Trading Summary Week 50 2023

          

14 Trades:

3 UK 100 + 10 BPS.

11 US 500 + 537 BPS.

11 long trades + 1,069 BPS.
2 short trades - 522 BPS.
7 intraday trades + 16 BPS.
7 multi-day trades + 531 BPS.

Total trades net  + 547 BPS.
Net points + 254.96.

Return on account for the week: + 10.20 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.2:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 135 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A very challenging week.

We had a lot of data this week, CPI Tuesdsay, PPI Wednesday and of course FOMC Wednesday.

We also had rollover / expiry on the December futures on the indices.

US markets were sharply higher after the US Fed kept rates on hold, as did the BoE and ECB.

Markets seems to interpret Powell's press conference comments very favourably (ie - rates have peaked).

Pretty volatile markets, the Dow made a new all time high after the Fed announcement, the SPX still off the highs from 2021, the Nasdaq get very near the all time high.

 

Here is the SPX showing the strength post FOMC:

 

 

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 49 2023

          

15 Trades:

15 US 500 + 26 BPS.

13 long trades - 13 BPS.
2 short trades + 39 BPS.
11 intraday trades + 16 BPS.
4 multi-day trades + 10 BPS.

Total trades net  + 26 BPS.
Net points + 11.90.

Return on account for the week: + 2.11 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.9:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 6 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A poor week's trading really, given the number of opportunities.

There was a fair bit of volatility. On Friday we got US employment data, which is always released pre-market, and that caused a big move in the futures (I caught a small part of it).

 

Overall, the equities markets were firmer, with the SPX closing the week above 4,600, and the Nasdaq above 16,800, and the Dow pretty much flat..

  

I made some poor trade entries and exits this week. 

 

On Wednesday I traded the market in the evening (for me, I'm on CET, so the US markets trade from 15:30 - 22:00). 

I traded it poorly, I know I should not trade the later part of the day, my stats show that I should stick to my pre-market trading strategy on the US indices.

 

I have now got a note next to my screen, 'NO RTH TRADING' *. 

 

Basically, identify what works and what doesn't. Then do more of the former, and none of the latter.

 

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

 

(* RTH = Regular Trading Hours.)

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 48 2023

          

19 Trades:

19 US 500 + 119 BPS.

17 long trades + 200 BPS.
2 short trades - 81 BPS.
14 intraday trades - 5 BPS.
5 multi-day trades + 124 BPS.

Total trades net  + 119 BPS.
Net points + 53.85.

Return on account for the week: + 6.92 % net.

P:L ratio:2.7:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 116 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A tough week. Markets were pretty range - bound, the SPX trading between 4540 and 4600.

 

I did some research, and for the years 2001 - 2022, week 48 has produced the best average return of the year (1.12 % average, 77% of years positive). 

2023 also produced a positive return, with the SPX closing up 0.77 % at 4594.63.

The Nasdaq and Dow were also positive.

 

The Nasdaq is up 45.78 % for 2023 as of Friday's close, the SPX + 9.19 %, with the Dow almost the same.

Whether the indices will continue to grind higher is the big question.

 

There was a fair bit of volatility. I made some poor trade entries.

 

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark for a change.

 

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 47 2023

          

6 Trades:

6 US 500 + 5 BPS.

6 long trades + 5 BPS.
No short trades.
6 intraday trades + 5 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 5 BPS.
Net points + 2.44.

Return on account for the week: + 2.08 % net.

P:L ratio:N/A.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 28 min.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A quiet week, over in the US we had the Thanksgiving holiday, equity markets were closed on Thursday.

 

Very few trades.

 

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

 

Trading Summary Week 46 2023

         

5 Trades:

5 US 500 + 18 BPS.

4 long trades + 10 BPS.
1 short trade + 8 BPS.
5 intraday trades + 18 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 18 BPS.
Net points + 7.87.

Return on account for the week: + 3.97 % net.

P:L ratio:N/A.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 46 min.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week.

 

We saw a tame CPI number on Tuesday, and the markets took off to the upside.

 

The SPX and Nasdaq were well up over the course of the week.

 

Very difficult trading conditions, some powerful moves.

All pre-market entries, using my gap strategy.

 

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark at any rate, although I made a couple of very poor exits, and hence left a lot of money on the table.

 

I am concentrating on my intraday trades these days, that's where I can make the most points.

 

Here is my SPX trading since July 2021:

I'll update this chart and post it here.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 45 2023

        

8 Trades:

8 US 500  -92 BPS.

7 long trades + 2965 BPS.
1 short trade - 388 BPS.
6 intraday trades + 5 BPS.
2 multi-day trades - 97 BPS.

Total trades net  - 92 BPS.
Net points - 37.41.

Return on account for the week: - 6.41 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.7:1.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 15 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Not a great week.

 

Made a small profit intraday, but lost more on swing positions.Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 44 2023

       

7 Trades:

7 US 500 + 6 BPS.

7 long trades + 6 BPS.
No short trades.
7 intraday trades + 6 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 6 BPS.
Net points + 2.60.

Return on account for the week: + 1.51 % net.

P:L ratio: N/A.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 6 min.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another volatile week on the equity markets.

 

Biggest event of the week was the interest rate announcement from the Fed on Wednesday evening. 

As expected, the Fed left rates on hold. 

 

Equity markets responded with a very strong rally, and by Thursday's close the SPX was up over 4.7 % since Monday's lows, while the Nasdaq was up over 4.8 %.

I found few decent trade entries using my pre-market strategy, missed the huge rally which began on Wednesday.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 43 2023

       

37 Trades:

37 US 500 + 539 BPS.

18 long trades - 495 BPS.
18 short trades + 1,034 BPS.
27 intraday trades + 240 BPS.
10 multi-day trades + 299 BPS.

Total trades net  + 539 BPS.
Net points + 228.

Return on account for the week: + 14.4 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.7:1.
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 very volatile week on the equity markets.

 

The Nasdaq took a big hit after earnings from Google, Meta, Microsoft.

On Wednesday the US markets were pretty weak, with the Nasdaq dropping nearly 2.5%, the SPX 1.43 %. The SPX broke below 4200, and then on Thursday we saw the index test the 4120s. The index closed the week at 4117.37, down over 2.5% on the week, the Nasdaq was down 2.61 % and the Dow was down 2.1 %. All pretty ugly.

Difficult trading conditions, I made $$ on the short side, lost on the long side (not intraday). Made some poor trades.

 

Have we seen the October lows ? Not sure, the Nasdaq is well off the highs of the summer, but it's still up nearly 30% from the end of 2022.

North of  my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 42 2023

       

13 Trades:

13 US 500 + 19 BPS.

13 long trades + 19 BPS.
No short trades.
13 intraday trades + 19 BPS.
No multi-day trades.

Total trades net  + 19 BPS.
Net points + 8.20.

Return on account for the week: + 3.97 % net.

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

Thoughts

A better week. 

Equity markets were pretty weak, the SPX breaking below the 4300 level, the Fed chair was speaking on Thursday, and he seems to have a very negative effect on equities.

 

Not a huge number of opportunities, I made a couple of poor trades, notably closing a great long position on Thursday morning way too early. I'm still sticking to my pre-market SPX strategy, which has shown good results over the last few months. It does mean I trade less, but that's actually a good thing. And I'm done pretty early in the day.

 

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark for a change.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 41 2023

       

10 Trades:

10 US 500 - 113 BPS.

8 long trades - 250 BPS.
2 short trades + 137 BPS.
6 intraday trades + 18 BPS.
4 multi-day trades - 131 BPS.

Total trades net  - 113 BPS.
Net points + 51.90.

Return on account for the week: - 9.66 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.6:1.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 28 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A pretty poor week. Intraday was OK, but some swing trades cost me dearly.

 

Well south of my weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 40 2023

      

23 Trades:

23 US 500 + 342 BPS.

14 long trades - 550 BPS.
9 short trades + 892 BPS.
14 intraday trades + 62 BPS.
9 multi-day trades + 280 BPS.

Total trades net  + 342 BPS.
Net points + 149.40.

Return on account for the week: + 7.25 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.3:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 47 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Quite an active week on the equity markets. We saw plenty of volatility, the SPX tradedbelow 4300 for most of the week, then we had payrolls on Friday, and a surprise number had the futures falling pre-market, but the index then broke above 4300, giving a mosdest gain of 20.45 points over the week. The Nasdaq was also up 258 points, although the DJI was down, having go negative for the year during midweek.

 

So, have we seen the October lows ? I don't know.

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark at any rate, although I closed a long on Friday, which would have given me another 70 points if I'd run it into the late rally. Hey ho..

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 39 2023

      

11 Trades:

11 US 500 + 253 BPS.

7 long trades - 22 BPS.
4 short trades + 275 BPS.
8 intraday trades + 4 BPS.
3 multi-day trades + 249 BPS.

Total trades net  + 253 BPS.
Net points + 110.68.

Return on account for the week: + 8.67 % net.

P:L ratio: 6.7:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 42 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A better week's trading.

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark for a change.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 38 2023

    

13 Trades:

13 US 500 - 103 BPS.

11 long trades - 349 BPS.
2 short trades + 246 BPS.
10 intraday trades + 19 BPS.
3 multi-day trades - 122 BPS.

Total trades net  - 103 BPS.
Net points - 47.98.

Return on account for the week: - 7.68 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.7:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 7 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another poor week.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 37 2023

16 Trades:

16 US 500 - 580 BPS.

11 long trades - 195 BPS.
5 short trades - 385 BPS.
10 intraday trades + 15 BPS.
2 multi-day trades - 565 BPS.

Total trades net  - 580 BPS.
Net points - 255.58.

Return on account for the week: - 36.11 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.1:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 81 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.

We had CPI data on Wednesday, then PPI on Thursday.

Took a hefty loss.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 36 2023

      

18 Trades:

18 US 500 + 61 BPS.

9 long trades - 64 BPS.
9 short trades + 125 BPS.
15 intraday trades + 48 BPS.
3 multi-day trades + 13 BPS.

Total trades net  + 61 BPS.
Net points + 26.90.

Return on account for the week: + 1.91 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.4:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 2 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

A fairly busy week's trading, although Monday was a holiday in the US.

Markets were weaker, with some big falls on the Nasdaq due to weakness in Apple.

We tested the zone above 4510 on Tuesday on the SPX, but it didn't hold.

September is a notoriously poor month for equities.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 35 2023

     

10 Trades:

10 US 500 + 38 BPS.

9 long trades + 94 BPS.
1 short trades - 56 BPS.
7 intraday trades + 5 BPS.
3 multi-day trades + 33 BPS.

Total trades net  + 38 BPS.
Net points + 17.11.

Return on account for the week: + 1.27 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.4:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 15 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Not a great week's trading.

I missed a couple of very good moves intraday, closing way too soon, I need to scale out more.

Well short of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trade executions next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 34 2023

    

13 Trades:

13 US 500 - 115 BPS.

9 long trades - 38 BPS.
4 short trades - 77 BPS.
7 intraday trades - 53 BPS.
6 multi-day trades - 62 BPS.

Total trades net  - 115 BPS.
Net points - 51.1.

Return on account for the week: - 6.47 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.3:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 9 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.

We saw a sharp sell off on Thursday late in the day, before a rally back above 4400 on Friday. The Nasdaq was very volatile, with a range of over 300 BPS on Thursday.

Not a great week.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better results next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 33 2023

     

35 Trades:

35 US 500 + 176 BPS.

20 long trades - 386 BPS.
15 short trades + 562 BPS.
25 intraday trades + 66 BPS.
10 multi-day trades + 110 BPS.

Total trades net  + 176 BPS.
Net points + 78.

Return on account for the week: + 3.44 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.1:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 39 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.

Quite busy, equities were weak, with the SPX down over 90 points, the NDX down over 330 points and the FTSE down over 260.

The resources stocks were weak, after more poor data from China.

I said this last week: 'we seem to be stuck in a range on the SPX, between 4440 and 4540. Maybe we'll break this range next week, who knows...'

Well on Friday, we did break below 4440, but only for a minute at the open, then the bulls moved in and the index closed the day more or less flat.  

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 32 2023

     

22 Trades:

22 US 500 + 159 BPS.

21 long trades + 46 BPS.
1 short trades + 113 BPS.
20 intraday trades + 21 BPS.
2 multi-day trades + 138 BPS.

Total trades net  + 159 BPS.
Net points + 72.22.

Return on account for the week: + 8.99 % net.

P:L ratio: 183.1:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 9 days.
Shortest trade duration: <1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Another week on the equity markets.

Quite a volatile week, although I made few trades, and missed a few good entries. 

We had the CPI data out in the US on Thursday. Initially the indices popped on the news, but then retraced a fair bit. Then we had PPI out on Friday, which spooked the pre-market futures a little.

We seem to be stuck in a range on the SPX, between 4440 and 4540. Maybe we'll break this range next week, who knows, not me that's for sure.

North of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

Trading Summary Week 31 2023

    

26 Trades:

26 US 500 + 268 BPS.

22 long trades + 166 BPS.
4 short trades + 102 BPS.
22 intraday trades + 32 BPS.
4 multi-day trades +236 BPS.

Total trades net  + 268 BPS.
Net points + 119.13.

Return on account for the week: + 18.53 % net.

P:L ratio: 2.8:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 30 days.
Shortest trade duration: <1 min.
(All PNL expressed in basis points for the purpose of comparison.)

Thoughts

Still here, still trading the equity markets.

We saw plenty of volatility after the US credit rating was downgraded on Tuesday.

Equity markets fell after the downgrade, the Nasdaq was especially weak.

Then we had results from Amazon and Apple after the close on Thursday, and that seemed to bring out the bulls, before payrolls on Friday, after which we saw another bout of strength. 

Overall, the SPX was down 104.2 points, or 2.27 % on the week.

Difficult trading, and left lots of profits on the table, and some poor entries (not being patient enough).

Still, north of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark, which is always a good thing.

Hoping for more opportunities next week.

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.