Recent content by David M21

I trade the S&P emini futures and I backtest every potential trade for 25 trading days prior to using live. Usually the backtest will show that the potential trade requires too much criteria to be satisfied before you can enter the trade and its not effective. However, I estimate that 10% of...

Not consistently over any long period of time. It's very easy to do in s&p emini futures if you take it seriously. Futures have major tax advantages and less work documenting your trades.

No. I don't always take the 4 point stop. When the market gets close to the 4 point stop, I will move the stop price farther away from the current market price so the stop won't get hit hoping the market will reverse. If the market does reverse, I will always offset the position prior to...

You're right. Moving stops is a result of lack of discipline. I have such excellent discipline when it comes to trade entry, but poor discipline when it comes to offsetting a losing position. I always feel that after I offset the losing position, the market will reverse and go in the...

That's not what's happening. Every time a position has moved against me 4 points, I have always taken a loss on the trade. Losses are part of the game. I want to learn from the loss. I just don't want to be killed from the loss. Your example is what I did many years ago. I researched a...

Thanks for the input. You went into the psychology part of my problem which is what I wanted. Another member, Illini Trader, wrote to another member who had my same problem. He identified a book called "The Investment Secrets of the Swiss Bankers" and they talked about this problem and how...

You're right, discipline cannot be gifted to you on an internet forum. I was just hoping other traders have gone through this and could provide input as to how they fixed it. I experience a large loss 5-6 times a year from moving my stops. I still haven't learned my lesson.

No. I am not scalping. I checked the long trades for this month and I'm averaging a little under 2 points per trade. At these prices, 4 points is not a wide stop. It is where my historical analysis has shown that if I get the timing off, it can still be a good trade without getting stopped...

Thanks for the input. I do exactly the same thing you do in my trade execution except that I move my stop loss. It's not my ego, or my need to be right, but I've determined that it's my fear that the market will reverse once I offset my losing position.

I trade the S&P emini (ES) and have made money on 84% of my trades for the year. I am not a novice in trading. However, I continue to make the same stupid mistake of moving my stop loss order to offset my position whenever the market moves against me. For instance, on Friday I had a 4 point...