Helenqu's Blog

[Helenqu]

Fair Week

Well the introduction of the Eurostoxx50 to D4Fs offerings has made my life a lot easier this week. It's enable me to keep trading the STOXX a bit despite the kids being at home for the holidays. (I won't trade futures unless I can really concentrate on them).

I end the week +43 on 6 trades.

+10, +9, +5, -10 (held overnight trade by accident) +20, +9. I find these trades fine now, no emotions at all. I'm using mainly a 10 min chart T/S/R and the basic stochs setting on Sierra.

 

[Trader333]

Well Done Helen, seems like you may well have cracked it. Were all trades done on D4F ? and in my view the balance of winning to losing points is better as well compared to your last journal.

Cheers


Paul

 

[Helenqu]

Yes all D4F trades Thanks.

 

[Helenqu]

SBs continued

Well had a fair week I would say, markets flat for the 4 hours I got to trade futures, so managed just two trades for +1 each.

The spreadbets were more doable, even with the handicap of the kids at home and I made 8 trades:

+3, -14, +6, +5, -10, +3, +11.5, +8.25 (Mix of equities and ESTX)

-14 loss was a basic chart reading error, rushed into house after getting the kids from playscheme and "saw" a triple top. After I had placed the trade I saw what it really was, an ascending triangle. It's the first time in ages that I have made that sort of basic error which I guess is a sort of consolation. The inability to place sensible stops with SBs still annoys me even though I know by now that you need wider stop than you would like, I got stopped out for the -10 only for it to reverse and drop as I had expected. I suspect I may have to go for a standard15 stop loss on ESTX SBs, huge though that seems.

Looking forward to the return of normality next week with the kids in school

 

[Helenqu]

Plodding on

Feels like that at the moment. Very few futures opportunities coming up in my two hour slots and my losing futures trade of the week made out of boredom/frustration.

Four futures trades, +1, +2, +3, -4.

ESTX SBs -11, -14, +3, -7. I'm still making the mistake of trying to be too short term with SB trades, I do find it hard to switch between timeframes.

Equity SBs, -0.25, +10.25 +8 and -2. OK with these, I think I'm better suited to EOD set up with stocks on SBs than trying to intra day trade indices. I know it should work, I just haven't got the hang of it yet

 

[Helenqu]

I just wonder if I'm trying to do too much with my limited time at the moment.

 

[Helenqu]

Just got my IB statement for the month. Up 1.5%, quite amazing really but good to know

 

[Simon]

What chart time frames are you studying for your intraday SB trades/gambles?

 

[svengali]

When you say 'trying to be too short term', what sort of timescale are you holding positions on? How much do you vary that between futures and SBs (or rather, how much do you think you should vary it ;-))

-svengali

 

[Trader333]

Helen,

Do you get a chance to look at trades you may have taken outside of your 2 hour window and if so would you have been more profitable ? Also, and this is obvious but is good to remind yourself of occasionally, whenever you place a SB trade you start with an immediate loss position and so will always be trying to recover which intra-day is tricky.

Cheers


Paul

 

[Helenqu]

Gosh missed these sorry guys.

SB charts I use 10 min and 2 min. I'm holding for less than an hour in most cases.

Paul- Yes I back test my system every week and if I were able to trade between 9 and 3 every day I'd be laughing. between 9-11 isn't the best time of day but that's what I'm stuck with for now. I've actually shifted the SBs to the Dax this week and it's been better than the STOXX, you need the movement to get some profit and with a spread of 4 on both indices Dax is a better proposition.

 

[Helenqu]

Not a good week

Well I'm a bit cheese off this week, down on both the futures account and the SB account. Not by much on either but the two worst trades in both accounts were as a result of poor trading. I don't mind losing when I have traded well but when it's down to impulsiveness I hate it

My excuse, and it really is one as I know from past performance is PMT, I trade much more emotionally and impulsively. It's as if the normal inhibitions are overidden. Very odd. I think when I am full time trading I may have to impose some sort of rule on myself, such as lose a trade and stop for the day. Anyway that's for the future

This weeks trades (not many of them).

Index SBs - +1, +1, +3, -17 (still trying to scalp and then going too far the other way )
Stock SBs - +7.25, +2

Futures trades - +1, -6

I'm also very involved in the PhD at the moment. Actually beginning to enjoy it a bit!!

 

[Bigbusiness]

Hi Helen,

How many points on average are you trying to make scalping an index with a spreadbet? To get through the spread and make a reasonable profit I need at least 15 points.

I worked out a system and used to be able to do it with finspreads but they now seem to make their system time out every time I am in profit!

 

[Helenqu]

I know you are right, I aim for 20. I just think I don't have the right temperament for it. I'm too neurotic, much prefer scalping properly. Also 'cos I can't trade Dow cos of family life the lower value indices take too long to move

 

[Trader333]

Hi Helen,

If you are finding that there are times when you are not able to trade objectively, then why not decide to not trade during those times ? Being humans we are cyclical creatures and as such we are going to find that sometimes are better than others for particular activities. I find this when attempting to write music, I can sit down and have no inspiration at all and no amount of forcing it will make it better in fact it is worse. Then there are other times when I cannot get enough down quickly enough, I think that trading can be very similar.


Paul

 

[Helenqu]

Yes I agree, but it's a bit like Tullibodys work thing. I have only my two hours free to trade and I want to do it Bad discipline I guess

 

[Helenqu]

Neutralish

Really been a dull week with regard to the futures trades, my two hour slot coincided with a very flat market on 4/5 days. Just did one trade for 0, it was open for eight minutes and did nothing so I closed it, only for it to shoot off in the direction I expected 30 seconds later. Well we've all been there so I won't lament too much!

The gap between my performance on SB stock trades and index trades continues, so much so that I think I may just stop the SB ndex trading. By nature I'm an impatient fiddler and I find it very hard to sit on my hands with trades (which is why scalping suits me).


Dax index trades - -7, -13, +9, +3, +10, +2
FTSE 100 stock trades - +5, +0.5, -5, +1, +7.75.

So I'm down 4E on my futures account over the week and +9.25 points on the SB account.

I am however going great guns with the PhD work Got the first section totally revised and I'm now moving onto the next bit.

 

[Marathonchap]

Well done with the PhD.

It is such a valubale thing to be able to wear different hats and to swap them at will. Especially in a business where a lot of what happens is completely out of your control.

It is vital to be able to channel "trading energy" into something more productive when the market has very little to offer.

Marathonchap

 

[Helenqu]

My review of the week, which I do every week shows that this week was a very poor trading week on the STOXX. Only +46 points available with my (very safe) system between 9 and 3pm Monday/Friday. So I don't feel too bad. I'm very aware now of the importance of not trading when conditions are bad.

Thanks for the comments Dom

 

[Helenqu]

Not much to say

I've really scaled back what I have done this week. No SBs and only 3 futures trades. I've been available to trade for 10 hours (9-11 every day) but it's been pretty poor.

So just +2, +1 and -4. The first and last trades I was happy with but the middle one was where I had held it for 4 mins it was flat and I decided to close it, rather than hold. Had I held for 30 seconds longer it would have gone my way for +10 or so. Never mind I have been holding trades longer and that is a step forward.

It's half term next week so I probably won't be able to trade and the following week I have my brother staying for a few days so I think it is likely there will be a small gap in my journal for bit.