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Living in China, trading for a living 18 replies

1 trade per pair per year 6 replies

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Trading 24 hours per day, 5 days per week 14 replies

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Trading for a living

  • #741
  • Nov 26, 2025 7:19pm Nov 26, 2025 7:19pm
Quoting Noisy
{quote} "While it is technically possible to make an entire year's income in one single, high-stakes trade, this approach involves extreme risk and is highly likely to result in catastrophic losses, including potentially losing all capital. There is no single "perfect setup" that guarantees such an outcome; successful trading relies on consistent, long-term strategies, rigorous risk management, and discipline, not single huge plays." I might as well borrow 1 million from the Russians, go to the casino, and bet everything on red. Either I'll have...
If you aren’t prepared to sit in front of your computer and watching the market for hours and hours without placing a single trade, you shouldn’t be in this game.
Your’e probably trading some shitty 50/50 setup and then complaining it’s impossible to make money in the markets.

There are plenty of traders who have their A+ setups who do very well indeed, but you have missed something here.

It not really about the setup often, it’s about having bulls to go in big on a move you like and then starting adding additional positions up to your max leverage when you are already in profit.

My best trade was a $320,000 winner on a Bank stock after COVID. I saw my ideal setup on the Stock Market, when in with a medium size. After this position moved nicely into profit, I starting adding $50k at each pullback till I was 90% in and ran the move for a long period.

My point is you go in strong on a winning setup and then find a way to start adding positions along the way. It takes metal toughness to be able to go all in on a position but that’s done only on a trade in profit.

An example on my Futures trade last week on NQ, I saw my ideal NQ setup and when in strong. I then added 6 more Sells as price dumped lower and lower till I had used about 100% of available leverage.

Where is the risk in that trade, only 20 ticks to the upside on my initial trade which was about 3% of my equity.

Thats not much to lose when the likelihood of a massive win sits in front of me.
Trading thin liquidity at the boundary of the charts
  • #742
  • Edited 10:34pm Nov 26, 2025 9:09pm | Edited 10:34pm
Quoting Noisy
{quote} A single chart example...If such setup occurs every day, perhaps one of the bright minds here could post charts
Clearly, I am not going to post a month of charts for you viewing pleasure, but here is one from today. On this 10M chart, trade 1 had a target of 55 pips, and trade 2 had a 35-pip target. Both trades are 4 standard lots each. I would also direct your attention to the GY today, where there were similar trade setups. For the record, I was on my charts for about 4 hours today, and my trades hit targets while I was out for the day (once a trade is well above B/E, I tend to put it on automatic, especially the day before a US holiday).
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  • #743
  • Nov 27, 2025 1:57am Nov 27, 2025 1:57am
Quoting Noisy
{quote} A single chart example, without seeing the exact entry and exit criteria, will hardly help me identify a repeatable approach that I could test/execute. If such setup occurs every day, perhaps one of the bright minds here could post charts for every day of October for just one market that shows an entry within the first 4 hours after the London or New York opening, using these legendary FVG or impulse correction strategies, and explain what kind of risk/reward management was employed. Even better would be charts showing all trades for the...
Well, let's start with today. Here's my approach:

1. Look at yesterday's auction to see where things might be heading. Yesterday ended with strong buying up to the balance area around $42.

2. This morning, price is back down at yesterday's buying area. Buying from 5am. This is the impulse.

3. Then correction down for a 7am buy.

4. Price has now broken out of today's value area. So things are looking good.

Simple, no?
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  • #744
  • Nov 27, 2025 2:16am Nov 27, 2025 2:16am
And if you weren't by the screens at 7am, here's one in NQ. Not that I am trading NQ today, but just to give evidence to what I said - they happen every day. Today in both gold and NQ.
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  • #745
  • Nov 27, 2025 2:36am Nov 27, 2025 2:36am
As to FVGs, here an instructive example from Monday, where a FVG from Friday forms the buying area for Monday. 5m chart.

There's no algo replacing the understanding of order flow, unfortunately.
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  • #746
  • Nov 27, 2025 3:02am Nov 27, 2025 3:02am
Quoting notabdullah1
{quote} ........ if he doesn't want to do that he can start trading oil and gasoline and that works pretty well and consistent ...
Good idea. Here a nice one from this morning. From Camarilla S2 to R2.
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  • #747
  • Nov 27, 2025 3:03am Nov 27, 2025 3:03am
Quoting GEfx
{quote} Clearly, I am not going to post a month of charts for you viewing pleasure, but here is one from today. On this 10M chart, trade 1 had a target of 55 pips, and trade 2 had a 35-pip target. Both trades are 4 standard lots each. I would also direct your attention to the GY today, where there were similar trade setups. For the record, I was on my charts for about 4 hours today, and my trades hit targets while I was out for the day (once a trade is well above B/E, I tend to put it on automatic, especially the day before a US holiday). {image}...
Clearly, I am not going to post a month of charts for you viewing pleasure

he want's everyone to do the work for him... I think it's time we all put him on ignore. Leave him to his own devices. maybe he's just lonely and only here for the interaction and attention. 20yrs...... He should just give up and getta job with Starbucks
  • #748
  • Nov 27, 2025 3:45am Nov 27, 2025 3:45am
Quoting Noisy
Hi everyone, I wanted to start this thread to connect with others who are on the journey of making a full-time living from trading. Many of us share the same goals: creating consistent income, managing risk, and building a lifestyle where trading can support us. But as we know, it’s not an easy path, and it helps a lot to exchange ideas, strategies, and experiences. Some questions to get the conversation rolling: What has helped you most in moving towards consistent profitability? Do you focus on day trading, swing trading, or longer-term investing?...
It's a good topic. For me the biggest shift toward consistency came from improving risk management and wiping out the “revenge trade” behavior. These days, I usually stick to swing trading because it works better with my schedule and reduces pressure. I maintain a buffer and approach trading as a business rather than a source of income because monthly expenses are still the most difficult element. However, I'm still discovering new things every day. want to learn what other people do as well.
  • #749
  • Nov 27, 2025 5:16am Nov 27, 2025 5:16am
Quoting medici
{quote} Well, let's start with today. Here's my approach: 1. Look at yesterday's auction to see where things might be heading. Yesterday ended with strong buying up to the balance area around $42. 2. This morning, price is back down at yesterday's buying area. Buying from 5am. This is the impulse. 3. Then correction down for a 7am buy. 4. Price has now broken out of today's value area. So things are looking good. Simple, no? {image} {image}
First of all, thank you so much for your support and for trying to help me. I'll try to clarify again what I can and cannot do when it comes to trading and what principles should be in place for a 100% objective trading plan that I can follow and execute (if it is to be manual trading).

- Every rule is binary → clear yes/no
- No decisions require visual judgment
- Given the same data, two traders would make identical decisions
- No rule allows exceptions or adjustments based on feeling

A more concrete example:

1.) Which market am I trading? Nothing that is decided "on the fly". I cannot focus on multiple markets simultaneously when trading manually. Therefore, it should be one and the same market every day for 252 days a year (e.g GPB/USD, S&P 500, Gold).

2.) Which chart timeframe? It should be the same which is used to find a trade and execute a trade. No multiple timeframe analysis. That complicates things too much for me. If it's an indicator that performs some kind of multi-timeframe analysis in the background, then okay.

2.) What time of day and for how long should I trade? I only have a maximum of 4 hours that I can dedicate to manual trading. This is between 07:00-11:00 am UTC or 01:00-17:00 pm. This is non-negotiable.

3.) Exact setup conditions and entry trigger. No phrases like "if the chart looks strong". Indicators are fine, but only if they offer clearly repeatable decisions (BUY/SELL here) and display these on the chart according to the same rules every day. They shouldn't introduce even more contradictions but rather to help make clear, repeatable decisions that are measurable.

4.) Fully Predefined Risk & Money Management.

  1. Position size formula (e.g., always risk 0.5% of the account)
  2. Stop-loss rules (e.g., 1 ATR or below the last swing low or similar)
  3. Daily/weekly risk limits (e.g., max −2% per day)

5.) Objective Exit Rules

  1. Hard take-profit at 2R
  2. Mechanical trailing approach according to fixed rules

6.) Predefined Rules for News, Volatility & Exceptions

  1. When NOT to trade (e.g., 15 minutes before/after scheduled news)
  2. How to handle volatility spikes
  3. Which economic events suspend trading

Those are the points I would recommend if someone asked me for a manual trading strategy. Something clearly defined and testable, where two traders would yield the exact same results acting on the same criteria. Nothing wishy-washy.

  • #750
  • Nov 27, 2025 5:16am Nov 27, 2025 5:16am
Strategies based on identifying impulse and correction waves, particularly within the framework of Elliott Wave theory, are widely considered subjective.

Why the Strategy is Subjective

  1. Interpretation Differences: Different analysts can look at the same price chart and have varied interpretations of wave counts and patterns. What one trader identifies as the end of a correction, another might see as a continuing complex pattern.
  2. Guidelines vs. Rules: Elliott Wave analysis has only three rigid, unbreakable rules for impulse waves; the rest are flexible guidelines subject to interpretation. This inherent flexibility contributes significantly to subjectivity.
  3. Fractal Nature: Markets are fractal, meaning patterns repeat across all time frames. A corrective wave on a weekly chart might contain a complete five-wave impulse pattern on an hourly chart, leading to different short-term and long-term outlooks for different traders.
  4. Nuance in Correction Types: Corrective waves are notably more complex and are given more leeway in interpretation compared to impulse waves, making their identification and strategy development even more challenging and subjective.

  • #751
  • Nov 27, 2025 6:57am Nov 27, 2025 6:57am
Quoting Noisy
Strategies based on identifying impulse and correction waves, particularly within the framework of Elliott Wave theory, are widely considered subjective.
They appear subjective because you lack knowledge. They become (more) objective with knowledge. You lack focus and attention on the things that matter.
  • #752
  • Nov 27, 2025 10:02am Nov 27, 2025 10:02am
Quoting GEfx
{quote} They appear subjective because you lack knowledge. They become (more) objective with knowledge. You lack focus and attention on the things that matter.
I don't feel that more knowledge helps me to focus on something. It has the exact opposite effect on me. Technical or fundamental analysis that is not quantifiable and therefore not repeatable is inherently subjective and remains subjective for me.

I've said it many times before: I'm a very systematic, data-driven, and logical person. I can take action based on clear, objective, repeatable rules. Maybe a checklist I can go through each day for my available times and either execute something or turn off all screens again if there's nothing to execute.

I'm not a random chart reader who enjoys to analyze charts, make drawings or similar. I need something that I can simply EXECUTE that leads to the necessary minimum return within the necessary period under a predefined risk in the predefined time on the day that is available to me for manual trading. A clear plan!

Something like:

From Monday to Friday between 06:45-11 am or 12:45-17 pm

- 15 min preparation e.g. meditating
- I open my computer with a market and a timeframe from which I can derive all the technical information that leads to a trade execution.
- I am waiting for a signal that I can act on, which will be given to me by an indicator or whatever (predetermined, not a subjective chart analysis on the fly).
- I receive a signal within the four hours I have. I place a trade according to predefined risk and profit targets.
- I don't receive a signal during that time; I switch my computer off again after a maximum of 4 hours.
- During this time I receive several signals - I need to know in advance how many trades I will place in order to be able to adhere to my risk and time limits, such as 1% per trade, 2% per day, 5% per week, or whatever makes sense based on the strategy.
  • #753
  • Nov 27, 2025 11:02am Nov 27, 2025 11:02am
Quoting Noisy
{quote} I don't feel that more knowledge helps me to focus on something. It has the exact opposite effect on me. Technical or fundamental analysis that is not quantifiable and therefore not repeatable is inherently subjective and remains subjective for me.
This is, objectively, incoherent. Knowledge of a subject allows you to better understand that subject. With understanding comes awareness, and with awareness come the ability to focus...on the relevant and important things. If knowledge causes you to not focus, then those 150 books on trading that you claim to have read must be a big reason for your current predicament. Regarding TA and FA, if you lack technical and fundamental knowledge of a subject, any analysis will be subjective to such an extent as to be merely uninformed opinion. If, however, you have knowledge, then your analysis can advance from subjective opinion towards objective fact and truth.
  • #754
  • Edited 12:32pm Nov 27, 2025 11:56am | Edited 12:32pm
Quoting Noisy
{quote} First of all, thank you so much for your support and for trying to help me. I'll try to clarify again what I can and cannot do when it comes to trading and what principles should be in place for a 100% objective trading plan that I can follow and execute (if it is to be manual trading). - Every rule is binary → clear yes/no - No decisions require visual judgment - Given the same data, two traders would make identical decisions - No rule allows exceptions or adjustments based on feeling A more concrete example: 1.) Which market am I...
Yes, exactly, it is your job as a trader to develop all of that to the degree desired, rather than to expect somebody else to do it for you. After all, you know your needs and wants better than anyone else.
  • #755
  • Nov 27, 2025 2:22pm Nov 27, 2025 2:22pm
Hi, to answer those questions :

-What has helped you most in moving towards consistent profitability? Fundamental analysis and keeping track of EVERYTHING on a journal. I started to be breakeven (instead of loosing) every single month when i started to implement fundamental analysis. Then after 5 months, i collected enough data on my journal to find an edge on the market. From that very moment, i started to print money lol

-Do you focus on day trading, swing trading, or longer-term investing? Swing trading all the way. I'm way more passionated about trading since i know about fundamentals, economie, etc. And i like to trade the 8 major currencies.

-How do you deal with the pressure of needing to cover regular monthly expenses while trading income can be irregular? I had a lot of savings already but if i didnt I would simply put all the money from the first 4-6 months of profitability (thru propfirm) on a saving account (or more if i would have lived in a country where medical bills are really high). Then i started to enjoy most of the money i was making. I'm still putting a part of that money aside. It's important to have a safety net big enough to cover your expenses, especially if they are getting bigger. And the extra is invested.

-What resources, tools, or routines have been game-changers for you? I really feel like looking at the STIR market and having a professional economic calendar was the biggest game changer for my trading.

Hope this helped you guys
  • #756
  • Nov 27, 2025 2:57pm Nov 27, 2025 2:57pm
Quoting LucasDatA
Hi, to answer those questions : -What has helped you most in moving towards consistent profitability? Fundamental analysis and keeping track of EVERYTHING on a journal. I started to be breakeven (instead of loosing) every single month when i started to implement fundamental analysis. Then after 5 months, i collected enough data on my journal to find an edge on the market. From that very moment, i started to print money lol -Do you focus on day trading, swing trading, or longer-term investing? Swing trading all the way. I'm way more passionated about...

Sorry for jumping in uninvited
Just wanted to add a quick engineer’s perspective: everything you perfectly described (fundamentals, correlations, market reactions) ultimately lives in a very high-dimensional feature space. Humans are capped at ~3-4 dimensions before it turns into “gut feel”.
AI doesn’t have that limit, so it literally sees stuff we can’t.
That’s why my 12-day fully autonomous AI side project quietly ended up with +35.4 %, 97.7 % win-rate, PF 196, zero drawdown and 88 trades (avg 26 min).
Same destination, just a very different road. Massive respect for your fundamental approach; it’s genuinely impressive!
The future is determined solely by the present. More: ORASignal.com
  • #757
  • Nov 27, 2025 3:39pm Nov 27, 2025 3:39pm
Quoting medici
{quote} Yes, exactly, it is your job as a trader to develop all of that to the degree desired, rather than to expect somebody else to do it for you. After all, you know your needs and wants better than anyone else.
Yes, that's right. But that's precisely what I haven't been able to do so far, and that's where I need help: to develop a clear plan that I can implement and that leads to the desired results.

I'll be attempting another prop trading challenge with the current system next week. So far, the values seem stable, and the drawdown is within acceptable limits.

An FVG or ICI strategy without objectively repeatable rules and based on discretionary chart analysis simply won't work for me. However, I'll see if I can find a more objective way to turn this into such clear plan I’d like to have.

Btw, Why the candle stick charts? I thought you’re using Renko?
  • #758
  • Nov 27, 2025 4:36pm Nov 27, 2025 4:36pm
Quoting Noisy
Strategies based on identifying impulse and correction waves, particularly within the framework of Elliott Wave theory, are widely considered subjective. Why the Strategy is Subjective Interpretation Differences: Different analysts can look at the same price chart and have varied interpretations of wave counts and patterns. What one trader identifies as the end of a correction, another might see as a continuing complex pattern. Guidelines vs. Rules: Elliott Wave analysis has only three rigid, unbreakable rules for impulse waves; the rest are flexible...
Do you have the same belief as Dr. Van K Tharp on Market Types?
<quote>
Dr. Van K. Tharp believed that traders should develop strategies that perform well in different market types, which he suggested could number as many as 40. The market types are categorized based on their trend and volatility, rather than using economic distinctions like perfect competition or monopoly.
While Tharp's system can be complex, many trading coaches simplify his approach into eight primary market types:

  1. Bull Normal: A market with a strong upward trend and typical volatility.
  2. Bull Volatile: An upward-trending market experiencing higher-than-average price swings.
  3. Bear Normal: A market with a strong downward trend and typical volatility.
  4. Bear Volatile: A downward-trending market experiencing higher-than-average price swings.
  5. Sideways Quiet: A market with a non-existent trend and low volatility.
  6. Sideways Normal: A sideways market with typical volatility.
  7. Sideways Volatile: A sideways market with high volatility.

<unquote>
...

Honesty is a very expensive gift. You wont find it in cheap people.WBuffett
  • #759
  • Nov 27, 2025 11:17pm Nov 27, 2025 11:17pm
Been at this full time for about 2 years , I have about 100k in it so far , and will probably need to burn another 50k before I can call the project successful. By successful , I mean that I should be able to recoup my investment over a period of 2 years and possibly make some money. I am not in this for the short term , I am looking at trading for a living for the rest of my life. My take so far .....

1) There is a load of BS out in the wild World of Trading. Until you stop strategy hopping and Influencer hopping to find the "Golden Chalice "of trading , and you are going to do it , you are going to burn time and money. Acknowledge that and Own it.

2) If you are going to trade for a living , its not a side hustle. Committing your time and resources into creating a revenue positive business that can change your life is not going to be inexpensive , it is going to cost.

3) Develop a Strategy that is Market Condition resilient. It needs to be robust , simple , it should work well in ALL Market conditions. Most Importantly , it should tell you clearly when to stay the F... out ! There are not many Strategies or Systems that encapsulate this remit , that should tell you something...

4) I watched all the FaceTube crap , read all the books , studies the ICTs / Weider waves / Elliot waves / EMA crossing MA / Support and Resistance / Supply and Demand / Beat the Market Maker etc etc etc. Each of these has its own merits and failings , and each of these is the AUTHORS representation of the Markets and the AUTHORS method of pulling money out of the market. Study , absorb , Learn , take what you need out of each "Methodology" that you choose to expose your mind to. THEN BUILD YOUR OWN SH!T !!!! ( This speaks to Your commitment , Your understanding of the methodology You are using , and why the Trader Education Economy actually exists LOL !!!! ) There is a PSYOP to this , you will not see green shoots in your trading journey until you BUILD YOUR OWN SH!T !!!!

5) Rules were established to test Your ability to stick to them. No other reason. The trade off between accepting the Rules for Your Trading Journey is directly proportional to how high your pain threshold is set ..... How much pain you endure depends entirely on how much you stick to Your Rules Structures , in every single aspect of your trading.

Good luck out there !!!
  • #760
  • Edited 2:49am Nov 28, 2025 2:22am | Edited 2:49am
Quoting Noisy
{quote}
Yes, that's right. But that's precisely what I haven't been able to do so far, and that's where I need help: to develop a clear plan that I can implement and that leads to the desired results. I'll be attempting another prop trading challenge with the current system next week. So far, the values seem stable, and the drawdown is within acceptable limits. An FVG or ICI strategy without objectively repeatable rules and based on discretionary chart analysis simply won't work for me. However, I'll see if I can find a more objective way to turn...
It seems like you want to fit the market into your very strictly quantitative and logical mindset, without ever considering if that is even possible. The markets are not driven by rationality, and maybe discretionary approaches are the more successful ones?

But, given your theoretical mindset, why don't you get proficient in Auction Market Theory? ORB is a strategy that is conceptually based on AMT, and there are various ways in which AMT can be used to improve an ORB strategy and also create other automated strategies. And, depending on type of ORB strategy, you may already have impulse-correction-continuation built into what you are currently using.


Quote
Btw, Why the candle stick charts? I thought you’re using Renko?


First of all, for the reason that that is what most readers here relate to. Personally, due to my educational background, it's been my fate to develop and sharpen market models of all kinds.

Generally speaking, I use Renko for when volatility goes wild, such as back in the spring when equities markets were wild due to Trump's tariffs. I also use Renko for putting something simple that works in the hands of people who need something simple. And some experienced people too simply prefer it, my trading partner being an example. Renko is also good for building automated strategies. On the other end of the scale, when volatility is low and time-based charts produce a lot of meaningless candles, then tick charts is to be preferred. But when it comes to reading order flow etc, I still prefer time-based charts, and in current volatility conditions I use them for NQ.

In addition, unlike you I believe that trading is an activity that unavoidably involves one's gut level responses to risk and reward, and that one not only needs to learn to manage that, but that one can profit substantially from learning to do so. From that perspective, time-based charts present a more intuitively helpful view of the market. Whereas Renko turns you into more like an automaton with a and on the mouse for executing an automateable strategy.
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