Trading began dec 1,2 & 3 For the week: 8 wins 4 losses 1 BE 61% wins ratio avg $ in/avg $ out = .94 Really had several poorly done trade losses, and one big win, the economic report. But I earned both! I notice several beginners do well for a while, and then have problems. With that in mind I'll think this weekend about making things simpler and clearer. But it's just a process. We'll see!
While paper trading I noticed a pattern of making lots of errors anytime I hadn't traded the day before. I don't think it's just Mondays! So I practiced order entrys, etc., sim trading prior to the open this AM, but even so I'm not seeing anything big enough to draw me in today... and likely will drive the hour into Phoenix to get some work done on the auto and catch up on a few things. Tomorrow is another day. I've also been reveiwing Matcha's journal. *laughing* She seems to out-Brooks Al Brooks! Inspires me to work more at catching on to that perspective. Thanks.
sim trading a ES short 7:30 at 1233 tgt... 1231 stop 1233.5 Out 7:41... thought might fill the overnight gap more agressively. but no... -.5 pt
lopps, i've gotten confused here, will sort it soon Awk! Broke my rules... was thinking I made money last week, and didn't want to embarass myself and loose this week... so I did all the dumb things. going for a walk for a bit.
Read something pertinent this AM in the break... I read an art blog, and someone wrote in asking if it was good to join clubs and get your art out into small club shows. The Sifu dude didn't think so. Here is what he wrote: "Fact is, artists who get into their processes and don't have their heads turned by minor approvals are the ones who get onto the carousel. While there are exceptions, the ones who seldom enter contests are the ones who get the horses. It's all about your life of private study, maintaining flow, serious contemplation, creative progress and minimal distraction. It's all about education. For the most part, this means self-education. In our game particularly, we have to do it ourselves. We now live in the most stimulating and distracting time in history. It's not just our kids who are paying a price for the current cult of instant gratification. Creeping mediocrity is the result and quality is the victim." --Robert Genn's twice-weekly letter Interesting overlap, as I think that is one way of saying what I just did this AM worrying about --in a contest with-- what everyone else would think! Rather that pursuing my do-it-yourself education. Seeking instant gratification. Quality of work being the victim. Well. There are tried and true ways of dealing with this in trading. It's Hooti in the loot or Hooti in the poot today the latter.... deep enough for a ladder *sigh* But I digress ... to the photo finish!
It was long at 8:19, 1231.00 out 8:31, 1228.25 Then Short at 8:36, 1228.50 out 8:49, 1230.75 ...loss of 5 pt's total.
Some of what happens for me is that... on a day off from trading, I study more. Then I come back with all these ideas floating about in my head and I just jump in and out of trades moreso. Part of that jumping in and out is my perception that I really don't know what I'm doing. I can't know what I don't know (now isn't that profound!), so I'd better stick with the trades... ahhh, Geez talked about his 4 setups being the one's his eye just redily picked out. Guess I just really have 2 set-ups like that at this point, maybe 3. So I've spent the time not trading today backtesting and working out better how to do those I do see. Leave everything else for sim trading. Think I've been here before. Perseveration of a sort. Tomorrow ...each trade is a new start.
Sorry no live posts yet today. I got off track with my first order. TOS was going to charge an extra monthly fee to get live chart data, but in addition to my futures acct, which is set up like a business to which the new fee would apply... I have my first acct, which is personal. It is a minimal acct and I tried option trading with it. So to save the new fee, TOS linked the two accts. But the linked accts bounced my first trade... and then things just kept hopping from there. I think it's straightened out now. I did make 3 trades so far, a win, a loss and a BE. Overall down about 1/4 pt. It was unexpected, but I slept way better last night after loosing 5 pointsfor the first time than I did the day last week when I made more than that for the first time. I was more excited by the idea that, yes, I could actually make money doing this, than I was worried by the experience of loosing a chunk. I guess I expected to loose, and I think I can correct loosing easier than finding a way to make it in the first place? At least if I can make money, I have a chance to last long enough to maybe figure out how not to loose money? *scratching head* Not sure how all this is going to work!
hey if you're going to keep at this journal you need to at least learn to spell 'lose' and 'losing'. Either that or only have Wins !