SPY 4 months up, 5 days down

My retirement accounts have had a pretty big drawdown. This move was approximately -10% in 5ish days. Seemed like a fast ride up, but how about that drop!

You can really see all the trading axioms are wise:
Don't try to catch a falling knife.
The market can go down longer than you can stay solvent.
Hope is a 4 letter word.
Trade with a plan.
The market doesn't care what you think.

CRM -30% on nms, disaster on wheels

Hard to tell what I was thinking, in retrospect. This was a shitty setup and a shitty entry. I deserved to lose on this one. Also... putting so much money into it was fucked up. This was a disaster on wheels.

I came in this morning to no good setups. In that case I should walk away or paper trade at most. This was money down the toilet. After 2 days of market dump, should not have shorted an extended gap down. I can't even identify a rationale for the first entry. The second entry was arguably decent. All stops were too generous.

Terrible trade. 3rd red day in a row. I'm obviously losing my mind, not just my money.

SPCE nms = loser

The daily setup on SPCE looks so juicy and I stabbed at it. Earnings today/after, so maybe I shouldn't expect the move today.

Went for puts, initially, with very tight stop. First trade -8%
Then I flipped to calls, which is what I liked initially for daily chart. Rode those, added... for a long time. Didn't take my chance at 10:05, then stopped below lows. Didn't trade like clockwork. I gave it room. I shouldn't be so kind.

Shown below, 2 rt trades.

In addition, I opened 1 2/28 28 put for earnings lotto. UPDATE -53% on lotto put.

V -18% stopped on top tick

Shorted fail of ndh at 30ema, also premkt high. I like the pick, I like my play, and it worked... sort of, in that the stock price dropped by $1... just the option didn't pay. 

AVGO -8% don't hold on hope

Good gap down setup below box, but gapped to 200dma. OK. Have that in mind. Like everything else this morning it gapped down and was bought hard in opening minutes. AVGO intraday weakness caught my eye. After surge, fail, I shorted vwap breakdown. Didn't hit any target and stopped on reduced stop. Another loser, and after I got out it would have been green for me, but I can't try to hold on for that. Holding on "hope" is not Clockwork Trading. I take my stops and keep my peace.

AAPL 2 trades, both losers -25%

AAPL was my prime target today. Losing the daily box and 50ma's was so juicy. It gapped down, dropped like $8 in the first bar, then came back in the next 2 bars. I waited. It stalled near a premarket level so I bought puts on first weakness. Those stopped out.

Second trade, it ran up to another premkt level and stalled. I bought puts when it looked to fail. Stopped again. Ouch.

Monday morning big gap down open

Market opened way down today. Opening was bought up (coincidentally, the gap-up I was watching and passed on, dropped). I did a pretty good job of waiting for the buying to stall before shorting, and keeping my stops. I think I picked well. I think I sized well. I had a Clockwork day, but I lost too much. LESSON: Even if I'm picking right, sizing right, trading right, I need to have a max day loss where I just realize "my" trades aren't working today. And stop pressing into it.

Psychologically I think it was an ok day. I just wish I lost less. How to do this? Stick with my smaller position sizing, I did that right, but I'm thinking of a max account loss percentage. If I get there, stop trading. Forget about the cash I haven't used yet. On a day my method isn't working, better to keep the cash dry.