Trading Summary Week Ended 2nd April 2021

22 Trades:

22 UK100 - 149 BPS.

16 long trades  + 118 BPS.
5 short trades - 267 BPS.
18 intra-day trades + 52 BPS.
4 multi-day trades - 201 BPS.

Total trades net  - 149 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 1.98 % net.

P:L ratio 0.6:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 28 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A poor week overall on the equity market.

I closed a poor short early in the week, then made back some of the loss. A short week due to the easter holidays.

The FTSE sold off sharply on Wednesday afternoon, before bouncing on Friday.

Meanwhile over the pond, US indices made new all time highs, it seems nothing can dampen the euphoria.

For the month of March, I made 197 trades and a net return of 21.7 %.

Here's another chart showing the first 30 minute levels on the FTSE...

This was Friday morning, quite a nice chart I think...

Looking forward to better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 26th March 2021

49 Trades:

1 AAL + 35 BPS.

48 UK100 + 234 BPS.

34 long trades  + 237 BPS.
15 short trades + 32 BPS.
47 intra-day trades + 192 BPS.
2 multi-day trades + 77 BPS.

Total trades net  + 269 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 6.51 % net.

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

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity market.

The markets were weaker early in the week, with the FTSE testing 6650 on Monday and then again on Wednesday, before dropping to 6618 on Thursday and then rallying on Friday. Crude oil was very weak on Thursday, which clobbered the commodity stock which are a large chunk of the FTSE.

Difficult trading conditions, so mostly very short term trades, but generally, the sharp dips were bought. I missed a few great trade entries, and sold closed the AAL position way too early.

 

Well over my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

I thought I'd post a chart here...

This is a five minute chart of the FTSE (Forex.com, not the cash) on Tradingview.com.

The red and green horizontal lines mark the high and low of the 30 minutes from 07:30 London time.

You can see how the FTSE dropped back after 10am, but found support at the early high marked by the green line.

I have noticed that these levels frequently form support or resistance later in the trading session.

A few years ago I wrote an indicator for MT4 which draws the levels, and recently I did the same in the Tradingview.com language, Pine, as shown on the top chart. 

On strong trend days, the index will often test these levels before decisively break one of them, the trick is to catch the break and run with it.

I used to use 8 am as the start time, but I have found 7 to be better, if you watch the FTSE futures chart, the volume really kicks in at 7 am, I also have the same indicator set for 8 am as well (8 am is the cash open in London).

This is the same five minute chart in MT4, if the price is above the green line, the text changes to 'Upside break' and shows the distance of the break in basis points, same with the red line:

I would put the same text on the Tradingview indicator, but I haven't worked out how to do that at the moment.

The concept of the thirty minute levels is not mine, I got it from a book written by Jake Bernstein, several years ago now. I think there are a few videos on Youtube describing the strategy. It's very simple, but then some good ideas are simple.

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 19th March 2021

      

56 Trades:

56 UK100 + 186 BPS.

36 long trades  + 176 BPS.
20 short trades + 10 BPS.
51 intra-day trades + 126 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 60 BPS.

Total trades net  + 186 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 4.53 % net.

P:L ratio 6.99:1.
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 pretty volatile week on the equity market.

Again, over the pond both the S&P 500 and the Dow made new all time highs.

The FTSE was weak on Friday, after crude plunged on Thursday evening. The FTSE broke below 6700 very briefly in the opening minutes, and later expiry was pretty volatile. A hard day, all in all.

Over the week, the FTSE lost 53 points, or 0.78 %.

Made a few very poor exits, leaving plenty of profit on the table, but still ahead of my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 12th March 2021

     

37 Trades:

1 AAL + 11 BPS.

36 UK100 + 209 BPS.

29 long trades  + 206 BPS.
8 short trades + 14 BPS.
35 intra-day trades + 155 BPS.
3 multi-day trades + 65 BPS.

Total trades net  + 220 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.27 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 4 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity market.

Over the pond both the S&P 500 and the Dow made new all time highs, while the FTSE struggled above 6780, and currently stands at 15% off the all time highs.

Made a couple of very poor exits (especially on AAL), but still well ahead of my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 5th March 2021

     

37 Trades:

1 BHP - 79 BPS.

36 UK100 + 52 BPS.

24 long trades  - 43 BPS.
13 short trades + 16 BPS.
31 intra-day trades + 149 BPS.
3 multi-day trades - 176 BPS.

Total trades net  - 27 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 2.20 % net.

P:L ratio 1.35:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 17 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A really difficult week on the equity market.

The FTSE finished the week up over one hundred and forty points, but Friday was very volatile, with the opening hour testing the 6560 zone.

The US markets seemed to be very nervous, as rates on the ten year bond crept upwards. Crude oil was strong, which tends to be bullish for the FTSE, given the size of BP and RD Shell in the index.

I made a profit despite the negative results in terms of basis points, since the BHP trade was very small.

Well short of my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 26th February 2021

    

83 Trades:

5 AAL + 76 BPS.

78 UK100 + 445 BPS.

29 long trades  + 169 BPS.
54 short trades + 352 BPS.
80 intra-day trades + 436 BPS.
3 multi-day trades + 85 BPS.

Total trades net  + 521 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 10.07 % net.

P:L ratio 42.7:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 4 days.
Shortest trade duration:  < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A volatile week on the equity market, the FTSE broke the recent high above 6700, then sold off on Thursday and into Friday morning, before rallying, then selling off to make a new low for the week on Friday afternoon. Very volatile conditions altogether.

I made over eighty trades, which is busy by my standards. Just scalping the index for crumbs really.

A few poor entries and exits, especially when I bought the FTSE in the early hours of Friday when the futures were pricing a serious drop at the open, then the market rallied strongly, oh well...

Still, well north of my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Looking forward to more opportunities next month.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 19th February 2021

   

23 Trades:

5 RDSB + 112 BPS.

18 UK100 + 177 BPS.

8 long trades  + 142 BPS.
15 short trades + 147 BPS.
19 intra-day trades + 282 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 7 BPS.

Total trades net  + 289 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 7.62 % net.

P:L ratio 3.25:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 2 days min.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A fairly busy week's trading. Equity markets were strong early in the week, although they sold off pretty quickly.

Miners made gains, with AAL, BHP, GLEN and RIO all making 52 week highs.

Well above my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 12th February 2021

   

26 Trades:

3 AAL + 65 BPS.

23 UK100 + 56 BPS.

15 long trades  + 75 BPS.
11 short trades + 46 BPS.
26 intra-day trades + 121 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 121 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 6.38 % net.

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

Thoughts

A better week's trading, equity markets over in the US made new all tine highs, although the FTSE is still well off its highs. 

I was scalping the FTSE and made a couple of really poor trade exits.

Well over my 2.5 % benchmark.

 

Hopefully I can continue this form for the rest of the month.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 5th February 2021

   

7 Trades:

1 FRES - 141 BPS.

6 UK100 + 18 BPS.

5 long trades  - 128 BPS.
2 short trades + 5 BPS.
6 intra-day trades + 18 BPS.
1 multi-day trades - 141 BPS.

Total trades net  - 123 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.65 % net.

P:L ratio 1.56:1.
Days traded: 4.
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. 

 

Hopefully next week will be better.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 29th January 2021

   

9 Trades:

9 UK100 + 55 BPS.

9 long trades  + 55 BPS.
No short trades.
9 intra-day trades + 55 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 55 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 5.98 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 69 min.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A decent week, over my 2.5 % bench mark. 

Looking forward to more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 22nd of January 2021

  

10 Trades:

4 AAL + 85 BPS.

6 UK100 + 19 BPS.

8 long trades  + 98 BPS.
2 short trades + 6 BPS.
9 intra-day trades + 88 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 16 BPS.

Total trades net  + 104 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.06 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 3 days min.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another quiet-ish week. 

The equity markets were weaker again, the FTSE losing 26 points over the week.

 

Hopefully I'll be more active next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 15th of January 2021

 

4 Trades:

1 AAL + 11 BPS.

3 UK100 + 27 BPS.

4 long trades  + 38 BPS.
No short trades.
4 intra-day trades + 38 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 38 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.04 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 2.
Longest trade duration: 53 min.
Shortest trade duration:  5 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another quiet week, I was busy with other stuff. 

The equity markets were weaker in the UK, with the FTSE giving up some of the gains of the previous week.

 

Hopefully I'll be more active next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 8th January 2021

3 Trades:

3 UK100 + 29 BPS.

1 long trades  + 23 BPS.
2 short trades + 6 BPS..
2 intra-day trades + 6 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 23 BPS.

Total trades net  + 29 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.04 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A quiet week. 

We saw a big rally on the commodity stocks and hence the FTSE.

Poor trading on my part, cutting winners too early.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 25th December 2020

 4 Trades:

1 MTRO + 90 BPS.

3 UK100 + 59 BPS.

3 long trades  + 59 BPS.
1 short trades + 90 BPS..
4 intra-day trades + 149 BPS.
0 multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 149 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.07 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 2.
Longest trade duration: 10 min.
Shortest trade duration:  2 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A short week's trading due to the Christmas holidays. 

We finally saw a deal reached on BREXIT, they left if right to the line.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 18th December 2020

3 Trades:

3 UK100 + 51 BPS.

3 long trades  + 51 BPS.
0 short trades.
3 intra-day trades + 51 BPS.
0 multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 51 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.06 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 12 min.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A quiet week's trading. 

Equity markets in the US made new all time highs, with the SPX closing above 3700 again. The FTSE is still well below the highs of summer 2019.

Next week is a shortened one due to the Christmas holidays.

 

And we still have the BREXIT negotiations ongoing, it's unbelievable that this has taken four and a half years...

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 11th December 2020

 

7 Trades:

7 UK100 + 322 BPS.

6 long trades  + 321 BPS.
1 short trades  + 1 BPS.
5 intra-day trades + 13 BPS.
2 multi-day trades + 309 BPS.

Total trades net  + 322 BPS.

Return on account for the week + 0.38 % net.

P:L ratio N/A.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 11 days.
Shortest trade duration:  2 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week's trading. 

Equity markets made new post COVID 19 highs, the FTSE hitting 6640, before falling back on Friday.

 

Hopefully better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 4th December 2020

7 Trades:

2 AAL - 9,676 BPS.

2 BP - 972 BPS.

3 UK100 + 6 BPS.

5 long trades  - 1,784 BPS.
3 short trades  - 8,858 BPS.
3 intra-day trades + 6 BPS.
3 multi-day trades - 10,648 BPS.

Total trades net  - 10,642 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 2.16 % net.

P:L ratio 0.11:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 252 days.
Shortest trade duration:  3 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another poor week. 

Hopefully better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 27th November 2020

 

9 Trades:

2 BP - 1,956 BPS.

7 UK100 + 60 BPS.

6 long trades  - 2,293 BPS.
3 short trades  + 397 BPS.
6 intra-day trades + 17 BPS.
3 multi-day trades - 1,913 BPS.

Total trades net  - 1,896 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 0.05 % net.

P:L ratio 0.61:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 245 days.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another poor week. 

Hopefully better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 20th of November 2020

 

7 Trades:

7 UK100 - 2,796 BPS.

6 long trades  - 1,530 BPS.
1 short trades  - 1,266 BPS.
5 intra-day trades + 20 BPS.
2 multi-day trades - 2,816 BPS.

Total trades net  - 2,796 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 6.23 % net.

P:L ratio 0.003:1.
Days traded: 2.
Longest trade duration: 502 days.
Shortest trade duration:  1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another poor week. 

Hopefully better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week Ended 13th of November 2020

 

9 Trades:

1 BP + 2,460 BPS.

2 MTRO - 7,158 BPS.

6 UK100 - 4,018 BPS.

4 long trades  - 11,055 BPS.
10 short trades  + 2,339 BPS.
2 intra-day trades + 144 BPS.
4 multi-day trades - 8,660 BPS.

Total trades net  - 8,716 BPS.

Return on account for the week - 6.20 % net.

P:L ratio 0.05:1.
Days traded: 2.
Longest trade duration: 807 days.
Shortest trade duration:  5 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A poor week. The market rallied strongly after Pfizer announced very good results for its COVID 19 vaccine.

The FTSE gained 406 points, or just over 6% over the week.

Hopefully better trading next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.