Just a Day Trader

Distraction season is heating up. Its a repeat of last year. I remember last year, right around now is the time I started feeling that burnout again. Looking at last year stats and write ups, I cut trades down by about 90%. I was transitioning to swing only. And coincidentally, im finding my self in that same spot again this year.  Not necessarily because I want to, but Life is stacking up with chores and things to do and depending on new job if it happens or not, ill have to switch to swing cause I wont be at home at the open. Not to mention getting the house ready for the baby.  So swing trading is back in the mix. I would love to have that 1st 30minutes everyday to get my daytrades in, but if I cant, I cant. The market is not hurting swing traders anymore, clearly. So it may benefit me to be involved in that style of trading again. For the moment anyways, now that I say this the market more than likely wants to pull in and consolidate to make ranges once more.  Until I...

 Focus this week is on keeping watchlist small. Sizing up on adds.  Monday TXN on 1st watch, semi name, breaking out, 9/10. Sizing up at bell if we get the trigger.  Gone at open, no chance, but failed and lost more Other names dropping lower. Indices up, but short names dropped pretty good. Tough to get in though having to wait on pullbacks. No reasons to chase.  BYND pb to bo level and vwap, in on rejection. Market has been ripping higher though. Names im witching are weak though, not super clear conditions. Tape and vol is favorable to downside though.  SQ same case, in as it left lower from vwap and added.  SQ down to LOD and BO level and stuttered. Made 1min hi I took, then it broke lower right away, missed out on huge win.  Split focus on SQ and BYND. Saw tape was jumping up and failing breakdown, market clearly not weak, protected and took half off with tape. Chart never broke above 1 min high. Shooting self in the foot again.  Focus on BYN...

 Not much to work on yet. Taking it day by day, if I get some trades great, if not, well I got other things to do. Only took 3 trades last week. Just need to make sure im waiting for proper cues, not getting ahead of the market.  Monday 5 on watch, 3 gapping away out of play. AMZN might be only thing im looking at today I mean I took my eyes off it for 10 seconds no joke and it exploded. I got it, but not near with size I want. No adds. Just 1 entry I had to chase with market order to get it. Unreal. Looked at TSM for a moment to adjust tape and I looked it it and it was a few points over trigger level. Sucks. But win.  All out too early. Saw tape drip to 1min low, never took place on actual break, out and it made new HOD next tick.  Also because of BP I chose a smaller delta call. If I go too big, I can add a few times then done for the day and I didnt want that. I think I needed to. I only captured 50$ on that trade where as the other call would be up nearly 300$ w...

 Last week was pretty slow. Took it slow. Didnt force nearly anything. Earnings playing out, lots of moves to digest. Will take some time for dust to settle and that is fine. Good for market, overall seeing great things out here.  Last week only took 5 trades. I rewrote trade checklist in a more consistent manner. I took a deeper look at risk plan and discovered what my B setups really are. And how to manage risk on them.  Really last week turned out to be a week I learned how to be better prepared. Just a couple things, but big things overall. Monday Only 2 on watch. There just isnt much consolidation out there. Im following Dans list and seeing if theres things I like alongside him, and really not much, only 1 im ok with trading.  Market gapping up just a bit, no reason to expect trend not to continue.  Nothing Tuesday Plenty on watch now. Market still ripping FCX in and straight out. Great pop into D bo levels, retrace into vwap and VA, excellent bounce and p...

Monday Distraction. New doors here and installing right now. Not prepared for open anyways. 2 names. Watch and wait day.  Didnt trade Tuesday Market still hot. IWM finally breaking out, lots of old bottoming names coming out breaking higher. Market is changing. Long is on.  Weakness off the open on watchlist. Not a thing holding so far Very surprising morning. Only YELP on WL took off, widespread, didnt catch it. Not really day tradable but right on edge. All other 6 fails.  PLBY hour into day finally reclaimed vwap around HTF zones. Saw big buyer under vwap get taken out then price reclaimed vwap and im in.  Market did pull in a bit back to vwap, now seeing bounce. Drifted lower to bot range again under vwpa, still saw decent bids, v slow, market getting stronger, internals not tho. RVOL and option vol is high today. Still reasons to hold, but needs to find it on next pb to vwap or problems.  Cannot add yet. Needs to hold a pb above vwap 1st. Momentum burst see...

Month was an odd one. I dont think I had a single day I spent more than an hour and a half trading. Usually 45min to an hour in I knew I was going to be done. Its just the trader I am finding myself to be. Finding my lane and staying in it. Lots of review work to do here. This month I started keeping track of my A B and C game performance around Trade performance variables, and emotions.  Late last month, I was keeping track of them on a 1-5 scale, but it wasnt consistent enough in record keeping. So I changed it to A B and C, Or just 3 for A game, 2 for B, 1 for C.  I want to retype out everything here to try and solidify it better in my head on what exactly it is im keeping track of.  So for Trade Grades,  Daily Setup     -Clearly, some are A+, some A, some B. If its A or better, It gets an A game grade     -B game is good enough to watch for, but not A grade.      -If I have no business even looking at the name, C game Entry Crit...

  Focus this week is on trading adds correctly     -Cutting adds on warning signs and no momentum     -Letting adds run to take profits under correct conditions      -Cutting for loss asap if fails Going into last week, main focus for my trading is around fear. I need to trust my process better and follow through with the plan. Let the trade be. Let the win run. If loss, cut it, move on, be ready for re entry.  Market itself is quite over ext, going to be tough to see clean and clear breakouts happening. Going ot have to take it a bit slow and deal with less trades. Quality over quantity.  Monday Gap up a bit. Getting hard to see clear setups without chasing. Market needs a reset for me to have better setups. Mostly short setups today so well see what happens. Play it small no reasons to hold for any huge flushes. Buy the dip scenarios overall. C got me good. In on reclaim and engulf of CA and HOD. Completely stuffed to new LOD in second...

 Focus this week is on trading adds correctly     -Cutting adds on warning signs and no momentum     -Letting adds run to take profits under correct conditions      -Cutting for loss asap if fails Monday Premarket gapping a bit lower, super choppy, headed lower with failed break higher into bell. Mainly longs today, but do have a few shorts as well.  ET first to trigger. Nice huge offer lift at open to pmkt range hi and d hi break. In but no add.  Pulled in but added on new pull up and HOD break.  Low priced Energy name, not exactly a huge mover. Great tape so far.  Just building under BO level. Energy sector is hot and very green. Should see something.  Risk can be tightened. Will keep adds on for OG stop.  Held vwap and D level, back to HOD.  Slooow moving. Made it to BO level, waiting. Taking half off doesnt mean much of anything. Got 16 contracts on. Only 5 cents profitable. Gonna end up being tiny win. ...

 Did not trade much last week. Focus this week needs to be on not only cutting momo adds fast, but letting them run appropriately.  Cut for loss is turn asap + 1min recent hi/lo loss +1R cut b/e +2R cut positive +3R cut +1R Or take off on PT 1min hi/lo break Nothing else should make me exit these adds Monday Gapping a bit lower, names on both sides today. Shorts do look better but nothing is spectacular A+ out here.  IBM and C both triggered at bell IBM great attempts but getting stuffed to LOD not losing it yet. C good move higher.  Both completely lost it., Stuffed so hard so fast lower out.  KSS rel weak, came into vwap and htf d and b, stuffed lower saw sell on tape in and added. Needs to lose it, no market help no extra special conditions for sell here.  Cant lose it, seeing good signs stuffing buys lower. Waiting. Market still straight up. Pulled up some And lower again for LOD test. Needs to go or bail.  Spiked up, cut momo,  Got above vwap...