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Figured I’d start a journal to keep myself more accountable. I created the trading spreadsheet you see in this image. Have been working with it for several months now off and on. I don’t trade every day, but try to maximize it when I do, obviously.
Anyhow, columns N-AG are the 1-minute bars, AH-AO, the 2-min bars and so on as you can see in row 1. Thursday, took the 1-minute bar signal at the close of the 8:43 bar at Q178 at 7825 on ES. The AG column is a hard-coded ADX formula taken from the 1-minute worksheet on another page in the workbook. My “target” is always open. When that ADX stalls or gets lower, I exit. It keeps me in the trade as long as that number in the AG column increases with each bar (ADX level). I exited this trade at the end of the 8:52 bar for a gain of roughly 4+ ES points.
This signal, as you can see, was confirmed during the trade with the 2-min bars at cell AK184 and the 3-min bar at AS187.
The pink-background cells in Row 1 are my parabolic stop levels in Q1 and AK1, etc.
Great trade this morning. Hopefully I keep it up!!!
Another great trade today with the signal on the 4-min at K182 @ 1:44 pm and the 5-min at about the same time at BA184, both at a price of 1077 short on the ES for a gain of about 3 ES points with the cover at 1074.
Getting some more good info from Brooks' Price Action book over the weekend. Placed a sell stop a tick below the low of the "inverted hammer" at 8:05 on the 5-minute chart (4 bars to the left of the most recent bar in the lower left 5-minute ESignal chart). Stop placed at 7900 even on the ES. Covered at 7675 for 2+ points. Even got a headstart on my 1-minute signal in the spreadsheet at cell Q186. 3-min spreadsheet signals about 3 minutes earlier at cells AS183 and AS187 at the price of 7950
Can't completely understand why Brooks is so adamant about having no other indicators than the 5-min chart and an EMA, but it's what we all feel comfortable with. We're our own traders; no one can trade for us.
Anyhow, the Stochastics coming back up off the bottom AND my ADX indicator in the AG column got me to exit when I did. Feels good to get a trade in even BEFORE the open.
Once again, the stochastics (upturn this time) comes through again on the 5-min chart in the lower left, plus the spreadsheet long signal on the 2-min at cell AI179 at the 8:44 timeframe. Long at 8375. Held the trade as long as the ADX remains climbing in column AO. Stalled at 66 at cell AO189. Exited at 8775 for a gain of 4 ES points.
Jeez... talk about pulling teeth (in daytrading terms)... signal took about 15 minutes to be fruitful -- I'm used to seconds, not minutes LOL.
Anyhow, shorted the low of that semi Barb Wire pattern coinciding with the spreadsheet signal on the 3-min column at cell AS177. Used a 5550 initial stop.
Covered half the position on the push down to the new low of the day. I'm getting better at having that "exit" button ready AS the market makes that push down. Nothing like givin' 'em what they want; right?
Then moved the stop to a little better than B/E.
Covered the other half on the lack of follow-through. Done for this morning (perhaps the day). The gym is calling me!!!
1st half: Sold 5325, covered 4725 = +6.00 points
2nd half: Sold 5325, covered 4875 = +4.50 points
Well, came back from the gym. Don't ALWAYS trade again, but today was almost irresistable. Talk about a "trend day." 2nd trade almost a repeat of the 1st trade this morning.
Entered at 4450 short on ES just after the noon hour (I'm on Pacific time, so the last hour of the day). Covered into that swoop down -- again -- to a new low, covering at 3900. This time, since the trend was so strong, I resisted covering the remainder and decided to let the 20EMA be my guide. Well, it never really came that near it all the way into the Globex close at 1:15 p.m. Held till about 1:13 p.m. and covered at 3850. This thing's getting pretty weak in here. Was tempting to hold some overnight, but that's a no-no in my rule book.
I've also included a shot of what I call the "15-25-50" page that just shows the colors for those timeframes. The data below my handwritten maroon X's in that sheet is only the data pertinent to today's RTH session. Just ONE green cell in the 15-minute column at 2 hours before the close. Yikers... wouldn't want to be long any stock right now.
Anyhow, to summarize:
Trade no. 2:
Short 4450, covered 1/2 at 3900 = + 5.50
Short 4450, covered 1/2 at 3850 = + 6.00
Took two trades today, a long and a short. Quite the trend day in the opposite direction today!!
Trade no. 1 got me long at 6:59 a.m. (PST) at ES 4775. I was watching that opening “gap trade” that Brooks talks about in his book, but it didn’t look so textbook this morning with ostensibly both sides getting stopped out if tighter stops were used. Glad I didn’t play it “for realz.”
Anyhow, the 4775 entry was basically just post a push up from the 6:55 bar and coincided with the spreadsheet signal at cell AS186. Raised the stop on half the position to 5050 and the other half at B/E. Was stopped out on the half at 5050 at approx 7:14 a.m. Waited for one more push up to the next high and sold into it at 5375 at 7:23 a.m.
Went to the gym. Kinda sorry I didn’t trail a stop on the remaining half – duh – but hindsight’s 20/20; right?
Next trade got me short at approx 12:18 p.m. at ES 6225 off the combo of the signals at cells AK178 and AS183 on the 2- and 3-minute columns. Kind of a risky short in hindsight considering the strength of the trend today – and considering that like yesterday, only in reverse – the 15-25-50 minute sheet stayed GREEN pretty much all day like it stayed RED pretty much all day yesterday. Covered half the position at 12:45 at ES 6050 and the last half at the same price five minutes later.
Results:
Trade no. 1
Long 4775, sold half at 5050 = +2.75
Long 4775, sold half at 5375 = +6.00
Trade no. 2
Short 6225, covered half at 6050 = +1.75
Short 6225, covered half at 6050 = +1.75
Had a decent day today. I, too, was out before all the fun stuff -- well, got a little one in before the close -- I'll post the journal later, but here's a couple interesting screen shots of my system showing the DAILY and WEEKLY as of this evening's close. My original system calculations that are the "brains" of the spreadsheet was originally intended for a daily (swing) type of trading, but my main spreadsheet page is a result of my adapting it for daytrading in smaller, x-minute timeframes.
Anyhow, the two screenshots show the continuation of the swing signal that was generated LAST Friday at SPX 1066 area. The weekly FINALLY registered a SELL at today's close so I'd say look out below on a weekly basis.
