Trading Summary Week Ended 13th January 2023

11 Trades:

11 US 500 + 169 BPS.

11 long trades + 169 BPS.
0 short trades.
10 intraday trades + 30 BPS.
1  multi-day trades + 139 BPS.

Total trades net  + 169 BPS.
Net points + 57.3

Return on account for the week + 0.71 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A modestly profitable week.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 6th January 2023

11 Trades:

11 US 500 + 154 BPS.

5 long trades + 137 BPS.
6 short trade + 17 BPS.
9 intraday trades + 33 BPS.
2  multi-day trades + 121 BPS.

Total trades net  + 154 BPS.
Net points + 57.3

Return on account for the week + 0.58 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

I am updating this journal after a few weeks delay.

A modest start to 2023 on the equity markets.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week Ended 30th December 2022

10 Trades:

10 US 500 - 1,931 BPS.

9 long trades -1,051 BPS.
1 short trade - 880 BPS.
8 intraday trades + 22 BPS.
2  multi-day trades - 1,953 BPS.

Total trades net  - 1,931 BPS.
Net points - 761.

Return on account for the week - 6.75 % net.

P:L ratio 0.01:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 135 days
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very poor week, closed 2 trades (1 long, 1 short) which I held much too long.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week Ended 23rd December 2022

 

11 Trades:

11 US 500 - 2,573 BPS.

6 long trades - -2,371 BPS.
5 short trade - 202 BPS.
2 intraday trades - 263 BPS.
9  multi-day trades - 2,310 BPS.

Total trades net  - 2,573 BPS.
Net points - 1.021.

Return on account for the week - 8.9 % net.

P:L ratio 0.12:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 101 days
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A pretty dire week.

Hoping for better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 16th December 2022

24 Trades:

24 US 500 + 107 BPS.

18 long trades - 470 BPS.
6 short trade + 577 BPS.
20 intraday trades + 160 BPS.
4  multi-day trades - 53 BPS.

Total trades net  + 107 BPS.
Net points + 42.1.

Return on account for the week + 0.55 % net.

P:L ratio 1.3:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 9 days
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another very challenging week on the equity markets.

The main event was the CPI data release on Tuesday, which came in a bit lower than expected, leading to huge rally on the futures, which was pretty short-lived.

The ES futures hit 4,140 after the data release, but the high on the cash market after the open was just 4,100.96. Obviously a lot of short positions got stopped out on that move.

We then had the Fed rate announcement on Wednesday evening, and as expected, the Fed raised the rate by 50 BPS. There was quite a bit of volatility following the rate announcement, and the press conference.

On Thursday and Friday the equity markets dropped quite a bit, the SPX testing the 3,830s on Friday. It seems the markets didn't like the Fed's hawkish comments, the ECB and the Bank of England also raised rates on Thursday, which probably didn't help sentiment.

Tricky trading conditions, well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark. I should have traded more on the short side.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week Ended 9th December 2022

18 Trades:

18 US 500 + 32 BPS.

17 long trades + 36 BPS.
1 short trade - 4 BPS.
16 intraday trades + 62 BPS.
2 multi-day trades - 30 BPS.

Total trades net  + 32 BPS.
Net points + 12.5.

Return on account for the week + 0.26 % net.

P:L ratio 3.7:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 19 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very challenging week on the equity markets.

The US markets were fairly weak, with the SPX struggling to hold above the 4,000 level early in the week, and testing the low 3,900 levels on Tuesday.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 2nd December 2022

28 Trades:

28 US 500 + 298 BPS.

19 long trades + 197 BPS.
9 short trades + 101 BPS.
24 intraday trades + 96 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 202 BPS.

Total trades net  + 398 BPS.
Net points + 119.4.

Return on account for the week + 1.08 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 11 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A difficult week on the equity markets.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 26th November 2022

16 Trades:

16 US 500 + 188 BPS.

16 long trades + 188 BPS.
0 short trade.
16 intraday trades + 44 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 143 BPS.

Total trades net  + 188 BPS.
Net points + 74.

Return on account for the week + 0.76 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 8 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week on the equity markets.

Mostly scalping the SPX.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 11th November 2022

 

34 Trades:

34 US 500 + 386 BPS.

28 long trades + 392 BPS.
6 short trades - 6 BPS.
33 intraday trades + 264 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 122 BPS.

Total trades net + 386 BPS.
Net points + 149.

Return on account for the week + 2.89 % net.

P:L ratio 29.7:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another week on the equity markets.

We had the US elections on Tuesday, in which the Republicans didn't do as well as some predicted. Markets were range bound, with the SPX trading just above 3,800, support in the 3,740s, resistance around 3,840.

Then on Thursday we had the CPI data release, and the equity markets exploded upwards, with the Nasdaq up over 7 % on the day, the Dow up over 1,200 points and the SPX up over 5 %, breaking above 3,950 and touching 4,000 on Friday.

I was scalping the SPX, made some poor exits, just above my 2.5% benchmark. I really should have just bought the dips and let them run.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 4th November 2022

20 Trades:

20 US 500 + 43 BPS.

19 long trades + 5 BPS.
1 short trades + 38 BPS.
19 intraday trades + 43 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net + 43 BPS.
Net points + 16.

Return on account for the week + 0.49 % net.

P:L ratio 2.6:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 350 min.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another difficult week on the equity markets.

The main event of the week was the US Fed rate increase and press conference on Wednesday.

 

The equity markets initially rallied on the news of another 75 BPS cut (exactly what had been expected), then sold off heavily, especially after Powell started speaking.

 

I've noticed the markets often fall when he opens his mouth, maybe some trading programs do this automatically.

 

I think he has done a terrible job as Fed chair, allowing US inflation to get out of control they way it has.

 

I'm sure a decent computer algorithm could do a better job of setting interest rates, and would be far cheaper.

 

I didn't trade the Fed announcement.

Not a great week, although still positive. Again well short of my 2.5% benchmark, although I was distracted by having work done at home (a new hot water tank being fitted).

 

Still following the rules I outlined last week, so no trade entries after the US market open, no net short positions. I will continue like this and monitor my progress. 

 

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 28th October 2022

  

37 Trades:

37 US 500 + 167 BPS.

36 long trades + 435 BPS.
1 short trades - 268 BPS.
35 intraday trades + 169 BPS.
2 multi-day trades - 2 BPS.

Total trades net + 167 BPS.
Net points + 63.5.

Return on account for the week + 0.96 % net.

P:L ratio 2.2:1.
Days traded: 4.5.
Longest trade duration: 7 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another challenging week on the equity markets.

The rally on the US indices ran out of steam on Wednesday, poor tech stock earnings from Google and Meta and Amazon didn't help the Nasdaq and the SPX.

 

This week I have been experimenting with some new trading rules:

    Trade the SPX exclusively.

    No net short positions.

    No trade entries after the US market open (trade exits only).

    Trade intraday only.

These rules are the results of my trading experiences over the last few years.

I feel comfortable following them, which is really important.

I will continue to trade using these rules for the next two weeks, and monitor progress.

(The two multi-day trades closed this week were opened last week). 

 

My net gain of over 60 points on the SPX is quite encouraging, equivalent to over 500 Dow points, or 100 on the FTSE. This is despite missing some nice intraday moves.

Adopting this strategy also means my day is effectively over at 14:30 London time, unless I am still managing trades opened earlier in the day. I tend to start pretty early, around 06:00 London time, so it can be quite a long day, which takes its toll on my effectiveness. I will not trade in the evening.

A tricky week, I made some poor trading exits. Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

 

One more thing - I've recently discovered an excellent podcast for traders, called the 'Trader's Mastermind Podcast':

 

https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/mz8uy-214a77/Traders-Mastermind-Podcast

 

Well worth a listen.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 21st October 2022

 

60 Trades:

60 US 500 + 1005 BPS.

39 long trades + 217 BPS.
21 short trades + 788 BPS.
58 intraday trades + 266 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 739 BPS.

Total trades net + 1005 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 3.21 % net.

Net points + 98.

P:L ratio 21.3:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 48 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another busy week on the equity markets.

US markets were stronger early in the week, before falling on Wednesday and Thursday. 

We then saw a rally on Friday, after weakness in the pre-market.  At one point about 14:00 London time (30 minutes before the cash open) the futures were trading around 3630, we then broke above 3700 after the open, quite a move.

Some really challenging trading conditions. 

I focussed 100% of my efforts on the SPX, again mainly trading in the pre-market (47 of 58 intraday trades).

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark, even though I made some very poor exits.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 14th October 2022

59 Trades:

59 US 500 + 648 BPS.

41 long trades + 57 BPS.
18 short trades + 591 BPS.
54 intra-day trades + 584 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 64 BPS.

Total trades net + 648 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 1.9 % net.

P:L ratio 3.9:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 12 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week. I traded the SPX quite a bit, we saw some decent moves but I was mostly scalping. I scalped 210 points on intraday moves. I made some VERY poor trade exists, especially longs on Thursday when the market tanked (easy to say in hindsight)..

Interestingly, 44 of the 53 intraday trades were entered during the pre-market session. I believe that traders based in Europe may have an advantage here, since the pre-market offers some good entry levels, (of course US - based traders can just get up early, my earliest entry was around 6 am London time, that's 1 am in New York...) 

On Thursday, CPI data broke at 14:30 London time, and the futures markets dropped very sharply, before staging a huge rally after the cash open. The SPX  broke below 3,500 for a time, the intraday move was 193 points, for the Nasdaq the figure was 647 points, and the Dow a whopping 1507 points.

Here is the SPX:

 

The week was also made more difficult by some PC problems, right at the wrong time.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark despite the decent intraday trading, as I was trading smaller size due to the volatility.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 7th October 2022

28 Trades:

2 UK 100 + 5 BPS.

26 US 500 + 145 BPS.

24 long trades + 279 BPS.
4 short trades - 129 BPS.
26 intra-day trades + 144 BPS.
2 multi-day trades + 6 BPS.

Total trades net + 150 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.87 % net.

P:L ratio 3.1:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 13 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A difficult week on the equity markets.

Monday was pretty weak, with the FTSE dipping below 6,800, before rally later in the week.

The SPX got near 3604.

On Friday, we had the US non - farm payrolls, which caused a sell off on the futures.

Here is the chart of the SPX futures after payrolls:

Later in the session the index fell further, at one point the Dow was down over 700 points.

I didn't run my profits, and I missed several great trade entries.

Maybe I had too bearish a mindset. Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 30th September 2022

45 Trades:

5 UK 100 - 30 BPS.

40 US 500 + 910 BPS.

20 long trades - 417 BPS.
25 short trades +1,297 BPS.
38 intra-day trades + 315 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 565 BPS.

Total trades net + 880 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 3.26 % net.

P:L ratio 2.6:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 22 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another very volatile week on the equity markets.

We saw a rally after the Bank of England announced they they would buy gilts. But the rally was short lived. 

On Friday, the SPX broke below 3,600, closing ay a new low for 2022.

A very challenging week.  Well above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 23rd September 2022

For various reasons, I haven't updated this blog/journal for some time, but I plan to add weekly updates.

48 Trades:

48 US 500 + 1,438 BPS.

31 long trades - 53 BPS.
17 short trades +1,491 BPS.
39 intra-day trades + 217 BPS.
9 multi-day trades + 1,221 BPS.

Total trades net + 1,438 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.46 % net.

P:L ratio 4.8:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 8 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very volatile week on the equity markets.

US indices fell heavily, after the Fed hiked rates on Wednesday.

On Friday, the SPX touched 3,644, just eleven points above the June 17th lows, before a sharp bounce in the last couple of hours.

The Dow was down over 800 at one point. Over the week the SPX lost 180 points (4.65%).

The Nasdaq is now over 32% down from the all time highs, the SPX 23%.

A pretty busy week.  Well above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark. 

I missed some excellent short entries.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 24th December 2021

38 Trades:

38 US 100 + 312 BPS.

24 long trades + 357 BPS.
14 short trades - 45 BPS.
34 intra-day trades + 330 BPS.
16 multi-day trades -18 BPS.

Total trades net + 312 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 1.75 % net.

P:L ratio 2.06:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 20 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A quieter week on the equity markets.

US indices were bullish, and the SPX made a new all time closing high on Thursday, before the Christmas holiday.

Not a great week really. Well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark. I traded £ 426 k in total.

Hoping for better figures next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 17th December 2021

58 Trades:

12 US 500 - 954 BPS.

44 US 100 + 78 BPS.

2 UK 100 - 487 BPS.

35 long trades - 157 BPS.
23 short trades - 1,206 BPS.
42 intra-day trades + 506 BPS.
16 multi-day trades + -1,869 BPS.

Total trades net -1,363 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 4.30 % net.

P:L ratio 0.59:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 101 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very difficult week on the equity markets.

We saw a lot of volatility following the FOMC statement and press conference on Wednesday.

I took a hit on several swing trades on both the SPX and the FTSE.

Not a good week. I traded £ 517 k in total.

Hoping for better figures next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 10th December 2021

67 Trades:

8 US 500 + 70 BPS.

56 US 100 + 560 BPS.

3 UK 100 + 27 BPS.

41 long trades + 401 BPS.
26 short trades + 256 BPS.
60 intra-day trades + 341 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 316 BPS.

Total trades net + 657 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.14 % net.

P:L ratio 5.46:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 90 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

More volatility on the equity markets.

The US market recovered from last Friday's steep drop, and the SPX traded back above 4710.

Then on Thursday we saw some weakness on both the SPX and the Nasdaq, before a rally on Friday after the CPI data was released.

US markets are still very near the all time highs, and we are in the most bullish period of the year, so it would not surprise me to see new all time highs before year end.

I made the majority of trades on the Nasdaq, with a total of £ 736 k traded on it during the week (compared to just £ 64 k on the SPX and £ 22 k on the FTSE).

Well above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more trading opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 3rd December 2021

95 Trades:

41 US 500 + 980 BPS.

35 US 100 + 693 BPS.

19 UK 100 - 282 BPS.

64 long trades + 876 BPS.
31 short trades + 515 BPS.
80 intra-day trades + 627 BPS.
15 multi-day trades + 764 BPS.

Total trades net + 1,391 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 7.45 % net.

P:L ratio 5.18:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 82 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week in the equity markets.

COVID worries continued to spook investors, and the SPX dropped to 4,495 on Friday. 

A challenging week, and I missed some good trades, and closed others too early. 

More than double my 2.5 % bench mark though.

For the month of November, I made a total of 202 trades, and a net return of 27 %.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 26th November 2021

59 Trades:

29 US 500 + 932 BPS.

14 US 100 + 90 BPS.

16 UK 100 + 171 BPS.

52 long trades + 1,910 BPS.
7 short trades - 717 BPS.
48 intra-day trades + 305 BPS.
11 multi-day trades + 888 BPS.

Total trades net + 1,193 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 8.57 % net.

P:L ratio 4.66:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 80 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week in the equity markets.

Markets were fairly quiet heading into the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

Then news of yet another new COVID variant in South Africa caused a sharp sell off on Friday morning, with the Dow being over a thousand points down at one point (although at recent levels, a thousand points is not the huge drop it was a few years ago).

Crude oil was very weak, helping push the FTSE commodity stocks lower.

A decent week, although I missed some good trades. Friday was busy, and I closed 19 trades on the day.

Well above my 2.5 % bench mark.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 19th November 2021

34 Trades:

5 US 500 + 706 BPS.

10 US 100 + 73 BPS.

19 UK 100 + 48 BPS.

29 long trades + 1,149 BPS.
5 short trades - 322 BPS.
26 intra-day trades + 88 BPS.
8 multi-day trades + 739 BPS.

Total trades net + 827 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.59 % net.

P:L ratio 3.18:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 99 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another challenging week in the equity markets.

We saw some more market volatility.

The SPX made another new all time closing high on Thursday, then FTSE sold off after expiry on Friday, testing the 7,200 level. 

Crude oil was weaker, helping push the FTSE commodity stocks lower.

I had a friend over in the early part of the week, so that was a bit of a distraction.

Above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark anyway, despite some very poor trade exits.

The COVID situation seems to be getting worse here in Europe, with Austria going back into lock down and possibly Germany too. This news led to quite a sell off in equities on Friday.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 12th November 2021

40 Trades:

2 AAL - 558 BPS.

16 US 500  + 39 BPS.

17 US 100 + 172 BPS.

6 UK 100 + 308 BPS.

20 long trades  + 1,579 BPS.
20 short trades - 1,618 BPS.
30 intra-day trades + 154 BPS.
10 multi-day trades - 193 BPS.

Total trades net  - 39 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.25 % net.

P:L ratio 1.83:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 68 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A long and very challenging five days in the equity markets.

Markets were very volatile, especially the Nasdaq. The FTSE briefly broke 7,400 for the first time since the COVID19 crash. The SPX was weaker, and did not test the 4,718.50 high we saw last week.

 

I spent a few long days watching the screens, and it was tiring. Still, double my 2.5% bench mark. 

The negative BPS figure is due to the two trades on AAL being very small compared to the index 

trades, (about 1/20th of the size.)

Hoping for for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 5th November 2021

39 Trades:

1 STAN + 48 BPS.

18 US500  + 536 BPS.

10 US 100 + 89 BP.

10 UK100 + 289 BPS.

21 long trades  + 1,043 BPS.
18 short trades - 81 BPS.
35 intra-day trades + 183 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 779 BPS.

Total trades net  + 962 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.90 % net.

P:L ratio 4.15:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 58 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very volatile week on the equity markets.

Markets continued to make new highs, with the SPX, DJI and the Nasdaq all making new all time highs.

The FTSE made a new high for 2021 on Friday, above 7,300.

The SPX has now more than doubled since last March.  Astonishing. The Dow has made a similar move.

 

I made some very poor exits, basically not running longs, especially on the US indices, this is truly a buy the dips and hold market.  

Hoping for for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 29th October 2021

35 Trades:

24 US500  - 460 BPS.

11 UK100 - 140 BPS.

18 long trades  + 1092 BPS.
17 short trades - 1692 BPS.
27 intra-day trades + 64 BPS.
8 multi-day trades - 664 BPS.

Total trades net  - 600 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 4.22 % net.

P:L ratio 0.69:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 47 days min.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very poor week for me on the equity markets.

The market continued to grind higher, and the SPX and Dow made new all time highs.

Crypto markets were very strong again, ETH made a new all time high above $ 4,400.

For the month of October, I made 121 trades my P&L was + 0.51 %.

Hoping for for better returns next month.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 22nd October 2021

23 Trades:

21 US500  + 51 BPS.

1 US 100 + 3 BPS.

1 UK100 + 4 BPS.

11 long trades  + 35 BPS.
12 short trades + 23 BPS.
23 intra-day trades + 58 BPS.
0 multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 58 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.69 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 138 min.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another difficult week on the equity markets.

Equity markets were weaker early in the week, and the FTSE traded below 7200, before rallying, but it was stuck in a range from around 7180 to 7220.

The SPX made another new all time high on Thursday, at over 4550. All dips are still being bought on the US equity market.

Tricky trading, I made some very poor trade exits.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

The crypto markets were very strong, Bitcoin making a new all time high above 66k, after the first Bitcoin ETF began trading on the US market.

The other large cap coins also rallied, with ETH rising over 4100, Solana and Polkadot were active too.

I hold all of these, so that was encouraging. I do think that the wider general public is still largely not participating in the crypto market, and if they do, that may drive prices higher. We shall see.

Away from the markets, I may have said before here that I like to get out in the evenings and at weekends. I do a fair bit of cycling, which is a good way of de - stressing after a difficult day, and it also keeps me fairly fit.

Anyway, I took this photo on my ride on Thursday evening, I thought the sky was pretty dramatic, although it was pretty short lived:

It's important to appreciate our beautiful world, after all, we aren't here all that long.

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 15th October 2021

34 Trades:

24 US500  + 267 BPS.

10 UK100 + 29 BPS.

11 long trades  + 4 BPS.
23 short trades + 292 BPS.
29 intra-day trades + 74 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 222 BPS.

Total trades net  + 296 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.38 % net.

P:L ratio 8.3:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 21 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A difficult week on the equity markets.

The SPX traded down below 4330, then rallied up above 4460 on Friday, when we had expiry.

The FTSE also broke above 7200 for the first time since August, helped by a strong rally on the commodity stocks after the recent weakness. 

Tricky trading, I missed a few very good moves.

Short of my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 8th October 2021

24 Trades:

1 AAL + 84 BPS.

15 US500  + 318 BPS.

1 US30 + 4 BPS.

7 UK100 + 176 BPS.

11 long trades  + 102 BPS.
13 short trades + 480 BPS.
17 intra-day trades + 166 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 416 BPS.

Total trades net  + 582 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.52 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 8 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity markets.

Indices sold off again, with the SPX trading back below 4,200 on Monday, before staging a strong rally back to 4400.

A better week, but I should have been more patient with the longs on the SPX. 

Still, well above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

Here is the one hour chart of the SPX, showing the rally off the lows:

Away from the markets, we've been spoiled for choice with pro cycling recently, we had the World Championships, with Julian Alaphilipe holding onto the rainbow jersey in a wonderful race. 

Then an amazing Paris - Roubaix in the mud last Sunday, that was absolutely spectacular.

And on Saturday we have Il Lombardia. 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 1st October 2021

33 Trades:

21 US500  + 490 BPS.

12 UK100 - 740 BPS.

12 long trades  - 259 BPS.
21 short trades + 9 BPS.
22 intra-day trades + 162 BPS.
11 multi-day trades - 412 BPS.

Total trades net  - 250 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 1.76 % net.

P:L ratio 0.70:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 74 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another very volatile week on the equity markets.

Indices sold off with the SPX trading back below 4,300, ad the FTSE testing 7000.

A very poor week, could have been worse I suppose, still well below my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

September lived up to its reputation for volatility on the equity markets.

Over the month, I made 197 trades and a net return of 31 %.

Looking forward to more opportunities next month.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 24th September 2021

52 Trades:

35 US500  + 636 BPS.

17 UK100 + 383 BPS.

14 long trades  - 19 BPS.
38 short trades + 1,038 BPS.
41 intra-day trades + 454 BPS.
11 multi-day trades + 565 BPS.

Total trades net  + 1,019 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 7.23 % net.

P:L ratio 3.25:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 80 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very volatile week on the equity markets.

The news from China about the possible collapse of the Evergrande property financing company sent futures heavily into the red on Sunday night, and on Monday the FTSE fell to 6,828.28 and the SPX hit 4,305.91.

The markets rebounded very strongly, with the SPX trading back above 4,400 by Wednesday, and over 4,450 by Friday morning.

A pretty busy week, made some poor trades, but still well above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 17th September 2021

54 Trades:

1 AAL - 356 BPS.

29 US500  + 213 BPS.

2 US 30 + 4 BPS.

22 UK100 + 242 BPS.

19 long trades  + 58 BPS.
35 short trades + 45 BPS.
45 intra-day trades + 313 BPS.
7 multi-day trades - 210 BPS.

Total trades net  + 103 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.62 % net.

P:L ratio 5.55:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 52 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity markets.

The FTSE broke below 7000 and this time closed below it on Friday.

Miners got hammered, this was the headline;

'Iron ore price dives 7% on China’s lower steel output data'

I had quite a busy week, made some poor trades, but still well above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

(The percentage net return was much higher than the net BPS figure suggests, this is because the trade on AAL was very small compared to the index trades.)

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 10th September 2021

43 Trades:

18 US500  + 236 BPS.

19 UK100 + 188 BPS.

6 US 30 + 16 BPS.

21 long trades  + 211 BPS.
22 short trades + 229 BPS.
36 intra-day trades + 125 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 315 BPS.

Total trades net  + 440 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 10.78 % net.

P:L ratio 383:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 19 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week on the equity markets.

The FTSE broke below 7000 briefly.

I made some poor trades, but still well above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Away from the markets, this weekend we mark the twentieth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

I remember that day vividly, I first heard about the plane crashing into the Trade Centre from a post on a trading forum, but initially, it was reported to be a light aircraft. 

Of course, as events unfolded, the picture became more and more horrific.

I remember going to the pub that night, and finding it difficult to process everything that had happened earlier that day. Having worked (and lived in) the City of London, it somehow felt very close, I had spent time working at Merrill Lynch, a US broker/investment bank. 

I watched the TV coverage of the memorial ceremonies, and some of the original TV pictures this weekend. It brought it all back. 

In many ways, it was the  day the world changed.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 3rd September 2021

37 Trades:

12 US500  + 266 BPS.

24 UK100 - 346 BPS.

1 US 30 + 1 BPS.

26 long trades  + 353 BPS.
11 short trades - 432 BPS.
25 intra-day trades + 76 BPS.
12 multi-day trades - 155 BPS.

Total trades net  - 79 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.80 % net.

P:L ratio 2.2:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 57 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week's trading on the equity markets.

We saw quite a bit of volatility, with the SPX again making new all time highs.

Well above my 2.5 % bench mark.

(I should explain that although there was a net loss in basis points, I actually made a net profit, since the longer term trades on the UK 100 which I closed for a loss were much smaller than the intraday trades.)

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Cycling wise, we have the Tour of GB starting this weekend, so I'll be keeping an eye on the action there too.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 27th August 2021

32 Trades:

1 BHP + 10 BPS.

17 US500  + 50 BPS.

14 UK100 - 321 BPS.

19 long trades  - 167 BPS.
13 short trades - 94 BPS.
29 intra-day trades + 75 BPS.
3 multi-day trades - 336 BPS.

Total trades net  - 261 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 0.63 % net.

P:L ratio 0.68:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 104 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Not a great week's trading on the equity markets.

Closed a couple of very poor trades on the FTSE.

Not a disaster, less than 1 % loss, but not great either.

Looking forward to better numbers next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 20th August 2021

60 Trades:

2 BHP + 156 BPS.

39 US500 + 138 BPS.

19 UK100 - 220 BPS.

32 long trades  - 79 BPS.
28 short trades + 153 BPS.
56 intra-day trades + 392 BPS.
4 multi-day trades - 318 BPS.

Total trades net  + 74 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 3.40 % net.

P:L ratio 2.49:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 36 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very volatile week on the equity markets.

The US markets sold off after the latest release of minutes from the FOMC, after making a new all time highs on both the SPX and the Dow on Monday.

The debacle in Afghanistan didn't help sentiment.

Above my 2.5 % weekly bench mark, despite some very poor trade entries and exits.

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 13th August 2021

24 Trades:

1 AAL + 468 BPS.

1 ETH + 37 BPS.

9 US500 + 11 BPS.

1 US30 + 2 BPS.

12 UK100 + 249 BPS.

19 long trades  + 762 BPS.
5 short trades + 5 BPS.
19 intra-day trades + 72 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 695 BPS.

Total trades net  + 767 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.17 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 37 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week's trading.

The FTSE broke through 7200, making a new 52 week high, whilst the SPX and DJIA made new all time highs (again).

Buying the dips is still the most profitable strategy at the moment.

More than double my 2.5 % weekly bench mark.

At some point, we will see some profit taking in the stock markets, but timing it is a fool's game.

This weekend we have the start of the Vuelta a Espana. Should be an interesting race.

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 6th August 2021

30 Trades:

5 ETH + 231 BPS.

5 US500 + 7 BPS.

20 UK100 - 188 BPS.

25 long trades  + 446 BPS.
5 short trades - 396 BPS.
23 intra-day trades + 337 BPS.
7 multi-day trades - 287 BPS.

Total trades net  + 50 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.17 % net.

P:L ratio 1.05:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 29 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A difficult week on the equity markets.

The FTSE traded in a range between 7032 and 7142.

I made some poor trades, and ended the week barely positive.

I made a few small trades on Ethereum, which was pretty volatile in the run up to the 'London' update.

Equity markets over the pond were strong again, with the SPX making a new all time closing high, closing at 4429.10 on Thursday, before making another all time high on Friday, after the July payrolls numbers were announced.

Buying the dips is still the most profitable strategy at the moment.

I do wonder if we are due a bit of late summer profit - taking, we shall see.

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 30th July 2021

24 Trades:

2 AAL + 799 BPS.

11 US500 + 44 BPS.

11 UK100 + 206 BPS.

17 long trades  + 972 BPS.
7 short trades + 77 BPS.
19 intra-day trades + 71 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 978 BPS.

Total trades net  + 1,049 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 3.42 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 12 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another week of volatility on the equity markets.

The FTSE broke below 6930 on Tuesday, rallied to a high of 7093.93 on Thursday.

In the US, the SPX made new all time highs again this week.

A tricky week, and some good trades missed.

For the month of July, I made 207 trades and a net profit of 23.97 %.

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next month.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 23rd July 2021

47 Trades:

1 AAL + 28 BPS.

2 US500 + 8 BPS.

44 UK100 + 861 BPS.

7 long trades  + 13 BPS.
40 short trades + 884 BPS.
40 intra-day trades + 502 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 395 BPS.

Total trades net  + 897 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 7.23 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 28 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A pretty volatile week on the equity markets.

The FTSE broke below 6900, trading down to 6813 before staging a very powerful rally back over 7000, following a midweek reversal on the SPX, which broke above 4400 on Friday for the first time ever.

Here is a 15 minute chart of the SPX, taken near the close of the London market on Friday:

The FTSE is still looking less bullish, with the index closing below the 50 DMA and the 21 EMA, although still above the 200 DMA. A mid - summer shake out would not surprise me at this point. 

Both BP and RD Shell seem to be running out of momentum, if the banks and the miners also weaken, that would be enough for the FTSE to break below the recent lows.

We shall see.

Another good week by my standards, over double my 2.5 % benchmark. 

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 16th July 2021

41 Trades:

2 AAL + 35 BPS.

39 UK100 + 419 BPS.

9 long trades  + 35 BPS.
32 short trades + 419 BPS.
32 intra-day trades + 343 BPS.
9 multi-day trades + 111 BPS.

Total trades net  + 454 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.28 % net.

P:L ratio 142.6:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 29 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity markets.

Markets reacted bearishly to more signs of inflation in the US and the UK.

Over the pond, the SPX made yet another new all time high on Wednesday, while the DJIA made a new all time closing high earlier in the week. 

The FTSE broke below 7010, trading as low as 7005 on Thursday. We then had a rebound on Friday morning, which was also expiry on the FTSE futures and options, before breaking back below 7000 later in the day, finally closing at 7008.10.

The medium term chart is looking less bullish, with the index closing below the 50 DMA and the 21 EMA, although still above the 200 DMA.

A decent week by my standards, over double my 2.5 % benchmark. I left plenty of money on the table though.

The Tour de France enters the end game this weekend, with Tadej Pogacar looking pretty invincible in the maillot jaune. Can Cavendish take another stage I wonder ? 

A win on the Champs on Sunday would be a dream for him.

Looking forward to more trading opportunities next week, and TDF action this weekend.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 9th July 2021

56 Trades:

1 AAL + 28 BPS.

55 UK100 + 264 BPS.

11 long trades  + 112 BPS.
45 short trades + 180 BPS.
45 intra-day trades + 375 BPS.
11 multi-day trades - 83 BPS.

Total trades net  + 292 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.77 % net.

P:L ratio 1.89:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 8 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very volatile week on the equity markets.

On Thursday we broke below 7,000 on the FTSE, and the commodity stocks got hammered. The market then bounced on Friday.

Quite a busy week by my standards, heavily skewed to the short side. 

Above my 2.5 % benchmark, although I made a few poor trade exits.

The Tour de France continues, with Tadej Pogacar looking pretty invincible in the maillot jaune at the moment. Mark Cavendish has now won four stages, and there still a couple more sprint finishes left in the tour. Maybe he can win another stage, he seems to be on top form at the moment, and several big names have left the race due to injuries.

Looking forward to profitable trading, and TDF action next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 2nd July 2021

27 Trades:

4 AAL + 190 BPS.

23 UK100 + 119 BPS.

20 long trades  + 148 BPS.
7 short trades + 161 BPS.
23 intra-day trades + 179 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 130 BPS.

Total trades net  + 309 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.27 % net.

P:L ratio 197:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 5 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A tricky week, on Wednesday the FTSE test the 7,010 level, before rallying above 7,160 on Friday.

Over the pond, the indices continue to make new all time highs.

Short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark again.

Over the month of June, I made 88 trades for a net profit of 4.58 %.

The Tour de France is proving to be exciting, with Mattieu Van der Poel taking the yellow jersey that his grandfather, Raymond Poulidor never wore, a lovely and moving moment.

And what can you say about Mark Cavendish ? Two fantastic stage wins in six days. 

Obviously he's on great form, and happy to be back with his old Deceuninck-Quickstep team.

Looking forward to better trading, and more bike racing next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 25th June 2021

22 Trades:

3 AAL + 166 BPS.

19 UK100 + 213 BPS.

13 long trades  + 212 BPS.
9 short trades + 167 BPS.
18 intra-day trades + 147 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 232 BPS.

Total trades net  + 379 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.09 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 25 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week, equities began the week breaking below 6,950 on the FTSE, before rebounding to over 7,130.

Miners and oil stocks were bullish after last week's sell off.

The FTSE keeps testing the 21 EMA, but closing above it. So overall the picture remains bullish, being above the 50 and 200 DMAs too. We are entering the summer holiday period though, when trading volumes tend to be lower.

Short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark, I made a few poor exits.

Away from the markets, we have the greatest sporting competition of the year starting this weekend, yes the Tour de France starts in Bretagne this year, and so I'll be paying close attention to the action for the next three weeks. Mark Cavendish is back at the Tour this year after a couple of years absence, and he seems to be on good form now he's back with his old Deceuninck-Quickstep team.

Looking forward to trading, and bike racing next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 18th June 2021

22 Trades:

22 UK100 + 380 BPS.

21 long trades  + 320 BPS.
2 short trades + 60 BPS.
17 intra-day trades + 37 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 343 BPS.

Total trades net  + 380 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.81 % net.

P:L ratio 983:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 40 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another difficult week, markets were bullish midweek with FTSE making a new 52 week high above 7200. It then retreated below 7,050 on Friday after expiry.

Commodity stocks were very weak, which weighed on the index, gold and silver also sold off.

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark, even though I should have pushed the shorts more aggressively.

Looking forward to better performance next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 11th June 2021

11 Trades:

11 UK100 + 78 BPS.

10 long trades  + 70 BPS.
1 short trades + 8 BPS.
6 intra-day trades + 50 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 28 BPS.

Total trades net  + 78 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.55 % net.

P:L ratio 3.8:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 5 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A pretty difficult week, markets were generally bullish, after some weakness on Monday, when the FTSE dipped to the low 7040s. All dips were bought.

Over the pond, the SPX made new all time highs again.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Looking forward to better performance next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 4th June 2021

18 Trades:

18 UK100 - 450 BPS.

10 long trades  + 89 BPS.
8 short trades - 539 BPS.
14 intra-day trades + 45 BPS.
1 multi-day trades - 495 BPS.

Total trades net  - 450 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 1.80 % net.

P:L ratio 0.4:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 70 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A poor week, took a hit on a short position that I should have cut earlier.

The markets were weaker, although in the US the SPX finished the week above 4,200.

Well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Looking forward to better numbers next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 28th May 2021

12 Trades:

12 UK100 + 63 BPS.

5 long trades  + 17 BPS.
7 short trades + 46 BPS.
11 intra-day trades + 48 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 15 BPS.

Total trades net  + 63 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.72 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A difficult week, fewer trades as there were fewer good opportunities.

Well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

For the month of May, I made 102 trades and a net return of 11.26 %.

Monday is a holiday in the UK, and the equity markets will be closed.

Away from the markets, the action in the Giro d'Italia continues, looks like Egan Bernal will take the title, barring disaster in the time trial on Sunday (tomorrow).

Looking forward to more opportunities in June.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 21st May 2021

21 Trades:

21 UK100 + 82 BPS.

20 long trades  + 77 BPS.
1 short trades + 5 BPS.
20 intra-day trades + 72 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 10 BPS.

Total trades net  + 82 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 1.88 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 8 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week on the equity markets.

On Wednesday the FTSE sold off, amid a general red day, breaking below 6900 before bouncing to 6950.

The crypto markets saw a huge sell - off, with Bitcoin dropping from above $ 50,000 to $ 30,000, and then rallying to over $ 42,000, a crazy move.

I did buy a small amount of crypto during the drop.

Here is the one hour chart on Ethereum:

I made a couple of very poor trade exits (for example in the run up to expiry on Friday morning, when I thought the big money would probably push the index up into expiry), and left a lot of money on the table.

Well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Meanwhile, the action in the Giro d'Italia continues, with a big mountain stage on the Zoncolan this weekend, looking forward to that.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 14th May 2021

43 Trades:

43 UK100 - 318 BPS.

18 long trades  + 100 BPS.
25 short trades - 418 BPS.
36 intra-day trades + 308 BPS.
7 multi-day trades - 626 BPS.

Total trades net  - 318 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 0.27 % net.

P:L ratio 0.95:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 49 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A really tough week.

Markets were bullish on Monday, with the FTSE making new 2021 highs at just over 7164.

We then fell back to 6912, which was support from the 4th of May, then on Thursday we broke below 6900, bottoming around 6823, before rallying back above 7000 on Friday, to close at 7043.6.

Here is a 3 minute chart of Thursday's move, the low corresponded to a high around the 16th of March:

Here is the four hour chart:

I made some very poor trades, well below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hopefully I can get back to profitability next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 7th May 2021

26 Trades:

26 UK100 + 281 BPS.

18 long trades  + 264 BPS.
8 short trades + 17 BPS.
24 intra-day trades + 139 BPS.
2 multi-day trades + 142 BPS.

Total trades net  + 281 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 8.25 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 19 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A four day week due to the bank holiday in Britain on Monday.

Markets were bullish again, with the FTSE making new 2021 highs, breaking above 7,100 on Friday.

Commodity stocks were very strong, the likes of AAL, GLEN, BHP & RIO all near or at 52 week highs.

Not a bad week, although I made a couple of very poor trade exits after going long near Tuesday's lows around 6920, I really should have been more patient.

Still well above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hopefully I can continue this throughout May.

Away from the markets, we have the Giro d'Italia starting on Saturday in Turin, so I'll be following the action over the next three weeks. The Giro is always a great spectacle, and the scenery is usually beautiful, in fact I think Italy is one of my favourite countries, at least of those I have visited, and I've been to Italy many, many times.

So looking forward to some great cycling action. 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.