I had to take some time off to work on my house and take care of my son.
I noticed that the daily chart for Facebook (FB) showed both a bullish gap and a bullish divergence in the MACD. The implied volatility is also high, meaning that there is a lot of premium available for option sellers.
I sold 2 $19 weekly puts, expiring 8/24.
Here is the chart:
I sold the puts for 0.55 the price range was 0.30 to 0.70.
So my entry score is:
(0.55 - 0.30)/(0.70 - 0.30) = 62%
Friday, August 17, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Oops. I should have stayed away today. The market was very news driven and insisted on going down, even though it knew I was long all day.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1380.75 8/1/2012 6:08:34 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1378.5 8/1/2012 6:35:36 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1377.5 8/1/2012 6:40:25 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1378.5 8/1/2012 7:05:34 AM Exit 2L
Buy 1 1375.25 8/1/2012 7:13:37 AM Entry 3L
Buy 1 1375.25 8/1/2012 7:13:37 AM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1375.75 8/1/2012 7:27:20 AM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1377.75 8/1/2012 7:36:55 AM Exit 2L
Buy 1 1377.75 8/1/2012 8:04:27 AM Entry 3L
Buy 1 1376.5 8/1/2012 8:12:04 AM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1378.25 8/1/2012 10:45:17 AM Exit 3L
Buy 1 1375 8/1/2012 11:00:37 AM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1373.75 8/1/2012 12:05:16 PM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1374.75 8/1/2012 12:25:43 PM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1376.75 8/1/2012 12:29:00 PM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1373.25 8/1/2012 12:49:38 PM Exit -
Loss for today:
7.75 points
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
I had two winning trades to the long side today.
First trade:
The market seemed quiet and bullish. I went long early with five contracts. I used a two-point stop, and scaled out of four of the contracts for a profit. I sold the last contract because I had to run some errands. There was a nice profit on the trade.
Transactions for first trade:
Buy 1 1379.75 7/31/2012 7:59:34 AM Entry 1L
Buy 2 1379.75 7/31/2012 7:59:34 AM Entry 3L
Buy 2 1379.75 7/31/2012 7:59:34 AM Entry 5L
Sell 1 1380.75 7/31/2012 8:02:59 AM Exit 4L
Sell 1 1380.75 7/31/2012 8:02:59 AM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1380.75 7/31/2012 8:02:59 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1380.75 7/31/2012 8:02:59 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1382 7/31/2012 8:29:07 AM Exit -
Heat for the first trade:
5.0 * (1379.75 - 1379.50) = 1.25 points
Profit for the first trade:
-5.0 * 1379.75 + 4.0 * 1380.75 + 1382.00 = 6.25 points
Second trade:
I scaled in and out of a 2-contract long position later in the day. I finally exited with a sell-limit order because I was uncomfortable staying long. The 50-period SMA on the 5-min chart had stayed negative all day. I felt that the market could go down, but was unlikely to go up much. In retrospect, I sold at a pretty good time.
Transactions for second trade:
Buy 1 1376.75 7/31/2012 9:11:53 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1375.5 7/31/2012 9:57:13 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1377 7/31/2012 10:07:57 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1376.75 7/31/2012 10:58:04 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1377.75 7/31/2012 11:05:25 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1378.75 7/31/2012 11:11:57 AM Exit -
Heat for the second trade:
1376.75 + 1375.50 - 2.0 * 1375.00 = 2.25
Profit for the second trade:
-1376.75 - 1375.5 + 1377 - 1376.75 + 1377.75 + 1378.75 = 4.50
Total profit for today: 6.25 + 4.5 = 10.75
Monday, July 30, 2012
The market seemed quiet and bullish. I went long early with one contract, but was stopped out for a small gain. Later I scaled in and out of up to four contracts long using limit orders. I was finally stopped out, but made a nice profit for the day.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1384.25 7/30/2012 7:02:50 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1384.75 7/30/2012 7:31:55 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1379.5 7/30/2012 8:21:40 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1377.5 7/30/2012 8:36:11 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1377.5 7/30/2012 9:05:56 AM Entry 3L
Buy 1 1377.5 7/30/2012 9:05:59 AM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1378.5 7/30/2012 9:41:22 AM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1380.5 7/30/2012 9:43:24 AM Exit 2L
Buy 1 1379.5 7/30/2012 9:47:34 AM Entry 3L
Buy 1 1378.75 7/30/2012 9:58:12 AM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1379.75 7/30/2012 10:09:26 AM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1379.75 7/30/2012 10:09:26 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1380.75 7/30/2012 10:34:12 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1378.75 7/30/2012 10:44:27 AM Exit -
Heat:
1379.50 + 1377.50 + 2.0 * 1377.50 - 4.0 * 1376.50 = 6.0 at 0920HRS
Total Profit:
-1384.25 + 1384.75 - 1379.5 - 1377.5 - 1377.5 - 1377.5 + 1378.5 + 1380.5 -1379.5 - 1378.75 + 1379.75 + 1379.75 + 1380.75 + 1378.75 = 8.25
Friday, July 27, 2012
I didn't have time to trade yesterday. I was busy doing electrical and plumbing work on my house with my brother-in-law, Bob. I also helped my neighbor, Fred, format a hard disk and install Windows 7 on a new computer.
Today was almost picture-perfect. I went long at about 7 AM, then scaled out, and trailed the stop on my remaining contract all the way to the close. In retrospect, it would have been a good idea to add to my long position at about 10 AM.
Transactions:
Buy 4 1366.25 7/27/2012 7:06:03 AM Entry 4L
Sell 2 1367.25 7/27/2012 7:45:19 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1370.25 7/27/2012 8:00:20 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1381.25 7/27/2012 12:59:55 PM Exit -
Heat: 4.0 * (1366.25 - 1364.25) = 8.0
Total Profit:
-4.0 * 1366.25 + 2.0 * 1367.25 + 1370.25 + 1381.25 = 21.0
Today was almost picture-perfect. I went long at about 7 AM, then scaled out, and trailed the stop on my remaining contract all the way to the close. In retrospect, it would have been a good idea to add to my long position at about 10 AM.
Transactions:
Buy 4 1366.25 7/27/2012 7:06:03 AM Entry 4L
Sell 2 1367.25 7/27/2012 7:45:19 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1370.25 7/27/2012 8:00:20 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1381.25 7/27/2012 12:59:55 PM Exit -
Heat: 4.0 * (1366.25 - 1364.25) = 8.0
Total Profit:
-4.0 * 1366.25 + 2.0 * 1367.25 + 1370.25 + 1381.25 = 21.0
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The market went way down after the cash close yesterday when Apple reported disappointing earnings. I couldn't resist the bargain, so I bought four contracts, set some sell orders, and went to bed. I woke up to a nice surprise. Then, I traded a little more and made even more. I finished up early today.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1321.75 7/24/2012 1:39:36 PM Entry 1L
Buy 3 1321.75 7/24/2012 1:39:36 PM Entry 4L
Sell 1 1329.75 7/25/2012 12:15:24 AM Exit 3L
Sell 1 1333.75 7/25/2012 2:37:20 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1337.75 7/25/2012 5:28:39 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1332.00 7/25/2012 7:02:15 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1333.50 7/25/2012 9:47:47 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1332.00 7/25/2012 9:48:17 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1334.00 7/25/2012 10:10:21 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1337.50 7/25/2012 11:33:30 AM Exit -
Total Profit:
- 1321.75 -3.0 * 1321.75 + 1329.75 + 1333.75 + 1337.75 - 1332.00 + 1333.50 - 1332.00 + 1334.00 + 1337.50 = 55.25
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Oops! The market did not follow the usual pattern of going up during the cash session. I lost big.
Executions:
Buy 1 1340.50 7/24/2012 6:59:45 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1340.00 7/24/2012 7:04:33 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1335.75 7/24/2012 8:01:46 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1339.75 7/24/2012 8:25:58 AM Exit 2L
Buy 1 1337.75 7/24/2012 8:29:56 AM Entry 3L
Buy 1 1329.75 7/24/2012 9:03:53 AM Entry 4L
Sell 2 1324.50 7/24/2012 12:10:54 PM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1324.50 7/24/2012 12:10:54 PM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1324.50 7/24/2012 12:10:54 PM Exit -
Loss for today:
- 1340.50 - 1340.00 - 1335.75 + 1339.75 - 1337.75 - 1329.75 + 2.0 * 1324.50 + 1324.50 + 1324.50 = -46.00
Monday, July 23, 2012
I didn't trade Friday because I went to visit USS Midway instead.
The market went down dramatically on Friday and over the weekend. So, a positive move during today's cash session made sense. I did a pair a single-contract long trades late in the morning.
Executions:
Buy 1 1338.50 7/23/2012 8:18:28 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1340.75 7/23/2012 8:55:22 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1338.75 7/23/2012 9:12:26 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1341.00 7/23/2012 9:47:33 AM Exit -
Profit for today:
- 1338.50 + 1340.75 - 1338.75 + 1341.00 = 4.50 points
The market went down dramatically on Friday and over the weekend. So, a positive move during today's cash session made sense. I did a pair a single-contract long trades late in the morning.
Executions:
Buy 1 1338.50 7/23/2012 8:18:28 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1340.75 7/23/2012 8:55:22 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1338.75 7/23/2012 9:12:26 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1341.00 7/23/2012 9:47:33 AM Exit -
Profit for today:
- 1338.50 + 1340.75 - 1338.75 + 1341.00 = 4.50 points
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Today, I made one long trade that was OK, then a good long trade, then a bad long trade.
Trade 1: I scaled into and out of a long starting in the premarket and did OK.
Buy 1 1371.50 7/19/2012 6:15:32 AM Entry 1L
0635HRS Heat 1371.50 - 1369.50 = 2.00
Buy 1 1369.75 7/19/2012 7:00:44 AM Entry 2L
0715HRS Min 1366.00 Heat 1371.50 + 1369.75 - 2.0 * 1369.50 = 8.25
Sell 1 1370.00 7/19/2012 7:23:08 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1373.00 7/19/2012 8:35:38 AM Exit -
The profit on the early trade was:
- 1371.50 - 1369.75 + 1370.00 + 1373.00 = 1.75
Trade 2: I went long again:
Buy 1 1371.00 7/19/2012 8:45:12 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1375.00 7/19/2012 9:25:35 AM Exit -
The profit on this trade was:
- 1371.00 + 1375.00 = 4.00
I went long again with multiple contracts, but ended up being stopped out.
Buy 1 1374.00 7/19/2012 9:39:34 AM Entry 1L
Buy 2 1374.00 7/19/2012 9:39:41 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1372.75 7/19/2012 9:49:03 AM Exit 2L
Sell 2 1372.75 7/19/2012 9:49:03 AM Exit -
Loss for this trade:
- 3.0 * 1374.00 + 3.0 * 1372.75 = -3.75
Total profit for the day:
1.75 + 4.00 - 3.75 = 2.00
In retrospect, it would have been a good trade to go long at exactly 10 AM. I could have bought multiple contracts, scaled out, then had a stop that would have been break even or better.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
he market went up on news near the open. I caught some of the uptrend.
Then I waited until about 9 and got long again. I scaled into a 3-contract long position. I sold two contracts at a slight profit. But, the party was over,\
and I got stopped out on the third contract for a slight gain overall.
Executions:
Buy 1 1358.75 7/18/2012 6:47:40 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1362.75 7/18/2012 7:03:46 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1368.75 7/18/2012 9:15:36 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1369.25 7/18/2012 9:36:37 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1369.00 7/18/2012 10:02:49 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1369.50 7/18/2012 10:26:16 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1369.50 7/18/2012 10:26:16 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1368.25 7/18/2012 10:32:29 AM Exit -
Net for today:
- 1358.75 + 1362.75 - 1368.75 - 1369.25 - 1369.00 + 1369.50 + 1369.50 + 1368.25 = 4.25
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The market went way down on news near the open. I thought it was oversold, so went long with one contract then sold it for a 4-point gain. Event though this trade was profitable, I took a lot of heat.
Heat on the 7:37 to 8:38 trade:
1344.50 - 1339.25 = 5.25 points
Then I waited until about 9 and got long again. I scaled into a 2-contract long position. I was hoping that the market would keep going up into the close, but I was stopped out for a pretty good gain.
Executions:
Buy 1 1344.50 7/17/2012 7:37:14 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1348.50 7/17/2012 8:38:41 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1352.25 7/17/2012 9:02:46 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1354.00 7/17/2012 9:56:25 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1357.50 7/17/2012 12:06:32 PM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1355.50 7/17/2012 12:39:27 PM Exit -
Net for today:
- 1344.50 + 1348.50 - 1352.25 - 1354.00 + 1357.50 + 1355.50 = 10.75
Monday, July 16, 2012
I went long early in the trading day with one contract which I sold for a nice profit. Then I waited until about 9 AM and scaled into a long position. I was hoping that the market would go up into the close, but I was stopped out for a small profit.
Executions:
Buy 1 1348.00 7/16/2012 7:56:49 AM Entry 1L
Sell 1 1352.00 7/16/2012 8:18:23 AM Exit -
Buy 1 1349.00 7/16/2012 8:57:57 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1349.50 7/16/2012 9:10:55 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1346.75 7/16/2012 9:37:50 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1349.75 7/16/2012 10:46:49 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1348.75 7/16/2012 11:53:46 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1348.75 7/16/2012 11:53:46 AM Exit -
Net for today:
-1348.00 + 1352.00 - 1349.00 - 1349.50 - 1346.75 + 1349.75 + 1348.75 + 1348.75 = 6.00 points
Friday, July 13, 2012
I missed the rally today. I stayed out of the market near the open because news was coming out. I did get in after 930 am. I used a tight stop because I was hesitant and got stopped out for a slight loss.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:18:47 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:48:22 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:48:22 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1349.25 7/13/2012 10:50:33 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1348.00 7/13/2012 11:05:16 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1348.00 7/13/2012 11:05:16 AM Exit -
Net for today:
-1348.50 - 1348.50 - 1348.50 + 1349.25 + 1348.00 + 1348.00 = -0.25
Transactions:
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:18:47 AM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:48:22 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1348.50 7/13/2012 9:48:22 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1349.25 7/13/2012 10:50:33 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1348.00 7/13/2012 11:05:16 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1348.00 7/13/2012 11:05:16 AM Exit -
Net for today:
-1348.50 - 1348.50 - 1348.50 + 1349.25 + 1348.00 + 1348.00 = -0.25
Thursday, July 12, 2012
I started the day still long two contracts from from yesterday. There was a big pullback due to the unemployment report. I bought an additional contract, then sold all three as the market went up during the day.
I've been long at least one contract since July 2, made 16 buy/sell trades, and ended up with a profit of 3.00 points. During that 10-day period, the market dropped about 26 points. I would have done a lot better by just staying short over that time. The longer-term indicators, such as the MACD on the daily chart, were bullish. In summary, I daytraded against the trend to end up with a slight profit instead of a big loss. That counts as a tactical victory, but a strategic standoff.
Executions:
Buy 1 1320.00 7/12/2012 7:43:11 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1324.00 7/12/2012 8:03:30 AM Exit 2L
Sell 1 1328.00 7/12/2012 8:55:35 AM Exit 1L
Sell 1 1332.00 7/12/2012 10:21:22 AM Exit -
(1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 1350.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50 - 1347.00 + 1342.50 - 1346.25 + 1336.25 - 1337.75 + 1336.00 - 1337.00 - 1337.00 + 1338.00 - 1338.75 + 1320.00 - 1324.00 - 1328.00 - 1332.00) = 3.00
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
I didn't trade yesterday as I was busy going to the dentist and taking my wife's car to the dealer for service.
I stayed long 1 contract from Monday.
The market was way down overnight, and I thought I could make some money going long. I did OK until I got stuck in the downdraft caused by the Fed announcement.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1336.25 7/11/2012 6:20:39 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1337.75 7/11/2012 6:51:25 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1336.00 7/11/2012 7:28:11 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1337.00 7/11/2012 8:08:25 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1337.00 7/11/2012 9:14:53 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1338.00 7/11/2012 10:01:33 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1338.75 7/11/2012 11:00:02 AM Exit 2L
(1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 1350.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50 - 1347.00 + 1342.50 - 1346.25 + 1336.25 - 1337.75 + 1336.00 - 1337.00 - 1337.00 + 1338.00 - 1338.75) / 2.0 = 1333.50
I finished the day long 2 contracts with an average cost of 1333.50.
I stayed long 1 contract from Monday.
The market was way down overnight, and I thought I could make some money going long. I did OK until I got stuck in the downdraft caused by the Fed announcement.
Transactions:
Buy 1 1336.25 7/11/2012 6:20:39 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1337.75 7/11/2012 6:51:25 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1336.00 7/11/2012 7:28:11 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1337.00 7/11/2012 8:08:25 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1337.00 7/11/2012 9:14:53 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1338.00 7/11/2012 10:01:33 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1338.75 7/11/2012 11:00:02 AM Exit 2L
(1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 1350.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50 - 1347.00 + 1342.50 - 1346.25 + 1336.25 - 1337.75 + 1336.00 - 1337.00 - 1337.00 + 1338.00 - 1338.75) / 2.0 = 1333.50
I finished the day long 2 contracts with an average cost of 1333.50.
Monday, July 9, 2012
I was long 2 contracts over the weekend. I sold one in the premarket. Later in the day, I took advantage of the typical afternoon New York time rally to pick up a few points.
Tranactions:
1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 135\
0.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50 - 1347.00 + 1342.50 - 1346.25 = 1333.25
I like to think that I am long one contract with an effective price of 1333.25 and I have an unrealized profit of
1347.50 - 1333.25 = 14.25 points
Today's transactions:
Sell 1 1347.00 7/9/2012 5:17:26 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1342.50 7/9/2012 9:45:19 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1346.25 7/9/2012 10:36:51 AM Exit 1L
Tranactions:
1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 135\
0.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50 - 1347.00 + 1342.50 - 1346.25 = 1333.25
I like to think that I am long one contract with an effective price of 1333.25 and I have an unrealized profit of
1347.50 - 1333.25 = 14.25 points
Today's transactions:
Sell 1 1347.00 7/9/2012 5:17:26 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1342.50 7/9/2012 9:45:19 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1346.25 7/9/2012 10:36:51 AM Exit 1L
Friday, July 6, 2012
Buy 1 1350.00 7/6/2012 5:50:53 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1352.00 7/6/2012 6:07:52 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1350.50 7/6/2012 6:23:33 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1342.50 7/6/2012 11:20:02 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1352.50 7/6/2012 1:14:55 PM Exit 2L
The transactions for this week are:
(1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 + 1350.00 - 1352.00 + 1350.50 + 1342.50 - 1352.50) / 2.0 = 1342.00
In effect I am long two contracts from 1342.00 with an unrealized profit of (1352.50 - 1342.00) * 2.0 = 21.00 points for this week.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Update on July 3 trading
The futures market reopened for after-hours trading at 1330HRS. I sold 1 contract for 1358.50 at 1420HRS:
Sell 1 1358.5 7/3/2012 2:20:31 PM Exit 1L
I'm still long 1 contract.
The effective cost for the single contract is:
1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 -1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 = 1345.5
Sell 1 1358.5 7/3/2012 2:20:31 PM Exit 1L
I'm still long 1 contract.
The effective cost for the single contract is:
1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 -1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75 - 1368.50 = 1345.5
I'm going to be busy with family stuff for the rest of the week, so I may not do any trading. I have a sell limit order on the last contract at 1374.50.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Market closed early due to July 4 holiday
The market closed early today due to the 4th of July holiday. That surprised me, but it shouldn't have. http://www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/holiday-calendar/ has links to all the holiday schedules for emini futures trading.
At the close yesterday, I was long one contract. I traded a bit in the overnight market:
Buy 1 1356.50 7/2/2012 5:17:54 PM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1358.50 7/2/2012 7:01:23 PM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1356.50 7/2/2012 11:32:54 PM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1358.50 7/3/2012 2:44:03 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1366.50 7/3/2012 9:12:40 AM Entry 2L
Buy 1 1364.75 7/3/2012 9:31:28 AM Entry 3L
Sell 1 1366.75 7/3/2012 9:55:40 AM Exit 2L
Ninjatrader says that I am long 2 contracts with and average cost basis of 1359.07142857143
967.857142857133 PnL
862.50 Realized profit since Sunday
Average price 1359.07142857143
Closing price:
1368.75
(1368.75 - 1359.07142857143) * 2.0 = 19.357142857139934 points
19.357142857139934 * 50 = 967.8571428569967 That explains the PnL
I don't understand why the Ninjatrader Realized profit is so big.
I prefer to think of it this way.
The cost basis for the two contracts I have:
(1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1356.50 - 1358.50 + 1366.50 + 1364.75 - 1366.75) / 2.0 = 1357.00
per contract
So, I'm effectively long 2 contracts from 1357.00
The unrealized profit at market close would be 2.0 * (1368.75 - 1357.00) = 23.50 points
23.50 points * $50/point =
23.50 * 50 = $1175.00
Monday, July 2, 2012
I went long off on Sunday afternoon and scaled in-and-out all day Monday.
From Ninjatrader:
Average Price 1356.41666666667
Trades:
Buy 1 1358.00 7/1/2012 4:45:29 PM Entry 1L
Buy 1 1354.50 7/1/2012 5:16:02 PM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1358.25 7/2/2012 1:14:55 AM Exit 1L
Buy 1 1356.75 7/2/2012 7:00:00 AM Entry 2L
Sell 1 1357.50 7/2/2012 12:35:05 PM Exit 1L
I prefer to think of it this way.
The cost basis for the one contract I have left is:
1358.00 + 1354.50 - 1358.25 + 1356.75 - 1357.50 = 1353.50
So, I'm effectively long 1 contract from 1353.50 at the end of the trading day.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
I tried to go long at 0715HRS. It worked a little, but I was stopped out for a small gain.
I tried to scale into a long at 0821HRS. It didn't work, and I was stopped out for a loss.
Loss for today: 8.00 points.
Given that the Supreme Court announced they upheld Obamacare, I should have know to stay out of the way. Alternatively, I could have gone short.
There might be support around 1300. If the market goes down there, I might go long.
I tried to scale into a long at 0821HRS. It didn't work, and I was stopped out for a loss.
Loss for today: 8.00 points.
Given that the Supreme Court announced they upheld Obamacare, I should have know to stay out of the way. Alternatively, I could have gone short.
There might be support around 1300. If the market goes down there, I might go long.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Another profitable day.
The market seemed to be bullish on the daily and 30 minute chart. I waited for the open of the cash market then went long one contract with a buy-stop order 1 tick above the high of the pre-market trading.
bought 1 contract for 1318.50 at 0649HRS Pacific time
I used a 3 point sell stop initially, then trailed it up manually.
risk 1 contract * 3 points = 3.00 points
heat 1 contract * 1.25 points = 1.25 points
I'm still long after the market closed. I was finally stopped out at 1323.25 at 0036HRS in the morning.
profit 1 contract * 4.75 points = 4.75 points
The market seemed to be bullish on the daily and 30 minute chart. I waited for the open of the cash market then went long one contract with a buy-stop order 1 tick above the high of the pre-market trading.
bought 1 contract for 1318.50 at 0649HRS Pacific time
I used a 3 point sell stop initially, then trailed it up manually.
risk 1 contract * 3 points = 3.00 points
heat 1 contract * 1.25 points = 1.25 points
I'm still long after the market closed. I was finally stopped out at 1323.25 at 0036HRS in the morning.
profit 1 contract * 4.75 points = 4.75 points
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A profitable trade. The market looked like it might want to go up based on the 5-minute, 30-minute and daily charts. I used a limit order to purchase 3 contracts for 1307.75 at 0840HRS Pacific time. I used a generous stop of about 3 points and set a sell limit order at 1308.75. The market dipped to 1306.75, before going up.
Risk: 3 points * 3 contracts = 9 points
Heat: 1 point * 3 contracts = 3 points
I sold two contracts for 1308.75 at 0848HRS and raised my stop for the remaining contract to 1305.75 (break-even).
As the market went up during the remainder of the day, I manually trailed my stop for the remaining contract.
Oops. I put in a buy limit instead of a sell-stop. I ended up buying a second contract for 1312.25 at 1754HRS. I noticed my mistake and sold the second contract at 1816HRS for 1312.50. Then at 1821HRS the last contract sold by the sell-stop for 1312.25.
Total profit for today: 6.75 points
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)























