Motivating read to me

From Don Miller's blog

F*C* VISTA!

I was at my parents house today. I got there and was watching a long off 1057.25 which was a long off the days low to the prior highs made after the bounce. I click the buy on the infinity platform and got nothing then again. Well I got a successful send but then I got another one, which sucked. So I was long 2 contracts, which wasn't a bad thing. But my targets we're together and I couldn't separate them without messing around and canceling my orders, which I didn't want to do. Anyways I sat through it and pulled my targets down to plus 3 ticks because I felt somewhat comfortable with the trade.

It sucked because I couldn't manage the trade like I wanted but whatever. I'm not trading on the computer anymore. Nothing but problems and then too add, the mouse is acting slow and quirky and it's messing with me drawing fibs.

Es: +$75

Saw it..took it

I was watching a long off globex lows to highs. Also there was a -23% target 1 tick under the long. I sat and watched hit and took a long off 1027.50 and held it to the daily vwap.



Es: +$100

Wanted More, Got...

...1 tick. I took a long off 1025, filled at 1026. It was from 1022.25 lows to 1028.75 highs. I had 10 ticks but wanted the 1030 target. I should have stuck to my profit target of 6-10 ticks. Putting my target at 1028.50, just under prior highs would have worked great. I moved my stop up to plus 1 tick and got it slammed in my face. I guess the saying is right, "you don't get smarter while in a trade, you get dumber."



Es: +$12.50

Used Patience

I had a chance today at 2 other trades before I took the the one at the end of the day. One long off a support from Friday's low to today high and one short around 1027. I took the bounce off the -23% target off the short from 1027 and got long on a pull back after the new low tick of the day. I had some patience today and sat through the break of the old low by a tick and and we rallied off that. I wanted 6 ticks profit and ended up dragging my order into the market for a profit of 5.



Es: +$62.50

Patience

Should used some patience today with my trade. I took a long at 1022 before 3pm and just sat there watching it do nothing. I ended up closing the position, for break even, because I didn't want it moving against me. Anyways, I should have waited for 3pm and see where some more volume pushed it. I just got tired of seeing it go back and forth by 1-3 ticks and I should have held on to it.

Overall though I am happy with my entries and that I am pulling the trigger and getting in, because "you miss 100% of the shot you never take".

Es: +$0

Coulda Shoulda Woulda

Watching at 1:11am

So I'm sitting here with the es down 10 points from the high at 1007.75 and debating whether or not to take this. It's very tempting seeing these 997's support have been holding. I don't know how tomorrow will look. Just saying I'm tempted here to take a long for a gap fill...

Trying to be right

So lately I've decided to worry more about being right on direction then trying to pick the perfect entry. I don't feel there is need to try and get every tick and worry about it breaking out. So today I just took a long of the 15 min and placed some ambush consolidation between 1001.75 and 1003. Entered at 1002 and sold at 1002.75. Got 3 ticks. Baby stepping back into it.

Es: +$37.50

Been Awhile

Well today I took a trade for the first time in awhile. Work has me on a crazy schedule, but it has been motivating me to get back into trading. Anyways today I got to looking at my charts around 2pm. I took a short at 1000 even after a failed move to get back up to daily vwap. I held on and covered at 997.75 on a new low tick.

So I made 9 ticks in 9 minutes. Definitely motivating as I busted my ass the night before for 7 hours to make $95. Anyways I'm gonna make an effort to try and take a trade as much as I can.

Es: +$112.50

Wild Day

Plenty of opportunity today. Was watching the short at 901.50's. Missed the huge move down in the first 45 mins, which I sat out of. Then tried to take a short at the 50% retracement level of that move. There was also a first test of the daily vwap, but that didnt hold either. I got stopped out for minus 6 ticks on 1 contract. 

I'm going to be using 1 contract for now, because that $150 hit to my account hurts on 1 full stop out.

Es: -$75

Too early...

I feel like I just shorted a minute too early. Took a micro short, which broke out and my stop was 910.75. As I'm typing its at 908. Took a gut shot at that short and it just didn't go my way. 

I really have to stop playing counter trend moves after I feel like I missed the chunk of it. Last night I was looking at a long in 876 area with the prior support and a short at 900.50 coinciding with a gap fill at 901. Today has been the day to buy pull backs and I'm the one looking for the short. Trying to pick tops. Today was bullish, clearly.

Es -$150

Quote of the day

"Failure drives me
Every time I fail
I am that much closer
To succeeding
I am not the best
Till I become my best
Victory is in my heart
If I give my heart
I cannot be beaten
Strive for excellence
Achieve perfection
I cannot be beaten"

Pics of the rig

What I look at:

Left to right. ADX on a 2 min, Emini Addict chat window, continuous Es on 15 min. 4 chart grid with Es on 512 tick with Carter's squeeze indicator, nyse trin on 1 min, bank and sox on a daily 2 min. To the right of that my Infinity futures order window and market internal spreadsheet below that. Then Finally the nyse tick on a 1 min 0, +-500, and +-1000 lines highlighted, and the Es on a daily 233 tick with time and sales opened.

First day back

In a trade now. Got short at 899.75 with 2 contracts. First target hit at 899.25. Riding the second with a stop at 900.25.



Complete chop from the 50% lines long and short. Was 1 tick from getting stopped like 6 times. Ended up breaking out above 900. 

Es: +$0

Good Oops!

Well I've been away from trading for a few weeks dealing with work and school.

I just got done downgrading my pc from vista to xp pro. So now all things are great. I downloaded all my software today and got my order brackets on Infinity back. I placed a few trades on the SIM, but had my live account still open and accidentally made a trade on it. I got my first target hit and ended up with a 5 tick profit. Better lucky than right I guess. 

Too bad it wasn't the trade for 6 points, but thank god it wasn't the one that ended in a full stop out.

ES: +62.50

School and New Job

So far the month off that I took turned out to be a positive. A friend of mine hooked me up with a job, so now the pressure is off with dealing with living expenses. The earliest I have to work is 4 pm so that is perfect, because I don't take new trades past 3pm. 

Also I'm coming up to my last 2 weeks of school. Tests and finals like crazy. I will be training this week as well as studying so I may trade here and there. I'll be trading full tilt once finals are over.

Oops

Well so far I just missed a short because I went to enter into the trade at 842.25 and didnt have quantity selected. Ha, oh well. People on chat said Trade Station had a new high tick of day at the high unlike TOS. That pisses me off. Damn conflicting tick data. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday was my frist day live. Instead of trading I actually needed to finish up my taxes. Options were such a pain in the ass! Anyways I got them done and out in the mail, so no trades.

Today I woke up a bit late because the weather was just horrible and couldnt get up. I got to my screens and sat down and looked like we came close to a gap fill by 2 ticks. I ended up not taking any trades today. I sat back and watched two perfect shorts line up. Just watched, not acceptable. Would have been great trades, because the market feel off about 10 points later in the day. So I'm pretty pissed I watched the first work perfect and then again the second time. Below is the chart.

Today's Results

ES: +0

Switching Broker

I just got back from my trip to Atlantic City for my 21st. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately on the way I want to approach my trading. First off I'm leaving Thinkorswim and going to Infinity for their platform. I'm still a die hard TOS fan and use them for charting and swing trading options. 

I will be using 1 contract now with infinity to get started. I'm planning to moving to 2 contracts with a 6 tick stop still and selling my first at plus 2 ticks. After first target is hit I will move my stop to minus 4 ticks and then trail it up myself as the trade works.

I'm currently reading Trading in the Zone to help me get over my fears I guess of losing money and being wrong. I think that is whats making me not pull the trigger when I feel a trade sets up. I feel like I have come so far since May and I think what's holding me back is all mental. I'm also looking to take on a part-time job on the side because I feel like it's the smart thing to do. My goal is to grow my account and I can't do that if I deplete it to live off of.

My Rules

• No trading between 9:30 am and 10:00 am est
• No trading after 3:00 pm est
• Never widen stop once a trade is placed. NEVER EVER DO IT!
• Trade the 15 minute chart. Don't get caught up in chop!
• Account loss limit is $175 per day. PERIOD!

These are my 5 main trading rules that I follow. I will admit that I have broken my first rule a few times and will record in my journal when I do break any. 

Welcome Everyone!

This is going to be my first time doing a blog. It is going to serve as a trading journal for my trading in the e-mini S&P futures market. I will track my daily performance and thoughts about the trading day here as well as track my overall trading progress. 

I set this up to benefit me and hopefully network with other traders. I think that posting my performance and progress will benefit me greatly. Now lets get it started!