A Simple Futures Trading Journal

Discussion in 'Journals' started by 510 Trader, Sep 9, 2020.

  1. Still moving forward which is really nice! Reached my goal early again today and switched over to sim. It took me a few more trades than I wanted but I still got there. I had the right direction and targets today but ended up with some small winners as price pulled back before reaching the targets.

    Where did I shine today:
    • Most important was keeping my losses small!
    • Not being greedy!
      • Being content with reaching the daily goal and not trying to reach $1,000 every day which many times leads me to over trading and giving money back
    Where do I need to improve next time:
    • Stick with my main setups and try not to take aggressive entries so much
      • IOW focus on better entries
    Here is the recap for the day:

    9.13.20 Summary Pic 1.jpg

    9.13.20 Summary Pic 2.jpg

    I must admit that I like these days where I am done trading early!
     
    #21     Sep 14, 2020
  2. Keep the good work. Sounds like "trying not" to take aggressive entries is really just focusing on your main set-ups.
     
    #22     Sep 14, 2020
  3. One other idea -- ever try recording your trading? I use OBS Studio software to capture my screen and to record my ideas and thoughts (speaking out loud).
     
    #23     Sep 14, 2020
  4. Haven't actually done that! I have another guy that trades with me regular and we bounce ideas off one another and encourage each other thru chat. I've gone thru a lot of trading partners most of them don't last. I will think about the recording. The best trading partner I have had was an awesome trader! We use to talk thru things together live but he retired and left trading for health reasons. If you have a short video of one of your trades, I would love to see it.
     
    #24     Sep 14, 2020
  5. Today was a long, long day. It started last night where I went up $125 on a quick scalp. Then I tried 2 more trades later in the evening and both were losers so I entered the morning session down about $250. I had 2 good setups that just didn't work and got stopped out and was down over $450 within a short time of the open. I got back up to about $250 down and then proceeded to have several losses in a row trying to catch a top while NQ just kept grinding up on me. When will I learn NOT to do that. Now, I was down $850 plus commissions which were beginning to add up. I took a long break and hoped to come back fresh to the charts with a clear mind. I worked myself back to about $250 down plus commissions. Then darted back up to $500 down plus commissions. I took a few more trades and got myself down to about $50 plus commissions where I was content to end the day.

    What area(s) did I shine in today:
    • When I stepped away from trading for a long break after several losses in a row and being down over $850
    • I was also pleased with the way I worked myself out of that deep hole
    What area(s) do I need to focus more attention on the next time I trade:
    • DEFINITELY quit trying to call tops and bottoms
    • Get more sleep - I only had 3 hours last night and decided to trade anyway today which was a mistake!
    Here is the recap for the day:

    9.14.20 Summary Pic 1.jpg

    9.14.20 Summary Pic 2.jpg

    I was very pleased to keep my first losing day to less than 1/2 my smallest winning day! Keep your losers small!!
     
    #25     Sep 15, 2020
  6. Being able to work yourself out of a hole is a confidence builder for sure so you can add that to your "mental highlight reel" when you need a reminder that you can do this. What's up with the 3 hours sleep? LOL! I have some trading hypnosis audio that I use during the middle of the day when I need to recharge and get my mind right. Picking tops and bottoms isn't bad, itself, unless you're just guessing and it isn't really a strategy.
     
    #26     Sep 15, 2020
  7. Another typical FOMC day! A day of major roller coaster rides in price action accompanied by a lack of follow thru. My worst day yet in the evaluation! Day where my profits just seemed to follow the wild swings but I was never able to get higher than $150 in profits and ended way in the hole!

    What area(s) did I shine in today:
    • Well, I got a good night's sleep - lol
    What areas do I need more attention to the next time I am trading:
    • Follow my plan - specifically take a break away from the charts when things are not going my way and I have had 3 full sized trading losses in a row
    • Let go of my biases when the chart is clearly telling me something else
      • For some reason I just didn't do this today - Had I traded what I saw and not what I thought I would have had a much better day - Probably not positive but at least not so painful
    • Stop for the day if my losses exceed $1,000
    Tomorrow, I need to keep a close eye on my max trail down limit as it is much less than my daily loss limit!

    Here is the recap:

    9.15.20 Summary Pic 1.jpg

    9.15.20 Summary Pic 2.jpg
     
    #27     Sep 16, 2020
  8. My wife's doctor appointment got changed to early tomorrow morning. It is across town and we will be fighting rush hour traffic so I won't be able to do much trading, if any tomorrow, so I am trading more tonight. So far, I am up $430 less commissions.
     
    #28     Sep 16, 2020
  9. This was my perfect setup but I was eating dinner and taking the dog out for a walk so missed it. 9.16.20 Trade Setup.jpg I am expecting price to drop to 11100 specifically the 11093.25 area
     
    #29     Sep 16, 2020
  10. For to do my journal entry last night. Here is the recap:

    9.17.20 Summary Pic 1.jpg

    9.17.20 Summary Pic 2.jpg
     
    #30     Sep 18, 2020