Hi neke, you are paying astronomical commissions there. Compare your commision to this: https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=commission&p=options1 ie. max $0.70 per contract... and can go as low as $0.15 depending on the number of contracts per month.
Perhaps you had better have a BIG re-think of your forecasting system as you seem to be getting worse as the years progress. Why is that you should ask yourself Do you need help ? Is it outside factors being a distraction ? Maybe you are getting bored ? Getting old ? Ill ? Woman trouble ? Kids playing up ? Your system has had its day ? entries or exits ? etc. Anyways - good luck. Hope you can identify your problem and correct it.
IB would certainly save money and Neke should investigate a little further since his commision cost is high. Mine is about 5k per year this year I ended with a + 8%. My objestive is 0.5% - 1% each month and like everyone else I have losing years. With that said I'd like to congratulate Neke in posting his performance. His thread is the best on the entire website and it has been for years. In my modest opinion and very respectfully I believe that you could be less of a gambler and more of a trader. It's understood that you aim for high profits but to go from a 100% gain down to a 4% it is something one would expect from a new trader, not you. With that said I look forward to follow your updates. THANK YOU again for having the big brass balls to post no matter what and do what a the vast majority of your readers can only dream of
Neke, I've been very supportive of your efforts, but there is one thing that I've been mentioning since 2013...it is to reduce your trading fees. You need to switch to a lower commission broker like IB, etc. There is no point in giving away that much money in trading costs to your broker, that's like giving money away for no reason. It is not like your current broker provide you with a better fill or extra services. And good luck in 2016. JB
Actually I get $0.65 per contract at TDA + the $7 fixed ticket cost. I don't really play sub $1.00 options, so will not get much from trading with IB on options. Much of the option cost have come from the variable price (per contract cost).
Period Update for January (1/1/2016 - 1/31/2015) (4 weeks) Some reprieve from last month, up 11.5K (5.6%) Other than the positive addition, there is nothing to rejoice about my trading, as it was bedevilled with errors and violations. Many missed opportunities, and lots of volatility. I will be revisiting the month to see how I can calm down the situation. Code: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Opening Balance: 203,449 Net gain for period 11,461 Cash Withdrawal (0) ------------------------------------------------ Net Balance: 214,910 For the Thread Year 2016 (1/1/2016 - 1/31/2016) Opening Balance: 203,449 Net gain 11,461 (Up 5.6%) Cash Withdrawal (0) ------------------------------------------------ Net Balance 214,910 ----------------------