Trader P/L 2006 Questions and Discussion

I'm pretty pissed.

By selling 6 stocks too early, and taking profits too soon, I left $11,800 on the table this week.

I'm averaging 2.7% a week so far.

 

Is that $11,800 (left on the table) assuming you covered the exact top/bottom of each trade?

 

Hey Steve.

That figure is based on the prices of the stocks I sold at today's closing prices.

I sold the stocks in the last 8 days, all for a profit 6% to 30%, but left the above profits on the table.

I got spooked by recession talk, and wanted to raise my cash levels.

 

Ah ok, gotcha.

 

I worded that inartfully.

Just so I'm clear, I sold the stocks (7 of them) over the last 8 days, but would have made an additional $11,800 had I sold them at their closing price as of market close today.

 

I should have lost more than I did this week. I got out of some real losers just in time. I'm lucky and happy.

You don't hear traders ever say that...

I'm just trying to say that in trading it is understood that money will always be left on the table, it's part of the game....

 

anyone else have weeks with wild swings in their P+L ?

I made 1 -2 % on my account this week but had swings

that when added together would have been 8-10 %

whew ...

 

Not for me. I always get every single penny out of each trade and never miss a good trade or take a bad one. Never. We'll maybe I did once or twice a long time ago...................................kidding
"Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda" The Trader's Mantra. Good point.

 

It's just been so chopped out with such narrow ranges this last month it seems, I tend to trade less. I look for good setups and in this type market I'm just not seeing anythnig that great. And it's been frustrating because I'm still spending the time grinding away looking. But it's a reminder to me when there's no major news, or economic reports, or earnings, and it's still summer, it's bound to be this way. So then it's time to trade something other than the index futs. Commodities are good and QM turned out to be a great short this last month.

 

Yeah and I would have been rolling had I shorted every oil stock at the perfect tops and covered them right at the bottom. I left a lot of money on the table, at least 30k could have been made on VLO alone.