Not market profile, but time as in time of day. Simply put, and without revealing any secrets: today's structure at that point in time indicated that we would take out today's HOD by the Close. I'm sure if NQ was playing ball we'd be way higher by now. I have a custom model in C# / SQL which does all this for me. Tabulated data and various metrics. Took many years and much $$$ to build. Locking in 9 points here. In this volatility it might be too tight, but no use letting it go all the way back to B/E from here. Let's see if we can go all the way! PS: Next hurdle is 4026.
at this point, it feels like I'm all out of excuses to not get into coding and machine learning. is python a good place to start?
Humbly, I think coding and machine learning are only tools. There's a reason programmers generally don't make good traders. The riddle of the markets can't be solved by programming, but it can sure be a good tool to help you if you know how to use it. Most programmers don't. I hired people to do all my stuff and only know some basic pseudo-code/logic and VBA. If I knew what I know now, then, maybe it would have been a worthwhile investment to spend a few years to learn coding such that I could have done it all myself and had full control.
I agree, there is no substitute for screen time and experience. I'll listen to a 30 year veteran floor trader before I'll ever listen to some new guy who has 1000 hours of back testing. But if I were to do it over knowing what I know now, I'd have tried much harder to become a coder. I did java in college and imo had a pretty shitty professor with a class room full of people who already knew java, and I felt like a total dumbass, and quit. But with more maturity and seeing how learning is a life long journey, it can't hurt to have something like this in your toolbelt, as you mention.
Stopped out for 14.75 points (1 tick slippage) on a trailing stop at the precise moment where I was about to trail it back down to 17.50. One hour left. I still think we have a good chance at the new HOD by the Close, but I'm not interested in playing anymore from here as 4026 can reverse this for today. A new HOD seems more likely, though, but this is a vulnerable spot to enter in the middle of nowhere.