Trading the Nasdaq mini NQ

Jdesey said:
Hey Steve and Xela.... I have looked at charts and it appears that there is not the 2 hour crappy zone from approx 11:30 CST till 13:30 CST for the NQ that we absolutely have for the ES... Do you agree?
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Sorry, I just don't have enough experience of trading ES to be able to compare them on that specific point.

Using constant-volume bars, myself, I don't actually care much what time of day/night it is - my chart allows for the relevant (i.e. volume-related) aspects of that automatically, in the way it's displayed to me: all my trading is volume-dependent, by definition. Indeed, the reason I originally switched to futures exclusively, from everything else I'd ever traded before, was specifically in order to be able to do that.
 
Jdesey said:
Thank you everyone for the input. I'm going to start first in simulation mode with a stop limit of five points or a target of 10. I back tested as many days as I could and that seem to work pretty well. I'll 2 to 1 on NQ versus risking two to make three on ES
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It really is simple. Backtest your trade method on both Emini ES futures and Emini NQ futures.

Look at all your statistical analysis of those backtests. Do such correctly and you won't need to us words like "seem to work pretty well".

Thus, you'll know exactly which one outperforms the other via your trade method beyond just looking at charts.

While you're at it...backtest your trade method against other trading instruments (e.g. Crude CL futures, EuroFX 6E futures and many others). Its very common for traders to be trading a trading instrument that their trade method under performs in comparison to other trading instruments that their trade method outperforms.

I've seen folks trade the exact same thing for many years losing money when they could have easily traded a different trading instrument that would have been profitable via their trade method.

The goal is to make money...not to get married to trading something that's popular or recommended by someone else.

Do your backtests...answers are there...backtests you'll need to do several times per year because market conditions do change. Thus, a trading instrument that's not suitable for trading today...may be suitable for trading a few months from now and vice versa.
 
well, I wanted to say it is obviously producing better results,,, but I have not back tested enough days with my method. But yeah, it is much better results on NQ.
 
Xela said:
That's completely typical. If you're a relatively fast-moving intraday trader, especially, you might prefer it, as I do. ES feels to me rather like watching paint dry.
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LOL;
i seldom watch paint dry.Its so dependent on seasons[temp+ time] or oil based.Paint tends to dry much more slower in 4th quarter cool;tek stocks, NasdaQQQ, tend$ to move much better then;not a prediction...................................................................................................
 
Eh... All this about NQ and ES... those make me puke though NQ is not as bad.

The Russell 2000 was king till they halved the size... only wish I knew what I was doing for the years I was trading it... try trading EMD then you're in for some real fun!
 
masterm1ne said:
Eh... All this about NQ and ES... those make me puke though NQ is not as bad.

The Russell 2000 was king till they halved the size... only wish I knew what I was doing for the years I was trading it... try trading EMD then you're in for some real fun!
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No volume...
 
How many people in this thread are trading more than 3 lots ...?

Prty sure one day I could fit 15 on the EMD esp with as many dbl/trpl tests there are without any issue... by then I won't care about the money I'm making
 
Xela said:
I use acrylics, myself: they're pretty fast-drying, whatever the climate. ;)
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EXactly XEla; besides i dont want to put demand on much oil/ oil base here.TQQQ moves faster, maybe gains more, did today; i prefer slower stuff like UPRO.........................................I got/kept getting the feeling ES trader$ had read the same trading books as me; cant prove that LOL but i simply did better with slower stuff. Glad to see a few upticks on TGT+ RL; not that i watch tick charts much,it mostly downtrending.LOL I remember when[JCP] james cash penny used to be a good name; noW its a penny stock.
 
OK, This is just stupid obvious. for today... ES for me was 4 trades, 2 winners and 2 losers for a small profit. NQ was 5 trades, 3 winners and 2 break even for a profit that is 2X my daily average on ES. Interesting that at precisely 14:30PM CST my strategy put me long on both NQ and ES... the ES trade went for a stop out, the NQ trade was a profit.... NQ sure looks easier to trade, less chop...

okay this is just one day, but I think I will be switching to NQ exclusively. I have back tested the whole month of June and I would have done WAY better on NQ.

Not sure who to thank, but somewhere on ET there was enough posters saying that there are better instruments to trade than the ES. Kicking myself that I did not figure this out a while ago.
 
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