Trading Summary Week 04 2024

         

15 Trades:

4 UK 100 + 12 BPS.

11 US 500 + 42 BPS.

13 long trades + 367 BPS.
2 short trades - 313 BPS.
12 intraday trades + 23 BPS.
8 multi-day trades + 31 BPS.

Total trades net  + 54 BPS.
Net points + 30.90.

Return on account for the week: - 1.47 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.8:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 29 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

A difficult week's trading.

Intraday was OK, poor short swing trades. And funding of the swing positions cost more than I lost on the trades.

Below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 03 2024

       

35 Trades:

2 UK 100 + 11 BPS.

33 US 500 - 220 BPS.

23 long trades + 482 BPS.
12 short trades - 691 BPS.
21 intraday trades + 43 BPS.
14 multi-day trades - 252 BPS.

Total trades net  - 209 BPS.
Net points - 93.59.

Return on account for the week: - 5.78 % net.

P:L ratio: 0.6:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 17 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

Another poor week.

Intraday was good, but a few poor short trades killed my P&L.

Well south of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 02 2024

        

23 Trades:

2 UK 100 + 1 BPS.

21 US 500 - 134 BPS.

19 long trades - 176 BPS.
4 short trades + 42 BPS.
15 intraday trades + 19 BPS.
8 multi-day trades - 153 BPS.

Total trades net  - 134 BPS.
Net points - 63.87.

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

P:L ratio: 0.6:1.
Days traded: 5.
Longest trade duration: 14 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

A difficult week's trading.

I made some very poor trade exits.

Below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 01 2024

          

24 Trades:

24 US 500 - 50 BPS.

17 long trades - 212 BPS.
7 short trades + 162 BPS.
20 intraday trades + 64 BPS.
4 multi-day trades - 114 BPS.

Total trades net  - 50 BPS.
Net points - 24.13.

Return on account for the week: + 2.48 % net.

P:L ratio: 1.6:1.
Days traded: 4.
Longest trade duration: 1 day.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

Markets started 2024 on the back foot.

All the main indices were weaker, the SPX was down 1.52 %, the Nasdaq 3.23 %.

Friday's NFP number produced a lot of volatility on the futures, and I could have traded it better.

 

I made money on my intraday trades, but lost on a couple of overnight positions.

 

The reason I'm showing a profit despite a loss in terms of points is that the intraday trades were much larger that the overnight trades.

 

Below my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 52 2023

          

8 Trades:

8 US 500 + 32 BPS.

8 long trades + 32 BPS.
No short trades.
7 intraday trades + 6 BPS.
1 multi-day trades + 26 BPS.

Total trades net  + 32 BPS.
Net points + 15.28.

Return on account for the week: + 3.12 % net.

P:L ratio: N/A.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 7 days.
Shortest trade duration: 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

A quieter week on the equity markets, Monday was Christmas day, markets were closed.

I found fewer trading opportunities. 

 

The Nasdaq made new all time highs (three of them on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), above 16,920, as did the Dow (two of them).

The SPX is still off the all time highs made in 2021.

 

Above my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.
Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

 

Trading Summary Week 51 2023

          

16 Trades:

16 US 500 + 526 BPS.

15 long trades + 971 BPS.
1 short trade - 445 BPS.
10 intraday trades + 12 BPS.
6 multi-day trades + 514 BPS.

Total trades net  + 526 BPS.
Net points + 244.44.

Return on account for the week: + 29.10 % net.

P:L ratio: 3.6:1.
Days traded: 3.
Longest trade duration: 141 days.
Shortest trade duration: < 1 min.
All PNL expressed in basis points (BPS) for the purpose of comparison.

Thoughts

A better week on the equity markets.

I missed a few decent opportunities. 

 

Markets were strong in the run up to Christmas.

The Nadsaq made new all time highs, above 16,860, as did the Dow..

The SPX is still well off the all time highs made in 2021.

 

North of my 2.5 % weekly benchmark.

 

Next week will probably see be lighter volume. I'm typing this on Christmas day, having just returned from a couple of days in Bologna. A truly stunning city from an architectural point of view.

A great break, but back to the market tomorrow.

Hoping for more opportunities, and better trading next week.

 

Stay disciplined.

Stay focussed.
Stay humble.

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.