Hi All,
I paper-traded CMs system for about 2 months over the summer period, but despite having a positive result overall, my weekly average was declining. I never developed enough confidence to trade for real and I got a bit confused with the strategy.
I eventually got bored with paper-trading and gave up...but I'm back to give it another go and this time I have decided to follow Trader Tonys' excellent example and post some of my trading attempts here. (Tony, I hope you don't mind me copying your reporting format).
I'm not sure what preparation I should be doing...I see on Bloomberg that the Dow futures are down , but after looking at the daily and the 10min Dow charts, I have no 'feeling' for what direction the market will follow today.....well, here goes...
11:01 ENTER short at 10442 (ema-10446, sl-10466). Price has crossed the ema twice since the open, but this is the first 'pullback to the ema' opportunity that I have seen. But I am nervous going short as I can see a PD on the 10min chart, indicating that the trend might eventually be up.
12:26 The market seems indecisive and price has just come off 10434. The LOD is 10432 so far and it is the 'magic' 32 level, so perhaps this will provide strong support - should I close the short?. On the other hand, if it breaks down here, surely it will continue to move much lower. It would be safe to get out (with only 8 points), but I can't help thinking of that phrase..."cut your losses and let your profits run".
13:14 EXIT at 10461 with a 19 point loss. (At 12:26, I should have been thinking about the phrase "never let a profit turn into a loss!"). What a terrible start.
Well, that was my one and only trade for the day. I couldn't find the right time to re-enter, so I missed the run up to 10500 (hope you others got it ). Hindsight is a great thing...if only I had waited another half hour before entering my trade; then I might have gone long at the pullback to ema at 11:28 and been on the right side of the market for the rest of the day.
What have I learnt?...pay attention to the bigger picture (in this case, the PD on the 10min chart) and "if in doubt, STAY OUT!". Oh well, tomorrow is another day......
Debs