Forgot to mention that sim trading the weekly basket strat was the right decision. Looking to tweak this in the new year starting end of the first week in sim account for the next 3 months. Not going to risk anymore capital on it until I see some solid results. Results from this type of strat in sim should not be skewed due to a one time weekly rebalance with MOC orders.
Thanks for sharing and keeping it real. Not enough traders do this. Kudos. Best in 2012. MBA <A href="http://mbagearhead.blogspot.com">http://mbagearhead.blogspot.com</A>
Week ending 1/6/12 +17k Momentum from last few weeks carried into the new year. Still fighting a few bad habits like trying to fade AAPL from 410. Cost me 1400 and kept me under 150k in my retail account. Outside of that, almost everything clicked: pairs, futures, cefs, you name it. This year I am focusing on reducing risk when I have runs like this cause they usually do not last for more then a few weeks. Some may say that is foolish but for me it's what works. I can always get back into trades if I see follow through. If not, there will always be other trades. My retail account started off the year with about 142k and prop right at 140k. I will be drawing 10k / month like last year. Also thinking about drawing more then that if I make more in any given month just to keep my risk in check.
Not a problem. Keeps me on my toes. Hope it helps other traders. Saw your link. Good job there. Wish I had the drive to keep more stats like you; maybe this year I will put forth more of an effort to do so.
Week ending 1/13/12 +14700 Wow, 2 weeks in a row. Must be some mistake. Am I actually learning not to fight the tape? Had a good run in pairs that I have been holding onto since early Dec. With lower volatility and lower volume, keeping risk under control and following disciplines is paying off. Options expiration next week will probably cause some pairs to drift so I will not be adding / removing to any current positions that exhibit this behavior. Futures trading has been going well lately. I have really kept my risk under control in this and have decided to not carry any contracts overnight unless it is being used as a hedge for a long / short portfolio. Even with that I use options to manage the overnight contracts which have been paying off nicely. I am actually up on the year overall with daytrading and overnights combined so I must be working. I am really encouraged by my change in direction. The challenge for me going forward is to keep my ego in check and stick to my plan.
Week ending 1/19/12 +10,300 Keep plugging away. Pairs and directional plays working out nicely. Biggest problem this week is myself and my stupid habit of fading market moves. It cost me 3k on Wednesday and 1200 today in ES. With that said, I am going to do what I was suppose to do weeks ago: open up separate futures account with minimal funding of 5k. I know I am being hard on myself but I fully deserve it. How many more thousands is it going to take for me to realize that being right all the time is not the name of the game. I am really hoping this separate account will keep me in check.
BTW, I just read my post from last week. I jinxed myself on futures. Serves me right! Every time I get confident with them I revert back to bad habits. I guess that is why they say review your journals. Going to read my thread over the weekend to keep myself in check on this good run I am having.
Week ending 1/27/11: +11,500 Not one thing stands out right now as far as what is working; all strategies are contributing equally. I continue staying focused on risk and not letting positions get away from me. I'm not going to let this run get to my ego cause that is when bad things start to happen. As mentioned in a previous post, I took the initiative to open up a futures account for day trading only. I think it is important to keep this separate from using them as a hedge in my long short portfolio. It will help me understand if there is anything there for me personally trading them intraday. The account will be funded with 5k. If I blow up with that amount, I will not refund it. I will post this as an additional line item in the next few weeks.