November 2013 Results

Trades:16
Winners:8
Losers:6
Break evens:1
 -----------------
Total Gains: $424.00
Total Losses: $437.00
Avg Gain: $53.00
Avg Loss: $72.83
Biggest Gain: $130.00
Biggest Loss: $150.00
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Trade Net: -$13.00
Commissions: -$110.01
Day Trading Net: -$123.01
Month Net:-$123.01

October 2013 results

Trades:23
Winners:11
Losers:10
Break evens:2
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Total Gains: $746.00
Total Losses: $714.00
Avg Gain: $67.82
Avg Loss: $71.40
Biggest Gain: $220.00
Biggest Loss: $150.00
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Trade Net: $32.00
Commissions: -$182.56
Day Trading Net: -$150.56
Month Net:-$150.56

September 2013 results

Trades: 27
Winners: 9
Losers:12
Break evens: 5
 -----------------
Total Gains: $637.02
Total Losses: $1225.50
Avg Gain: $70.88
Avg Loss: $102.13
Biggest Gain: $200.00
Biggest Loss: $150.00
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Trade Net: -$588.48
Commissions: -$247.52
Day Trading Net: -$836.00
Month Net:-$836

This Week In Nov Beans

How I looked at the Beans this week. My trades are also the charts with my missed trades I saw as the action happened. Bottom line is this should have been a good week for me based on how I look at charts.

I am not dead yet.

This has been a crazy summer for me with a bunch of vacations and work going nuts at the wrong times. I have not given up and I hope to publish my thoughts more often. I have been tradings a lot of beans recently using the break of the opening range. So far I have not been that successful.

August 2013 Results

Trades:33
Winners:15
Losers:15
Break evens:3
 -----------------
Total Gains: $1127.50
Total Losses: $1422.50
Avg Gain: $75.17
Avg Loss: $94.83
Biggest Gain: $200.00
Biggest Loss: $200.00
-----------------
Trade Net: -$295.00
Commissions: -$316.56
Day Trading Net: -$611.56
Month Net:-$611.56
=================================
I did not have any large gains to offset the fact my average loser trade is bigger than my average gaining trade. 

July 2013 Results

Trades: 19
Winners:11
Losers:6
Break evens: 2
 -----------------
Total Gains: $832.50
Total Losses: $825.00
Avg Gain: $75.68
Avg Loss: $137.50
Biggest Gain: $225.00
Biggest Loss: $325.00
-----------------
Trade Net: +$7.50
Commissions: -$187.06
Day Trading Net: -$179.66
Month Net:-$179.66

June 2013 Results

Trades: 19
Winners:10
Losers:8
Break evens: 1
-----------------
Total Gains: $625.50
Total Losses: $1325.00
Avg Gain: $62.55
Avg Loss: $165.62
Biggest Gain: $200.00
Biggest Loss: $250.00
-----------------
Trade Net: -737.50
Commissions: -$190.94
Day Trading Net: -$928.44
Month Net:-$928.44
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Same old same old. I previously was having a couple of bigger gains to offset my losers. For the last two months, I have not had that in my day trading trades. I also seem to have the problem again were if my first trade is a loss - I can't seem to pull the trigger anymore for that day. My work and personal life was a lot crazier this month.  You can see that by the reduced number of trades. Also one of my trading computers is giving me problems and tomorrow I hope my new computer will show up. Having a flaky computer messes with your mind.
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I am not making excuses for another poor month of trades.  After reviewing my trades in great detail I am finding I am trying to take less risky trades most of the time.  It is turning out that less risk is equalling more losses for me on the setups I see.  The bottom line is I need to stick to my trading plan and not be a chicken. 

May 2013 Results

Trades: 38
 ----------------
Winners:18 plus 1 swing plus 2 sold options
Losers:16
Break evens: 1
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Total Gains: $1130.53
Total Losses: $1653.79
Avg Gain: $62.81
Avg Loss: $103.36
Biggest Gain: $175.00
Biggest Loss: $225.00
-----------------
Trade Net: -523.26
Commissions: -$332.71
Day Trading Net: -$855.97
Swing: $3604.50
Option income: $220.00
Month Net:+$2968.53
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I made money for the month but not from day trading. My life is really busy right now and I hardly traded the last two weeks of the month.  I guess the bottom line is a win is a win no matter how ugly it was.

April 2013 Results

Trades: 46
 ----------------
Winners:28
Losers:16
Break evens: 2
-----------------
Total Gains: $2112.50
Total Losses: $1651.00
Avg Gain: $75.42
Avg Loss: $103.18
Biggest Gain: $425.00
Biggest Loss: $262.50
-----------------
Trade Net: +$461.50
Commissions: -$392.95
Net: +$68.54
-----------------
This was a good mental month for me. I dug myself a big hole. I was down over $700 for the month on the 17th.  That day I had freaked out about a gold trade I was in. I got slipped 9 ticks on my enter and just totally screwed up the trade. That was the low point and I slowly climbed out and made it back to black. This is very good mentally for me.
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I discovered something really weird about myself at the same time. I found I am allergic to caffeine.It seemed the more I was tired, the more coffee I drank. The more coffee I drank (10-14 cups), the more tired I became because of the allergy. Anyway - I stopped with the coffee and life became better and trading became easier because I was not tired and wired. This will make May an interesting month for me. 
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Update: I should clarify.  I had drank about 60 to 80 ounces of coffee a day.  I think in cups of either 6 or 8 ounces or say 4 Starbucks a day. Now because of the allergy - I drink less than 6 ounces and it is half caffeine and half decaf.

Blog status

I have no idea where i am going with this blog.  The main reason for this blog was to dump my brain out and use it to prevent me from lying to myself.  I am now logging all my trades to a Google Doc to do the same purpose.
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Life has been very frustrating for me. I lost total of my blood pressure around Thanksgiving and just beginning to feel I have it back under control after nearly 4 months.  I had a bad sinus inflection mid-December thru mid-January plus I threw my back out and to add at the end of February had sinus surgery. Add to this my day job has caused a lot chaos. Many times over the last 4 months I should have not been trading but I did it anyway.
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I hope life will become more straight forward and easier. Until late 2011, there has many family issues causing many problems for me. Life is a lot simpler for me even with the recent headaches than it has been it seems forever.I am not blaming life for my trading results just that many times I should have not been even thinking about trading with the stress I was under.
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I need to figure out my trading head.  I have been doing this now for too many years. Basically if you have looked at this blog you have seen that I am a breakeven trader (only keeping my brokers happy) for about 6 years. I believe I know enough to be a winning trader.  I have since enough to be a winning trader. I am no longer hunting for the holy grail or reading every new book on the market. I have a good method.  I believe in my method except when I am trading.  That may sound funny but that is my problem.
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I do not know if I will continue updating this blog or where I will go to get my final fix of my brain.
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I kind of feel like this quote and many of you have asked me the same thing.
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STUPIDITY - quitters never win, winners never quit, but those who never win and never quit are idiots.

March 2013 Results

Trades: 16
----------------
Winners:8
Losers:5
Break evens: 3
-----------------
Total Gains: $717.50
Total Losses: $447.50
Avg Gain: $89.68
Avg Loss: $89.50
Biggest Gain: $225.00
Biggest Loss: $150.00
-----------------
Trade Net: +$270.00
Commissions: -$138.46
Net: +$131.54
-----------------
A better month for me.  Had a couple of winners I was proud of  and only two really stupid trades. A green month for me. The first one since September.

Febraury 2013 Results

Trades: 17
----------------
Winners: 7
Losers: 7
Break evens: 3
-----------------
Total Gains: $240.00
Total Losses: $894.50
Avg Gain: $34.28
Avg Loss: $127.78
Biggest Gain: $80.00
Biggest Loss: $250.00
-----------------
Trade Net: -$654.50
Commissions: -$142.68
Net: -$797.18
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 Started off the month bad on the first day with nearly $500 in losses on the EURO and never got back on track.  Did not have one trade this month that I was happy with.

Results 1/28/2013-2/1/2013

stocks: +127.70
Dow futures: +0.56
Nasdaq Futures: none
Russell Furtures: -4.02
Crude Futures: +139.32
Gold Futures: none
Copper Futures: -17.84
Corn Futures: none
Soybean Futures: -505.42
Euro Futures: -472.56
--------------------------
Net: -732.26
==================
Ouch - it has been a while since I had a mental melt down - this was that week. I made two good trades on Monday following my rules but missed 3 great trades. Tuesday I missed in premarket two great trades and my frustration was building. I then spend the next two days getting chopped to pieces in Beans on a bunch of very small trades.  Some of those trades those trades did not even follow my rules. By Friday - my mind was wasted and I should not have traded but with the jobs report - the volatility would be there for some possible big gains. Instead I forced a trade that had nothing to do with rules and tried to turn it into a winner and took one of my larger losses in months.
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I got to clear my head and go back to the rules before I go crazy and blow up.
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Shit.
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 Regardless of the good or bad - I still post this crap - lol.

January 2013 results

Trades: 53
----------------
Winners: 29
Losers: 20
Break evens: 4
-----------------
Total Gains: $1718.50
Total Losses: $1402.90
Avg Gain: $59.25
Avg Loss: $70.10
Biggest Gain: $162.50
Biggest Loss: $137.90
-----------------
Trade Net: +$305.60
Commissions: -$367.61
Net: -$62.01
-----------------
 Most of these trades are one or two lots in Futures. I should have ended my month on 1/28. I was up about $500 for the month at that point.

Results 1/22/2013-1/25/2013

stocks: -137.90
Dow futures: none
Nasdaq Futures: +40.56
Crude Futures: -16.03
Gold Futures: none
Copper Futures: -56.34
Corn Futures: none
Soybean Futures: +110.98
Euro Futures: none
--------------------------
Net:-58.73
===================
The stock was a stupid trade because I played it like a day trade instead of a swing trade I indented it to be.  Took a loss on it way before it got close to my stop loss before taking off for 3 points.  It would have been a nice big trade.  Got to remember why I put a trade on.  In other words - follow the freaking plan.

Results 1/14/2013-1/18/2013

stocks: +18
Dow futures: -38.78
Nasdaq Futures: - 38..8
Crude Futures: +74.66
Gold Futures: -15.34
Copper Futures: +208.98
Corn Futures: +37.88
Soybean Futures: +150.76
Euro Futures: -105.64
--------------------------
Net:+291.64
===================
A baby step in the right direction. My screw ups amaze me and they keep me going. After I chickened out of my only stock trade - it ran over $300 in what would have been my favor. The crude ran another 350 in the same direction I was in. A bean trade run another 200 in my direction. And two copper trades went a total of 600 in my direction. All of these went no more than 3 ticks lower than I got out. A couple hung there for a bit before moving. Crazy - just crazy.
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On top of that - the Euro was just stupid and I should not have done and there was one Nasdaq I should not have been in.
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Add that all up where say I risked $50 more on each trade, then I would have made close to $2000 this week instead all on one or two lot trades. Not bad. Only one trade I can say I truly sat on my hands and made nearly $200 in Copper. That trade I am proud of.
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I guess this is what keeps me going - being so close.

Results 01/5/2013-01/11/2013

Russell Futures: - 108.04
Dow Futures: -77.20
Corn Futures: +37.88
Soybean Futures: -14.80
Crude Futures: -95.34
Copper Futures: +7.16
Euro Futures: +63.73
Stocks: none
------------------
Net:  -185.97
=====================
Not fun.  I did turn off my windows updating and the new graphic cards seem to be working great.

Results 12/10/2012-01/04/2013

Soybean Futures: -92.08
Crude Futures: +172.62
Gold Futures: -210.68
Dow Futures: +11.12
Stocks: -16.90
Swings: -1987.25
Dividends: +294.00
===============
Net:  -1829.42
------------------------------
I dumped part of one of my swings for tax reasons.

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This last month or so really sucked.  Lots of frustrations with the world and life.  My computer was down for about a week when I had window update issues and a graphics board died on me.
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December was not a good month for me at all.