My way to highway

today's summary.
an eclectic day, started with CAD pairs, ended with CAD pairs, had some EU, had some exotics, mainly UMxn...
in the end, 19 entries altogether, for a total +0.61%.
unexpectedly strong day.

19 scalps, nice work, you must be able to have quite a bit of screen time.
I was busy in meetings all day so only had my phone to look at, so on those days I just set up limit orders
Have a good day trading.
The month end is nearly with us; always a good time for us all to analyse our month's trading stats and focus on the new month.

since you asked, i have checked.
yesterday between first entry in to last entry closed was about 10 hours.
so, a full day. coincidentally i am a full time trader too. so, not that shocking.
though usually there is less "screen time" during the day, today for example whatever the outcome will be wont have more than probably 7 hours trading time.
the same time during that 10 hours between first and last entry, i had managed to cook a full meal, (and eat 2)...managed 30 min exercise, and also to watch spiderman homecoming movie. so, gets little tricky to count screen time/trading time.
i do set price alerts to levels i think may be my interest, usually previous high/low or swing point, where i hope to fade/counter trade the move.
that said, my previous last job was an average 70 hours a week work...so, putting in 5x10 hours a week still feels like vacation in comparison...but my actual trading or screen time if you wish, is probably between 30-40 hours a week, an even that is flexible, the main advantages of trading from home, and being a trader in general.

no trades today.
during the day running some errands, and as turn out there was only a few chances for my taste, later i havent found much.
maybe end of month risk appetite, maybe just discipline not to 'create entries' where there isnt.
either way, tomorrow another day, another chance to make money.

End of the day, end of the week, end of the month...

Friday.
Mixed trading today, started slow, then some action on EUR pairs, then some on CAD, and finally a mistake shorting De30 on the breakout, not paying attention to the time of the day, that Europe has closed!! Bad mistake, that cost me exactly half my profit for today!!
Not happy with that.
But generally happy with the day: +0.19%

The week.
Even with yesterday ( thursday) no trading, i still consider this a good strong week, with +1.34%.
What also matters, had no losing days during the week, and i can take this results for any, happily!

The month.
Good month.
After August was a boring, weaker month (the weakest till date), i was kind a hoping secretly for a somewhat better one.
Despite the losses in the middle of month, it went back quickly to new highs, and in the end turned out to be a very nice month.
The result: +6.42%.
September had 1 losing day ( just as in August, April and March), the 4th since the start of the TE.
I am happy with this result, and surely most would be too.

Let me also mention the fund trial, @ Fixi.
Started trading that account on the 14th September, with the DD limits mentioned earlier posts.
For the time it is up +1.79%, what i consider very good, with max DD about 2%.
For now it copies my master account at a reduced, 0.35x risk.

Myfxbook says since inception there is 94% gain...with little luck and lots of work, next month might bring it over 100%...will see.
TE says on purely total deposits there is 31.9% gain.
That wont qualify the TE to be top list, the #99 https://cdn-resources.forexfactory.n...ault_16x16.png notalklu....still work to do, right?

Happy weekend!

@Profitfarmer, Nice work in here with your journaling and nice, steady, clean trading. I don't read through most journals, but read through yours. I can tell you have your greed, fear and excitement all in check and that is the secret to your success! And of course, controlling your DD that you talk about.

Many styles and strategies work. It all just comes down to our inner man or woman. For me that is the key. Like you were talking about not pushing too hard some days and knowing when to walk. I've had many days where I wanted to push just one more trade to get to some random % number on the day or some specific dollar figure and then kick into overtrading and giving back to the market. No need to be greedy, just grab a few every day and leave some out there for others to get too. It's like working out in the gym. Takes a little day by day to produce massive results over the long term.

Great job job here and I'll put you on my follow list. Just reading your thoughts and wisdom and there is some golden nuggets tucked in there.

marinecorps,
thank you for the kind words, and subscribing, glad if you find this little journal useful.

you are very correct, there is hardly some secret sauce to all, but more to trying to control emotions, and execute some trading you know in turn has a little edge, as long as keep to your plans.
some day things are easier than another.
but one of the greatest aspect, that when you arent fully in your trading zone, trades dont kinda happen as planned, and you arent seem to be in sync with the market moves of the day, there is the easy option to stand up, and take a break, even for a day, or 2 days.
as a full time trader you have some pressure to make money, but you also have this freedom that few jobs can give you.
it is very hard to explain to my parents what kin a job is this, and managing some money. that there is no certain 'working hours' and there is no 'guaranteed calculable salary' end of the month.
trading is also a work where pushing for that extra mile may just be counter-productive.
( if i feel up to it, might write an entry about this in a bit more details how i see it).

happy weekend!

for various reasons, and that new month's starting too, i will cut my forum presence from today, and probably apart from limited few exceptions will focus my posts to my journal only.
and trading, mostly trading of course.
the last month was great, beyond the %gain, even more importantly $$wise too. probably my best overall. and there is still things to improve.

Congratulations for the results. Your approach is inspirational and not only the low dd but also how an account can be build from small drops.
This approach might not be suitable for those that can't make at least a good 4/5/x figures account, more risk is needed in order to make up for a few life pleasures.

I don't wish you bad luck but I would like to see your view/approach on the critical situations. I already saw you're doing a little bit of grid and cut all trades if dd reach 10% (it's done via an EA?).

Good luck again, if bad luck happens is not me and I am sure you'll find the way!

hi
thanks for reading my journal.
i would say from 4 digits all what i do can be scaled. if 7 month/94% result is not exciting enough to someone ( the full return if equity wasnt adjusted like TE shows), then probably in the wrong with expectations. i had never expected to make up for life's little pleasures, not to mention full time living from 3-500$ trading account. sure, some can do crazy things for a short run, i had that period too, some times ago. then usually one realizes that it just isnt sustainable that way.
on my 5 digit trading account i make 4 digit return. on a 3 digit account to do that you need like 100%+ each and every month, some case 300%+....and that doesnt even go beyond making 1000$....and of course there are larger 4 digit numbers too.
but actually i trade more then half of my account at 2x risk, due the drawdown is being low, i can factor that extra risk in.

i am glad you dont wish me bad luck, i am certain that probably more root for that than another successful month. not that it matter.
the TE is already more consistent than most FF.com members, new or guru, will ever able to produce. but that really secondary.
in think post#1 i highlighted some ways i trade. most of those will be full opposite the conventional teachings. use SL, risk X%, dont add to losing trade...and alike.
imagine you are attacked on the street. would you care to watch no poking eye, no pulling hair, or about taking a turn and run away?
each trade someone is on the other side of it, human or robot, taking a swing at me, sometimes not even fully legal ( like broker's tricks)...my best self interest to use flexible all tool i can, and if that is eye poking, or groin kicking, be it.
the 10% equity DD stop is the insurance/assurance that no knifes and guns enter this fist fight. bruised maybe, but not shut to death.
but within that 10% DD, anything and everything goes!!

i use grid. i use progressive lots. i do these without any individual SL.
yet i dont take any entry randomly. there is some constellation of things that point me to it, with probability the high side.
i take losses. some intraday, and sometimes even losing days. not too many of those, i try to avoid them as much as possible.

if you see, just few posts above, last friday was a critical situation, wrongly sold de30 not looking the time that market in germany has closed. the plan was a scalp entry back toward 12800...from 12818. the price stalled, hoovered around a little, and i realised the time of entry and my mistake. once breached the high, was not looking to average it, as i might be on a Tuesday, but closed it and take the loss. 1/2 of my day's profit, and that was also my cut point i decided on.
could i average myself out of it, even after the jump higher today? 100% yes.
so why not? no the right conditions to do so ( Friday after market closed).
the best approach to critical situations to try to avoid them as much as possible.
how?
trade small, with so much room for errors, that even if adding to a trade, it wont make a dent.
with the targets being low, and any individual trade or bunch of trade making small impact on their own, lots of the risk that a SL would counter, is already mitigated.

lets work a little bit backward on targets ( something i dont like to set, but nevertheless anyone has a number in mind)...
take last month, 6%. btw. it is a good number, if compounded monthly in 12 month =100%! beats the banks, that for sure!!
so, for simplicity, take 20 trading days.
that would mean on average i need to take 0.3% a day to end up at about 6%. about, because also compound your day to day return, so each day slightly less than 0.3% of your balance will be needed!
now, if i use a small size, ie 0.01 lot/1000$ balance approx...a 6 pips scalp trade will result 0.06% gain. find 5 of it, and the day's target has been reached.
when scale into a trade, the average of the 2-3 entries can result more than 0.06% gain, sometimes considerable more.
in the meantime your risk will be still low, never even pass any of the 2%SL that most would suggest in their great wisdom, more not even usually pass 1% SL value of your account, that the even more conservatives suggest based on their deep knowledge.
yet this time your larger averaged position ( grid if you wish, though no set pips distance really, martingale if you wish to no double down on each new bet really) stands to bring in a lot more than the original proposed 0.06%. maybe as much as 0.2%.
2-6 entries a day, and you can reach your 0.3% target, that can leave you with 6% monthly return.
a good trading day offers more than this number of entries or sets. a bad one maybe losses, or simply no good probability entries.

the point:
you dont need to work extremely hard to make a consistent profit. you need to pick your not too many entries carefully, even if some days it involves not reaching the daily average gain you need. not to mention the monthly gains in your mind. a trader needs to be flexible.
however, the ultimate reward is stable low drawdown, and a result that scalable, either by using 2x your basic risk, using or attracting more capital, or finding other ways to grow your assets, in case the organic 50-150% a year isnt suit your needs greeds.

in my current arrangements i am able to make a modest living from 2% a month return, and each % gain above that makes it progressively better.
the key aspect is consistency.
i would love to have instant 5 digit monthly returns. but knowing it will come along the road only if i stay consistent helps.
it would work for 3 digit accounts too, if not the impatience. the only solution is to find ways to add fund, not to push an unrealistic return dream and blow up accounts one after another chasing that dream.


what?
sorry, it got long.
hope some still read to the end.
happy trading!

Nice trading for September, well done.
And welcome to the new month.
Good luck.

thanks!
first +0.06% bagged.
game is on!!

first day of the month.
more scalps, today's flavor was GBP, only GU and GJ, about half and half.
total : +0.32%.
a solid start.

PS: decided to attach GU chart. about half of today profit...
arguable some could be held longer, some would cost to hold longer. i am happy with it as it is. this is scalping!!

decided to call it a day a bit earlier, the market has slowed considerable in the past hour/s...not that it was behaving real wild before.
Tuesday supposed to be a good day for me, as per myfxbook stat.
while it wasnt great, it sure was good enough.
8 entries, GJx4, UZx2, ENx2...7 win 1 loss, for a total of +0.28%.
not much to see on the charts today, all small scalps, pretty much out within 5 minutes from all. some lot faster.

hallo master profit farmer how are you? please forgive my bad attitude and bad word i'm very childish...this the hard way, but i'm not give up...once again forgive me, we still friend right??

Friends.
Dont give up!

got this proposal today...
thought to share, because i cant decide it is a joke or not.
( the 0.5x risk refer to my 10% equity drawdown cut).
feel free to comment your thoughts

I've had a fair bit to do with Proprietary firms in the past. Most are scams with impossible to meet criteria. Which one is this.? I may be able to sus them out for you.

a private deal. not direct relate to any prop firm.

That's good.. Check all the fine print.!!!!
The Max' DD is sus'