A Professional Approach to Trading Futures

A quick +10 on an easily identifiable setup
 

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Our final trade for Friday 11-7

We acknowledge that this is not for everyone
as it is evening in London and people have lives to live.

For those who may want to obtain this kind of reward
THIS is the cost in time, and of course there is very real
risk involved as well

This last trade of the evening was profitable at +20 if held
The reason we held (it is 1pm in the afternoon here) is that
We anticipated that institutions would place MOC (Market on Close)
orders that would create an imbalance on the "Buy Side" toward
the close of the session. That is exactly what happened, lifting
the market.

Our mentor offered the following comment regarding the "Power Hour
Trade in general.. We asked him whether this kind of trading was considered
"aggressive", and he replied "yes it certainly is" and "I have lost money on
occasion with this trade." When pressed further, he suggested the following
"Generally speaking, "aggressive trading works well if you are skilled
and accept that sometimes you will lose. It's the world in which we operate
We are paid to accept (and manage) risks like this. The best traders I know tend to
be aggressive and like professional athletes, they learn not to let the inevitable
periodic losses injure them emotionally. Just stay within the parameters of
your account size. Never risk more than 1 or 2% max.

Good Luck
 

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Hello London & Euro Traders

It is Saturday and I have completed my "Full Cycle" Markup
for the time period Thursday 6 Nov to Friday 7 Nov 2025

This chart shows the price action and presents (some though not all)
of the "aggregated" data that we obtained during these periods. We
use this to inform our trades in subsequent sessions. Skilled operators
who know how to use this data, have a significant edge over non-skilled
participants. For example, because I do this every weekend, I knew prior to the
NY open, that the "First Leg" would likely provide an opportunity to obtain
(at minimum) +10 and likely +20 pts IF I could find a reasonable setup to trade
in the direction of the previous trend (professionals call this "the drift")

After that, one looks for evidence that the market is responding to current news
which is either economic releases or political and can be anticipated using any
Economic Calendar. The Chart divides the session(s) into Five (5) distinct "windows"
during which a skilled operator can make money, depending on the price action they see.

Using this context, we plan a trading day, by predicting how it might play out, then making
adjustments as necessary

As with most pursuits it takes a short while to learn but after that, success depends on applying
the basics (system edge, execution, risk management, record keeping). No different than any
other business really. People willing to do the work find that money is put into their accounts
while the other side is having money subtracted from theirs. As regards the impact of random
chance, yes, it is a part of this profession. Skilled participants learn to use it to their advantage.

The "White Glove" system we are going to release shortly uses this process to evaluate the trade
Students are advised to watch first, while we trade it with a specific goal to reach +10 within the first "window"
After that we provide the services necessary to go from amateur to professional status. For example
we show the student how to determine whether they are in a limit order or MIT environment and
how to automate their orders in order to avoid slippage.

Good Luck

Postscript...Corrected a "typo"
 

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Hello London Traders

Currently it is 5pm in the City

We had a good "Split Session" from this US based trader's
perspective. We traded "The Drift", which is a high odds of success,
timed entry setup that occurs at the Open of the London Session
of the S&P500 Futures, then got some sleep before coming back
to trade the NY open of the same market

We attach charts of both

"The Drift" is a phenomena written about by the NY Fed, and in summary
it states that a significant amount of earnings are made during this time
period (just prior to, during and after the London Open). Professionals call
this a "layup" because when the setup occurs it is low risk, high profit.

and our standard markup for the NY session. Here we rely on our pre-market
research and notes. News relating to the ongoing train wreck of the US economy
caused by our President, continues to wreak damage. Institutions have little to rely
on because economic news is delayed. They are going to private sources for info
and acting very cautiously, and yet they still have to put money to work. What you are
seeing is the predictable opening and trading range behavior followed by a trend move
and then nothing until the end of the US-Euro Overlap

In this 2nd attached chart we show a "liquidity sweep"

Good Luck
 

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Hello London & Euro Based Traders

It is 9:35 in the City

As we draw closer to the start of my trading Livestream
I thought it appropriate to post this chart, which is a part of the
Weekly Preparation Process. It is called the "Weekly Cycle Pivot"

Most professionals divide the week into a front and back half. The
Front half obviously starts on Monday, and the H/L range is the "IB"
or Initial Balance. Institutional participants look at this framework
to provide guidance as regards market bias, and opportunities to
add or subtract from existing positions. On shorter time frames
speculators and other commercials look to trade for short term
profit based on a "Test/Fail" protocol. Each day or evening we
assess the previous price development and create an initial prediction
and from that a trading plan (If A, then B format). When we train
other professionals, we provide both aggressive and conservative
risk models. Now that we are considering training Retail we will
provide less aggressive risk models, with more emphasis on risk
management. This is why on the charts we post, we identify a "risk bar"
whose purpose is to show where to place a stop loss, AND we also
show the minimal profit target (about +10). In truth we always suggest
that traders trade at least 2 contracts, taking partial profit at at a
low risk point that is known as "buying a stop". Once a trader books
that initial profit, we suggest they use an automated system
to let the residual run as long as possible. One possible automated
order example is Chuck LeBeau's "Chandelier Stop".

Good Luck
 

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Copying this post from another thread for the benefit of interested readers
------------------

I have pointed this out a couple of times previously
Reading order flow is fine IF you have the skills and can keep up
with fast market conditions. Few (if any) retail traders have the skills
or the talent. I have been doing this for many years and still find it
challenging to keep up and make good decisions. What makes it
easier to is to consolidate the data using CVD (once you learn how
to set it up to achieve the proper granularity for your target market)
Then it is a matter of watching the price action at specific points in time
and matching what you see to the volume coming onto your screen.
Nothing works perfectly of course. But in my opinion it is a easier and
more accessible way to trade (for amateurs).

I will attach a chart, but without the proper background it will probably not
make much sense at first. Reading up on the subject of Cumulative Volume
Delta might be a good idea. As I have mentioned I will be LiveStreaming my
own trading in the coming days on Twitch and YouTube. I don't plan to do
that for very long, so it might be a good idea to visit and take a look. It might
help you

Postscript

The chart shows the S&P 500 Futures Market (NY session). CVD at the bottom
setup to provide max granularity. Price action shows a breakout (B/O above a key
reference) The CVD updates at intervals that align with the B/O so (eventually) the
trader learns to see whether the breakout has legs or is stalling on low volume.
Learning to identify the components (price action & volume) accurately is what
is required for success.

Good luck
 

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Good Evening London & Euro Traders
Most of whom have long ago headed home or to the pub

It is about 8:30pm and the Power Hour trade happened
as it often does, with algos executing MOC orders (for a variety
of reasons), none of which are important at this moment

The bottom line is that this trade (for skilled operators) is very
lucrative because it is low (again depending on skill level)
risk/high return. Another +10. Here in the US, it is a little after
the Noon hour and I am done for the day.

Postscript

At the closeout of my day, I had a guest watching (in my home). They
trade as amateurs do, just as a hobby. They watched and observed
that (for them) it was fearful to enter because they worried about the possibility
of a quick reversal so close to the end of session. I remarked that while that
could happen, as could a natural disaster, or shut off of power, or any number
of things, one had to assume those risks, protect themselves as best they could
and take the trades. Here is a quote from a famous movie

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

Good luck
 

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Hello London & Euro Traders

For those who may be interested in attending my "LiveStream" please come on time
and be ready to watch the preparation. We start by (briefly) reviewing the longer time frame
price action, proceeding to a specialty chart that uses (primarily) Volume Profile to determine
the location of High & Low Volume Nodes. On the chart attached below, we show the IB for
the previous week and project onto the next week.

Our objectives are to

1) Identify "trapped volume" and from that,
2) Predict, where the institutions will move the market in order to
3) Maximize the value of the pre-existing staged positions or
4) Add to or reduce risk ("Value at Risk Adjustment") or when absolutely necessary/as a last resort)
5) "Take Profits". Here I conclude by suggesting that as long as they (institutions) maintain a presence
they can increase profits for themselves and shareholders. If however circumstances force them to
"Take Profit" then they are back to square one, and they have to start the process all over again.

As a close examination of the chart will disclose, we try to outline the broad strokes so that a trader can
learn how to align themselves with the institutions intent.

So this is it in a nutshell, I evaluate the data and create a plan. For a limited time, observers can watch
as I do this, and execute. At some point I will close that down and folks will have to decide whether to
apply for a place in my class or move on to something else that makes more sense (to them).

While this is going on I would like to create a little buzz and drive more interested people towards "Trade2Win"
so that they can also benefit from the increase in traffic. I can only hope that is thought of as honorable.

Good Luck
 

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Posting this Weekly Pivot Chart

Wednesday is considered the Weekly Pivot by Trading Professionals
Price action from that point of reference is significant
We analyze price action based on that session high & low and in
comparison to the POC (point of control) created from the beginning
of the week. These are the key references that institutions use in order
to decide where to move markets

Based on what we see the markets are continuing higher however the lack
of data is causing institutions to hesitate here (at previous highs). Our initial
prediction for the NY session of the S&P500 is as follows

We expect a move higher early in the session followed by a reversal as institutions
look to protect (take) profit. This based on the additional data that will be provided
on a staggered basis by US government agencies that have previously been closed
Some of the data will be unavailable because those agencies (being shut down) have
not been able to collect it. That lack of data related to employment may cause
concern leading to a move lower.

The reaction to the US opening government agencies again will be seen in the London
Open first.
 

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