Another frustrading day of hacking

What else can I say here (see previous post). Up was down, down was up. I stopped in the morning for small red day, but came back later to make it worse ugh!

I should quit hacking for no other reason than it's a pain to annotate and it's no joy to journal it. Double punishment for losses.

Contingencies. Agressive vs slower markets. How not to lose my pants.

I know what to do when it goes my way: Take off half at +20%, trail stop on the rest.

I know what to do when it goes instantly against me: Eat it at initial stop. 

What do I do in between? This is I think where I suffer. I skim, I add, I get chopped up. I need to think about how to handle this.

Today another struggle day. Up was down (long setups didn't follow through) and down was up (gappers down were bought hard). Let's think about what that means... profit taking? sustained profit taking? How do I know? How do I trade it? Smaller size? Quicker targets? 

I think the answer here is smaller size and flexible targets.

Smaller gives less emotion. 

If I've lately been going 1.5-2x size for aggressive. Need to drop back to 1x size or smaller.

Watch the volume. Watch the Level 2.

Stick to only the most liquid options so I can hold my levels.

If my trade is stalling at 15%, maybe I should take that vs press for 20% pl tgt, especially in chop. Stops are not a good solution, as I can't always eat the spread. Also psychologically, I don't want to always go out on the worst scenario.

Say something to myself like, this is no longer trending, or, this is not the trend I was looking for. ...and find my way out of the trade. But still, when to give up, and when to hang in? Volume. Level 2. Watch the indexes and other movers.

Lack of aggressive follow through

An interesting thought I heard while watching the videos tonight: trading for an aggressive move, but it doesn't give an aggressive move, means scale back.

My treating technique is rather aggressive. Today the aggressive moves weren't happening. I should have dialed it back.

Losing day to open the year

At the open there were a few good picks. The longs didn't sustain (NIO, FUTU, MT). My only short pick (BABA) was my best trade of the day.  At that point I was down very small on the day. And then I started hacking around... making matters worse. What I did do well, though, was take my stops consistently.

At 2 different points, I realized the market wasn't behaving "my way" and that I should be calling it quits. 

The feeling that the trades I was taking "should have worked". This is the sensation that my techniques aren't winning in this market climate. I need to know to stop pressing. At least step back (paper trade!) while it plays out.

But I didn't want to close red. So I dug the hole deeper. My brain should have listened to my gut! 

As I go back through to annotate charts, it seems so clear that my methods weren't working today. I need to recognize those days. Just paper trade against fomo. 

Small losses are cost of doing business. Big losses end careers.

LESSON: Trust that feeling that the market isn't doing my thing, and take the rest of the day off! When I'm losing, every trade seems like the one that will save me, but in reality I'm off kilter and better to stop the bleed.

29 total exits. 8 wins and 21 losses (28% winners).

Good morning 2021!

First trading day of the new year. Some good picks. StreetSmart Edge crash on the open. 

I didn't want to jump in anyway, so restart/recover.

Good luck!

2020 year end gains/review

An up trading day, thanks/no thanks to TSLA. Perfect setup for a really big breakout. I was down several(!) hundred trying to buy dips and stopping out. Finally it chopped (more nicks/stops/adds) and then launched. In the end, I was down too big on it, so my huge green resulted only net +$250. But glad to be back green. TSLA continues to run like gangbusters, but I got my piece (?somehow) and don't want to enter new today expiration here at 11am. Consolation is I have it in my swing account, so I'm getting paid for the whole move.

Trade of the day was FUTU, +50% average.

Also had PLTR for approx flat.

My account is at an all time high heading into 2021. Baruch Hashem!

Next year, I know what I need to do, TRADE LIKE CLOCKWORK:

Small size

Pay myself first

Tight stop is the right stop

This year was very choppy in my account. I can do better! I can control my postion size. I can use proper stops. I can take my gains... I can 10x my account in 2021. Sounds crazy, I know. But the stats are there. If I do my work right, I can rake it in. 

Happy new year. May it be healthy and peaceful. 

Thinking 2021 goals

I'm deciding whether/which goals to set for my trading in the coming year. 

The one goal which is absolute certain is to trade my clockwork rules: 

- Small size

- Tight stop is the right stop

- Pay myself first. Get my piece and peace!

When I follow these general rules--when I trade like clockwork--I trade well and the money comes. 

Other aspects of my trading are more nuanced. More art than science, maybe. Picking my best setups, waiting for good entries. Scaling out. 

In addition to daily balance tracking and narative journaling, I want to add some analysis on my "stats". I have discovered that I can download my p/l to a spreadsheet so that is an easy way to enter trades. I want to track at least my win/loss ratio and hope to sensibly assess that along (ex: how to handle split/grouped lots) with my $ p/l.

To be continued.

Dopamine overdose

I've hit the point of ecstasy this morning, beyond exuberance! My brain can't handle any more dopamine or adrenaline, or whatever is making this feeling! Between my scalping account and my swing account, I have had a huge green morning. I was jumping around trying to manage all the rocket ships I'm riding. I scaled back/locked some in, and it feels pretty obvious that I am not clearheaded to take any additional trades today. 

Market climate right now feels super hot. Morning scan shows only SPAC/meme stocks making ridiculous moves. Is this what it was like to trade in the 2000 internet bubble? Just rake in money every day? Will it burst? Gives a vibe that only retail is trading this week (preceeding Christmas). I can ride the rocket, rake in what I can, but not stick around. Get MY piece and get the heck out!

I must bring charts, but I need to calm down.

One of the things I'm noticing, in QS and TSLA, I let volatility shake me out and I missed the move I "predicted". How do I contrast that to trades where I am "right" to yank it before the target. In part, it depends on the action. Also, this is why I like to take more than 1 option, so I can scale. In TSLA I was just too scared (too big?). In QS, I was deep green so why didn't I hold?

Premkt, only momos

In the premarket this morning, basically only things in my screeners is momo/meme stocks. I need to take it easy, and definitely stick to next week exprirations!

Green to red.

 Was up pretty nicely in opening surge. Gave it all back. 

My picks were good. Opening surge was good. Greed undid me, I wanted more.

Teriffic day. Flow state

Trading has felt so good lately. Like I'm in a flow state, everything just makes sense. Is this something in me, or is this a state of the market?

In part, I think it's that I'm taking reasonable position sizes and taking acceptable losses. I'm taking my targets and managing my trades just like clockwork. 

I'm not trying to be smarter than the market. I'm synced. It feels good, and I'm raking it in! ...watch out for euphoria! Just stick to clockwork. 

New high water mark

 A great trading day! Took a harsh loss in the morning (clockwork, but ouch), then found several other trades for a really great day. 

Need to post charts, but also need to hustle out right now. 

XPEV, BLNK, VLDR, AAPL, RKT

Best argument for small size and protective stops

9:50am, I'm flying blind!

Schwab wasn't working. I had contingent orders that triggered, but something funky? didn't execute? only registered later?

When I got back in, I closed still green, but lost the bigger gains.

After that, I'm left with close to zero risk appetite. I'm going to keep what I've got and call it a day.

QS put my account in a new league. Momo has left the building.

What a day! I opened with huge gains on QS and I really like how I played that out today.  Put my account into a new league today!

My other trades today were nothing to write home about, except for overtrading and wanting to hit more homeruns. I like what I did in general, but it didn't play out well. 

Also the market dropped out today. A real change in character from the past several days. The momentum left the building. 

Premarket willies

 QS up big premkt and I'm feeling very distracted by it. 

Also, despite yesterday's down day I'm feeling maybe overconfident. Also feeling like there are so many huge moving stocks in my screeners. 

As a result I've started reading https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/ and maybe it's putting me off my game. Or maybe it's showing me where the action is. Feels frenzied like dotcom bubble.

Hacking around in QS for a loss, and an overnighter

 Not proud of how I traded today. Not excited to take QS calls home. Also took home lotto calls on CRWD (of all things?!).

Ugh!

Got my piece, but missed the boat

I really like how I traded JKS today. Wanted it short/earnings. I saw it opening "not down enough" and predicted a huge updraft. I waited that out (prescient!!). Then notched into a short. First trade was excellent. Second try was a pain, bled too slowly. When it didn't make ndl below premkt, I cut it. Spread was difficult and I was done with it.

SPCE really got away without me. I like the trades I took, excluding unintentional oversize, but glad I cut that where I did. Tried again and it didn't work. Then I was too chicken to take it the third time, which would have paiiiid! 

MP was frustrating action on the stock and tough action on the option. First stop loss/loser took a big chunk. But I have to take those and not get too cute so I lose more. Big losses suck, but oversized losses destroy. 

One of the things I did well today that I REALLY like, is I screened my very best picks. These were the only 3. I didn't mess around with jumping into other things. 

20% in 10 min

Today's goal was to hit and run, for 10% and peace. I did 20% in just 10 min. Ba-BAM! 

The past several days I've stuck around, trying to push for more and spent a lot of money and psychological capital while churning my account. Today, all around satisfying.

I had only 2 good picks: DOCU and MRVL. Didn't allow any piddling around in not my setup. Got in. Got my piece. Peace!

CRWD, BA, TSLA recovering yesterday's loss, and a smidge for gains.

Not all gains/losses are equal. Some are emotionally expensive.

Another trying day. In and out of these trades several times. Coulda shoulda taken the real big gains from the open and walked. The rest of the day was churn/give back. 

Market is all time highs, but not getting much volume and not giving good confirmation...equals chop. At least, I should be on the green side of chop!

Big down day

Hacked at PYPL today and it cost me too much. More red than green today. Biggest red on PYPL (both ways again, fml!!), LI, BA, and you know when I'm reaching into SPY I'm overdone.

Winners: JKS (from overnight), BA.

UGH!!

MRNA lotto paid! PYPL ate my lunch

 Took home one dinky MRNA call overnight. It surged like gangbusters on news. Thankfully I applied a lesson learned the hard way and I dumped it on the open. MRNA traded down from there and never looked back, closing huge down on day. Wish I could say I shorted it, but at least I got a gorgeous piece before it tanked.

But then I got "too cute" with PYPL... including trading blind when my system wouldn't load entirely. Gave back about half my MRNA gains. 

A few other tiny +/- trades (NFLX, NIO, JKS). Took home one JKS put.

Clockwork Trading. Closer to my dream.

 

Here it is! Clockwork Trading... the logo at least. As my self discipline is tamed, as my gains become more consistent, I am nearing my goal of starting a real trading business. Trading in an entity and *paying myself*! I can see it coming into reach.

Another day of a thousand cuts.

Red result today. But the day was neither big enough loss to stop nor big enough win to stop. First FUBO calls was too much of a chase. I sacked my day on BNTX loss that was too big (position was too big, gave too much room on failed move). 

What I did do right was wait for the CRWD trade, even though I lost, I first looked at it in the opening consolidation (~9:40) which it failed hard out of. My trade was at 11:06, and I didn't stick around to see what might happen bc earnings later this week, so maybe the big breakout is not going to come. .

Made money both ways today, but couldn't capitalize on any big flush or surge.

LESSON: I've learned this before and I'll eat it again, but when the price breaks out but doesn't follow through, then it's a failure and I need to protect capital tightly.

ANOTHER LESSON: Even though I think I took a good opportunity on CRWD

Charts maybe later. Right now I'm a little fried.