From Zero to Alpha: The 3B Journal of Eamda

Hello,
I’m Eamda, running 3B.
I’ve been on the markets for 9 months.

I’m creating this thread to document everything:
my trades, my failures, my successes.
Goal: to leave a clear trace of my journey and be transparent.
I’ll keep this journal going until I achieve real success in my process.
If it takes 20 years, I’ll still be here.

No matter what I think:
you’re only right when you make money.
The only proof that I’m wrong will be losing money.
I’ve recently understood what not to do in order not to lose.
I’m starting to understand what to do in order to win.

“Everyone’s ego unduly gets in the way, and thinking is then neither deep nor exhaustive.”

This journal is precisely here to put ego aside and look at the facts.
I want to act wisely, not “try to make money” at all costs.
If the work is good, profit will follow as a consequence, not as the primary goal.

I trade a setup I built myself, a mix of:
Price Action,
clear concepts,
and a discretionary component.

I don’t sell anything, I don’t give signals.
I test, I adjust, and I show what it produces, unfiltered.

I have an entire lifetime left to build my Alpha, Brick By Brick,
and that’s enough.
Eamda

It would have been a shame to start sharing my journey once success was already achieved.

I first started trading CFDs with prop firms. The result: never really convincing. I passed Phase 1, but never Phase 2, because of impatience and the inevitable walls you hit when you’re learning alone, in your own bubble, as a self-taught trader.

If you’d like to follow my progress/process in real time, I also share regular updates on my Instagram: @eamda3b.

Today, I’ve changed my approach: I no longer trade alone. He’s not a mentor, but a true brother-in-arms, ready to face all the challenges that come with trading.
Now I trade on TopStep with two 50k accounts:

1. One "pressing" account (higher SL and risk, but the same entry process) PnL : 52 506.50$
2. One "safer" account, for stability and discipline PnL : 51 323.78$

Here’s the state of both accounts as of November 18, 2025.
The markets are starting to tilt to the downside, the next few days on the Nasdaq could be a real turning point with macro data, Fed expectations and tech momentum all colliding, a real potential turning point to watch closely in the coming days and weeks.

Hey Eamda,
Really appreciate you sharing this and being transparent about your journey.
The mindset you’re carrying—documenting the good, the bad, and everything in between—is exactly what builds real longevity in this game. Most people hide their losses or pretend they know everything, but you’re doing the opposite, and that alone sets you apart.
Your approach of separating ego from the actual work is powerful. At the end of the day, the market doesn’t care about confidence or opinions—only about execution and consistency. The fact that you’re focusing on process over profit is something many traders never fully understand.
I respect the way you’re building your setup from your own experience, blending concepts with your own discretion. That’s how real edges are formed—slowly, brick by brick, just like you said.
Looking forward to following your journal, seeing how your thinking evolves, and watching you refine your Alpha over time. Stay consistent, stay honest, and keep building.
Wishing you strength and clarity through the journey.
Let’s grow.
— Sheik Zahirul Islam

After a drop of more than 7.5% from the ATH formed on October 30, 2025, my HTF bias is obviously bearish on the Nasdaq.
What’s changing the most for me right now is the way I read the market: I’m really becoming aware of the importance of fundamental analysis and a few simple stats to build:

1. clean confluence,
2. a clear context,
3. a benchmark of what’s “normal” or not in terms of volatility and daily range,
4. and therefore a better idea of the possible reactions depending on the macroeconomic backdrop.

Concrete example: a ~3% day on NQ
If NQ prints a ~3% day, you can reasonably assume that, statistically, the daily potential of the asset might already be largely exhausted.
From there, two things become interesting:

1. Adjust your expectations for the rest of the session (avoid chasing a move that’s already stretched).
2. Ask yourself:
   “Why do we have such an unusual move today?”

That simple reflex pushes you to look at what’s behind the move:

1. news,
2. earnings,
3. macro releases,
4. repricing of rates, etc.

The Nvidia case: when fundamentals drive the flow
Simple example: despite the drop over the last two weeks, Nvidia smashed expectations of around 55 billion, posting 57 billion in revenue for Q3. As a result, the market has bounced about +2% since the open this morning.
Without even going too deep, this kind of information helps you understand why the market is reacting this way, instead of just suffering the flow with no context.

Technical analysis alone, yes, but no longer blindly
I still believe a trade entry can be based purely on technicals (price action, structure, HTF levels, etc.).
However, more and more, I think it’s essential to have enough perspective to understand:

1. what the “oceans” are made of,
2. what’s in them,
3. and how the ecosystem works (in the macro and fundamental sense).

In other words: keep trading your setups, but know which environment you’re executing them in.
That’s exactly what I’m trying to build right now, in a simple and humble way of course.

Hi Cheikh,

Thank you so much for your message and for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply.
I want to share my journey in a different way: with full transparency, including the doubts, the mistakes, and all the “less pretty” parts of the process. If I can’t be honest in my journal, I can’t grow.

The market doesn’t care about confidence or opinions. It only cares about execution and consistency. The PnL will follow or not, but the only thing I truly control in front of the market is how I show up every single day.

I really appreciate your support and I’m glad to have you on board following this journey.

Let’s grow together.

Eamda

The first trade I’m sharing here is not a winning one.

Big picture: bearish bias, FOMC conference with no real impact on the market, so I stayed on the sidelines Monday and Tuesday without taking any positions. With hindsight, I probably should have waited for Nvidia’s earnings before getting involved.

Since Monday night, the market has been stuck in a “seek and destroy” range, and it looked interesting to try a short after a strong manipulation move at the NY AM open. We then saw a divergence on the lunch high (and since this wasn’t a major key level, I didn’t commit much risk). After that, there was a clean displacement following that liquidity grab on MES but not on MNQ, so I decided to enter on the SIBI rebalance, targeting the 24,500.00 area.

Risk taken: 0.5%, trade duration: 18 minutes – pretty much over in no time.
I have no problem with this loss: the trade was part of my plan, respected my risk, and this is exactly the kind of execution I want to keep documenting here, whether it ends in a win or a loss.

Now I’m waiting for today’s major news to confirm (or invalidate) my bias and adjust my plan accordingly.

Recap – November 21, 2025

After a drop of around 1,150 points on the Nasdaq this Thursday, November 20, it was very hard for me to find a clear stance going into Friday’s close.

All the nearby downside levels had already been taken, and I didn’t really believe the market would sink hard again. We’re not in a full-blown stock market crash yet. With my bias unclear, it felt more sensible to wait for the Flash Manufacturing PMI and Flash Services PMI releases at 9:45.

The market barely reacted. The indecision among participants was obvious, and the price action quickly turned into a real onion chopper chopped up, messy, and hard to read.
Unfortunately, I took two setups that didn’t match 100% of my plan, and I wasn’t truly confident about entering in such a blurry overall environment. It felt a bit like showing up sober at the end of a party… not exactly the warmest welcome.
I’m really not proud of this day, especially in a week where I only took trades on three sessions. But it’s important to become aware of your psychological mistakes, especially when your edge relies on 30–35% discretion.

Every full-time intraday trader has probably faced this lack of opportunity during a session and ended up taking setups that no longer really fit their playbook. Our brain has this ability to make us see and believe in false good ideas: we jump into a position grabbing onto a vine without even seeing where it’s anchored, and we regret it as soon as one single candle comes to tap our stop-loss.

So here are today’s results, along with the current balance of my two 50k TopStep accounts.

1. Pressing account PnL : 52 174.11$
2. Safer account PnL : 50 830.75$

I’m making a promise to my future self: this is the last time I “force” a trade when, already the day before, nothing is really clear about my bias.
Everyone has their own prism, their own colors, their own environment.

Brick by brick, not the building in one shot.

Eamda

Recap – November 24, 2025

The market open left an opening gap, which was quickly filled… but only 50% during the Asian killzone. When I sat down at the charts at 8:30 a.m. (my local time), my bias for the day was therefore leaning bullish.

As I’ve already mentioned, the closest downside levels had already been taken, so looking for shorts didn’t really make sense in this context. After a drop of around 5%, it’s very common to see some orders get closed out before any potential continuation lower.

Maybe we’ll go for the previous weekly low? It’s possible, but that wasn’t the core of my scenario today. The upcoming US news on Tuesday and Wednesday will probably help confirm or invalidate that objective.

One important element further reinforced my bias :
The large imbalance zone left by Thursday’s session, which, at the very least, needed to be rebalanced. As long as that hadn’t been done, it seemed logical to keep a context in mind that was more favorable to longs than shorts.
On top of that, on Mondays I generally don’t expect anything exceptional and prefer to stay cautious.
Trade of the day

In this context, I took a long position during the London manipulation, which came in to fill 100% of the opening gap.

1. MES does not take the London low
2. while MNQ does go for it

For me, that’s a strong reversal signal and a solid protected low.
So I waited for:

1. the appearance of a bullish imbalance zone on M3,
2. a retracement back to equilibrium,
3. set my TP at the PDH,
4. and placed my SL below the protected low.

Result: 3 partial TPs before the US open.
No spectacular move, but a clean execution, aligned with the context: the low was protected and the direction controlled.

Recap – November 25, 2025

My bias for the day was bullish, given the +2% move we saw yesterday (Monday).
My objective for the session was simple:
at the very least, take out the Previous Daily High (PDH).
Then we see whether we’re already on the train or not.
The open was very quiet, followed by an accumulation phase during the Asia session and London.
In any case, no entries for me before the high-impact news at 8:30:

1. Core PPI m/m
2. Core Retail Sales m/m
3. PPI m/m
4. Retail Sales m/m

Just before the releases, we see an upside manipulation that comes to tap the PDH on MES, but not on MNQ.
A setup slowly starts to form:

1. main daily objective checked,
2. a clear bearish signature left behind.

Exactly the kind of configuration I love…
Except I wasn’t at the charts when it happened.
I honestly hope those two joggers I bought will get “refunded” by the market at some point!
Trade 1 – Recap
Price delivers to the downside as expected during the US open.
I take a short entry when a candle closes below the London low.
“It’s heading straight for the PDL,” I told myself,
after a drop of about 200 points following my entry.
I take one partial, move the trade to break-even, and then price quickly reverses back to my entry.
No problem with that:

1. the plan was followed,
2. risk was controlled,
3. and this kind of scenario is part of the game.

I’m happy with this trade, even without the full payday.
Trade 2 – Recap
The previous drop was, in my view, the perfect opportunity for the algos to:

1. close Monday’s orders,
2. drive a manipulation to the downside before delivering higher,
3. reclaim the PDH that MES had already tagged, in order to then continue the move towards the PWH.

On the Daily TF, you can clearly see the wick filling 100% of Monday’s gap, which further supports this reading.
So I take a long position on the retracement of the bullish impulse, just below the protected low of the manipulation.
The plan:

1. target the PDH,
2. take partials along the way,
3. and set the final TP at the NY AM high.

A few months ago, I would have never had such a clear view of what the market was trying to show me.
Today’s session is a real validation of all the hours spent watching and studying it. Trade well, stay safe.

Brick by brick.

That's a mighty great trade preparation and execution, Eamda, thanks for this

Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it!
I’ll keep focusing on preparation and clean execution

Recap – November 26, 2025

Today, MNQ was lagging MES in terms of taking the PWH.
As usual: no position taken before the 8:30 news – Unemployment Claims.

Initial plan :

I was expecting a retracement back to Monday’s PDH, around 24,993.75, to potentially:

1. fill the gap,
2. and “clean up” the big bearish divergence left by MES.

But… no clear bearish signature printed.
On the contrary, the market was showing a real willingness to keep pushing higher.

Quick context reminder:
since Monday, we’ve already climbed about +4% from the flash crash on Thursday, November 20, 2025.

How I shifted my bias ?

1. a huge bullish divergence H1, created by MES,
2. Bottom of the Asia range,
3. which MNQ did not replicate.

From there, I needed confirmation on a lower TF.

So, I waited during the NY AM session until I saw a divergence on M5, printed by MNQ after the news.
After that, price delivered straight to the upside, leaving a nice bullish rally.
Nice reaction, happy man.

Trade recap :
I waited for a small retracement into the bisi,
entered the position,
and price moved… slow… and… steady…to the final TP. I closed before the PWH to round off my account definitely something I need to work on.

Clean move, logical, in line with the overall flow.

A solid week is shaping up so far:
I only need +1.25% more to validate my safe account.

Believe me, I’m going to do it by the book.

Brick by Brick, not the building in one shot.

Important note – Week 48 recap

I wanted to take a moment to clarify the direction I want to give this journal.

From the beginning, my intention with this thread was never to flex results or turn it into some kind of hidden signal room. The goal is to document a process, a path, a structure being built over time.

To stay aligned with that, I’ve decided to change two important things:

1. No more live entry confirmations
I won’t be sharing my entry confirmations anymore.
I don’t want to encourage, even indirectly, any kind of edge copy without full context.
This journal is not a signal service – it’s a place for me to think out loud, structure my ideas and share how I see the market after the fact.
I will still keep sharing:

1. the logic behind my scenarios,
2. more values, less numbers,
3. the mistakes, the wins, and most importantly what I learn from them!

2. No more daily PnL posts
I’m also stopping the daily result updates.
That goes against my values and against what I’m trying to build long term:

1. Focusing on daily performance feeds a short-term mindset, while prop trading is a marathon, not a sprint.
2. I don’t want this journal to become a place where people only look at the PnL of the day instead of the quality of decisions.
3. The energy I put into this journal needs to stay focused on: process, mindset, execution – not on the “score of the day”.

From now on, I’ll only post a weekly recap of my prop firm account balances.

Week 48 – account update :

Pressing account PnL: $52,404.18

1. Last week: + $1,573.43

Safer account PnL: $52,182.15

1. Last week: + $8.04

We keep building without skipping steps.
Brick by Brick, not the building in one shot.

Recap – First real mental slap

It’s been a week since I last posted.
First real mental break hit me last week.

I only had $600 left to make to pass my challenge.
Every time my trades went up to +0.5%, I didn’t dare take profits, because I was hoping every single time that the market would go all the way to my TP and finally validate the account.

Result: instead of locking in small profit after small profit,
I just chained BE after BE. The rest? A disastrous week on the NAS. My bias was never clear.

All 5 days we had downside manipulation, which ended up forming an ascending channel from Monday to Friday.
I was reading it badly, doubting, overanalyzing.

Tuesday – the turning point

For several weeks I’d been very solid mentally, very confident in my trading.
But the moment I started projecting myself into future success my mindset shifted. So I took THE trade, the one that flipped my week.
I got stopped out by 4 ticks
and right after that… price rocketed straight into my TP.
A TP that, if hit with me still in the trade, would have passed the account.
So I ended up losing money just before, on a mental projection that was way too ambitious for these market conditions.
Yes, the market does things very precisely.

It’s sending me a message:
if I didn’t succeed this time, it’s probably because I don’t deserve it yet. I still have a lot to learn.

I pulled myself together as best as I could and finished Tuesday at –$250.
I only half accepted it, but there was no revenge trading. That’s already something.

Wednesday / Thursday – trading in fear

Wednesday and Thursday went by.
I started thinking differently:
I was afraid of what the market was offering.
Instead of simply closing the charts for the week, I tried at all costs to understand the next direction, but the clarity just wasn’t there anymore.
It wasn’t lucid trading anymore.
It was trading in distrust, not in vision.

Friday – the final straw

London reversal into the Asian Low.
I lowered my SL… and price tagged it TO THE TICK,
before launching a rocket straight into my TP.
Twice, same week, same scenario:

1. good analysis,
2. good timing,
3. bad SL placement, which was supposed to invalidate the setup, not kick me out of the move.

It’s like installing a safety barrier behind the cliff instead of in front of it: technically it’s there, but it’s useless.
That loss hurt a lot.

I completely cracked…
and ended up blowing my account.
This forges you. I spent the weekend away from the screens, to reset mentally.
If I fail, it’s not because of:

1. the strategy,
2. the prop firm rules,
3. or the product.

It’s the lack of time, distance, and emotional maturity when facing this kind of situation.
Last week forces me to stay humble.
It reminds me that sometimes, the market doesn’t punish your technique, it punishes your state of mind.
Back to basics.

"Chi va piano, va sano"

Brick by Brick. Not the building in one shot.

This totally blows

Thank you for sharing this (wasn't able to decipher your charts, admittedly)
I was talking with my partner (wifey but she's so more than that) last night just about that, you know? I told her that, much like in real life (stories), I feel I trade better when I tell myself true, authentic, stories about Price, Price doesn't care about my stories but if they are true, I get my trades right, my mindset right, my self esteem, breath better, I handle TP better, I handle SL better, but when I tell myself fantastic stories, raping my charts just so I can tell myself "knowingly" and "expertly" that Price will do something, well, that's when Price does what it wants and refuses to interact with my fantasies (much like my Partner, bless her heart)

I, like what you have described, had found that when I allow myself to think about the "future", as you so nicely put it, stress creeps in and undermines my hard earned calmness and focus, this is something I'm working on.
I was so so happy for you, reading no hate trades were triggered and your overall analysis of your week, without beautifying anything, thank you


Stay safe, my friend, through the anguish of loosing your account, if you are strong, willing and determined, this should fertilize your future success, which I'm sure will happen

Thank you for your message, it’s really comforting and very thoughtfully said.
Your message reminds me that no matter what we expect from the market, it is always right. It keeps hitting exactly where our weaknesses are, again and again, until they disappear.

The market doesn’t owe anyone anything. It does what it wants, when it wants.
It brings me back to a sentence that means a lot to me, which I already mentioned earlier :
“The market doesn’t care about confidence, opinions, or our expectations. It only cares about execution and consistency. The only thing I truly control is how I show up in front of it each day.”

Thank you for your words my friend. They mean a lot.

Recap – December 8, 2025
Back at the charts after a nightmare week.
I spent the weekend away from screens and candles so I could come back calmer, with the same energy I had when everything was going well.
Goal for the day: rebuild confidence, not “make it all back”.
I took two trades with reduced risk (0.25%), and both ended up winners.
Nice way to start the week with:

1. a clean analysis,
2. and a small confidence boost for what’s next.

Big thanks again to those who take the time to send me support, it genuinely feeds into my trading.

On MNQ, I noticed:

1. a strong bullish push at the top of the London killzone, brushing the Previous Weekly High,
2. and at the same time, a clear lack of strength and bullish intent on MES.

In my system, that’s a clearly bearish signature.
With no major news on the calendar, and 2 days before US rate decisions, the context was ideal for a clean technical reaction.
So I waited for:

1. Trade 1 : pullback into the 61.80–78.60% Fibonacci zone, Trade 2 : pullback into the equilibrium
2. then entered a first position before the US open (8:30),
3. and a second after the open, which further confirmed my bearish bias.

Two clean trades, controlled risk, and the mindset slowly rebuilding.

Brick by brick, not the building in one shot.

Building confidence and not rushing into "getting it all back" (profits, equity, confidence, anything, really) is a great mental state now
It is, as you say, brick by brick

This time I was able to spot your entries (I hope), really really liked them, pretty sure I wouldn't have taken any in my state of mind but looking at your charts they were very nicely executed

I’m going back to the basics I already know, leaving the past behind and moving forward
Glad the setups are understood and well received

We keep going!

Recap – From Fear to Gear (1–5 December)

I like how fate does things well.
The week from 1 to 5 December will stay engraved in my memory. I experienced it badly in the moment, but with a bit of hindsight, I think I’m starting to appreciate this kind of phase of great weakness.

Why?

Because the reflection that follows has a particular flavor. It triggers breakthroughs that we would never have had in comfort. Big changes are only coming for those who don’t give up.
We often say that “failures make us stronger”, this time, I feel like I have real, concrete proof of that.

The unexpected trigger:

When I say that fate does things well, I’m thinking of the days that followed that week.
I was letting my eyes wander on Discord, when a certain member (whom I warmly thank here) shared for free a PowerPoint explaining the math / quant finance part applied to trading.
Out of curiosity, I opened it, skimmed it, then started absorbing the important information… and then something hit me right in the face:

Having a quantified edge!

Not just:
- “I feel like my strategy works,”
- “I backtest and change my strategy along the way,”
- “I often see this on the market.”

But concrete things:

 

1. Fixed setup,
2. Risk management,
3. % win rate,
4. Probability of losing streaks,
5. Recurrence in the way it behaves,
6. Average R-multiple, etc.

One thing is obvious:

Quantifying my strategy is probably the most important thing to do if I want a sustainable activity and no longer suffer through difficult weeks like that. It is never too late to learn.
We level up to a professional approach, and I now treat my trading as a job under construction, not just a side activity.

 

1. More confidence in my plan (like x1000%),
2. Executing orders with fewer emotions,
3. A mechanical process with a clear, very inflexible framework.
4. And, let’s be honest, to check whether I’m not being lulled by the illusion of having managed to create a profitable strategy all by myself…

Putting everything down in black and white, goodbye discretionary.

At the time I’m writing this, I have 100 trades properly logged.
It’s starting in the right direction, with coherent information. But it’s only the beginning.
I already know that in 2026, I’ll come back 10x stronger with:

1. a base of at least 1 000 journaled trades,
2. over several years,
3. with solid stats to support my edge.

I finally took all the scattered pieces of paper, all the mental notes, to turn them into a map.
A treasure map, maybe?
In any case, it’s looking very beneficial for what’s coming next. I trust the process.

Thanks to that picturesque past week which showed me what I was missing: a quantified, structured, measurable edge.
Yes, I haven’t withdrawn a single dollar from the market yet.
Yes, for now I am your liquidity, guys.
But be patient.
The trend always ends up reversing.

Brick by Brick. Not the building in one shot.