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Mark D.

Mark D. Day Trading Journal - Live 2019

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17 hours ago, Mike B said:

Great entry on that trade. By that time in the day I was emotionally drained dealing with FOMO and missing entries that I just moved to sim.

thanks Mike, i can relate to those kinds of days.

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13 hours ago, Rob C said:

Mark, great trades on UBER and CSCO the last two days. I even took a picture of UBER for my playbook.  A perfect ABCD on the 2min and a perfect bullflag on the 5min. Great entry too. Funny how some the best trades don't actually make us money.  I just had my best trade (based on my score card system) this week. How much did I make? Minus one R on a stop out. 😏

thank you. the market never lets you forget it's all probabilities. i'm still salty about that UBER trade, not the stop out just the sudden huge jump in price. 

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Friday June 17th, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

saw the AMD and MU ORBUs. i didn't want to chase either so i put in limit orders at about what i would have had as my stops and neither got filled. that's ok i'd rather be at 0 than in the red. first trade i took was an ABCD in AMD. took it right at the break to a new 5min high. i risked the recent 5min low not the total low for the leg down because that made my stop too wide. i made a hotkey error and got in for a full position instead of my calculated shares based on my stop so i got out 20% at the previous day high. it ended up reversing from this level and i got stopped out. 

GOOD: planned trade and entry were good. 

RFI: hotkey error. 

MOOD: good

CONSISTENT: yes on the not panicking and reducing to appropriate share size. 

2003922791_AMDABCD1A.thumb.png.80a1e68ec3daffad471e50c7df20a381.png

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took the same trade again about 20 minutes later after it bounced off the $28.00 level for a second time. I immediately realized this was a bad trade. i don't think it was a revenge trade, i was thinking rationally and i checked the other stocks on my watchlist for something else to trade but this was the only one i liked. My mistake was that this was no longer an ABCD but a double bottom so my entry should have been as close to the $28.00 level as possible. the way i traded it gave too wide a stop to get to 2R with the way AMD was trading today. i got out half at the PDH again and then moved my stop up to a new 15min low below VWAP which ended up getting hit. i should have got all out at the PDH but that's just hindsight. 

GOOD: reduced risk when i saw the trade wasn't likely to work. 

RFI: shouldn't have taken that entry so far from my risk level 

MOOD: good

CONSISTENT: yes i adjusted according to the price action. 

463534577_AMDABCD2A.thumb.png.bf9ab23e259eb0adbb79d5f59b31b922.png

1749523022_AMDABCD2C.thumb.png.5fd0c156c11b250a0dfd6400365fd9b0.png

 

What i did good today: no chasing or FOMO

What i did bad today: second trade wasn't really an ABCD setup

What can i do better tomorrow:  make sure to double check profit targets before taking trades to make sure they're probable 

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Week 20 Recap

Not a bad week of trading. Tuesday was the worst day with not taking setups and jumping in too early but the rest of the days were pretty good. Going back live next week because I feel like I’ve reset emotionally and I’m back in control of my trading and ready to start working on taking good live trades.

·         Weekly stats

o   2.1 R/R (Goal: above 2.0) [Previous Week: 2.1]

o   72/84 86% (Goal: above 80%) [Previous Week: 83%]

o   -$68.16 (Goal: $250) [Previous Week: -$52.51]

o   13/21 62% trades with the trend (Goal: 100%) [Previous Week: 74%]

o   6/21 29% Non-optimal Entries (Goal: 0%) [Previous Week: 32%]

o   1/21 5% Letting Losers Run (Goal: 0%) [Previous Week: 11%]

o    2/21 10% No Setup (Goal: 0%) [Previous Week: 32%]

 

·         Highlights

o   Most stats are better than last week which were better than the week before so improvement on entries, setups and stopping myself out.

o   Good controlled trading with the exception of Tuesday.

o   Nice ABCD setups taken this week.

 

·         Ongoing things to work on

o   Still too early on some entries (though much better than the last couple weeks) this was, again, the main reason I lost money this week.

o   Need to work on getting out of trades that aren’t working sooner. Like the ABCD in UBER that couldn’t make a new 5min high.

o   Focus on 5min chart and less on the 2min

o   Limit orders on ORBs to limit chasing.

 

1930330467_erecap.png.bb10bdde84c77a94d907876887f2acdf.png

recap.png.92f90d6ff0b43e13a49a2c012ec50cef.png

 

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Monday May 20th, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

i think my nerves got to me today at the open because the 2min ORBU in T looked really good but i just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger, chalk it up to trading live again after a couple weeks break . I waited for a 5min ABCD setup as well but that fell through too. I was starting to think i wouldn't get any trades today but then i saw AMD making a double bottom so i got interested in taking a position. i ended up getting in on a new 2min high. it wasn't the best entry but pretty good. i was not at all confident in the trade, nerves again. i took off about 75% at 2R and the rest i saved for $27.04 right under the 200 MA on the 2min chart but i had to keep moving it down as the MA moved down and ended up getting out at $26.93. i could have just left it at $27.04

GOOD: took a setup, pretty good R/R

RFI: could have got a better entry

MOOD: good

CONSISTENT: yes. 

1275336982_AMDDOUBLEBA.thumb.png.ccc4c753e574d8b320585b91735d2746.png

164960926_AMDDOUBLEBC.thumb.png.47a8fc1ed32ea9f6ddc98852fa13e3e3.png

 

What i did good today: took only setups, didn't chase or FOMO

What i did bad today: could have got a better entry in the trade i took

What can i do better tomorrow: get better entries. 

Edited by Mark D.
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Great trade, good to see you live trading again. REALLY strong discipline holding through the pull back. Not sure if I could have done that. Also, really good discipline holding until 2R before the first partial. I know I couldn't have done that.

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5 hours ago, Rob C said:

Great trade, good to see you live trading again. REALLY strong discipline holding through the pull back. Not sure if I could have done that. Also, really good discipline holding until 2R before the first partial. I know I couldn't have done that.

thanks Rob. i thought about bailing especially after that big dump at 11 but i figured if i get out now it's about the same as stopping out at breakeven so i might as well hold and see what happens. a lot of that price action i'm not seeing as well because i use range orders and step away from time to time so maybe i would have bailed had i been really watching. i thought for sure i was going to be stopped out right after i got in but glad it worked out. 

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8 hours ago, Mark D. said:

Monday May 20th, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

i think my nerves got to me today at the open because the 2min ORBU in T looked really good but i just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger, chalk it up to trading live again after a couple weeks break . I waited for a 5min ABCD setup as well but that fell through too. I was starting to think i wouldn't get any trades today but then i saw AMD making a double bottom so i got interested in taking a position. i ended up getting in on a new 2min high. it wasn't the best entry but pretty good. i was not at all confident in the trade, nerves again. i took off about 75% at 2R and the rest i saved for $27.04 right under the 200 MA on the 2min chart but i had to keep moving it down as the MA moved down and ended up getting out at $26.93. i could have just left it at $27.04

GOOD: took a setup, pretty good R/R

RFI: could have got a better entry

MOOD: good

CONSISTENT: yes. 

1275336982_AMDDOUBLEBA.thumb.png.ccc4c753e574d8b320585b91735d2746.png

164960926_AMDDOUBLEBC.thumb.png.47a8fc1ed32ea9f6ddc98852fa13e3e3.png

 

What i did good today: took only setups, didn't chase or FOMO

What i did bad today: could have got a better entry in the trade i took

What can i do better tomorrow: get better entries. 

You was good to follow your plan and initial stop loss, that give you to survive the spike in the next 5 minutes and turn in a very good trade.

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Tuesday May 21st, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

i had some personal stuff come up so i had to miss all my pre-market work and the first 15 minutes. when i finally got to trade, the only thing that looked like it was trending was ARRY and it was really extended so i didn't bother messing with it. Plus i just feel off without doing my routine so i thought it better not to take any trades today.

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10 hours ago, Mark D. said:

Tuesday May 21st, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

i had some personal stuff come up so i had to miss all my pre-market work and the first 15 minutes. when i finally got to trade, the only thing that looked like it was trending was ARRY and it was really extended so i didn't bother messing with it. Plus i just feel off without doing my routine so i thought it better not to take any trades today.

Need a really great discipline doing that, I think you made the good choice!

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11 hours ago, Patmartel27 said:

Need a really great discipline doing that, I think you made the good choice!

thanks Pat 

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Wednesday May 22nd, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good, ready to trade. 

first trade of the day was an ORBU in NEO. i did not like the time and sales before getting in but it looked like it was going to break with some movement and it did for a little but then the T&S slowed down and the spread got really bad and i got stopped out for a little more than i wanted to lose. I did not like that i got out at the low of that candle, could have held for a couple more seconds and got out at a better stop. 

GOOD: good setup, good R/R

RFI: bad time and sales. shouldn't have taken this trade.

MOOD: mad about getting out at the low of that candle and not giving it a second

CONSISTENT: yes, got out at my stop

1440013175_NEOORBUA.thumb.png.f321b922a1d50c31412d8372613b2f46.png

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next trade was an ABCD in QCOM. this thing was really flat and not trending but i reasoned if it broke above the MAs on a new 5min high it may start trending up. it did and i got in risking the lowest point of the low move. it broke over to a new 15 min high but as soon as it did it came right back down and i saw that as stops being hit with no buying pressure behind it and i thought about getting out but didn't. then it sold off below the MAs for a new 15min low and i thought this is going to hit my stop i should get out but i didn't and then it hit my stop and i got out.

GOOD: respected my stop

RFI: so many signs saying get out of the trade and i was just too stubborn. also this was too flat to trade to begin with. 

MOOD: mad at myself for being so stubborn about bailing

CONSISTENT: yes, i stuck to my plan.

1979096860_QCOMABCDA.thumb.png.ac187756afe25fb91e774d1b6ac87968.png

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Last trade of the day was an ABCD in TGT. I just wanted to catch a winner but this was so late in the morning, it just fell flat.  took an ABCD and got in on a new 5min high, risking a new 5min low at the daily level. Got stopped out pretty fast. Should not have taken this trade, it wasn't a bad setup exactly, it's just that i was more willing to take a risky trade after i stopped out twice that i'm sure i wouldn't have taken this trade had i been green for the day. 

GOOD: respect my stop

RFI: dumb trade.

MOOD: frustrated. 

CONSISTENT: yes

1779422903_TGTABCDA.thumb.png.0d0f3fff0d211881287ef2c303f7a601.png

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I was feeling really down about my trading today but now that i'm writing this out it wasn't a bad day. yeah i didn't take the best trades today but i respected my stops and took setups and followed my trading plan. I think the only thing i would change is that i should have stopped trading or took a break once I felt mad about getting stopped out in my first trade. I was upset solely because i lost money and that's the worst reason to be upset in trading. I will work more on noticing my emotions when i get stopped out and use that to judge if i should keep trading. 

What i did good today: Took only setups and respected my stops.

What i did bad today: let my emotions about losing money throw me off my trading. 

What can i do better tomorrow: Notice emotions after each trade and decide if i'm in the right frame of mind to keep trading. 

 

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Thursday May 23rd, 2019

Sleep: 7 hours. Mood: good ready to trade. 

i've been thinking about my win percentage now that i've been scaling out and neither my excel sheet nor my Edgewonk journal is calculating what it truly is. for instance this week, i had one winner that i sold in two parts but both my journals show that as two wins. i had no trades Tuesday and three stop outs yesterday so i should have a win rate of 25% but my journals both say 40%. i'm going to start keeping a weekly "real" percent win on my weekly and work on getting that over 50%. 

almost took MU on the ORBD but didn't then thought about taking it on a double bottom but thought it was too risky. I waited for it to come up to VWAP and then make a new 2min low and got in short, i was short bias because it was rising with lower volume so i thought that if it made a new 5min low it would try for the LOTD again. as soon as i got in i realized it was not close to making a new 5min low and it closed above VWAP. got stopped out on a new 5min high. 

GOOD: got out of the trade

RFI: no 5min signal to get in

MOOD: frustrated 

CONSISTENT: yes

1329667865_MUNOSETUP1A.thumb.png.958846a04cef202a42724537c403de33.png

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Took the same trade again except this time i did wait for a new 5min low but i got short right in the face of the MAs and i went too heavy and got stopped out again. stubborn trading trying to revenge trade the same short again. at least i waited for a new 5min low this time.

GOOD: waited for a new 5min low

RFI: shouldn't have tried that trade again

MOOD: dissappointed in myself for trying another short above VWAP and the MAs, just being stubborn

CONSISTENT: yes but a little stubborn on my exit. 

283863823_MUNOSETUP2A.thumb.png.3caf22c8a56a4d53e0c316cf9bc89c61.png

1142867116_MUNOSETUP2C.thumb.png.19027133817d1b224ddcbea765a67ebc.png

 

What i did good today: limited losses

What i did bad today: guessing on trades and not waiting for setups. 

What can i do better tomorrow: trade setups. 

Other comments for tomorrow: back to sim unfortunately. there's just no reason to trade live with a win percentage of 17%, i'm just wasting money. i don't like having to trade in sim because the emotions just aren't there but until i can reliably trade my edge there's no point in working on emotions. i'm off until Wednesday which is a bummer but i will regroup and come back next week! 

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I took almost the same trade on mu.

my theory on why the stock actually was not weak as I thought at the moment is, on the 2min the 2 candles with high volume, the first is a kind of indecision candle, the one after also has high volume but a relative small body, these both suggest quit a lot of buying power. Maybe this should have signaled that even with at vwap it could go both ways with no real preference. Meaning don’t get it. What do you think?

 

edit, on edgewonk you need to manually combine the trades that are just partials into 1trade , it’s quit a pain to do this, I don’t really like it and stopped using it, the import also doesn’t work well for me.  still trying to figure out a good way of journaling.

 

Edited by Tommy
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9 hours ago, Mark D. said:

Thursday May 23rd, 2019

i've been thinking about my win percentage now that i've been scaling out and neither my excel sheet nor my Edgewonk journal is calculating what it truly is. for instance this week, i had one winner that i sold in two parts but both my journals show that as two wins. i had no trades Tuesday and three stop outs yesterday so i should have a win rate of 25% but my journals both say 40%. i'm going to start keeping a weekly "real" percent win on my weekly and work on getting that over 50%. 

Other comments for tomorrow: back to sim unfortunately. there's just no reason to trade live with a win percentage of 17%, i'm just wasting money. i don't like having to trade in sim because the emotions just aren't there but until i can reliably trade my edge there's no point in working on emotions. i'm off until Wednesday which is a bummer but i will regroup and come back next week! 

Have you tried Tradervue, it is calculating the win % properly (not counting the partials as separate wins). It is also free for 100 trades in a month. I am using it now as free, as my trades are limited, but soon will subscribe the paid plan. I like it.

17% winrate is not too bad. I think some of the guys make money with just 35% winrate too, as the Wins are huge and losses are small. 

I agree, the emotional part is missing in SIM, I just reduce my size in Real. When I get FOMO then i jump on to SIM (so kind of both, instead of just SIM). Stay Green.

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