Friday, November 12, 2021

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.

Friday, November 05, 2021

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.

Sunday, October 31, 2021

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.

Friday, October 22, 2021

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.

Friday, October 15, 2021

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.

Friday, October 08, 2021

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.

Friday, October 01, 2021

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.

Friday, September 24, 2021

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.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

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.

Monday, September 13, 2021

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.

Saturday, September 04, 2021

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.

Monday, August 30, 2021

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.

Friday, August 20, 2021

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.

Friday, August 13, 2021

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.

Friday, August 06, 2021

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.

Saturday, July 31, 2021

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.


Friday, July 23, 2021

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.

Friday, July 16, 2021

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.

Friday, July 09, 2021

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.

Friday, July 02, 2021

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.