100 share size no matter how big a mover it is. definitely going to go half sizes with shares like ROKU from now on. and again im being long biased which isnt working out for me.

I carried on after this but im not gonna post it in here because i think i went mini hulk so gonna give it a rest for the day and cool off.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

23/7/19

taken the last few days off for personal reasons. Haven't been feeling great after a break up so been feeling sorry for myself and thought best not to make it worse by trading badly.

still not feeling 100% but dont wanna take too much time off.

 

Trade 1-6 LOL. went for a 4 min orb and got stopped out. once it came above VWAP got in again for a nice trade but missed a lot of profit by saving too many shares and missed the peak of the trade.

3: once it went came back above VWAP i went long again. this was stupid as it was a low volume pullback on a down trend. then did the same thing again straight after. Stupid.

5: saw on the 1 min that the price bounced straight off 50 and near the 20 on the 5 min so went long with a good entry for a quick scalp. and then got stopped out at break even.

6:after i was stopped out and the price went below the 50 on the 1 min that it help before i took short for the reversal and made some profit but made a hotkey mistake and lost some money there.

 

Trade 7: Thought MU was bouncing from the VWAP but got stopped out due to a drop with volume. price paused for a minute with low volume so thought a continuation was coming so went short for a nice trade and got out at a daily level. 

 

trade 9: heard brian say he was going long for a reversal on ROKU, i wasnt confident and so sold all my shares in one spike for a very nice scalp.

 

Trade 10: dont really know what i was doing here, and after the price drop with high volume i shouldn't have taken this trade long. i also stopped out late for a big loss and then frustrated i took the reversal without really thinking and that was also a bad idea. should really have a cool off period after a losing trade...

 

Trade 12: tried the same thing again with ROKU twice but with no luck. kept my stops tight though and followed stuck to them well.

 

Trade 14: NVDA broke through VWAP with increasing volume so went long but i missed the move and decided i was too frustrated to carry on so decided go get out at b/e and stop trading.

 

pretty bad day, stopped before i hit my max loss due to frustration but this i think was a good move.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

24/7/19

mad weather in the uk last night, lightning storm and the heat kept me up so feeling a bit rough today. Im off to a festival tomorrow and feeling keen to have a good day before my break. fingers crossed.

 

Trade 1: 5 min orb on MU, wasn't ready yet.

 

Trade 2: a lot of buying pressure on the 5 min and increasing volume on the 1 so went long but stopped out early and missed out on the move

Trade 3: kinda chased this move at first so got out as i was extended from VWAP. got back in after it bounced from VWAP for a quick scalp.

 

Trade 4: ABCD on MU but it went below where i thought the support was, only to do the final leg just after i got out annoyingly.

 

Trade 5: thought this was at a bottom of a pullback, so tried to ride it to the top but turned out to be a reversal.

 

Crappy day again. not sure what i need to work on but ill give it a proper think after my break. 

[Daniel Meakin 96]

30/7/19

not feeling too fresh today but had a while off and need to get back into it before i lose the motivation..

 

Trade 1: went for an ORB on PG on a pullback. it dropped suddenly and i got out, then in and then out again. too volatile and took too large a share size to let it drop to VWAP.

Trade 3: went short once it was about to engulf the first 5 min candle. took some profit then stopped out at break even.

 

Trade 4: went long on a break of VWAP with volume but got stopped out on a pullback and then back in above VWAP for a nice trade. 
I started to notice how im not patient with entries and usually always take more than one try so thought to try harder to wait for pullbacks.

 

Trade 6: Saw MU falling and was currently on an upwards pullback sitting at VWAP so went short. i was 1 penny away from my first partial but annoyingly it never came back and i stopped out.

 

Trade 7: dont really know what I was thinking here tbh. trying to chase on the first one then couldnt tell ya.

 

Trade 9: PFE making lower highs and lows on the 1 min. Got a very nice entry and rode it until it couldn't make a new high, very nice trade.

 

Trade 10: PG rejected VWAP twice so went long and waited for my partials. again nice trade.

 

Trade 11: SSNC had been on a big rise and was consolidating so went long with a tight stop below the support at 49.8 and it just took off so i partialled fast for a scalp.

 

A good day for me in the end after a really bad loss at the start so im happy, and first green day in a while but feel like I was making better choices today. gotta try to keep it up.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

31/7/19

still feeling run down. at my aunts at the moment brought all my computer stuff with me so i can still trade, kinda nice to be in a change of scenery

okay change of scenery not good, made a load of mistakes today and my DAS is being really weird, one not sending orders straight away and 2 not cancelling orders at all... very annoying so im stopping.

Trade 1: 5 min ORB ENPH, got a good entry but chickened out when i thought it wasn't going anywhere.

Trade 2: realised it was moving so got straight back in for some profit and the stopped out at brake even.

 

Trade 3: AMD was really weak and saw a high wick touching VWAP so went short expecting a reversal. took profit along the way but for my last one made a hotkey mistake and added more.

Trade 4: after i was out i thought a double bottom was forming on the 1 min so went long with a stop below the support but got stopped out.

 

Trade 5:  me getting chopped up by apple at VWAP lol

 

Trade 6: Tried for the reversal again, never really know where to set my stop for these kinds of trades so i just tend to keep it tight then get back in which i did here. My first partial was another hotkey mistake but apart from that it was a decent trade.

 

Trade 7: AMD rejected VWAP 3 times so I went short, taking one partial then stopping out when it started to look really strong.

 

Trade 8, 9: after AMD finally broke above VWAP i thought it would carry on but got stopped out twice. It did do what i thought it would 5 mins later but wasnt paying attention.

 

 

Quite a frustrating day with some okay trades and some not so good but a lot of mistakes on my part, need to pay more attention to where my fingers are on the keyboard...

 

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Daniel Meakin

[Daniel Meakin 96]

1/8/19

feeling really crap today, dont think ill trade for long if it doesn't go well from the start.

 

Trade 1: 5 min ORB stopped out due to too large share size.

 

Trade 2: 5 min ORB on AMD, entry wasnt great because i was trading SPWR but turned out to be a nice trade. 

 

Trade 3: dont know what i was doing here guess i thought it would bounce. feel like a hot mess tbh

 

Trade 4/5/6: me being stupid. went short, went against me so took the reversal and got stoppped out again. the traded it long and partialled out straight away because i was scared. 

 

Dont feel up to it today and lost a lot... think im gonna go take a nap.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

2/8/19 

feeling better today, got a much better sleep so feeling more positive today, lets hope it makes a difference

and who would have guessued it, a muuuuch better day.

Trade 1: okay this one i just got in because andrew said it was long so not good trading on my part but still got a decent scalp with half my shares.

 

Trade 2: after an engulfing candle and increasing volume on the 1 min i tried to get in on a pullback but got stopped out.

 

Trade 3: This just really looked long to me, had increasing volume with price on the 1, low volume pullback then a hammer forming so i went long expecting a pop but it went against me so i got out. 

 

Trade 4: CLDR was really weak from the open. saw it pop above VWAP and come straight back down, so went short on a VWAP false breakout and had a nice trade, shouldve stayed in this longer because after the pullback i got out on it just kept going down, but i hit well over my 2:1 RR so im happpy.

 

Trade 5: MU was very strong at the open, when it started to sell off i was expecting a VWAP bounce so waited for it to come back up and went long. was hoping for a pop above PCL but it never came. i also accidently added on my second partial so i raised my stop to above b/e.

 

Trade 6: SQ broke above VWAP with alot of volume so i went long on a pullback with a really tight stop, but got stopped out. with was a false breakout, shouldnt really have taken this since it had already done the same thing 30 min previously and bounced off the same level.

 

Trade 7: This was supposed to be a trend trade trying to get in on a pullback but stopped out at the 20EMA

 

Trade 8: a triple bottom had already formed so i went long with a small size, after the 4th bottom formed i was more confident, i drew a wedge and once the price popped above it i added more and it turned out to be a very nice trade and i caught most of the move.

 

Trade 9: trend trade on APHA, saw higher lows and higher highs, waited for the hammer on the 1 min like kurt says and went long with stop below the wick of the hammer. I was near my goal and needed to get off to do something so got out but wouldve let it run until it didnt make a new high. still a nice trade.

[Daniel Meakin 96]

5/8/19

feeling good today, decent sleep and second time back at the gym this morning so im feeling energetic and positive, hoping for another clear-headed day like friday.

This is an odd market day, everything selling off so going to keep share sizes smaller.

a mixed day finished just in the red.

Trade 1: stopped out on a 5 min ORB 

 

Trade 2: BP engulfed the previous 5 min candle with volume but missed the bulk of the move and stopped out.

 

Trade 3: MU decreased with volume, got in on a pull back but stopped out. if i was live i think id stop after 3 losses in a row because i get frustrated.

 

Trade 4: think i revenge traded this/saw it rejected VWAP but stopped out again.

 

Trade 5: CARS bounced at VWAP so went long and got a good scalp, spread was bad or price was moving too fast so didnt get as much as i should

 

Trade 6: MU making lower lows/highs so went short on a pullback but stopped out near VWAP

 

Trade 7: thought SQ had lost VWAP but stopped out.

 

Trade 8: TWTR was struggling at a support level so went long for a reversal. lost hope when it kept holding the 20 EMA on the 1 so switched my position and the support broke so got a nice trade.

 

Trade 9: moving average cross so went long on a pullback for a nice scalp on NVDA

[Daniel Meakin 96]

6/8/19

feel pretty good today but hoping the markets a bit more stable today, looks like it should be with only 1 thing on the gappers at the time of writing.

crack head day thankful im not live :):):):):)

Trade 1: seemed like a good entry for a 5 min ORB but stopped out small size.

 

Trade 2: went for the engulfing crack on NVDA and got a nice trade on this.

 

Trade 3: this was reaaaally bad, went short on a pullback but didnt reduce my share size for being so extended from VWAP and so panicked and didnt stop out so took a huge loss on this trade. really glad i wasnt live for this although DAS would've cancelled this trade once i hit max loss.

 

Trade 4: thought AMD was weak from the open so was expecting push lower from VWAP. i was so keen to make my money back i kept adding more which i shouldnt have done, i had 4 x my max share size in this trade and if it went against me i would've blown up... 

 

Trade 5: ROKU looked like it was reversing with a double bottom. had a trend  line drawn for my stop but made a hotkey mistake on my exit so took another big loss on this.

 

Trade 6: basically the same as the ROKU trade and it screwed me in the same way.

 

calling it a day i wont come back from this and will make stupid mistakes now and get frustrated.