Hi All, I hope to start a trading journal which will track my performance trading the ES contract. I don't know how long it will last. I won't be posting live trades/calls because it might interfere with trade management so instead I will update the journal with screen shots at the end of a trading day/week and you will just have to take my word that those trades were taken. Finally, I am a part time trader so there will be days when I did not trade. Details: Contract Code: ES (E-mini S&P500) Style: Short Term Stop Size: 1.75 point (mental stop) That's all.
goodluck, the mental stop limit falls within the boundaries of 'tick' noise unless its done in a gapping situation where volatility is on your side. 2-3 point tick noise is common.
It takes less time to post a screen image of your broker PnL column in comparison to posting annotated charts of trades taken on the chart considering you said this journal is about tracking your performance. However, doing both (broker PnL column with an annotated chart) will remove all the problems that's associated with other journals here at ET that lacks such. With that said, when you said the following... Stop Size: 1.75 point (mental stop) Does that imply you have an emergency hard stop (e.g. somewhere between 2.50 - 4.00 ES points) just in case your ISP has connection problems, you have computer problems on your side or there's a surprise market event that causes strong parabolic price movement while in the middle of a trade that's mainly managed via a mental stop ??? Surprise market events that can't be anticipated nor planned for, moves the Eminis strongly (fast) in a parabolic like price action do happen a few times each week. My point is that when something goes wrong (something eventually will go wrong) and all you have is a mental stop and nothing else... An emergency hard stop would have minimized the damage of any of the above situations I mentioned that a mental stop can't do because a mental stop is too dependent upon you pulling the trigger before 1.75 is reached. I myself trade with an emergency hard stop and a mental stop...the emergency hard stop is auto set upon entry of every trade and I manage my trades via a mental stop based upon the current price action (not the same mental stop each trade as if the market is the exact same from trade to trade). Mark
In fairness to yourself, and others who may genuinely support your efforts, can you state whether it is "real money" trades or simulations you will undertaking.... there is nothing wrong with the latter, but at least we will know where you are coming from... Thankyou and good luck.
Stops seems tight, a mental 1.75 is just a second away from a 10+ point loss as you sit there wth that deer in the headlights look when a program fires off against you.
Hi, I will make it clear which a real trades and which are paper trades, however real trades will be supplemented with a screen shot of my P/L.
13/06/2008 1 1350.25 Sell LIVE 13/06/2008 1 1348.50 Buy 1.75 LIVE 16/06/2008 1 1359.75 Buy LIVE 16/06/2008 1 1357.75 Sell (2.00) LIVE 16/06/2008 1 1359.75 Buy LIVE 16/06/2008 1 1361.25 Sell 1.50 LIVE 16/06/2008 1 1365.50 Sell 16/06/2008 1 1366.25 Buy (0.75) 16/06/2008 1 1365.25 Sell 16/06/2008 1 1364.00 Buy 1.25 17/06/2008 1 1358.25 Buy LIVE 17/06/2008 1 1359.00 Sell 0.75 LIVE 17/06/2008 1 1360.25 Buy 17/06/2008 1 1358.50 Sell (1.75) 17/06/2008 1 1357.50 Buy 17/06/2008 1 1359.25 Sell 1.75 18/06/2008 1 1345.00 Buy 18/06/2008 1 1346.50 Sell 1.50 18/06/2008 1 1344.25 Buy LIVE 18/06/2008 1 1344.25 Sell 0.00 LIVE 18/06/2008 1 1339.00 Buy 18/06/2008 1 1337.25 Sell (1.75) 18/06/2008 1 1337.75 Sell 18/06/2008 1 1340.00 Buy (2.25) 18/06/2008 1 1343.00 Buy 18/06/2008 1 1344.25 Sell 1.25 18/06/2008 1 1336.75 Sell LIVE 18/06/2008 1 1335.75 Buy 1.00 LIVE 19/06/2008 1 1338.50 Sell 19/06/2008 1 1337.25 Buy 1.25 19/06/2008 1 1337.50 Buy 19/06/2008 1 1337.50 Sell 0.00 19/06/2008 1 1337.25 Sell LIVE 19/06/2008 1 1336.75 Buy 0.50 LIVE 19/06/2008 1 1341.25 Buy 19/06/2008 1 1342.00 Sell 0.75 19/06/2008 1 1338.00 Sell 19/06/2008 1 1336.50 Buy 1.50 19/06/2008 1 1335.75 Buy 19/06/2008 1 1334.00 Sell (1.75) 19/06/2008 1 1334.75 Buy 19/06/2008 1 1335.25 Sell 0.50 19/06/2008 1 1342.00 Sell 19/06/2008 1 1340.50 Buy 1.50 19/06/2008 1 1340.75 Buy 19/06/2008 1 1341.75 Sell 1.00 19/06/2008 1 1345.50 Sell 19/06/2008 1 1346.75 Buy (1.25) 19/06/2008 1 1344.00 Sell 19/06/2008 1 1344.00 Buy 0.00 20/06/2008 1 1327.25 Buy LIVE 20/06/2008 1 1325.50 Sell (1.75) LIVE 20/06/2008 1 1328.25 Buy LIVE 20/06/2008 1 1328.75 Sell 0.50 LIVE 20/06/2008 1 1319.25 Buy LIVE 20/06/2008 1 1320.00 Sell 0.75 LIVE 24/06/2008 1 1326.50 Sell LIVE 24/06/2008 1 1326.50 Buy 0.00 LIVE 24/06/2008 1 1321.75 Buy 24/06/2008 1 1322.50 Sell 0.75 24/06/2008 1 1321.75 Sell LIVE 24/06/2008 1 1321.50 Buy 0.25 LIVE 24/06/2008 1 1321.75 Buy 25/06/2008 1 1328.25 Sell LIVE 25/06/2008 1 1328.00 Buy 0.25 LIVE 25/06/2008 1 1332.50 Sell 25/06/2008 1 1331.75 Buy 0.75 25/06/2008 1 1327.25 Buy 25/06/2008 1 1327.50 Sell 0.25 25/06/2008 1 1328.75 Buy 25/06/2008 1 1329.75 Sell 1.00 25/06/2008 1 1330.00 Sell 25/06/2008 1 1329.25 Buy 0.75 26/06/2008 1 1302.00 Sell LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1302.50 Buy (0.50) LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1302.75 Buy LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1303.00 Sell 0.25 LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1293.75 Buy LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1294.00 Sell 0.25 LIVE 26/06/2008 1 1284.75 Sell 26/06/2008 1 1284.50 Buy 0.25 27/06/2008 1 1281.50 Sell LIVE 27/06/2008 1 1281.25 Buy 0.25 LIVE 27/06/2008 1 1282.00 Sell LIVE 27/06/2008 1 1281.00 Buy 1.00 LIVE 27/06/2008 1 1281.00 Sell 27/06/2008 1 1279.50 Buy 1.50 30/06/2008 1 1287.25 Buy LIVE 30/06/2008 1 1288.25 Sell 1.00 LIVE 30/06/2008 1 1288.25 Buy 30/06/2008 1 1288.50 Sell 0.25 30/06/2008 1 1285.25 Sell 30/06/2008 1 1284.50 Buy 0.75 -------------------------------------------------------------------- No screen shots yet.