1M Bearish Variation (After H12 Brsh BB SWP), 4h Bearish Trend Shift, Daily Bearish FVG (50% Rejection), Price Action Trading , Stoploss Too Tight,

Key Takeaways:

Positives:

1. Correct Directional Bias:

   • You accurately anticipated the market's bearish continuation within the fair value gap and identified untapped liquidity below as a target.
   • The reasoning was based on solid multi-timeframe confluence: recognizing buy-side liquidity aligned with higher timeframe levels (5M, 15M, 30M).

2. Awareness of Mistakes:

   • You recognized the issue of having a stop-loss that was too tight relative to the market's structure and volatility.
   • Acknowledging the importance of adjusting stops to market conditions (e.g., using 10% of the daily ATR) shows a constructive mindset toward improvement.

3. Resilience and Perspective:

   • Although the loss stung, you are maintaining a focus on improving execution rather than doubting your analytical ability.

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Areas for Improvement:

1. Stop-Loss Placement:

   • Your intuition about the stop being too tight was correct. Stops need to account for natural price fluctuations within the market structure, especially near liquidity zones.
   • Consider backtesting the daily ATR-based stop-loss adjustment to see if it aligns with your trade management strategy.

2. Trade Management:

   • Recognized the need to cut trades that conflict with the hourly trend, which would help reduce unnecessary losses.
   • You could explore partial exits or scaling out when uncertain, allowing you to lock in some profit while keeping a runner for the bigger move.

3. Patience with Execution:

   • Shutting off the computer prematurely left you without the opportunity to observe and potentially re-enter. Developing a structured exit or reassessment protocol post-trade can prevent this.

4. Missed Scalping Opportunity:

   • Taking initial scalps to cushion risk for subsequent entries is a viable strategy, especially in choppy or indecisive markets. This requires clear predefined rules to avoid overtrading.

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Actionable Adjustments:

1. Stop-Loss Strategy:

   • Backtest and implement a consistent stop-loss rule, such as a percentage of the daily ATR or placing it beyond key liquidity zones.
   • Combine this with dynamic trade sizing to manage risk effectively.

2. Hourly Trend Confirmation:

   • Before entering, ensure alignment with higher timeframe trends or establish clear exceptions where you’d counter-trade.

3. Scalping with Purpose:

   • Predefine criteria for taking scalps to ensure it fits your broader strategy and prevents unnecessary risk-taking.

4. Post-Trade Reflection Plan:

   • After a loss or stop-out, spend time reviewing and reassessing the setup before shutting down. Create a quick checklist to help decide if re-entry is justified.

By addressing these areas while maintaining your solid analytical foundation, you can refine your execution and boost confidence.

 

 

 

 

I had the correct trade idea on this trade, but was literally stopped out at high of day, for it do drop massively in what would have been my favor.

This one hurts a bit but overall im glad I anticipated the correct direction still. I was stopped out with a 10 point stop and thats my problem, I should just set a consistent stoploss of a specific amount.

Maybe I will do it with 10% of the daily ATR.

Literally the moment I decided to shut off my computer screen is when the price decided not to put in any new high of days, so basically sny trade protecting that high would have resulted in a massive win. 

As I set the stoploss I had a feeling that it was too tight, but I just traded robotically. 

 

(Reason for trade)

- I knew that we were still in a bearish fair value gap, we had not yet tested the 50% mark of the gap, and there was still more liquidity to the downside for us to grab before we see a move higher

- The prior day high aligned with a 5 minute, 15 minute, and 30 minute buy side liquidity level, so using the 3 screen system of 2 timeframes down, any 15 minute level and below would be traded off of a 1 minute entry. 

 

(Things done wrong)

- Stoploss too tight

- Didnt cut trade against hourly when I knew I should have

- Could have pocketed some scalps for another entry with more cushion to risk off of first win

1m Displacement Candle , 30m Displacement, 30m/15m Bearish Variation Displacement, 4h BSL, 4h Level, 30/15M MSS, Next Session Trade Opportunity, Retest of 1m, 5m, 15, 30m Bearish FVGs, Silver Bullet, Target Opposing Liquidity (4h),

This overnight trading session was my first legitimate win in what feels like about a month and a half.

A trade where my entire thesis was correct and played out according to plan. And now because of this trade I have a bit more confidence with my BSL and SSL levels.

And these are all going to be derived off of Orderblock Variation Stoploss areas. On all default timeframes down to the 15 minute.

So now we can actually confirm that we have a winning entry model based off of the ICT concepts. And the reason I am trying to stick to it, is because all of the entry models are layed out, with all of the PDFs and timeframes.

It takes so much time to develop your own models and I just am so mentally stressed from trying to invent the wheel that Ive been pulled into just trusting that something works and can be immediately implemented.

I also think it will hold me accountable when I deviate from the system because I will have all of the same concepts right back in my face. 

And as of right now, I need something repeatable that has clear cut criteria and massively reduces my trading volume on my prior strategies.

5M Displacement FVG (Short), 5M Displacement Through H12 Open, CPI, CPI rever, Higher H12 Bearish Orderblock Target, Prior Day M5 FVG Premarket (Long),

Today's trading notes reveal several key takeaways, particularly in relation to trading approach, mindset, and emotional challenges:

1. Market Structure and Trade Setup Analysis:

   • The initial short trade on the 5M bearish displacement FVG through the 12-hour open price was based on a solid premise—a liquidity sweep below the prior day low and continuation downward.
   • Despite seeing a strong bearish structure from the 1M to the daily chart, the trade reversed at the untapped prior day 1M bullish order block, revealing that even strong confirmation signals can fail near critical levels.
   • Important levels like the prior day low and bullish order blocks played pivotal roles, underscoring the necessity of remaining attentive to possible reversals near these high-probability areas.

2. Overtrading and Tilt:

   • Missing favorable trades the past two sessions led to frustration, and today’s losses triggered a tilt response, resulting in increased position sizes and repeated attempts to "make back" losses.
   • This emotional reaction escalated losses and led to hitting the maximum drawdown limit for the day. This pattern demonstrates the need for tighter emotional control and a clearer plan for handling losses.

3. Emotional and Mental Fatigue:

   • The notes highlight persistent feelings of frustration, anger, and self-doubt, which are intensified by reliance on trading as a sole income source and prolonged struggles to achieve consistent profitability.
   • This intense focus on trading without positive reinforcement has led to mental fatigue and a sense of burnout, affecting overall trading performance and decision-making quality.

4. Reaffirming Effective Trade Setups:

   • Both the prior day 5M bullish FVG re-entry and the prior day 1M bullish order block were identified as the “Trade of the Day” setups, showing that reliable models are already in place.
   • However, waiting for these setups can be difficult, and their effectiveness can be undermined by taking impulsive trades outside of these criteria.

5. Trust Issues with the Market:

   • The prevailing mindset is one of distrust toward market signals and frustration with perceived inconsistency, resulting in a cycle of skepticism that hinders execution.
   • This lack of trust in setups and market signals creates a negative feedback loop where each trade is approached with the expectation of failure.

Key Recommendations Moving Forward:

1. Reset and Clarify Your Trading Process:

   • Consider reviewing and clarifying trade entry rules to help reinforce trust in your setup models, especially the ones that have demonstrated reliable performance.
   • Developing an approach to reduce emotional weight in trading decisions could involve a step-by-step checklist that minimizes subjective decision-making.

2. Incorporate Emotional and Risk Controls:

   • Create a “cooldown” process after each loss (e.g., take a 10-minute break, review the setup criteria) to prevent further trades made out of frustration.
   • Stick to a single position size until consistency is achieved, which helps prevent emotional doubling-down during losses.

3. Reframe and Adjust Expectations:

   • Accept that every trade carries the potential for loss, regardless of setup quality, and success is determined by consistency over time, not by any single trade outcome.
   • Shifting the focus from profits to executing a disciplined process may ease performance pressure, making it easier to endure short-term losses.

4. Take Intentional Breaks to Recharge:

   • Since you’re feeling intense frustration, giving yourself small breaks away from the screen might help reset your mindset and allow you to come back with a clearer, less emotionally charged perspective.

Focusing on process, emotional control, and gradual improvements over time will help stabilize your approach. Additionally, addressing your trust issues with the market and incorporating objective decision-making will allow you to rebuild confidence in your trading strategy.

 

 

 

 

Today I hit max drawdown of $200. I attempted a short side trade on a 5M bearish displacement FVG through the 12 hour opening price. 

I was simply looking for a liquidity sweep of the prior day low, with continuation to the downside, but the trade reversed at the prior day 1 minute untapped bullish orderblock. 

In mist scenarios, I would imagine that this level should have been swept, due to the fact that the higher timeframe prior day bullish fair value gap, reversed after the CPI read.

During this time, I was tracking multi-timeframe trend shifts, and at this moment, I say that basically all the timeframes were signaling short, from the 1 minute to the daily chart, and although the 12 hour trend was technically up, the structure of the h12 chart was still pointing down, and I figured that would override any chance of a bounce. And this was after a premarket rejection of both bearish 12 hour orderblocks. With alot of sell side liquidity below the prior day low. 

But whatta you know, it literally reverses from a bottom tick away from the prior day low, and my trade failed. 

But the 1 minute inversion fair value gap, from the prior day 1 minute bullish orderblock, was the trade for the session, and the exact moment it ripped into my higher timeframe bearish FVG, through the 12 hour open price, which I figured was on my side due to structure and the fact the candle flipped red, wound up going against me. 

It really was unfortunate, and I wound up going slightly on tilt, due to the fact that I missed my setup the past 2 trading days, and both trades would have worked in my favor, yet when I take this trade, it didnt workout. So I wound up immediately trying to make my money back, and I went even heavier with an extra contract on the second trade, and was immediately stopped out, and I took a 3rd trade, fighting the reversal, until I hit max drawdown of $200 on the day. 

I really am in a deep funk. During the trade today, I was very angry in the trade, and Ive noticed that lately, that basically every trade that Im in, im am annoyed with price action, Im simply fed up with trading lately, and this is my last go at becoming funded and getting a payout. So I really need to try to find a way to overcome these mental barriers fast because I am almost done with this career at this point. 

I simply dont know how much screen time and effort I can possibly put in to make it work.

 

I have basically been soothing my mental capital and energy by tracking every single timeframe and not taking a single trade that isnt confirmed amongst all the timeframes. 

The prior 2 days have swept the prior day low, so the daily trend was technically pointing down, Im unsure how the 12 hour didnt follow suit, after rejecting CPI, after rejecting all the bearish orderblocks on the 12 hour, after giving me a displacement price action signal through the 12 hour open price, and I literally cant even get a simple 2R trade back through the prior day lows. It really really is fucking with my head.

I am really just feeling overall how unstable of a career this is, how Im relying solely on it, and how it just simply isnt paying off. And the anger has been building up over years. 

Im in the complete mindset that the market is just rigged against me. Or that there is a power in the universe thats against me. Because if I follow a thorough plan, and still lose money I just simply dont know what else to do to become profitable and get a payout. 

The moment I analyze how the market it trading, is the exact moment it changes when I implement a trading model. So if it constantly changes, then I really just feel like Im gambling. I do not trust a single fuking signal the market provides me. Every single trade I am either in or about to take is a knowing of a gut feeling that im just going to lose simply because I entered. 

Im not sure what else I can do. 

 

 

 

But, the trade of the day setups were a Prior Day 5 minute bullish fair value gap re entry

And a Prior Day 1 minute bullish orderblock long

 

and both of these trades had a profit target at the higher 12 hour bearish orderblock.

1M Bearish Variation (After H12 Brsh BB SWP), 1M Bullish Breaker Block , 1M Displacement through 1M Bearish Orderblock, 5M Bullish FVG (Long) (AFTR D SSL SWP), After D SSL Sweep, H12 Bearish Breaker Block (Short), H12/H6 Bearish Orderblock (Short), PMH BSL SWP, PMH to PML, Prior Day Low Swept,

Here are the key takeaways from your trading notes:

1. Stop Run and Market Open Context: The anticipated 15M and 30M fair value gap (FVG) long entry was invalidated with a stop run during the overnight session. The market then opened between the premarket high and low, signaling indecision and potential volatility, which sets the stage for trading opportunities after liquidity sweeps.

2. Trade of the Day Setup - Short Side: The primary setup for the day’s session was a short opportunity triggered by a sweep and retest of a 12-hour bullish-to-bearish breaker block. This setup was further strengthened by confluence with bearish H12 and H6 order blocks, confirming the downtrend bias.

3. Entry Strategy for Short: Entry would have required spotting a 1-minute bearish variation after the 12-hour bearish breaker block was swept, aligning the entry with a smaller timeframe that confirmed the higher timeframe bearish trend.

4. Conditions for Long Entry: For a counter-trend long, you would need a clear reversal signal after a sweep of the prior day’s lows. Ideal entries would involve a 1-minute bullish displacement through a bearish order block or a tighter entry on the retest of a 5-minute bullish displacement and fair value gap.

5. Importance of Liquidity Sweeps and Multi-Timeframe Analysis: Your notes emphasize liquidity sweeps, confluence across timeframes, and specific price action patterns (e.g., breaker blocks, displacements, and fair value gaps). These are essential elements in confirming trade direction and timing entries.

These takeaways highlight the importance of patience, precision, and multi-timeframe alignment in your strategy. For future sessions, focusing on these setups and recognizing similar conditions can help refine your entries and exits.

 

 

 

 

So from yesterdays 15 & 30M FVG confluence long entry plan, I anticipated that the long would be retested, but it was stop ran in todays overnight session. 

From that stopout, the market ran the stop, and opened in the center of the premarket high and premarket low. 

the trade of the day setup for the 9:30 trading session was a short side trade that came after a sweep of a retest of a bullish to bearish 12 hour breaker block. And this was also in confluence with a bearish H12 and H6 orderblock.

To get into this trade I would have needed to take a 1 minute bearish variation entry, after the sweep of the h12 bearish breaker block.

to get in long I would have needed to wait for a sweep of the prior day lows, and either take a 1 minute bullish displacement through a 1 minute bearish orderblock, or I could have gotten a tight entry with a retest of the 5 minute bullish displacement and fair value gap through the prior day low sell side liquidity. 

1 Minute Displacement FVG (Short), 1M Bullish Orderblock Long, H2 Bearish Trend Shift, H2 Bullish Trend Shift, M15 Bullish FVG (Long), M30 Bullish FVG (Long), Sweep of Prior Day SSL,

Here are the key takeaways from your notes today:

1. Reassessment After a Break:

   • Returning after a two-week break provided a reset after October’s challenges. The contrast between September’s strong results and October’s challenges underscored the importance of managing confidence, lowering trading volume, and refining entry rules.

2. Focus on Confirmation and Discipline:

   • Today, you focused solely on waiting for full multi-timeframe confirmation in a clear direction, which led to no trades taken, emphasizing your disciplined approach and commitment to waiting for high-probability setups.

3. Order Block Levels & Key Price Areas:

   • You identified significant market structure points, such as untapped bullish and bearish order blocks, fair value gaps, and high/low of day levels, which you naturally focus on for possible setups.

4. Market Observations Without Execution:

   • Despite recognizing potential entries, including a 1M bullish order block with high R/R potential and a 1M bearish fair value gap for shorts, you held back due to higher timeframe uptrends after recent highs. Your caution in avoiding countertrend trades despite tempting setups shows improved risk management.

5. Complex Structure in Price Action:

   • The session’s movements highlighted complex interactions between order blocks and fair value gaps across multiple timeframes (e.g., 2H, 30M, 15M, 5M), and your decision to wait for a 2H trend reversal confirmed your focus on larger timeframe alignment.

6. Learning from Price Action:

   • Although you didn’t take a trade, you gathered valuable insights by observing the tape. These observations, like the overnight trend shift and the 2H resistance hold, deepen your understanding of price behavior and help refine future entries.

7. Potential Long Setup:

   • The long trade opportunity formed after the prior day low sweep and liquidity grab, with confluence from untested bullish fair value gaps and order blocks on the 15M and 30M timeframes, but you refrained as it lacked clear 2H trend confirmation.

8. Patience and Selectivity:

   • This session showed patience in waiting for complete confirmation across multiple timeframes and avoiding forced trades. The identified setup potential for future reference highlights your selective approach to refining trading strategies and recognizing high-probability areas.

These takeaways reflect a more methodical and cautious approach post-break, focusing on high-probability trades with strong multi-timeframe alignment and robust risk management.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was my first day back to trading after taking a 2 week break. After a wild month in October, failing my express funded account after having one of the best account challenge evaluations the prior month of September.

Everything I did in the month of September stopped working in the month of October, and that was a big slap in the face of reality for me. That I can never become too overconfident, and I have to dramatically take steps to lower trading volume, fine tune rules for entry, and continue further building out this trading strategy.

One thing that my subconscious mind graviate towards, is Orderblock levels, and High of Day/Low of day levels. So I simply came back to the computer today, with the mindset that I was going to wait for full, total & complete multi-timeframe confirmation in a specific direction before taking a trade. 

And that resulted in me not taking any trade at all today, and just simply reading the tape. Although, there may have been an entry model today that was provided, but I wont know unless it completely plays out and then i can add it again the future. 

 

But todays price action was as follows...

The market opened up at 6PM yesterday on a gap up, with no lower wick. So between the gap, and us not getting any pullbacks for a solid long, I decided not to participate in any long trades. And the market didnt get full confirmation for a trend shift until the shift of the 2 hour chart after moving to the downside, and from the trend shift, there was an untapped 1M bullish orderblock, that setup a massive risk reward opportunity trade with virtually no drawdown, and a 70 point move to the upside. 

Now with that being said, that 1 minute bullish orderblock, actually acted as todays perfect area for a short, AFTER there was a 1 minute chart bearish fair value gap displacement to the downside through that area. But the reason I didnt want to take a short, was because all timeframes were pointing up, as we have just broken out to new all time highs on indicies upon the Trump win for presidency in 2025. And another thing to note, is that the 2 hour trend shift level that provided the long side trade in the overnight session, actually held as resistance upon the 9:30 open prior to the downside displacement on the 1 minute chart, creating the bearish fair value gap entry model for a short. and it also happened as the 2 hour candle had a shift of trend from the prior green candle to the downside, also known as a candle variation. 

And as price action played out, it wound up sweeping the prior day low to the downside, and created that potential long side entry model with the confluence between the 15 minute and 30 minute bullish fair value gaps.

The only thing is that I didnt want to take those longs either, because I was still waiting for confirmation of the reversal of the 2 hour downtrend again to the upside.

Funny thing is, there are still 5 minute and 1 minute orderblocks and fair value gaps below that have went untested, which is the reason why I didnt take the long trade either. 

The 5 minute bullish fair value gap entry, aligns with the stopout of the 30 minute chart candle. 

 

The long that was presented OTD was the first retest of the first timeframe that aligned with the move up after the sweep of liquidity of the prior day low. 

And there was an auction between a newly created bearish 30 minute orderblock, and a bullish 30 minute orderblock trend shift that took place against that bearish orderblock.

what happened next is that after the bullish 30 minute orderblock was created, it rejected off of the bearish 30 minute orderblock, to come back for a break and retest entry on a 15 minute bullish fair value gap, that was in exact confluence with the untested 30 minute bullish orderblock for the perfect long entry. 

This was prior to shifting the bearish trend of the 1 hour and 2 hour charts on the day.