Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Nothing tradeable today.  

Tuesday’s results: This strategy is on hold. 

The World Index: (+100/-100) jumps from -14 to +29 with most major markets mildly Bullish. 

Catalysts: New Home Sales @ 10:00. Crude Oil Inventories @ 10:30.   

Quick Tip: Stop Struggling

If you’re struggling to get profitable or consistent in your trading there is a simple, proven solution. 

Join a team. 

There is a reason why the banks, hedge funds, and prop shops have all their traders trading in teams, rather than letting them trade alone in isolation. It works better. 

Here’s some evidence: 

From “The trading performance of individual investors” published in The Journal of Finance found that…Trading teams outperformed individual traders in terms of profitability and risk-adjusted returns. The study suggested that collaboration...

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Nothing tradeable today.  

Tuesday’s results: This strategy is on hold. 

The World Index: (+100/-100) jumps from -43 to +7 with sentiment mixed. 

Catalysts: CPI @ 8:30. Crude Oil Inventories @ 10:30. FOMC Announcement @ 14:00. FOMC Press Conference @ 14:30. 

Quick Tip: FOMC Moves

Everyone knows the pattern on FOMC day tends to be range-bound before the announcement and spiky afterward. This should help your trade selection and planning. 

In fact, if you have solid historical data on your strategy’s performance on FOMC day you might not trade at all. It’s always better to have some probabilities at hand. Keep accurate records whether you took the trades or not. 

The Federal Funds Rate announcement releases at 2PM ET. You might think the highest volatility is within the 30-minute interval afterward. Historically, it’s the next 30-minute interval,...

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Nothing tradeable today.  

Tuesday’s results: Price whipsawed the volume level stopping out both trades.  

The World Index: (+100/-100) drops from -21 to -43 with most major world markets Bearish on increasing volatility. 

Catalysts: Richmond MFG Index @ 10:00. Fed’s Williams @ 13:45. Beige Book @ 14:00. 

Quick Tip: Waiting 

I grew up in Michigan. A local saying about the weather was “Wait a day, it’ll change.” Now I live in Florida where during the rainy season you can drop your waiting time to an hour!

Markets are very similar. They trend up or down and then move sideways. Back and forth. Patience pays off and impulsivity gets hammered. 

This cyclicality applies to your strategy performance too. You’ll have winning streaks, flat periods, and losing streaks. Given this reality you need rules to manage each condition to prosper, even...

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Buy 5082.75 stop 5078.25. Short 5176.00 stop 5181.75.

Friday’s results: Neither trade setup triggered.  

The World Index: (+100/-100) eases from +64 to +50 with all major world markets Bullish. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar. Waiting on FOMC. 

Quick Tip: Which Contracts?

One of the many benefits of day trading Futures is there are many markets to trade. Stock indexes, currencies, interest rates, metals, energies, etc. Each of these markets will have its own structure at any given time: Trending or not, volatile, or not. 

The question becomes which contract(s) you should trade and when. Here’s a quick look at filtering for candidates: 

1. Volume. Without adequate volume you’ll experience slippage and not perform as well in the real world. 

2. Margin. Check with your broker and determine whether your account size can afford the...

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Buy 5032.50 stop 5027.25. Short 5176.00 stop 5181.75.

Monday’s results: The buy at 5004.75 missed filling by 1.25 points and ran 60+ points to the short at 5070.50, which only offered a 6+ point scalp. 

The World Index: (+100/-100) eases from +57 to +43 as the world remains mildly Bullish. Positive note: the UK’s FTSE 100 index hit a record high. 

Catalysts: Services & MFG PMI Flash @ 9:45. New Home Sales & Richmond Fed MFG Index @ 10:00. 2-Year Treasury auction @ 13:01. 40% of the S&P 500 will report earnings this week. 

Quick Tip: Wiggle Room

The strategy that uncovers the turning points in this blog is called Volume Profile. It uses volume at price, not in time, to determine fair value. How traders buy and sell around these high-volume price levels will vary based on their own risk tolerance and other indicators they may use for...

Today’s Best S&P Futures Turning Points: Buy 5184.25 stop 5179.00. Short 5296.25 stop 5300.75.

Friday's Results: No trades triggered. 

The World Index: (+100/-100) gains from -50 to +14 with most major world markets flat or modestly Bullish. 

Catalysts: Nothing on the economic calendar today.  

Quick Tip: Morning Routine

Preparing for your trading day is critical. You should have a routine you follow that includes the following:

Review Market News: Start by scanning major financial news outlets for any overnight developments that could impact the market. This includes economic data releases, geopolitical events, key corporate earnings reports, and news specific to the contracts you trade. 

Check Futures and Overseas Markets: Assess how global markets are performing by checking futures contracts for major indices like the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq. Also, review how overseas markets, particularly in Asia and...