Fri Jan 10 Trade Signal Summary

20200110
Long 2 RTY 1663.5, 1663.5, -0.0, -1.4
Long 3 RTY 1659.0, 1659.0, 1658.3, +3.0, +3.0, +6.3
Short 1 NQ 9023.75, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 9025.25, -2.5
Short 1 RTY 1666.2, -0.0
Short 1 RTY 1666.4, -0.2
Short 1 NQ 9030.0, -0.0
Short 1 NQ 9031.5, -0.5
Short 1 RTY 1667.1, -0.3
Short 1 ES 3283.25, +1.25
Total ES +1.25
Total NQ -5.0
Total RTY +10.4

Thurs Jan 9 Trade Signal Summary

20200109
Long 1 RTY 1665.8+4.0
Long 1 NQ 9004.0, -0.25
Short 1 NQ 9006.0, -0.25
Short 1 NQ 9008.25, -0.00
Short 1 YM 28853, -2
Short 2 YM 28894, 28898, 28897, +12, +20, +7
Total YM +47
Total NQ -0.5
Total +4.0

Wed Jan 8 Trade Signal Summary

20200108
Short 2 NQ 8882.75, 8882.75, -2.0, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1668.4, 1669.0, +0.6, -0.6
Short 2 YM 28687, 28685, +10, +20
Short 1 YM 28694, -0
Short 1 YM 28710, -7
Short 1 YM 28710, +20
Long 2 NQ 8880.0, 8880.0, +2.0, -2.0
Long 1 YM 28552, -0
Long 2 NQ 8877.0, 8876.0, -2.25, -1.00
Long 2 NQ 8874.0, 8874.0, -2.5, -2.5
Long 3 RTY 1660.9, 1660.9, 1660.9, +1.5, +2.6, +1.5
Total YM +43
Total NQ -10.25
Total RTY +5.6

Tues Jan 7 Trade Signal Summary

20200107
Long 1 YM 28550, -0
Long 1 RTY 1556.9, 1555.8, -1.5, -0.6
Long 2 YM 28542, 28539, +20, +11
Short 1 NQ 8851.5, +11.0
Short 1 NQ 8868.0, +8.0
Total YM +31
Total NQ +19.0
Total RTY -2.1

Mon Jan 6 Trade Signal Summary

20200106
Short 2 RTY 1649.8, 1649.8, -0.8, -0.8
Short 1 RTY 1652.0, +4.0
Short 1 NQ 8777.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 8782.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 8786.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8787.0, 8787.0, +5.0, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1652.0, 1652.0, +2.0, +2.0
Short 2 NQ 8803.0, 8803.0, -2.75, -2.75
Short 3 NQ 8806.0, 8806.0, 8806.0, -1.5, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 8805.0, 8805.0, 8805.0, +4.25, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1652.6, 1652.8, -1.5, -1.4
Short 2 NQ 8817.0, 8817.0, +8.0, +10.0
Short 2 RTY 1656.3, 1656.3, +2.0, +1.0
Short 1 NQ 8822.0, -2.25
Short 1 RTY, 1652.8, -1.0
Short 2 NQ 8824.5, 8825.5, -2.0, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 8828.0, 8828.0, -1.75, -1.75
Short 2 RTY 1659.5, 1659.5, +1.4, -0.0
Total NQ -3.75
Total RTY +6.9

Fri Dec 13 Trade Signal Summary

20191213
Short 2 NQ 8472.75, 8472.75, +5.0, +5.0
Short 1 NQ 8497.5, +12.5
Total NQ +22.5

Thurs Dec 12 Trade Signal Summary

20191212
Short 2 RTY 1640.2, 1640.1, +1.0, -1.4
Short 2 YM 28090, 28090, +15, -14
Short 2 YM 28215, 28213, +20, -15
Short 1 ES 3171.0, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1652.0, 1652.0, 1653.0, 1653.5, +1.2, -0.0, -0.7, -0.7
Short 2 NQ 8493.0, 8494.0, -2.5, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1654.5, 1654.5, -1.4, -1.4
Short 1 YM 28220, 28220, +15, +20
Short 2 RTY 1656.3, 1656.3, +1.2, +3.0
Long 1 NQ 8485.0, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 8483.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8472.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8470.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8468.0, -2.25
Total ES -1.5
Total YM +41
Total NQ -13.5
Total RTY +0.8

Wed Dec 11 Trade Signal Summary

20191211
Long 2 YM 27845, 27845, +10, +20
Short 2 NQ 8379.0, 8379.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8382.0, 8382.0, -1.0, -0.0
Short 3 NQ 8386.0, 8386.0, 8387.25, -2.5, -2.5, -2.0
Short 3 NQ 8394.5, 8394.5, 8394.5, +4.0, +4.0, +6.0
Long 2 YM 27861, 27861, -7, -7
Long 2 RTY 1631.5, 1631.5, -0.2, -0.2
Long 2 RTY 1629.9, 1629.9, -0.2, -0.2
Long 2 NQ 8380.0, 8379.75, -0.0, -1.0
Long 1 NQ 8380.25, -1.0
Long 1 NQ 8378.25, -0.0
Long 1 RTY 1628.5, -1.4
Long 2 RTY 1626.0, 1626.0, +2.0, +3.0
Total YM +16
Total NQ -0.0
Total RTY +2.8

Tues Dec 10 Trade Signal Summary

20191210
Long 2 YM 27880, 27880, -8, -8
Long 3 NQ 8340.0, 8340.0, 8341.0, +5.0, +11.0, +5.0
Short 1 RTY 1629.5, -0.1
Short 1 RTY 1630.4, -0.7
Short 2 RTY 1631.1, 1631.1, +0.7, -0.0
Short 1 NQ 8369.25, +4.5
Short 2 RTY 1634.6, 1635.0, +2.0, +0.7
Short 1 NQ 8392.0, -2.0
Short 2 NQ 8394.0, 8394.0, +3.0, +7.0
Total YM -16
Total NQ +33.5
Total RTY +2.6

Mon Dec 9 Trade Signal Summary

20191209
Short 1 YM 28004, -10
Short 2 NQ 8427.0, 8426.25, +2.0, +4.25
Short 1 RTY 1637.0, -0.1
Long 1 NQ 8415.0, -0.5
Long 1 RTY 1635.8, +0.1
Long 1 NQ 8395.0, +5.0
Total YM -10
Total NQ +10.75
Total RTY -0.0

Fri Dec 6 Trade Signal Summary

20191206
Short 2 YM 27958, 27957, +10, -12
Short 5 RTY 1637.8, 1637.7, 1638.1, 1639.7, 1639.8, +.5, +.4, +1.0, +1.5, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 8394.25, +6.0
Total YM -2
Total NQ +6.0
Total RTY +5.2

Thur Dec 5 Trade Signal Summary

20191205
Short 2 NQ 8320.0, 8321.0, +10.0, +5.0
Long 2 RTY 1616.8, 1616.0, -1.5, -0.7
Long 2 RTY 1615.0, 1615.0, +1.5, +0.6
Long 1 NQ 8303.75, -1.0
Short 1 YM 27630, -1
Short 1 YM 27628, +21
Total YM +20
Total NQ +14.0
Total RTY -0.1

Wed Dec 4 Trade Signal Summary

20191204
Short 3 YM 27586, 27687, 27687, +7, -7, -7
Short 1 RTY 1615.6, 1516.3, -1.4, -1.5
Short 2 YM 27611, 27611, 27613, +10, +12, +30
Short 1 NQ 8318.0, +10.0
Short 2 RTY 1618.3, +1.1, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 8302.25, -2.0
Total YM +45
Total NQ +8.0
Total RTY +0.2

Tues Dec 3 Trade Signal Summary

20191203
Short 1 RTY 1594.4, -1.4
Long 2 YM 27423, 27423, +10, -8
Long 2 RTY 1588.9, 1588.9, +2.0, +7.0
Long 1 NQ 8185.0, +10.0
Total YM +2
Total NQ +10.0
Total RTY +7.6

Mon Dec 2 Trade Signals and Journal

20191202
Long 1 NQ 8355.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8354.0, -2.25
Long 3 NQ 8354.0, 8354.0, 8353.75, +7.0, , -2.5, -2.0
Long 2 YM 28008, 28005, -10, -7
Long 2 YM 27997, 27997, -7, -7
Long 2 YM 27971, 27971, -7, -7
Long 2 RTY 1611.0, 1610.8, +1.7, +3.5
Long 2 YM 27890, 27890, +30, +50
Long 1 RTY 1609.7, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 8281.0, +15.0
Total YM +35
Total NQ +13.0
Total RTY +7.2


The beauty of Serial Sequent Fractal Algo is that it's anti-fragile. It exposes core underlying structure even more in volatility. But volatility exposes your entry strategy and stop-loss management to far, far greater risk. So.... you get stopped out... sometimes several times during a move that is otherwise denoted as an exhaustion spike by the algorithm. Stay with it. Have faith in the methodology, and determination to position the signals....

Wed Nov 27 thru Fri Nov 29 Happy Thanksgiving !!

Tues Nov 26 Trade Signal Summary

20191126
Long 1 YM 28047, -7
Long 2 RTY 1520.3, 1520.3, +1.5, +4.0
Long 1 NQ 8370.0, +10.0
Total YM -7
Total NQ +10.0
Total RTY +5.5

Mon Nov 25 Trade Summary and Journal

20191125
Short 1 ES 3126.0, -0.0
Short 2 YM 27963, 27966, -0, -0
Short 2 RTY 1608.1, 1608.1, -1.4, -1.4
Short 1 YM 27876, -7
Short 3 YM 27885, 27883, 27893, +10, -10, +11
Short 1 NQ 8355.5, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 8358.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8360.0, 8360.0, +4.50, -1.25
Short 2 RTY 1612.9, 1613.0, -1.4, -1.4
Short 1 NQ 8363.0, -2.0,
Short 2 NQ 8364.25, 8364.25, -2.0, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1616.2, 1617.0, -1.4, -1.4
Short 3 YM 28002, 28002, 28001, -0, -0, -1
Short 2 RTY 1618.0, 1618.3, -0.7, -0.5
Short 4 RTY 1619.5, 1619.5, 1619.7, 1619.7, +1.3, +1.5, -0.5, -0.5
Short 3 RTY 1621.1, 1621.1, 1621.4, -0.7, -0.7, -0.7
Short 2 RTY 1622.2, 1622.2, +3.0, +3.0
Total ES -0.0
Total YM +3
Total NQ -7.25
Total RTY -3.9

Persistent Trend Days are almost always the hardest to trade. It's the swings that allows us to gauge price returning to possible entry levels, and thereafter, the breakouts that allow us to gauge the potential for exhaustion. But the Persistent Trend Day is often an express train straight out of town... Miss your initial signal opportunities and you're bound to be left behind.. Just so was it today, that even though we were given individual entry opportunities in the YM, the NQ and the RTY, I judged with the breakout and the gap it left behind, that were we already too high up to be buying, even if the entry signals, and thus awaited fresh new price highs after the quick long entry signals to attack with shorts. Oops... As background, I had announced before the opening that it had been awhile since we saw a Persistent Trend Day, and therefore could be due. But that didn't help me one bit in acknowledging the early NQ pattern setup associated with such Persistent Trend Signals, as I simply looked at it dumbly with my proverbial doe eyes in the headlights of the oncoming truck. The early pattern signal by the NQ I named Leadership Pennant some years ago, but filtered it out as unlikely simply because I felt we were already too high up already. That's right... I "felt" it was so... and that was a buy signal in and of itself.... so to be true to this confessional blog, I ignored 3 clear signals to the budding trend. The first was the NQ Leadership Pennant, the 2nd's were the small but nonetheless indisputable Serial Sequent buy triggers in YM, NQ and RTY, and the third were my 'feelings' to the contrary. And I've been doing this for years. Sometimes you conclude that you just never learn... Tomorrow is another day... and the last for this trader in Thanksgiving week.

Fri Nov 22 Trade Signal Summary

20191122
Short 1 NQ 8292.5, -2.5
Long 1 RTY 1588.5, +2.0
Short 2 RTY 1591.9, 1592.7, +1.2, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 8278.0, +8.0
Long 1 NQ 8274.0, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 8275.0, +5.25
Long 1 NQ 8245.0, -1.0
Total NQ +9.75
Total RTY +5.2

Thurs Nov 21 Trade Signal Summary

20191121
Long 1 NQ 8264.0, -1.25
Long 1 NQ 8263.0, +10.5
Short 1 RTY 1592.5, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 8280.0, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 8284.75, -2.0
Long 1 RTY 1583.7, -0.7
Long 1 RTY 1582.0, -0.7
Long 1 RTY 1581.5, -0.2
Long 1 NQ 8256.25, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8256.5, 8256.5, +5.0, +5.0
Short 1 RTY 1584.5, +2.0
Total NQ +18.0
Total RTY +3.4

Wed Nov 20 Trade Signal Summary

20191120
Short 1 NQ 8329.5, +10.0
Long 1 NQ 8322.5, +9.5
Short 1 RTY 1601.2, -0.7
Short 1 NQ 8337.0, -1.0
Long 1 NQ 8338.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 1599.8, +2.5
Total NQ +16.25
Total RTY +1.8

Tues Nov 19 Trade Signal Summary

20191119
Short 2 RTY 1598.5, 1599.2, -0.0, +2.2
Long 1 YM 28005, -7
Long 1 NQ 8347.0, +5.25
Long 1 RTY 1594.6, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 8340.5, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1591.3, +3.0
Long 1 NQ 8335.25, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8333.5, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8331.75, +7.0
Total YM -7
Total NQ +12.75
Total RTY +5.2

Mon Nov 18 Trade Signal Summary

20191118
Long 1 YM 27961, -7
Long 2 YM 27950, 27952, -7, +11
Long 1 NQ 8280.0, +13.0
Long 1 RTY 1588.5, +2.0
Short 2 NQ 8300.0, 8301.0, +2.25, +10.0
Short 1 RTY 1593.2, -0.3
Total YM -3
Total NQ +25.25
Total RTY +1.7

Fri Nov 15 Trade Signal Summary

20191115
Short 1 YM 27844, -3
Short 1 NQ 8303.0, +8.0
Short 1 YM 27851, +21
Long 1 NQ 8293.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8290.0, 8290.0, +2.0, -0.5
Short 2 NQ 8311.0, 8311.5, +2.0, +7.5
Short 1 YM 27875, -0
Short 1 NQ 8318.0, -0.0
Short 1 YM 27892, -8
Total YM +10
Total NQ +16.75

Thur Nov 14 Trade Signal Summary

20191114
Long 1 RTY 1589.8, +3.0
Long 1 NQ 8246.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8242.5, 8242.5, +3.0, +12.25
Long 1 NQ 8250.0, -1.5
Long 2 NQ 8234.0, 8234.0, -0.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8232.5, 8232.5, +2.0, -2.25
Long 2 YM 27699, 27699, +15, +15
Total YM +30
Total NQ +9.0
Total RTY +3.0

Wed Nov 13 Trade Signal Summary

20191113
Long 2 RTY 1582.7, 1582.7, +1.2, +3.2
Long 1 NQ 8258.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8256.5, 8256.25, -2.25, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8248.5, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8244.5, 8244.5, -2.25, -2.25
Long 3 NQ 8238.75, 8238.75, 8239.25, +7.25, +10.0, +4.0
Short 2 RTY 1587.5, 1587.6, +2.0, +1.4
Long 1 YM 27628, -0
Short 1 YM 27668, +10
Short 1 YM 27666, -3
Total YM +7
Total NQ +7.75
Total RTY +7.8

Tues Nov 12 Trade Signal Summary

20191112
Short 1 NQ 8271.5, +5.0
Short 1 NQ 8273.0, +5.0
Short 1 RTY 1600.4, -0.2
Short 1 RTY 1600.2, -0.4
Short 2 NQ 8280, 8279.5, -1.0, +2.5
Short 1 NQ 8281.75, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 8285.0. 8285.0, +2.5, -0.0, -2.5
Short 1 RTY 1604.4, -0.6
Short 2 RTY 1605.5, 1606.0, -1.4, +3.5
Short 2 NQ 8288.5, 8289.25, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8290.5, 8291.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 8291.25, 8291.25, 8292.25, +2.5, -2.5, -2.5
Long 1 NQ 8290.0, -1.0
Long 2 YM 27680, 27680, +11, -1
Long 2 NQ 8281.0, 8280.0, +11.0, +5.0
Long 1 ES 3095.0, -0.0
Total ES -0.0
Total YM +10
Total NQ +12.75
Total RTY +0.9

Mon Nov 11 Veterans Day, no trades

Fri Nov 8 Trade Signals and Journal

20191108
Long 1 RTY 1588.5, +4.0
Short 1 RTY 1593.9, -0.7
Short 2 RTY 1595.4, 1595.4, +1.0, -1.1
Short 1 NQ 8231.5, -0.0
Short 2 RTY 1598.0, 1597.7, +4.0, +1.3
Long 1 YM 27548, +53
Total YM +53
Total NQ -0.0
Total RTY +8.5

Today was a good example of a pre-news signal model. Sell signals appeared in all four contracts YM, NQ,RTY and ES, just 12 minutes or so before the scheduled news release. This time, the news was released just prior to the schedule, but I had a cushion in the RT prior to the release. 'No cush, no keep'. I had set the target at a support level some 4 points lower to the Curb, so my exit came quickly, otherwise, it would have been a 10 pt gain clear to the Kilroy. For the long YM trade at the lows, the Grid, the TTI True Trend Momentum, and the Serial Sequent Fractal Algorithm all came together for the turn-and-reverse back to long. For an understanding of the price levels associated with a pivot - exhaustion grid instead of a support - resistance array, see the book Pivots, Patterns and Intraday Swing Trades, available at Amazon.com. The TTI and Serial Sequent methodologies are available only to course members of ValhallaFutures.

Thur Nov 7 Trade Signal Summary

20191107
Short 1 RTY 1608.7, -1.4
Short 1 NQ 8255.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8259.0, 8260.0, +6.0, +7.75
Short 2 YM 27660, 27661, +20, +7
Short 1 NQ 8270.0, -0.5
Total YM +27
Total NQ +11.0
Total RTY -1.4

Wed Nov 6 Trade Signal Summary

20191106
Short 1 NQ 8199.0, +5.0
Short 1 NQ 8200.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 8201.5, -0.0
Long 1 YM 27407, -2
Long 1 NQ 8202.0, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1592.5, +4.2
Long 1 NQ 8180.0, -1.0
Long 1 NQ 8181.75, +5.0
Total YM -2
Total NQ +11.75
Total RTY +4.2

Tues Nov 5 Trade Signals and Journal

20191105
Short 1 RTY 1606.0, +3.0
Long 1 RTY 1603.4, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 8226.25, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 8233.5, +11.5
Long 1 RTY 1606.2, -0.0
Long 1 RTY 1603.4, +2.0
Total NQ +9.25
Total RTY +7.0

Fading a news release that spikes into an exhaustion signals is old stuff to an old timer, like me. I've been doing it for 40 years, and in my earliest days, watched floor traders in the S&P and Swiss Franc pits eat such supposedly significant news releases like it was so much breakfast food. Newer traders like to see the news, like to know the expectations, like to wait til the actual economic report is published on their favorite online econ news site. Too late. It's over by then. I only bother with one aspect: Knowing what time the econ report is scheduled. Thereafter, its all in the charts. If a buy or sell signal that is comprised from the three main, disparate technical elements key to any Trade Entry Model appear some 5 to 10 minutes at least before the news. I pre-position for it. If price fails to give me enough cushion by the time the scheduled release is at hand, I dump it. "No cushion, no keep" is a phrase I often type into the chat room in such positions. A cushion can also come from exiting a part of a multi-contract position. But it's amazing how such signals often presage the actual direction of the news. Like it just 'knows'.... But of course, it doesn't. No matter how many times you hear it otherwise said in chat rooms to the contrary, the news is just not leaked to a sufficient size of market participants to actually move the markets.

Today, when the 10am ET econ reports came out, the response was immediately positive. I made the call to short the NQ IF the news was positive, not afterwards because the news somehow was insufficiently positive to maintain some bull advance. After that, it was simply getting the technical aspect of that news spike to appear. (One was a Serial Sequent fractal algo number, which only appeared in tne NQ because it was the only one set to do so). And the other was the take-out of a Y-High marked clearly on the Pivot-Exhaustion Grid for the NT Day-0nly contract.

I got in the first contract attempting to fade this news too soon, because I thought it was toast. So had to re-enter higher up after it actually accomplished that Grid take-out number. I got anxious about missing the trade... I do that... I suffer for it a bit. But I seldom suffer for my stp-outs. I don't use big stops, and consider a stp-out as simply part of the game. But I do suffer for early exits. And far worse than being stp'd out was the stupidity I felt for taking only 11 points profit for that NQ short in what turned out to be a 40 point excursion... duh.

I get in too early, I get out too early, I get out too late, I get in too often. In short, I make all the mistakes any trader makes, and I make them everyday. ...and yet, on most trading days (excluding a couple last week), I get a reasonable 1st Frame trading goal.

Trading is not a predictive process. It's an 'if this, then that' decision tree. Be ready for the signals when they appear. Act on them without hesitation.....or patiently await the signal's full fruition. Those signals appear quickly, and seldom last long. Trade from signal confirmation instead of price confirmation. That will separate you from the crowd, and allow you to use smaller stops. cya manana....

Mon Nov 4 Trade Signal Summary

20191104
Short 1 NQ 8225.5, -0.5
Short 2 YM 27428, 27428, -7, -7
Short 1 NQ 8230.0, 8231.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8232.25, 8232.25, +5.0, +11.5
Short 2 YM 27446, 27446, +15, +30
Short 1 YM 27429, -2
Long 1 NQ 8217.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8215.0, +5.5
Short 1 YM 24417, -3
Short 1 RTY 1597.5, -0.0
Short 1 RTY 1598.0, -0.2
Short 1 NQ 8117.5, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 8122.5, 8121.75, +2.0, +12.25
Short 1 YM 24434, +20
Total YM +46
Total NQ +26.75
Total RTY -0.2

Fri Nov 1 Trade Signals and Journal

20191101
Long 1 YM 27117, +20
Short 1 NQ 8132.5, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1579.1, 1579.5, -0.0, -0.1
Short 1 YM 27163, +41
Short 1 YM 27211, -2
Short 2 NQ 8161.0, 8160.25, +3.0, -0.25
Short 1 RTY 1583.8, -0.2
Short 1 RTY 1584.3, -0.3
Short 1 YM 27230, -2
Short 1 RTY 1585.1, -0.3,
Short 1 RTY 1586.3, -0.1
Short 1 RTY 1586.4, -0.2
Short 2 RTY 1587.0, 1587.0, -0.1, -0.1
Total YM +57
Total NQ +0.75
Total RTY -1.4

Always a tester of a day starting out in the penalty box of the Simulator. And even though I was able to score a couple winners in YM to get me out, I still wasn't able to find a good trend turn or pullback in the 1st Frame... Let's light a fresh candle next week... a good weekend to all...

Thur Oct 31 Trade Signals and Journal

20191031
Long 2 YM 26993, 26993, +10, -1
Long 1 YM 26944, 26936, -1, -3
Short 1 RTY 1562.4, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 8080.0, -2.0
Long 2 NQ 8079.0, 8079.0, +3.0, +11.0
Long 1 YM 27000, -3
Long 1 NQ 8070.5, -2.5
Long 1 NQ 8055.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 8050.0, -2.25, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8049.5, -2.0
Short 2 NQ 8066.75, 8068.0, +2.5, -2.5
Short 2 RTY 15589.9, 1558.9, -1.4, -1.4
Short 2 NQ 8089.0, 8090.0, -2.5, -3.0
Total YM +2
Total NQ -9.25
Total RTY -0.8

Two days losses in a row means I'm in the penalty box for the Open tomorrow. ....a Trade Plan Rule I fortunately don't suffer much from. It would be easy to blame things on the market.... or trading in a hair-trigger news environment, where the perfect storm of foreign policies, politics and tea-read economics sits parked overhead like a weather front that just won't go by. But the truth is, I made trading errors on both days. Yesterday, while suffering the stp-out of my RT position in a doe-eyed, 'what hit me' trance, the ES was signalling BuyThisLow now !! But I'm too cool to trade the 'Especially Slow' ES. And today, while in an NQ 'I'll find you, no matter how much it costs me' trance, the YM meekly stuck its little neck out to say "Try Me, I can produce too!", albeit with an extra contract or two.... But I'm too stubborn to give up on the NQ, no matter if I give up all early profits doing so or not. So there's that....

By Trade Plan Rules, I can switch back to real money tomorrow if I can SIM 2 of 3, or 3 of 5 winners from the Opening....
but maybe I'll just play along the whole frame... maybe the markets, and my current stp-loss allowances, are just a bit too meager to be in these sessions... cya manana..

Wed Oct 30 Trade Signals and Journal

20191030
Long 1 NQ 8040.0, +6.0
Short 1 YM 27004, -7
Long 5 RTY, 1568.8, 1568.3, 1567.2, 1567.3, 1567.3, -1.4, -3.5, -2.6, -2.7, -2.7
Short 1 NQ 8053.0, -1.0
Short 2 RTY 1570.0, 1570.0, -0.7, -0.7
Short 1 NQ 1560.25, -1.25
Total YM -7
Total NQ +3.75
Total RTY -14.3

Trading around the news is usually not a difficult exercise. Although some try to bracket it, I find that by using a Stop-Limit, you seldom get a fill at all, and by not using Stop-Limit's you are filled at the spike extreme, just where you might want to be exiting the trade. If a solid technical signal of reversal comes a few minutes before the news, and the impending reversal trend lends you a sufficient amount of cushion, it is amazing how many times the technicals seems to have predicted the outcome of unpredictable news successfully. Thus, when in such a pre-news reversal position, I usually type the words "no ccushion no keep" into the chat room, as a heads up to prepare to liquidate the position just prior to the news, lest the impending news release go too far against your position to survive your stp-loss allowance. This game is usually fair, because most news items tend to keep to the schedule, and are released on time. ....but it was not so today... In fact, the scheduled release was in fact from the Bank of Canada, and their opinions as to rate adjustments usually not exactly packed with predictive certainty for impending economic analysis down here in the lower 48... So I thought the 4 minutes after the schedule of the BOC remarks ample time to prove the news was, in fact, a dud, to lay on a few RTY contracts for the potential bounce back up.... oops...a quick $600 stp-out. I don't much like the Canadian government today... but then I don't much like the Canadian government on any day... but that's another subject and not particularly well suited for this trading blog.. all the best otherwise...

Tues Oct 29 Trade Signal Summary

20191029
Short 1 YM 27032, -9,
Short 1 YM 27045, +14
Long 1 NQ 8087.75, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1573.0, -1.5
Long 1 YM 27038, -7
Long 1 YM 27020, +22
Long 1 NQ 8078.0, -2.25
Long 2 RTY 1571.4, 1571.4, +1.5, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 8077.0, -2.25
Short 1 YM 27060, -7
Short 2 YM 27064, 27064, +7, -3
Short 1 RTY 1577.0, -0.7
Short 1 YM 27078, -7
Short 2 NQ 8095.0, 8095.0, +3.0, -2.25
Short 2 YM 27097, 27097, -8, -8
Short 3 YM 27099, 27099, 27095, +15, +20, +10
Short 1 RTY 1777.9, -0.1
Long 1 NQ 8072.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 8066.0, -2.0
Long 2 NQ 8063.0, 8063.75, +3.0, +3.0
Total YM +39
Total NQ +3.0
Total RTY +1.2

Mon Oct 28 Trade Signal Summary

20191028
Short 2 YM 27095, 27095, +10, -10
Short 2 YM 28005, 28005, +12, -14
Short 2 RTY 1573.6, -1.5,
Long 1 YM 27079, +22
Short 2 NQ 8107.00, 8106.75, +7.0, +2.0
Short 2 RTY 1578.0, 1579.1, -1.5, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 8109.0, +11.5
Total YM +20
Total NQ +20.5
Total RTY -0.0

Fri Oct 25 Trade Signsls and Journal

20191025
Short 1 NQ 7957.0, +10.5
Short 1 RTY 1551.5, -0.0
Short 2 YM 26824, 26822, +30, +7
Short 1 NQ 7971.0, -1.0
Short 1 YM 26828, -6
Short 2 RTY 1556.8, 1557.1, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 YM 26861, 26861, +7, +18
Short 1 NQ 7996.5, +6.0
Short 1 NQ 7998.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 78004.5, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7807.0, +6.0
Short 1 NQ 7811.0, +5.0
Short 1 RTY 1561.8, -1.4
Short 1 NQ 7829.0, -0.25
Short 1 YM 26962, +22
Short 1 RTY 1564.0, 1564.0, +1.0, +1.0
Total YM +78
Total NQ +21.75
Total RTY -2.5


The most difficult day of all for futures traders is somewhat ironic. After all, it usually doubles ad the most profitable day of all for option swing traders and portfolio buy-and-holders. But futures traders who do not hold positions overnight, and often focus their entire day's worth of trading on a single frame of the day, like the First Frame, as do I, are especially challenged when the market does not make reversals and turns.

Fortunately for us, such impulsive Persistent Trend Days only number about 4 in any given 21-day business month. And with the plethora of days being those that Test-n-Reject short term trend extremes, often in both directions, fading such extremes as the market naturally pulls back into consolidation is only as difficult as identifying which price extremes to fade and those to leave alone. In the early days of stock index futures trading, I would have never even dreamed of trading the 1st Frame volatility... until Serial Sequent Fractal Method was uncovered. It was a real eye-opener, and remains the key to short term profits in the majority of trading days each month.

Still, there are ways to skin the cat of the Persistent Trend Day without the Serial Sequent Fractal Method, if you have mind to what you are looking for.. ..and are willing to sit through most of the trading day, glued attentively to the screen for the typical signals, of which there are about 4.

The first, is the ORB. This one doesn't always show. But when it does, it appears as an ORB Pennant, and often heralds in the Persistent Trend Day with a simple bracket order position. Today, the YM came the closest to this signal. To separate the more likely from the nearly-but-not-quite-good-enough, I require the ORB pennant to have either the basic complexity of one lower high and one higher low before I place the bracketed breakout triggers. The alternative to this is a double inside bar pattern, where the ORB itself telescopes down into a total of at least 3 successively smaller bars, all inside the other. The Russian doll. Today, the YM only showed 2 bars. That's one bar for the ORB, and one smaller inside bar. ....and then price exploded... The ORB, you see, is the Singularity. It precedes the Big Bang of an exploding universe. And in the space of just minutes, the whole mass of price mass has traversed an entire trend. You have to be alert, ready, and weary of any series of days where the market has lulled you to sleep with its choppy, bifurcating consolidation. I missed this one...perhaps my rules are too strict.

The second signal to act on in order to capitalize on some sparse Persistent Trend Day opportunity landscape is called the First Chance Texaco. It says "Gas up", cause the long stretch of nearly abandoned U.S. Route 66 leaves few remaining stations open for biz. It does not show up in all contracts. (That's why the market gods invented 4 otherwise decent ones to choose from...)
It does not pullback far enough to signal a volatility index climax to offset the one it just came from in the true trend extreme. It does not usually meet some convenient and easily acknowledged Support/Resistance level. After all, everyone sees those... But it does often arrive with a Substitute Serial Sequent fractal signal. Today, such a signal came in the YM. I wss short 2 contracts in the YM from the initial stall at the early high as this pullback came to an end. I covered my shorts with a decent profit. But out of respect (actually it was fear) of having achieved a momentum climax at that early high, I did NOT turn-n-rev my shorts to longs, and the Persistent Trend Day took off towards its rendezvous with history.

The third signal is usually associated with the Noon Hour High/Low phenomenon. Why does the trend so often fail when making new extremes at the Noon hour? It's sort of a chicken and egg story. Which comes first...? Lunch....or the anticipation that there won't be enough participating traders to drive prices on beyond it? Or, maybe it's a "why did the chicken cross the road" story... but nobody ever tells the joke like "why DIDN'T the chicken cross the road?" If they did, perhaps the answer would be "because he would have BECOME lunch on the other side, you idiot."

And the fourth and final potential signal for short term futures traders on Persistent Trend Days is the compliment to the First Chance Texaco, but in this case, it's Last Chance Texaco. It turns out that the First Chance Texaco was just an advertising scam. But the Last Chance Texaco is dead real. It's not an easy one to take. Price comes speeding up to it so fast that you hardly dare belief it could ever slam on its brakes hard enough to actually make the turn. But an interesting factoid for the experience observer, if price comes up too slowly to the desired end of this pullback, it usually doesn't turn at all. In fact, the ability for this pullback to hold and propel your fearful in-trend position back towards new market extremes in the Last Hour Frame of the day seems wholly dependent upon making it seem like the market reversal is actually going to stick. One other tell that is of use: this pullback is often associated with the 2:30pm ET Transition Time. ....but nobody knows why. ...and it's even more pointless to speculate as to a valid reason than why a Noon Hour new price extreme is such a poor breakout strategy to get in with in-trend.

OR, you can acquire the Serial Sequent Fractal Methodology, which--because it is Anti-Fragile--is actually exposed more clearly in the wake of volatility than overcome by it, and use that to do some really amazing counter-trend positioning even on explosive Persistent Trend Days...

You can read all about this Persistent Trend model, and the other models too, in the book Pivots, Patterns and Intraday Swing Trades, available at Amazon and other places online. ...and a good weekend to all...

Thur Oct 24 Trade Signal Summary

20191024
Long 1 YM 26760, -12
Long 2 YM 26710, +22, -2
Long 1 ES 3003.0, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 7923.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7918.0, 7918.0 +5.0, +9.5
Long 1 RTY 1548.0, -0.0
Long 1 YM 26690, +20
Long 1 NQ 7923.0, -0.5
Short 2 NQ 7945.0, 7946.25, -0.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7950.0, 7949.5, +3.0, -1.0
Short 1 ES 3007.0, -0.0
Short 1 NQ 7957.0, -0.25
Short 2 NQ 7966.0, 7967.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 RTY 1554.0, +2.5
Short 2 NQ 7974.5, 7974.5, +4.5, +5.0
Total ES +2.5
Total YM +28
Total NQ +16.25
Total RTY +2.5

Wed Oct 23 Trade Signal Summary

20191023
Short 1 YM 26585, -4
Short 1 NQ 7880.0, -1.0
Short 4 NQ 7884.25, 7884.25, 7884.25, +2.5, +2.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7887.0, 7887.0, +7.0, +10.25
Short 1 RTY 1553.2, +1.0
Long 1 NQ 7864.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7862.75, 7963.5, +7.0, +3.0
Total YM -4
Total NQ +24.0
Total RTY +1.0

Tues Oct 22 Trade Signal Summary

20191022
Short 1 NQ 7986.0, +10.0
Short 1 NQ 7982.75, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7984.0, +5.0
Short 1 YM 26800, -10
Short 1 YM 26820, +33
Long 1 NQ 7957.0, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 7958.0, +4.0
Short 1 NQ 7968.25, +6.0
Total YM +23
Total NQ +22.75

Mon Oct 21 Trade Signal Summary

20191021
Short 1 RTY 1555.1, -1.5
Short 1 RTY 1557.1, -1.5
Long 1 NQ 7909.0, +5.25
Long 1 NQ 7904.0, +7.0
Short 1 RTY 1549.9, -0.5
Short 1 NQ 7913.75, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7915.0, 7915.25, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7920.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7920.5, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1555.7, 1555.5, -0.0, -0.2
Short 3 RTY 1555.5, 1555.5, 1555.5, +1.0, +1.2, -0.0
Short 1 RTY 1556.6, -0.0
Short 2 NQ 7936.5, 7936.0, -1.0, +3.0
Short 1 RTY 1556.8, -0.0
Total NQ +3.25
Total RTY -1.5

Fri Oct 18 No traders, away from screen

Thur Oct 17 Trade Signal Summary

20191017
Short 2 YM 37034, 37034, +15, +18
Short 2 RTY 1535.5, 1336.2, -1.5, -1.5
Short 3 RTY 1538.0, 1538.0, 1537.7, +2.0, +2.0, -1.5
Short 1 NQ 7983.5, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7985.0, 7985.0, +2.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7987.0, 7987.0, +3.0, -2.0
Short 2 YM 27044, 27044, -5, -5
Short 3 NQ 7991.5, 7991.5, 7991.5, +3.0, +6.0, +11.0
Long 1 NQ 7976.25, -1.75
Short 2 RTY 1542.7, 1543.0, +0.5, +4.0
Short 1 YM 27069, +20
Total YM +43
Total NQ +16.75
Total RTY +4.0

Wed Oct 16 Trade Signal Summary

20191016
Long 2 NQ 7925.0, 7925.0, +2.5, +6.0
Short 2 RTY 1527.0, 1527.5, +1.2, -0.6
Long 1 NQ 7922.75, +4.0
Long 1 NQ 7920.25, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7918.0, 7918.0, +2.5, -1.25
Short 1 NQ 7927.0, -2.0
Short 3 NQ 7929.0, 7929.25, 7930.0, -1.5, +1.0, +3.0
Short 1 YM 26965, +22
Short 1 NQ 7938.0, +4.5
Short 1 RTY 1530.6, +1.0
Short 1 RTY 7940.25, +5.0
Total YM +22
Total NQ +24.5
Total RTY +1.6

Tues Oct 15 Trade Signals and Journal

20191015
Short 2 RTY 1510.4, 1511.0, -0.0, +2.0
Short 2 NQ 7900.0, 7900.0, +2.0, +4.5
Short 1 RTY 1514.1, +1.0
Short 1 NQ 7903.0, -0.5
Short 1 RTY 1516.0, -1.4
Short 2 NQ 7902.5, 7902.5, +2.0, -2.25
Short 1 YM 27035, -7
Short 2 YM 27046, 27046, -1, -1
Short 1 ES 2987.0, -0.0
Short 2 RTY 1520.1, 1520.0, +1.1, -0.1
Short 1 NQ 7918.0, -2.00
Short 1 NQ 7923.0 -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1523.2, 1523.2, -0.4, -0.4
Short 2 NQ 7926.5, 7926.25, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 RTY 1525.5, 1525.5, , -0.7, -0.7
Short 1 ES 2994.75, -1.75
Short 2 NQ 7945.0, 7945.0, -2.5, -2.5
Short 1 NQ 7950.0, 7950.0 -2.5, -2.5
Short 1 YM 27040, -7
Total ES -1.75
Total YM -16
Total NQ -11.25
Total RTY +0.4

Normally, markets are not a straight vertical affair...but on some days, there are. Normally, they offer reversal signals, pullback signals and--if so inclined--breakout signals too. And if you have a methodology that demonstrates consistency on the majority of trading days, then you have a good shot at catching your share of the more normal signals.. Today, there was a perfect pullback signal in the NQ that would have given me a position into the straight vertical pole vault that followed... but I just couldn't get my head around the extreme readings of climax the market had already reached just shortly before that relatively shallow pullback buy opportunity appeared... and so I balked. It's very hard to stay on the sidelines as you watch the profit meter go spinning by for trades you are not in without looking for the places where these trades are most likely to end... and just so did I give up near my maximum allowable in losses trying to find a turn that did finally show up just a short distance beyond my final round of shorts...

Quit when your losses hit the high watermark allowable you have set for them. Tomorrow is another day. There is nothing to prove. There is no 'getting even'. Instead, after a losing day or two, strive for returning to consistency. Your losses are gone forever. You can't ever get them back. But it is possible to return to consistency and thus rebuilt the profit stream you were achieving just prior to your days of stop-outs.

Mon Oct 14 Trade Signal Summary

20191014
Long 1 ES 2962.0, +3.5
Long 1 RTY 1504.0, 1504.0, +1.0, +0.2
Short 2 NQ 7862.0, 7862.0, +2.0, -2.0
Short 1 YM 26810, -9
Short 1 YM 26816, +25
Long 1 NQ 7852.75, 7852.25, -2.25, -2.25
Long 1 YM 26765, +25
Long 1 NQ 7850.0, +10.0
Total ES +3.5
Total YM +39
Total NQ +5.5
Total RTY +1.2

Fri Oct 11 Trade Signal Summary

20191011
Short 1 NQ 7852.0, -3.0
Short 2 RTY 1514.0, 1513.8 +0.8, -1.4
Short 2 RTY 1516.9, 1516.9, +1.5, -2.3
Short 2 NQ 7870.0, 7870.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7873.0, 7873.0, +4.0, -4.75
Short 1 YM 26840, -7
Short 1 YM 26842, 26842, +20, +30
Short 2 YM 26863, 26860, +15, +10
Short 1 ES 2984.5, +2.0
Short 2 NQ 7892.0, 7891.75, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7893.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7896.0, 7896.0, +5.0, +13.0
Short 2 RTY 1527.3, 1527.0, -0.3, +1.0
Short 2 RTY 1529.3, 1529.5, +1.0, +2.0
Total ES +2.0
Total YM +68
Total NQ +3.0
Total RTY +2.3

Thur Oct 10 Trade Signal Summary

20191010
Short 1 RTY 1487.3, -2.4
Short 2 YM 26332, 26334, -11, -10
Short 3 YM 26404, 26404, 26404, -7, -7, -7
Short 3 YM 26410, 26410, 26410, -7, -7, -7
Short 3 RTY 1494.0, 1494.0, 1494.0, +2.0, +2.0, -0.1
Short 2 NQ 7758.50, 7760.0, +5.0, +12.0
Short 1 NQ 7761.0, -1.0
Short 1 NQ 7761.0, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1486.4, +2.0
Short 1 YM 26520, -7
Short 1 RTY 1494.8, +2.0
Short 1 YM 26539, -1
Short 1 NQ 7780.0, -1.0
Short 2 YM 26556, 26556, +10, +11
Short 2 NQ 7785.0, 7785.0, +2.0, +4.5
Short 1 NQ 7785.0, +5.0
Total YM -50
Total NQ +31.5
Total RTY +4.5

Wed Oct 9 Trade Signal Summary

20191009
Short 1 NQ 7678.0, -0.25
Short 1 NQ 7686.0, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 7692.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7694.0, 7694.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 YM 26255, -7
Short 2 RTY 1483.6, 1483.5, +2.0, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7690.0 -0.5
Short 1 RTY 1482.0, -0.7
Short 1 RTY 1483.3, +2.0
Total YM -7
Total NQ -9.5
Total RTY +5.3

Tues Oct 8 Trade Signal Summary

20191008
Long 1 RTY 1480.5, -0.5
Short 1 NQ 7671.75, -2.0
Long 1 YM 26170, +28
Long 1 YM 26161, +23
Long 1 NQ 7648.75, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7644.0, -0.25
Long 1 YM 26126, +31
Short 2 RTY 1478.7, 1479.0, +1.2, +2.6
Short 1 ES 2908.0, -0.0
Short 1 ES 2908.0, +2.0
Total ES +2.0
Total YM +82
Total NQ -4.5
Total RTY +3.3

Mon Oct 7 Trade Signal Summary

20191007
Short 1 NQ 7739.5, +7.0
Long 1 NQ 7730.5, -2.25
Long 1 YM 26400, -7
Long 1 NQ 7725.0, +12.0
Long 1 YM 26382, +40
Short 2 RTY 1500.2, 1501.2, +0.9, +1.1
Total YM +33
Total NQ +16.75
Total RTY +2.0

Fri Oct 4 trade Signal Summary

20191004
Long 1 YM 26292, +20
Short 1 YM 26322, +21
Short 1 NQ 7720, -2..25
Short 1 NQ 7722.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7723.75, -0.0
Short 1 YM 26770, +20
Long 1 NQ 7704.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7700.0, 7701.5, -1.5, -1.5
Long 2 RTY 1482.5, 1482.5, +1.5, -0.4
Long 1 YM 26281, -3
Long 1 NQ 7693.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7691.0, 7691.5, +10.0, +20.0
Total YM +58
Total NQ +18.0
Total RTY +1.1

Thurs Oct 3 Trade Signal Summary

20191003
Long 1 ES 2885.25, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 7557.0, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1478.0, -1.4
Long 2 RTY 1475.8, 1476.0, -0.2, +1.1
Long 1 NQ 7494.0, +5.0
Long 1 YM 25790, -9
Long 1 RTY 1461.9, -1.0
Short 1 NQ 7515.5, +5.0
Short 1 NQ 7521.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7524.5, -2.5
Short 2 RTY 1472.2, 1472.4, +2.0, +1.8
Short 1 YM 25909, +20
Short 1 NQ 7584.0, +10.0
Total ES +2.0
Total YM +11
Total NQ +20.25
Total RTY +2.3

Wed Oct 2 Trade Signals and Journal

20191002
Long 2 RTY 1476.1, 1476.8, +2.9, -0.5
Long 1 RTY 1475.5, -0.3
Long 1 NQ 7601.75, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7599.0, -2.25
Long 1 RTY 1473.5, -1.4
Short 2 RTY 1483.1, 1483.0, +1.0, -1.7
Short 1 NQ 7617.0, -1.0
Short 1 NQ 7617.75, +12.5
Long 1 NQ 7580.0, -0.25
Long 1 NQ 7575.0, +10.0
Long 1 NQ 7563.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7560.0, +5.0
Total NQ +19.5
Total RTY -0.0

It's not that hard really to recognize a tough trading environment when you see it coming... well before the opening bell. Today, my goal was simply not to dig a big hole trying to capture some emotionally-backed volatility... In such environment, just breaking even can feel like a victory. But in truth there were a number of excellent signals today in the YM and the RTY that I simply failed
to engage. ...but things will calm down again in the immediate days ahead.... they always do...
...so keep the powder dry... One thing you can always be sure of, things never stay the same...

Tues Oct 1 Trade Signal Summary

20191001
Short 1 YM 26962, -5
Short 2 RTY 1538.0, 1538.1, -1.0, +1.0
Short 2 RTY 1539.5, 1539.4, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1542.0, 1542.0, -0.8, -0.8
Short 3 RTY 1543.5, 1543.5, 1543.5, -0.7, -0.7, -0.7
Short 5 RTY 1544.3, 1544.3, 1544.3, 1544.5, 1544.5, +1.0, +1.0, +1.0, +1.7, +1.7
Long 2 YM 26930, 26930, +20, -10
Long 1 NQ 7809.0, -2.5
Long 2 RTY 1531.9, 1532.0, -1.6, -1.6
Long 3 RTY 1528.6, 1528.6, 1528.6, +1.0, +2.0, -0.1
Long 2 YM 26831, 26826, -10, -10
Long 2 NQ 7781.25, 7781.25, -2.5, -2.5
Long 2 NQ 7776.5, 7776.5, -1.25, -1.25
Long 3 YM 26730, 26730, 26730, -5, -5, -5
Long 2 NQ 7759.5, 7759.5, +16.0, +20.0
Total YM -30
Total NQ +26.0
Total RTY -0.6

Mon Sep 30 Trade Signal Summary

20190930
Long 1 NQ 7712.25, +12.0
Long 1 RTY 1525.2, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7731.0, -2.50
Short 1 NQ 7739.0, -2.25
Short 1 RTY 1528.5, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7744.0, +14.0
Total NQ +21.75
Total RTY +4.0

Fri Sep 27 Trade Signal Summary

20190927
Long 1 NQ 7787.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7785.0, 7784.0, +2.0, +8.0
Short 1 NQ 7792.25, +7.5
Long 1 NQ 7775.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7770.0, -2.25
Long 1 ES 2977.75, -2.25
Long 3 RTY 1535.4, 1334.5, 1333.8 -0.0 +2.0, +1.5
Long 1 NQ 7747.0, +8.0
Short 1 RTY 1536.3, -0.4
Short 1 NQ 7767.0, -3.0
Short 1 RTY 1539.5, -0.7
Short 1 NQ 7773.75, -1.0
Short 1 YM 26948, -8
Short 1 RTY 1541.0, -0.0
Short 1 YM 26960, -2
Short 2 RTY 1542.5, 1542.8, +1.0, +3.0
Short 1 YM 26980, -1
Short 2 NQ 7788.0, 7788.0, +3.0, -3.0
Total ES -2.25
Total YM -11
Total NQ +14.75
Total RTY +6.4

Thur Sep 26 Trade Signal Summary

20190926
Short 1 NQ 7788.0, +13.25
Long 1 YM 26897, -1
Short 1 YM 26893, +20
Short 1 RTY 1542.4, -0.7
Short 3 NQ 7783.25, 7785.0, 7784.5, -0.0, -1.50, -2.0
Short 1 RTY 1543.0, -1.4
Total YM +19
Total NQ +9.75
Total RTY -2.1

Wed Trade Signal Summary

20190925
Long 1 RTY 1541.0, 0.0
Long 1 NQ 7704.0, -2.5
Long 2 YM 26808, 26808, -2, -2
Long 1 RTY 1538.2, -1.4
Long 1 RTY 1534.1, -1.0
Long 1 NQ 7667.25, +27.0
Short 1 NQ 7747.0, -2.0
Short 1 RTY 1540.8, -1.4
Short 1 RTY 1542.0, -0.7
Short 2 NQ 7756.0, 7756.0, +2.0, +5.0
Short 1 7763.0, -2.0
Short 1 7765.0, +8.0
Total YM -4
Total NQ +35.5
Total RTY -4.5

Tues Trade Signal Summary

20190924
Short 2 RTY 1564.1, 1565.0, +0.5, +2.1
Short 1 NQ 7890.0, -1.75
Short 1 YM 27055, +26
Long 1 RTY 1556.5, -0.6
Long 2 NQ 7860.75, 7860.75, -2.25, -2.25
Long 3 NQ 7857.75, 7857.75, 7857.75, , +5.0, +10.0, +11.5
Long 1 RTY 1553.4, -0.6
Long 1 RTY 1548.5, -0.3
Long 1 RTY 1546.5, -0.5
Long 1 YM 26945, -4
Total YM +22
Total NQ +20.25
Total RTY +0.6

Mon Trade Signal Summary

20190923
Long 1 NQ 7829.75, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7815.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7810.0, 7810.0, +4.0, +14.0
Long 1 YM 26837, +22
Short 1 NQ 7838.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7841.0, 7841.75, +3.0, +10.0
Short 1 YM 26920, -7
Total YM +15
Total NQ +24.25

Fri Sep 20 Trade Signal Summary

20190920
Selling 2 NQ 7941.5, 7941.25, +2.0, +6.5
Short 1 YM 27156, -7
Short 2 RTY 1570.0, 1570.2, +1.0, +2.0
Short 2 RTY 1572.0, 1572.6, -0.0, +2.2
Total YM -7
Total NQ +8.5
Total RTY +5.2

Thurs Sep 19 Trade Summary and Journal

20190919
Long 1 NQ 7953.75, -2.25
Short 2 RTY 1578.8, 1578.6, -0.2, -0.0
Short 2 NQ 7965.5, 7965.5, +2.0, -3.0
Short 1 RTY 1581.6, -0.1
Short 1 YM 72744, +20
Short 2 NQ 7070.5, 7070.5, +2.0, +5.5
Short 1 RTY 1582.1, -0.7
Short 2 RTY 1583.1, 1582.9, -0.7, -0.3
Short 2 NQ 7072.0, 7073.25, +2.25, +9.5
PM Trades
Long 2 YM 27133, 27133, +40, +40
Total YM +100
Total NQ +16.0
Total RTY -2.0

Second Frame trading takes a different trade plan than that of the first. Those initial ORB trade sets are put far behind you as the midday rolls on, and patience is required for the complete models to gel. But the most important underlying phenom in switching from First Frame to Second Frame trades is the ubiquitous Rule of Alternation. (When the Elliott Wavers use this rule, they mean something slightly different, but parallel in meaning just the same. And yes, I stole it from them, having once been an ardent--though discouraged--student of the wave theory.)

In general, if the First Frame is volatile, the Midday Frame tends to consolidate, yin yang, and if congested, is usually followed by the arrival of a clearer trend, yang yin. but the Rule of Alt can also apply to just the type of action the market is exhibiting. If conditions are choppy, stutter-step, full of lunges upward only to be followed by shallow grinding pullbacks producing more of the same, the alternate action will eventually take hold in the Second Frame where pricing will be steep, clean, impulsive and decisively holding their ground as the trend accrues real estate on your chart. I also find the same can be said of the Serial Sequent algorithm itself. If the First Frame fails to fulfill and complete the Sequent structures, those same structures reach fruition with striking clarity in the Midday Frame to counter the former action.

Thus, it can be wise, when in the throws of a difficult morning in attempt to meet a daily Trade Plan profit goal, to consider either keeping commitments small, and/or stop-loss risk likewise, or even curtailing trade altogether for the rest of the frame, so as to return with the day's 'powder' well intact for the anticipated change of charting behavior.

Thus it was that I returned to the screen this and the previous day but to take a single trade at a precious fulfillment of an Event Model's fruition, and easily met my daily profit goal in action I was far more easily able to capitalize on.

Wed Sep 18 Trade Summary and Journal

20190918
Short 1 YM 27071, +30
Short 2 NQ 7892.0, 7892.75, -0.0, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 7892.0, -1.5
Short 1 NQ 7896.0, +5.25
PM Trades, post FOMC:
Long 2 NQ 7827.25, 7827.25, +5.0, +10.0
Total YM +30
Total NQ +21.75

Was once hired to make trade calls in a large subscription chat room. Ii required sitting in front of the screen all day. Glad I no longer have to do that, but the task did give me a lot of FOMC action experience over the years. The truly beautious thing about the Serial Sequent Fractal Algorithm is that it is Anti-Fragile. So many methods fail to withstand the rigors of a multitude of market conditions. In fact, the major of auto-trading by 'the computers' using algorithms demonstrate they are only optimized for certain kinds of action, and have no way of knowing when to switch to another algorithm altogether that may better accommodate an opposing condition. When, for instance, do you actually know that consolidation is finally at hand, and trendiness is over? Is easy to see in arrears in the hourly charts of all session chart bars, but not so easy to know what you face in the First Frame of any given trading day in advance of its arrival. With Serial Sequent, it doesn't matter; nether the periods of consolidation, the impulsive nature of selling pressure or news chased short covering, nor the volatility that follows chart punctuation marks like the FOMC rate decisions. Serial Sequent exposes the underlying DNA of market structure. And nothing exposes structure better than volatility. a good evening to all, and cya manana..

Tues Sep 17 Trade Signal Summary

20190917
Long 1 RTY 1575.3, +3.0
Long 1 NQ 7881.5, +10.0
Long 1 NQ 7875.0.0, +5.0
Long 1 NQ 7873.5, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7873.0, -1.0
Long 1 RTY 1574.2, -0.7
Long 1 NQ 7868.5, +5.0
Short 1 YM 77055, -3
Short 1 RTY 1579.6, -1.4
Short 2 RTY 1581.7, 1581.5, +1.4, -0.2
Total NQ +16.75
Total RTY +2.1

Mon Sep 16 Trade Signal Summary

20190916
Short 2 NQ 7884.0, 7884.0, +2.0, +10.0
Short 1 RTY 1591.2, +2.0
Short 1 RTY 1592.0, -0.2
Short 1 RTY 1594.5, -0.7
Short 3 RTY 1595.1, 1595.1, 1596.0, -0.0, +2.0, +1.0
Total NQ +12.0
Total RTY +4.3

Fri Sep 13 Trade Signal Summary

20190912
Long 1 RTY 1589.0, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7933.5, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 7935.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7936.0, 7936.0, 7936.0, -2.25, -2.25
Long 1 RTY 1585.2, -0.0
Long 2 NQ 7908.00, 7908.00, +5.0, +10.0
Short 1 NQ 7936.25, +9.0
Total RTY +2.0
Total NQ +15.25

Thur Sep 12 Trade Signal Summary

20190912
Long 1 YM 27147, -7
Long 1 NQ 7923.5, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7918.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7916.0, 7916.0, +3.0, -3.0
Long 1 RTY 1562.0, +6.0
Short 1 NQ 7931.0, -2.0
Short 2 NQ 7932.0, 7932.0, +2.5, -1.0
Short 1 RTY 1572.1, +1.3
Long 1 RTY 1574.3, +2.0
Long 1 RTY 1572.4, +3.0
Total YM -7
Total NQ -5.0
Total RTY +12.3

Wed Sep 11 Trade Signal Summary

20190911
Short 1 NQ 7832.25, -2.5
Short 1 NQ 7839.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7847.0, 7847.0, +11.0, +9.75
Short 1 YM 26980, -8
Short 1 NQ 7843.5, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 7853.5, -2.25
Long 1 YM 26917, +33
Short 1 RTY 1559.4, -0.7
Long 1 NQ 7856.5, +5.0
Total YM +25
Total NQ +17.0
Total RTY -0.7

Tues Sep 10 Trade Signal Summary

20190910
Short 1 RTY 1518.3, +3.0
Long 1 NQ 7760.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7752.5, +9.5
Short 1 RTY 1521.0, -0.0
Short 1 RTY 1527.8, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7784.0, +5.0
Total NQ +12.25
Total RTY +5.0

Mon Sep 9 Trade Signal Summary

20190909
Long 2 RTY 1507.0, 1507.0, +1.6, +2.5
Long 1 NQ 7851.0, +9.0
Short 1 RTY 1511.8, -0.7
Short 2 YM 26905, 26095, +12, +15
Total YM +27
Total NQ +9.0
Total RTY +3.4

Fri Sep 6 Trade Summary & Journal

20190906
Long 1 YM 26739, -1
Short 1 NQ 7850, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 7852.25, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 7857.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7858.5, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7864.0, 7864.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7865.25, 7865.25, +5.5, +5.5
Long 1 NQ 7855.0, -2.0
Short 2 NQ 7860.5, 7860.25, +2.5, -1.0
Short 2 RTY 1516.5, 1516.4, -0.5, +0.7
Short 1 NQ 7870.0, -2.25
Short 1 RTY 1517.6, -0.7
Short 1 YM 26821, +21
Total YM +20
Total NQ +0.25
Total RTY -0.5

Several prominent mistakes in trading the 1st Frame today. The first was simply not being back in time from an errand to be in front of the screen for the Open. You can't claim to trade the ORB Trades in your plan if you're not in front of the screen to take them. And today's 3Bar and Matched Highs Combo in the RTY was simply too juicy to miss for a first trade. But the second error was far more subtle, and, in fact, I seldom ever seem to make a profit when this condition appears: Two of the key contracts reach entry signals at about the same time, but in the opposite directions. We call this condition a Screwball. And in it, you tend to get taken in by the first direction of the breaking ball, only to see it break back in the opposite direction. ..and today's was even more subtle. I actually had the first call right with a long YM trade, which pushed its signal to re buy if a break-even stop-loss was taken while going lower. But by then, I was in the NQ on a short signal, and missed the 2nd entry long signal for the YM altogether. ...usually, the NQ is the better leader... but not today... After that, trade signals were scant, and trends flattened out in anticipation of the Fed Chair Speech due midday. About the best I can say for the day is that I didn't reach a 2nd day in a row of hitting the maximum daily loss limit. That condition has a behavior governor that puts me in the penalty box of Sim-only trades on the third day thereafter.. ...so Monday is a fresh start... and a good weekend to all...

Thur Sep 5 Trade Signals & Journal

20190905
Short 1 RTY 1513.02, -0.5
Short 2 YM 26709, 26712, -0, -4
Short 1 YM 26770, -13
Short 3 NQ 7844.0, 7845.0, 7844.5, +3., -3.25, -2.5
Short 3 RTY 1504.5, 1504.4, 1505.3, -1.5, -1.5, -1.4
Short 1 RTY 1508.0, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1509.5, 1510.1, -0.0, +0.4
Short 3 RTY 1512.3, 1512.3, 1512.3, -0.4, -0.4, -0.4
Short 2 RTY 1512.9, 1512.9, -1.4, -1.4
Short 4 RTY 1513.7, 1513.7, 1513.7, 1513.7, -0.4, -0.4, -0.4, -0.4
Short 2 YM 26810, 26810, -7, -7
Short 2 NQ 7872.0, 7872.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7886.0. +16.0
Short 2 RTY 1518.7 1518.6 -0.7, -0.7
Short 1 YM 26840, +50
Short 2 RTY 1523.5, 1523.6, -0.7, -0.7
Long 1 NQ 7862.25, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7859.0, 7859.0, +3.0, -1.25
Long 2 RTY 1513.9, 1513.5, -1.4, +1.0
Long 2 RTY 1512.0, 1512.6, -0.1, +1.0
Long 2 RTY 1511.8, 1511.8, +1.2, -0.5
Total YM +19
Total NQ +8.25
Total RTY -13.2

Straight vertical markets are always the most challenging... and by the time the YM and NQ were finally putting in huge Second Series climaxes, I had already accumulated my maximum allowable losses fading the come-lately, me-too RTY. As for buying the pullback, it's not often the Last Chance Texaco's in-trend entries come also as the First Chance successful buy opportunities... but did so well after the 1st frame of the day was over, and I had close up the registry before more damage could be done... ...but that's what maximum allowed loss limits are in a Trade Plan. They are Behavior Stops. ...and tomorrow is always another day...

Wed Sep 4 no trades, personal day

Tues Sep 2 Trade Signal Summary

20190903
Long 1 NQ 7650.0, +10.75
Long 1 NQ 7644.75, +10.00
Short 1 YM 26194, +20
Long 1 NQ 7605.0, +10.0
Total YM +20
Total NQ +30.75

Mon Sep 2 Labor Day Exchanges Closed

Fri Aug 30 Trade Signal Summary

20190830
Long 1 NQ 7535.25, -2.25
Long 1 YM 26472, -7
Long 1 YM 26466, -1
Short 2 NQ 7740.0, 7739.0, +14.25, +5.0
Short 1 YM 26510, -7
Short 2 YM 26520, 26518, +10, +59
Total YM +54
Total NQ +17.0

Thur Aug 29 Trade Signal Summary

20190829
Short 2 NQ 7721.25, 7721.25, +2.0, +6.5
Short 2 RTY 1497.5, 1495.7, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 7721.75, 7721.75, -2.25, ,-2.25
Short 2 NQ 7723.5, 7723.5, +2.0, +10.75
Short 1 NQ 7703.0, -2.5
Short 2 RTY 1598.2, 1598.0, +1.0, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 7660.25, +19.0
Total NQ +35.75
Total RTY -0.0

Wed Aug 28 Trade Signal Summary

20190828
Short 2 RTY 1453.5, 1454.0, -0.8, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7535.0, -2..25
Short 2 RTY 1456.1, 1456.1, -1.5, -1.5
Short 1 YM 25732, -7
Short 2 RTY 1458.1, 1458.1, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 7550.0, 7550, +2.0, -2.25
Short 2 RTY 1460.9, 1460.9, -1.5, -1.5
Short 2 YM 25795, 25800, -2, +20
Short 2 RTY 1464.2, 1464.2, +3.0, +5.2
Short 1 NQ 7567.0, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7570.0, 7570.0, 7570.0, +8.0, +9.0, +7.75
Short 1 YM 25850, -8
Short 1 RTY 1466.0, -0.1
Short 1 YM 25910, +20
Total YM +23
Total NQ +20.0
Total RTY +0.3

Tues Aug 27 Trade Signal Summary

20190827
Short 2 RTY 1486.0, 1485.5, +2.0, +1.0
Short 1 YM 25985, -7
Short 1 YM 25978, +23
Long 1 NQ 7594.25, -0.0
Long 1 RTY 1467.0, +0.1
Long 1 NQ 7590.0, -4.25
Long 2 NQ 7576.0, 7576.0, -0.25, -0.25
Long 1 RTY 1563.2, +2.0
Short 2 YM 25900, 25902, +7, +7
Short 1 NQ 7593.0, +10.0
Total YM +30
Total NQ +5.25
Total RTY +5.1

Mon Aug 26 Trade Signal Summary

20190826
Short 1 NQ 7552.0, +10.0
Long 1 RTY 1465.0, +1.5
Long 1 NQ 7526.5, +10.0
Total NQ +20.5
Total RTY +1.5

Fri Aug 23 Trade Signals and Journal

20190823
Long 1 YM 26134, -7
Short 1 ES 2908.0, -1.5
Short 1 RTY 1498.0, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1503.9, 1503.8, +2.5, +2.4
Short 2 YM 26252, 26255, +20, +31
Short 1 NQ 7698.25, -1.25
Short 1 NQ 7704.0, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7708.5, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7717.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7723.0, 7723.0, 7723.0, -1.5, -1.5, -1.5
Short 3 YM 26300, 25300, 26300, +20, +30, +30
Short 1 RTY 1508.0, +3.7
Long 1 NQ 7600.0, -2.25
Long 1 RTY 1481.5, +4.6
Long 1 NQ 7542.0, -0.25
Total ES -1.5
Total YM +124
Total NQ -17.5
Total RTY +11.7

Many years ago, while I was a contractor making trade calls for a room of futures and stock traders, I heard the assertion, absurd though it was, that Alan Greenspan was timing his pronouncements and rate decisions with Elliott Wave patterns of the daily time frame. Of course, the person making this assertion was an Elliott Wave enthusiast, and following the pattern labels very precisely. He was not considering how absurd the notion was that Alan Greenspan would be doing the same. But his observation of the apparent coincidence of the timing had a merit he did not understand.

Today, at 10:am ET, Fed Chairman Powell gave a much anticipated and closely watched speech on U.S. economics and the Fed's short term schedule for rate adjustment. How could anything in technical analysis be of use during such an emotional injection into markets! Then, things really got heated. President Trump tweeted out a counter punch to China's tariff announcement, a counter punch in itself. How could a trader possibly position to anticipate such a thing? And yet, using a fractal algorithm I uncovered more than 10 years ago to replace the clunky and over-constraining Elliott Wave, called Serial Sequent, I was able to position a short in the RTY contract just minutes before his tweet came out. Was Pres Trump, like Alan Greenspan, using a fractal algorithm from the market place to time his bearish tweets on China? Absurd. No one can predict Donald Trump. That's part of both his charm and his tremendous success.

Alan Greenspan didn't use Elliot Wave. Markets simply overwhelm and swallow any emotional fuel injected into them. My position didn't predict Donald Trump's tweet, even though Serial Sequent put me in a short just ticks below the end of that rally, and the high of the day. The market was simply poised to retreat, regardless. And had I known the context of that tweet as it was coming out, I would have pulled any target I had on that short and captured a lot more of the ensuing 26 point RTY decline than the meager +3.7 points that I did... And likewise, using the same Serial Sequent algorithm, I managed to capture profits right in the midst of Fed Chairman Powell's speech, even though I had little clue what he was really saying. I simply waited til the pre-delivered version of his speech hit the wires and the internet so that it was theoretically out of the way, and traded the outcome of the fractal algorithm as it unfolded. This algorithm is not greater than the emotional context these events insert into price structure, it's that price structure has an underlying DNA to its structure, and regardless how much energy is being injected into the auction arena, price still carves out its thrusts and retreats according to this DNA code.

....and a good weekend to all...

Thur Aug 22 Trade Signals and Journal

20190822
Short 1 RTY 1514.2, -1.4
Short 2 NQ 7772.5, 772.0.0, +3, +14.75
Short 1 RTY 1517.7, +2.2
Short 1 RTY 1516.5, +0.2
Short 1 RTY 1517.5, +2.3
Long 1 NQ 7731.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7725.0, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7721.5, 7721.5, -2.25, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7718.0, 7718.0, -1.25, -1.25
Long 2 RTY 1507.0, 1507.0, -1.5, -1.5
Long 2 NQ 7705.0, 7705.0, +5.0, -2.25
Long 2 YM 26165, 26167, -8, -8
Long 1 NQ 7660.25, +14.75
Long 1 RTY 1499.1, +4.0
Long 2 YM 26113, 26115, +20, -1
Total YM +3
Total NQ +23.75
Total RTY +4.3

"Second trends are where the surprises hide." ....is a mantra I preach in the training course again and again. But that didn't stop me stepping into trying to buy this first frame decline too early at several levels. ...and that in spite of being short near the 1st trend's highs in both the RT and the NQ.. In fact, it would be fair to day that I stepped into fading this 2nd trend with longs BECAUSE I had been been short near the highs. You might think that having shorted the market earlier would fill me with bear prejudice as the profits rolled in. But in fact, the profits were so so quick and so easy, it left a thirst for more trading and a challenge that might make it feel like I had actually the done the work of having to achieve it. In a way, it was self destructive, but perhaps more fairly, it was simply looking to recapture the accolades of being in the winning mode. You see, giving up your position gives up the accolade of your position. You can no long wave your position around when you have traded it in for profits. Profits are the opposite of glory. But it is glory that drives the heart of man, not profits.. and so you get drawn back into trades that are by nature far more risky in efforts to get the glory back, there here no obviously pullback signals to get in-trend shorts positioned.

True Self is a book I wrote about this mental phenomenon, and a number of others that typically inflict traders. You can check it out on Amazon.com. ...and a good day remaining to all..

Wed Aug 21 Trade Signal Summary

20190821
Short 1 NQ 7744.0, -2.5
Short 1 NQ 7746.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7748.25, -2.25, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7758.75, 7758.75, 7758.75, -1.25, -1.25, -1.25
Short 3 NQ 7763.0, 7763.0, 7763.0, +3.0, +7.0, +7.0
Short 2 RTY 1512.8, 1512.8, -0.2, -0.2
Short 2 RTY 1513.0, 1512.8, +1.7, +2.0
Long 2 NQ 7752.0, 7752.0, -1.25, -1.25
Long 3 NQ 7749.0, 7749.0, 7750.0, -2.25, -2.25, -1.25
Long 3 NQ 7748.0, 7748.0, 7748.0, -2.25, -2.25, -2.25
Long 2 YM 26175, 26175, +23, +23
Total YM +46
Total NQ -11.00
Total RTY +3.3

Tues Aug 20 Trade Signal Summary

20190820
Long 2 RTY 1501.0, 1501.0, +0.8, +2.0
Long 1 YM 26040, -7
Long 1 RTY 1500.5, +2.0
Long 1 YM 25034, -7
Short 1 NQ 7701.0, -0.5
Short 1 RTY 1505.6, +0.2
Short 1 NQ 7713.5, +10.0
Total YM -14
Total NQ +9.5
Total RTY +5.0

Mon Aug 19 Trade Signals & Journal

20190819
Short 1 RTY 1512.5, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 7723.5, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7720.0, -2.0
Long 2 NQ 7715.25, 7715.25, +5.0, -0.25
Short 1 NQ 7721.75, +5.0
Long 1 NQ 7710.0, -2.25
Long 1 NQ 7701.75, -0.25
Long 1 NQ 7696.0, +5.0
Long 1 RTY 1507.0, +2.0
Short 2 YM 26122, 26124, -7, -7
Short 2 NQ 7717.0, 7716.5, -2.0, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7719.5, 7719.5, 7719.5, +2.0, +5.0, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7722.0, -2.0
Short 2 NQ 7731.5, 7731.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 1 RTY 1514.0, -0.4
Short 1 YM 26175, -0
Short 2 RTY 1514.3, 1514.3, -0.5, -0.5
Short 2 YM 26187. 26187, +13, +50
Short 2 NQ 7742.0, 7741.75, -2.0, -2.0
Total YM +49
Total NQ +2.25
Total RTY +2.6

Two-sided Test and Reject can be a challenging day model to trade. Today, with earliest action accomplishing some of the aspects of WorkDone--as price took out the Pennant Apex and PivotLedge Break-away resistance of the earlier week--the initial components were all flashing for Shorts. Unfortunately, RTY was the only index with a completed signal. Shortly thereafter, buy signals began to show up, but against those earlier resistance numbers, long signals did not inspire size more than minimal positions... an error that was mostly in my head... and consequently, the best opportunities of the morning were allowed only meager profits. This is what comes of trend prejudice taking hold... and apparently I was not alone, for pricing then proceeded to climb the wall of successively repeated resistance areas all seemingly ripe for shorting... except that those shorts were all being taken against the true 2nd trend.... where surprises love to hide. I'd like to at least be able to say from these efforts in error that the morning left me with a 'lesson learned' reaction. But the truth is, it was more like 'bad trading behavior repeated as I kept at repeated short selling into appraised price extremes like a sailor hypnotized by the Song of Sirens, leaving a bloody set of stop-outs dashed against the rocks.. In review of such an outcome, I go back to the early lows-of-the-frame, where I failed to identified a fresh set of WorkDone signals, and consider to have taken bigger size positions from those levels where a frame profit goal could have been reached.

Fri Aug 15 Trade Signal Summary

20190816
Long 1 NQ 7570.25, +5.5
Short 4 RTY 1479.1, 1479.1, 1479.1 1479.3, +1.5, +0.8 , -1.4, -1.4
Short 2 RTY 1480.8, 1481.0, +1.0, +3.0
Short 1 NQ 7607.0 +5.0
Short 1 NQ 7619.0, -2.5
Short 2 NQ 7626.0, 7626.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7627.5, 2627.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7631.0, 7631.0, 7631.0, -0.5, -0.5, -0.5
Short 2 RTY 1486.1, 1486.1, -0.0, -0.0
Short 2 RTY 1488.8, 1488.8, +1.6, -0.2
Long 1 NQ 7615.75, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1490.6, 1490.4, -1.4, -0.0
Long 1 NQ 7605.0, -1.25
Long 1 NQ 7599.0, -2.0
Short 2 RTY 1592.5, 1592.3, -0.1, -0.3
Total NQ -7.75
Total RTY +3.1

Thur Aug 15 Trade Signal Summary

20190815
Long 1 YM 25574, -7
Long 1 YM 25456, -7
Long 2 YM 25429, 25429, +30, +74
Long 1 RTY 1461.0, +4.0
Total YM +90
Total RTY +4.0

Wed Aug 14 Trade Signal Summary

20190814
Long 1 NQ 7612.5, -2.25
Long 2 RTY 1478.2, 1478.3, +4.0, +4.0
Short 2 NQ 7626.0, 7675.5, +13.0, +4.0
Total NQ +14.75
Total RTY +8.0

Tues Aug 13 Trade Signals and Journal

20190813
Short 1 RTY 1502.7, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1506.0, 1506.0, -1.5, -1.5
Short 3 RTY 1510.4, 1510.4, 1510.4, -1.5, -1.5, -1.5
Short 4 RTY 1513.5, 1513.5, 1513.5, 1315.5, +4.0, +4.0, +4.0, +4.0
Short 1 RTY 1518.0, -1.5
Short 2 RTY 1520.7, 1520.7, +2.0, +2.5
Short 1 RTY 1518.5, +2.0
Short 1 NQ 7774.5, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7788.0, 7788.0, +6.0, +12.25
Short 2 RTY 1525.1, 1525.5, +1.0, +3.0
Total NQ +16.25
Total RTY +16.0

Serial Sequent methodology is 'anti-fragile'. That means volatility actually helps it expose the underlying DNA of fractals of thrust and pullback. ...but handling the size of those fractals not always an easy thing. I was down
nearly to my loss limit in early RTY trades before getting it all back in a single swing. A bit later sell signals appeared in the come-lately highs in the NQ and the RTY, and those put me well into daily goal territory. ....but this action not for the faint of heart. But to top off the list of observations today, the NQ started the day with a Matched Lows buy signal right at the ORB... which I called for the room, but failed to catch myself. And while I was solo-focused on trying to get that opening ORB trade, the RTY and ES both triggered 3 Bar ORB trades themselves, of which I also got neither... ...that was 200 point excursion in the NQ off a Matched Lows ORB opening buy signal..... and my only profits in the NQ came by shorting the Sequent tops... sometimes you just make it harder on yourself than necessary... (See the book Pivots, Patterns and Intraday Swing Trades, online at Amazon, for an explanation of these ORB pattern trades.)

Mon Aug 12 Trade Signal Summary

20190812
Short 1 NQ 7607.0, +17.0
Short 1 RTY 1500.4, -0.3
Short 1 NQ 7630.0, +8.0
Total NQ +25.0
Total RTY -0.3

Fri Aug 9 Trade Signal Summary

20190809
Short 12 RTY 1525.8, -0.6
Short 1 RTY 1527.6, +3.8
Long 2 RTY 1522.0, 1522.0, -0.4, -0.4
Long 1 NQ 7690.0, +5.0
Long 1 YM 26289, -7
Long 2 YM 26250, 26250, +22, -1
Long 2 RTY 1519.0, 1519.0, +1.5, +3.3
Long 2 NQ 7665.0, 7665.5, +8.0, +5.5
Long 1 NQ 7649.0, +10.0
Long 1 RTY 1517.4, +4.0
Total YM +14
Total NQ +28.5
Total RTY +11.8

Thur Aug 8 Trade Signals and Journal

20190808
Long 1 YM 26095, -7
Short 1 NQ 7604.0, +10.0
Long 1 YM 26027, -7
Short 2 NQ 7626.5, 7626.5, +2.0, +4.5
Short 1 NQ 7638.0, -2.5
Short 2 NQ 7643.0, 7643.0, +2.0, -2.25
Short 1 RTY 1519.3, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 7644.0, 7644.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7646.25, 7646.25, +2.0, -0.0
Short 2 RTY 1521.5, 1521.5, -0.4, -0.4
Short 2 NQ 7651.5, 7651.5, +3.75, +3.0
Short 2 RTY 1522.8, 1522.8, -0.2, -0.2
Short 1 NQ 7654.0, +8.0
Short 1 RTY 1524.2, -0.3
Short 1 RTY 1525.5, +1.0
Total YM -14
Total NQ +26.0
Total RTY -2.0

Volatility can be a good thing for traders. Without some, you languish. And Serial Sequent is especially suited for volatility, as it is 'anti-fragile'. The more the volatility, the clearer the underlying DNA structure is exposed. But volatility doesn't always come in the form of swings. Sometimes it is nearly a straight, vertical action. And if you don't get the early signals to participate, you can get left at the station with un-punched ticket in hand.
However, there was not much excuse for me today, as the YM gave a clear Test-n-Reject opportunity, on which I entered a bit too early. And while I was wiping the cold water from that splash off my face with a towel, the train abruptly left the station.... without me. Pay close attention to your early opportunities. Sometimes they're the only ones you get...

Wed Aug 7 Trade Signal Summary

20190807
Short 1 YM 25612, +50
Long 2 YM 25400, 25400, +20, +40
Total YM 110

Sometimes trading looks easy. But it is seldom so. One forgets all the kinds of mistakes one use to make and assumes the hard won habits weren't part of the cost of today's trades. Today, the volatility was so great, that the greatest error to trading was just not hanging on. A 50 point move in the YM is usually a decent gain from an initial signaled entry near the ORB. Today, that move earned a 200 point excursion. And the trick for buying the YM at the LOD ..? ....the combination of an improved climax-momentum indicator for the YM, Serial Substitute Sequent Rule, and an old trick by W.D. Gann trick called the Decennial, but applied to numbers instead of time, and generously shared with me from Brendan Moynihan, who spent years putting it to practice in the grain markets each day, way back when. Thank you Brendan !!.

Tues Aug 6 Trade Signal Summary

20190806
Short 1 ES 2869,75, -1.25
Long 1 NQ 7501.75, -2.25
Long 2 NQ 7488.25, 7488.25, +3.0, +12.0
Long 2 YM 25800, 25800, +20, +30
Short 1 RTY 1498.8, +4.0
Long 1 NQ 7470.0, +5.0
Total ES -1.25
Total YM +50
Total NQ 17.75
Total RTY +4.0

Mon Aug 5 Trade Signals & Journal

20190805
Long 2 YM 25955, 25955, -9, -9
Long 2 ES 2875.75, 2875.75, +2.0, -0.5
Long 1 RTY, 1501.0, -1.4
Long 1 RTY 1598.01, -1.4
Long 2 RTY 1597.0, 1597.0, +3.0, +2.0
Long 1 NQ 7585.0, +15.5
Long 1 NQ 7585.0, -1.5
Long 1 NQ 7584.0, +10.0
PM trades:
Long 2 NQ 7365.25, 7365.25, +6.5, +10.0
Long 1 NQ 7365.5, -2.25
Long 2 RTY 1471.0, 1471.0, +3.0, +5.6
Long 2 YM 25489, 25489, +26, +91
Total ES +1.5
Total YM +99
Total NQ +40.5
Total RTY +10.8
I seldom come back now for the 2nd and 3rd Frames of the Day. The 1st Frame is so dynamic and volatile, it tends to expose its swing signals with the Sequent algorithm with great regularity. Why sit all day in front of the screen when there is so much opportunity in the early going? It didn't use to be this way. In times past, almost all of my trades would come from the Midday and Last Hour frames, as I would stalk the larger patterns that would often come to fruition around the 2:30 Transition Time. But today's volatility was just too much to resist. Returning just after the Transition Time, the market had still still not rallied hard enough to take out the 200 MA, for a Last Chance Texaco, so that big bounce was likely. But equipped with the Sequent tool, I might be able to ride along for the trip back up, rather than waiting it out, and fishing for that one last buying spike that often turns into Last Hour new lows. And combined with the TTI, True Trend Momentum Indicator, Serial Sequent was screaming that the selling structure had reached a critical turning point. ...thus my last trades were long, against the prevailing selling.

Fri Aug 2 Trade Signal Summary

20190802
Short 1 NQ 7743.5, -2.25
Short 1 NQ 7745.0, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7764.0, 7764.0, +10, +20
Total NQ +25.5

Thur Aug 1 Trade Signal Summary

20190801
Short 3 YM 26820, 26920, +10, +10, -12
Short 2 NQ 7934.0, 7934.0, +4.0, +12.0
Short 1 NQ 7935.0, -2.0
Short 1 NQ 7938.0, -1.0
Short 1 NQ 7956.5, -2.50
Short 1 YM 26996, -6
Short 2 YM 27015, 27012, +10, -9
Short 2 RTY 1588.4, 1588.4, -0.4, -0.4
Short 2 NQ 7974.0, 7973.5, +5.0, -1.0
Short 2 NQ 7976.0, 7876.0, -2.25, -2.25
Short 2 NQ 7977.0, 7976.5, -2.25, -2.25
Short 3 NQ 7978.0, 7978.0, 7977.5, +2.0, +5.0, -1.5
Short 2 NQ 7990.0, 7988.75, +3.0, -2.75
Short 2 YM 27090, 27090, -2, -2
Short 1 NQ 7996.25, -1.0
Short 1 NQ 7996.0, -2.0
Short 1 YM 27123, +45
Short 1 RTY 1591.8, +3.4
Total YM +44
Total NQ +8.25
Total RTY +2.6