May 22 2012 -270 dollars I stoped just because it wasn't working out and I felt poorly.
Well I was hoping today would be different. Started out that way. It's always that question, when to stop. When to stop. Hard to answer. I didn't when I woke felt poorly, because I basically always feel poorly. I have a condition called fibromyalgia. So having a cold, can get masked sorta of. Anyways, once I noticed that my mental attitude wasnt any good I quit. I feel "bad" all the time. But I take medicine, that makes me feel "mentally" better, which helps.
Yah I'm learning through this that I pretty much drift in my trading. I mean, it's so hard to do. I've never come across any stats, or found any of my own, that cause me to win in the end. What I have found is, "IF" and that's a big "IF" I do everything right, from point A to point B, I should come out ahead. Now doing what is "Right" for me means I have to mix in some discretion, and enter the "Devil" stage left lol.
Now that's a very difficult thing to do. Can be done, hard to do. So in an effort to not "drift" so much in my trading I'm going to make the following changes...............soon as I figure out what those changes should be............lol
Can you help answer these questions from other members on futures io?
Last night I was messing with my computer trying to free up more space on my hard drive and messed something up. Resulted in me having to reinstall windows, and every other program I have. It's taken all day, and I'm still not done yet and it's 11:02 pm lol. Careful before you remove something....I hope to be up and running in the morning.
Having a hard time though finding a indicator that I downloaded from here. Anyways...
Ok so Wenesday my computer was down due to my error. I deleted something and ended up having to reinstall everything including windows. That forced me to not even look at a chart for one full day. Which was good. I thought alot about this and I know I make to many trades. So I'm going to refocus in on Pull Backs and BTMAT. Also I've gotten rid of my 60minute chart, and my Daily chart. In thinking about it, it only serves to confuse me, and cause me to hesitate, and to look for to much. Instead of just looking at one chart, and trading one chart. I kept up a 5minute chart, because like Mike, I think to that most trader use them, and therfore by that fact alone they care some weight, if not alot.
Also I kept the 5 minute chart up because I can visually see faster the entire day. If I just use the 150 tick chart I have to scroll and do all that, and you all know how ...well you understand. Also I'm going to just focus in on the IB too. So those three (IB, Pull Backs, BTMAT).
On the chart I posted you can see when the first hour was up by the white vertical doted line. When the first hour is up I mark the two yellow lines at the IB high and low. From that point on, I'm looking for trades to go "to it" or "from it" or "bounce" of it.
So those three core things. IB, BTMAT, PULL BACKS. No trendline drawing, not looking where it "might go" how far it "might go", just the target it the prior swing high. And if it runs really quickly through that, then I'll move my stop to break even plus one.
Now also something I want to tell you guys. I went back for 90 days on a five minute chart looking at the first swing high or low of the day. What I wanted to know was how often does price go throug that swing high to some good degree. In any one day, when prices approach a significant swing high or low, what should I expect? A "Bounce" or " further price defelopment" Well I did this on a spread sheet over 90 days and you have a "0.97" percent change that prices will continue through the swing high, and "not" return back to it. You have an average of 2 times during the day as well that prices will fall away form a 13EMA to a significant degree, and then retest it. This is only over 90 days that I did this. However I have looked back further and feel for me it's sufficent.
Five minute picture added to clarify.
I did real good today just focusing in on these things.
I will update my trading plan to reflect what I've talked about here. And much of it is not to far from what I got now. So shouldn't be much of an update.
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Well I overtraded first off. I can see now looking back what I did. From looking at yesterdays charts I see that on all of my trades basically, price gave me very little heat, and moved away fairly quickly. I'm sure lowering an fear in me. Today however that's not what happen. On every trade I took heat.
The First and Second trade are good. No problems with that. The fourth trade should of never happened. That was me saying "ok it's gonna keep going, and go how far it normally does under this situation". No pull back their. The fifth trade I took a loss on, but only because I got scared and was afraid to lose to much. Had I held, which is what I should of done, my stop wouldn't of been hit, and my target would of. Instead I took a loss, then decided I was right in the first place and got back in on the sixth trade. Which I won, but that's neither here nor their.
I mean I know that holding is something I have to do. I know alot it's going to come close to my stop, but that from what I've seen I should hold, till the next swing high, and often atleast 2 points beyond. So thats what I'll work on next week. Entering trades and staying till I'm either stoped out, or my target gets hit. Or it's painfully obvious thanks have changed drastically like prices crossing the white moving average. Also no over trading.
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Well I wanted to have up some new rules, well not new rules, but just refined rules. But I dont have it finished....and not sure when I will actually. I did trade today, and my objective was to just trade Pull Backs, and BTMAT'. Was hard this morning for me, very choppy, but kept going up. Anyways.....working on my rules still.
This morning pull backs didn't go over so well. I was thinking it would fall and should. But just kept going up. Then eventually it went to the IB LOW. So once it started to go that direction, alot of the times it does go their. So I added 1 contract on a pull back, and that was that. Got what I wanted to.
I'm disturbed by the fact that I can't come up with any rules to live by or die by. The best that I can do is to come up with a template of rules. That sometimes have to be broken, and sometimes followed. Then's its up to me to decided when those times are.
Working on it...
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