Trader P/L 2010

[brownsfan019 17]

I'm a little behind here. Been a busy week...

2-1-10: +$470

 

2-2-10: +$310

 

2-3-10: +$40

 

Nothing great, but it's profit. Working on a few other things to time entries a bit better. We'll see.

[sappjason 10]

Never posted here in my life, but I've decided to go for it. I'm a software engineer and spent several years attempting to teach myself how to trade. Finally became profitable back in 2008 and ended up (as any truly geeky software engineer would do) automating my strategy over the past 2 years. I'm finally 100% automated (have been now for most of 2009). My system trades only stocks and averages around 3300 trades per year. I'm in cash every night. This year started out great for me and then turned quickly "sucky". It's been coming back a bit lately though. Anyway, as I'm just now hopping on board, I'm going to provide a graph of my current 2010 profitability and then I'll post my p/l every night along with the rest of the gang. Posting those bad days is going to suck for me.......

 

Jason

 

 

PS-I started the year with about $196K.....

[Cory2679 11]

Well, I'm back from my little hiatus from this thread.

 

Since I began trading live the beginning of this year, I've done well week to week. However, my results have been scattered...I'll trade with small leverage, then huge leverage, then medium leverage, then demo, then stop for a while, then live again, etc.

 

Because of this, I feel like I've basically been just spinning my tires and getting nowhere. Therefore, I figured I needed to come up with a game-plan and stick to it!

 

So, here it is:

 

I'm beginning this Monday with a $5,000 FXCM Micro UK demo account that I just opened ($5,000 is the default and I can't change it...I asked). I'll be risking 5% of my account on the initial risk of each trade. I'll calculate the dollar amount for the risk based on the beginning balance of the account each week.

 

I know 5% is relatively high position sizing, but the way I'm looking at it is that if I'm having large enough drawdowns to where risking 5% per trade becomes an issue, I'm not trading well enough and need to work on that.

 

My plan is to trade this account until I have three weeks in a row net profitable. After that, I'll move back to my FXCM Micro UK live account, with $500 (the "recommended" minimum account size). I'll trade that account until I have three weeks in a row net profitable (ideally the first three weeks, of course!). Then finally, after that, I'll make a deposit to my live account to bring it to $5,000 (the maximum account size...it won't allow you to deposit funds past this point), and go from there!

 

I plan to post my weekly results on this thread each Friday.

 

I hope to be able to average 25% per week with the size I'm trading. I'm more conservatively hoping to average at least 12.5% per week. I won't even count the week as "profitable" if I have not made at least 6.25%.

 

Also, I'm going to try my best to post all of my trades on the real-time charts thread, as close to real-time as possible/reasonable/convenient. I figure it's a good way to keep track of my trades, get feedback on my trading, and to help anyone who could benefit from my posts.

 

Have a good weekend!!

[Dinerotrader 10]

 

Also, I'm going to try my best to post all of my trades on the real-time charts thread, as close to real-time as possible/reasonable/convenient. I figure it's a good way to keep track of my trades, get feedback on my trading, and to help anyone who could benefit from my posts.

 

Just a suggestion, take it or leave it, you could start your own log thread if you want to post every trade. You sound like you have an organized plan that would facilitate your own thread we could follow.

[Dinerotrader 10]

SIM

 

+$2,020

 

Record SIM trading for me. Obviously because of the great moves on Oil and natural gas. Tried a few trades on Silver. Calling it a day before my profits get below $2,000.

 

[Cory2679 11]

Just a suggestion, take it or leave it, you could start your own log thread if you want to post every trade. You sound like you have an organized plan that would facilitate your own thread we could follow.

 

Cory2679's Log

 

[edabreu 10]

Traded the TF - Russell this afternoon. Had to wait until it hit the brick wall so I could get some reliable signals.

[brownsfan019 17]

SIM

 

+$2,020

 

Record SIM trading for me. Obviously because of the great moves on Oil and natural gas. Tried a few trades on Silver. Calling it a day before my profits get below $2,000.

 

 

Congrats to Dinero on this impressive day.

 

I have to say - of the many, many people that have come and gone on this forum, Dinero is one of the few doing the work day in and day out. How do I know? We chat through email from time-to-time and he's really working hard at this. And it's showing.

 

Keep up the great work!!

[brownsfan019 17]

2-4-10: +$370.00

 

2-5-10: +$712.50

That wraps up the week. Trading was fine. This place was crawling with haters today. Maybe if some would apply the effort in posting here into their trading, they could join us in this thread. Food for thought.

[sappjason 10]

Done for the day....

 

Jason

[thalestrader 14]

... This place was crawling with haters today....

 

Haters? Here? At TL? I don't believe it.

 

Though my horns are still twisted from the idiot from last week who wandered in from ET. I do not know what they get out of their comments.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Thales

[emios 10]

Haters? Here? At TL? I don't believe it.

 

Though my horns are still twisted from the idiot from last week who wandered in from ET. I do not know what they get out of their comments.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Thales

 

I just want to say that I think this is, by far, the best trading forum in the world...none of the nascent negativity that there is at ET, or hopeless imbeciles who think they can start trading with $100, like there are at ForexFactory. And it is guys like you, Browns, Dinero, Soultrader and db (plus many more) that keep up this positive, helpful and informative atmosphere.

 

Be proud of it.

 

Emile

[daedalus 10]

Very cool to hear your trading fully automated sapp! You are the only one I know of that posts on this forum other than Grey1 trading auto. This side of the business always interests me. Please continue to share with us and welcome!

[sappjason 10]

Very cool to hear your trading fully automated sapp! You are the only one I know of that posts on this forum other than Grey1 trading auto. This side of the business always interests me. Please continue to share with us and welcome!

 

Wow. Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. I'll certainly continue to share as this seems a good way to meet other traders (which I surely haven't been able to in a software development job). I'm just dreading when I enter into one of my drawdown phases and still continuing to post day-in/day-out. But, hey, just for the embarrassment factor alone (despite being in a DD), it should help me continue to seek further enhancements and optimizations.....

 

Thanks Again,

 

 

Jason

[brownsfan019 17]

I just want to say that I think this is, by far, the best trading forum in the world...none of the nascent negativity that there is at ET, or hopeless imbeciles who think they can start trading with $100, like there are at ForexFactory. And it is guys like you, Browns, Dinero, Soultrader and db (plus many more) that keep up this positive, helpful and informative atmosphere.

 

Be proud of it.

 

Emile

 

There's 3 right now that think I should not be allowed to moderate or probably even post for that matter here. Ironically, it's 3 people that do not / cannot post anything of substance that actually helps people trade.

[bathrobe 10]

Working on executing based on prints today. Spending a lot of time working on algo with a friend for equities.

[thalestrader 14]

Sorry, I meant to post this in Cory's thread.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Thales

[bathrobe 10]

Working on executing based on prints today. Spending a lot of time working on algo with a friend for equities.

 

The word "algo" makes it sound much more advanced than it is, he knows nothing about trading but is a great programmer and I know nothing about programming......if anything comes of it I will post results here.

[Celine 10]

Hi, these are my trades for this week February 1 to 5. Volatility was great. I traded only S&P emini. My goal for every day trading is 4 to 5 points.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Celine

[Dinerotrader 10]

SIM

+$620

 

Calling it a day after 45 minutes of trading. Maybe Paul Tudor Jones would say start increasing your position size at this point while you are hot but I don't think I am there as a trader yet.

 

[brownsfan019 17]

SIM

+$620

 

Calling it a day after 45 minutes of trading. Maybe Paul Tudor Jones would say start increasing your position size at this point while you are hot but I don't think I am there as a trader yet.

 

 

Like we've talked about dinero, that's the beauty of trading - if you want to make more money, just trade more contracts.

 

As a side note - I know you are getting comfortable trading multiple markets, just make sure you are also watching your margins so that in real-time trading you can take all these trades.

 

For example:

 

GCL is $2700

GNG is $3375

So just those 2 markets will require an account of $6075 if you put on simultaneous trades. I have no idea what you will be trading with, but just keep this in mind. If you opened an account for $5k and expected to get into it, you'd get rejected orders and that could be very frustrating.

 

The only way to mimic this in sim is to have OEC set your sim account size to the same as your real one. I think the default is $50k. If you want to make it realistic, send a support ticket asking to reset it based on what you think you will start with.

[Dinerotrader 10]

Like we've talked about dinero, that's the beauty of trading - if you want to make more money, just trade more contracts.

 

As a side note - I know you are getting comfortable trading multiple markets, just make sure you are also watching your margins so that in real-time trading you can take all these trades.

 

For example:

 

GCL is $2700

GNG is $3375

So just those 2 markets will require an account of $6075 if you put on simultaneous trades. I have no idea what you will be trading with, but just keep this in mind. If you opened an account for $5k and expected to get into it, you'd get rejected orders and that could be very frustrating.

 

The only way to mimic this in sim is to have OEC set your sim account size to the same as your real one. I think the default is $50k. If you want to make it realistic, send a support ticket asking to reset it based on what you think you will start with.

 

Good points! A few weeks ago I actually sent in a ticket to have them lower my fake money to a more reasonable level since I am not planning on trading $50k to start. I'll start trading with an amount that can handle simulaneous positions or orders.

 

The only problem with stopping at $620 profit is that I need to have some better days to offset the loss days. If the number and extent of my loss days is low enough that won't matter as much.

 

Quick note: I've started almost exclusively using sell or buy stops in the direction of my trade which seems to be helping me stay out some bad trades. It is so nice when you see a good setup, put in a stop order to get you in when price starts moving your way and then price just moves opposite the way your setup was indicating but you never get in the trade because of that stop order.

[brownsfan019 17]

Good points! A few weeks ago I actually sent in a ticket to have them lower my fake money to a more reasonable level since I am not planning on trading $50k to start. I'll start trading with an amount that can handle simulaneous positions or orders.

 

The only problem with stopping at $620 profit is that I need to have some better days to offset the loss days. If the number and extent of my loss days is low enough that won't matter as much.

 

Excellent points. It will depend on your wins/losses and the size of them as to whether or not stopping at +$600 is a good idea or not. Personally, I'm ok w/ shutting it down at +$500 or higher.

 

Quick note: I've started almost exclusively using sell or buy stops in the direction of my trade which seems to be helping me stay out some bad trades. It is so nice when you see a good setup, put in a stop order to get you in when price starts moving your way and then price just moves opposite the way your setup was indicating but you never get in the trade because of that stop order.

 

That's the ONLY way I enter my trades. I want to buy into strength and sell into weakness. I believe I've mentioned that previously on TL, but that may have been before your time. Another great pickup on your part!

 

Something like that is only observed with real market trading/movements. There's no way to have seen that buy/sell stops for entries look good on a static chart.

[Dinerotrader 10]

Personally, I'm ok w/ shutting it down at +$500 or higher.

 

The ability to stop trading early and go enjoy the day knowing you already made your money is a feeling of freedom/success like few others. When I used to buy and sell cars at big dealer auctions, if my friend and I did well in the morning, we'd call it a day and go to the movies.

[brownsfan019 17]

The ability to stop trading early and go enjoy the day knowing you already made your money is a feeling of freedom/success like few others. When I used to buy and sell cars at big dealer auctions, if my friend and I did well in the morning, we'd call it a day and go to the movies.

 

Note that is PER CONTRACT being traded. If I can get +$500/ct x 10 cts = $5000 on the day.

 

Not bad.