NQ Day Trading

more to come I think.
regards
goma

pretty fast market with the VIX still up there. had time for a look in this morning changed my range bars to 15T from the usual 8.
things just moving too fast at the smaller size to be comfortable, and wanted a bit longer time frame overall to see where
participation/hesitation and trends were. took a short at 5282 to cover at 5274. decided that just going for the "meat" of
the range was prudent rather than trying to squeeze every last tick. as the saying goes "pigs get slaughtered". after closing the
trade, ran out back to clean up the yard a bit (thanks cujo) and see where it pretty much obeyed range levels. the larger players
think nothing of back filling 3-5-10 points in a market like this, their algos are hedging away. will be interesting going forward.
take care if you are in.
regards
goma

minimal trading the past month. a couple of days here and there to look in but busy with family, work and a week off to go deer hunting. sadly no venison
this year but elk season coming up.
did get some time this morning for a few scalps. been testing off hours adding keltner channels as a visual aid. entries usually after it closes below/above
outside bands and bracket entry on re-test of outer band in perceived direction of trend. of course I had time to look in during a flat period so not
really optimum, but managed 3 wins (4-6-11 plus'). hope summer has been good.
regards
goma

a little time this morning before running out. saw a trade setup I took on a breakout down-fade entry for plus 24T. double clicked by mistake
(2nd cup of coffee jitters) for plus 1. shortly after it got too busy for me to gauge entries, then dropped 20pts in about 3 minutes. hope
the swing traders took advantage. back later to see if things settle a bit.
regards
goma

trying to get more time back into it. 3 trades this morning using the same entry parameters. 2 wins 1 loss closed manually. stop a little too
tight for this market. also violated my entry rule on second trade and turned out to be a range. such is life. one more thing, increased
my lot# to 5 micros. lower participation so far this week making market conditions a bit more volatile. good luck to all.
regards
goma

Are you guys trading with a prop firm or your own accounts. I've been considering using a prop firm and am trying to think through the pros and cons of it versus a personal account. Thanks for your input.

personal acct. haven't look too closely at prop firms except the cursory headlines. do your homework on these as I'm sure there are both good and not so good.
regards
goma

got in right after above post. 3 trades, first good entry, second forced a bit for minus 9T third plus 3T. waiting a while as it has gotten
a bit too rangy/indecisive. decent participation so far but economic and macro events coming up make it a bit sloppy. see how it develops.
regards
goma

no trades yesterday, probably not today. but.... next week is rollover week (in addition to fed meeting).
regards
goma

I decided to go for the APEX eval. I will start today and have to put in 7 trading days.

I'm figuring that the risk:reward on this is phenomenal. I'll take profit from the funded account and fill my personal account. Then I should be able to copy trade the APEX account and my personal account at the same time. That way I can withdraw from my personal account anytime I want to, as well as withdraw from the APEX account according to their rules.

We'll see....

Good luck! I'm using APEX for the first time too atm. I've also used Top Step and Take Profit Trader. Like you say, the R:R is a bit of a no-brainer for those with a profitable approach.

Good luck. I enjoy your posts and charts.

Same here. I do like this journal and I think it is one of the best here at FF.

Good luck, noeyedear and capstone!

very late today, overslept and appts. this morning. quite a move on both the ES and NQ since yesterday. fair vol, but overall nothing big
enough to hang on the wall. first trades since last week, so rushed a small long with 1lot for plus 4T, second a bit better, short 4 lots for 8T. slow time
of the day for PA. my main thoughts on yesterday's FED "gift", is that we got fitty cents instead of a quarter (or nothing) because the
economy is doing soooo... well (?) ok enough. good to see you all back. does Apex allow you to set/trade your own strategy(s) and r:r
or do they have collars one must adhere to? anyways post a chart or two.
regards
goma

choppy and directionless on low vol/participation. weak econ data this morning (of marginal importance) should have the larger players clamoring
for cheaper $, ie rate cuts. usually sends the NQ and ES moving higher, but maybe they slept in today. tried a couple of early scalps for a +6T (1 lot)
and +4T (4 lots). will wait a bit for direction or range break. good luck if you're in.
regards
goma

what started out to be a promising morning, 1 trade, 1 lot for plus 6T just to get my feet wet, had the platform freeze twice. normally pretty
stable, but if things aren't moving, it is hard to guess which way is up/down. checked for updates etc. could be a feed issue ie cqg, but I'll
give it a little time. otherwise price looked to have settled in a trading range for a bit (my guess).
regards
goma

MNQ - first 30 minutes | +80T (1 micro), a b/e and then +116T (5 micros). Will probably leave it there unless an A+ sets up. Good luck if you're in!

good catch on an early trade. ES is in a flattish, sloppy, weak volume range again today. not a good risk/reward today, similar since monday.
seems to be waiting for the next major catalyst to get things moving. might be the same tmro. couple of errands to run so will see if
anything changes later.
regards
goma

looked in when I got back from running around. slo-mo trend down to 5775-80 range. still shallow vol, so set trades just above 75 and one
around 70. both hit and ran up above the 80 level for plus 28T (x2). had to watch for 30min for the trade to play out. maybe another push
higher by end of day, but other things to do.
regards
goma

fyi, a cumulative delta ask/bid chart with some vol, down vol and up vol on the esz24. interpret as you will, the ask lowered/bid lowered since just
after the open. decent volume overall today. came in late so no trades today.
regards
goma