As far as I know, aphie has 5k for trading 1 ES contract. So, he can't trade smaller. My advice is: get the other, low-risk source of income! Remember even experienced professionals have long flat periods and serious drawdowns. 5k for trading 1 ES is too small acct size IMO. Maybe that's the source of stress - you're afraid to lose 40% of your account.... Futures are moving quickly...
DT, I agree. I think 10k would be a minimum size for each ES contract. I may do NQ for awhile, however the SEC regulations make it extremely difficult and limit the options for a smaller account. It will be tough.
I think 20K per contract is more sane. Slow and easy wins the race. Remember the NQ is more volatile normally, so that usually offsets the $20 vs. $50 debate.
I trade almost stress free, but it took me awhile to get to this point. The key was understanding my system inside and out. Once I did this, stress left.... It's like tying your shoe. You are confident in how to do it, so very little stress ever occurs....
The longer the timeframe the less the stress. Starting out your trading career by trading the futures is like a first-time driver learning to drive a city bus instead of a Volkswagen. Swing trade the less-volatile listed stocks until you get your trading legs.
No need to masturbate here. Market has been doing me for the whole week big time. I wonder if anybody else has a feeling every now and then that it's just mathematically impossible to get screwed like that.
I got some crying towels if you guys want to buy them from me. They are very soft and feel good against the face.