Weekend

Well guys, not blogged for a couple of days due to testing a few strategies out and family stuff, so not had chance unfortunately.

It's been a tricky month for my breakout strategies and i'm glad the month is over and we can move onto Feb. I know a few fellow traders who have lost a lot of their cash balance this month, some as much as 30%, so i'm happy with my results taking everything into account.

I have a Long trade active on S1, but at the moment, ignoring this trade i am on -50, so hopefully if i win this trade i will be on -10, which is near enough B/E. S2 finished B/E for the month, so again happy with that considering. The great thing about S2 is the fact that i had 5 losers early on in the month and just the 1 win brought me back into the game - great ratio. S3 has had a bad week for me, however still up for the month if trading just the 1 trade from 0700hrs GMT. Trading this way would have bagged me +145 pips, so this is the way to go for me from the start of Feb - 1 trade from 0700hrs GMT only.

Dax has done poorly this month, finished about -180, so will be monitoring this in Feb and not trading it.

Now onto the positive stuff this month. Ichimoku for me has done great, managed to finish on +759 in the end, so a little below past months, but still great nonetheless. This is a strategy i use 0600 to 1200 GMT across 10 pairs. I love using Ichi indicators as in my experience so far (which is not a lot i must admit) they seem very reliable and accurate, so i will keep testing in Feb and start live in March. Although i say testing, i am still trading with real cash as i think that is the only way to go when testing, it's so difficult to get a feel for a method just paper trading in my opinion. I have been trading this strategy using just 0.5% of my balance, all the others at 2%.

So next month i will be trading S1, S2 and S3, all at 2% and Ichimoku at 0.5%, with a view to trading it live beginning of March at 2%.

So for the month i am up 4% rounded up. This is not taking into account the 1 trade still active on S1.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -50 - with 1 trade still running
S2 = 0
S3 = -25 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +145.
Dax = -48 (If traded today it would be on -180)
Ichi - +759

So guys i hope you had an ok month, if you managed to keep disciplined throughout this month, then i think you have done pretty well.

Onto Feb now - Let the pips roll in!!!

Slow Day

Hi guys, hope you all had a cracking weekend.

Quick one today from me as have a few bits and bobs to do. OK today, +30 on S1, on a bit of a role at the moment with this strategy after a dodgy start, B/E now for the month with 4 days left to go. No trade on my S2 strategy today because it didn't activate before 0900hrs GMT and my S3 strategy made a -25, so not so bad.

Down again on my Dax strategy, 3 trades, 2 losses, 1 win.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = 0
S2 = 0
S3 = -15 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +220.
Dax = -48 (If traded today it would be on -130)

Sorry quick one today, see you all tomorrow.

It's The Weekend Baby!!!

So yet again another week is over and i do feel that the markets are beginning to liven up again. I made some decent gains this week and look forward to the final week where i hope i can turn this topsy turvy month in my favour.

My S1 strategy made me another +30, so this strategy seems to be finding its feet now. Must have had a little too much drink over the Xmas hols. No trade on my S2 strategy today as EMA was running through my box. S3 was a dodgy one this morning, should have entered a trade short, however it was right on the news, so decided not to, however sods law if i would have traded it mechanically and entered i would be up +40, so food for thought. If you have decided to trade a strategy 100% mechanically do it, don't trade some days mechanically, then other days bring other factors into play, i.e. news announcements, etc, etc, because you know exactly what will happen - STICK TO YOU PLAN - Something i need to keep telling myself!

Didn't trade Dax again, however 2 trades would have been made, first one another -15 and the second one B/E. This strategy is just not performing this month, so will monitor it for now and hopefully bring it back into play again soon.

Ichimoku is still massively up for the month, but had a bad day yesterday and todays trades are looking a little dodgy to say the least. Lost about 140 pips yesterday. Placed 6 trades today on GU, UCAD, AU, NU, EG and EJ. I will report back on this Monday afternoon. But for the month so far i am up about +700 pips on Ichimoku, so very happy with its performance again and i will be looking at trading it with serious cash probably beginning of March after another month of testing - want to get this just right.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -30
S2 = 0
S3 = +10 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +245.
Dax = -48 (If traded today it would be on -108)

Well guys and gals, have a cracking weekend and ill touch base with you on Monday afternoon.

Adios Amigos.

There She Blows!!!!

Remember yesterday i was saying that i was waiting for all 3 breakouts to come in, guess what, they all did today, hahahahahaha!!!

S1 bagged me an easy +30, S2 bagged me +75 and S3 bagged me +40. Excellent results and again this goes to show that if you are trading a strategy that has a proven record/results and the month isn't going to plan, you must keep trading it because if you stop, sods law it will come in for you.

Haven't traded the Dax today because happy with my morning results and didn't want to jinx it, due to the Dax not performing for me at present. I know that sort of goes against what i have just said above, however i have made very good profit this morning and i'm not a greedy person. However luckily if i would have traded, i would be down 45 pips, so will need to keep an eye on this because it isn't going too well at all.

Been trading Ichimoku though because very, very confident with this strategy at the moment. Came out of my EG trade this morning, from yesterday, with +37 pips and have made 6 trades today. AU -33, EJ -38, EJ -19. However in 3 live trades, AJ -20 pips at the moment, EG +30 at the moment and AU +30 at the moment, so hopefully i can turn these into a profit later on today. My Ichimoku trading is now on +763 for the month, with 3 trades still running.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -60
S2 = 0
S3 = +10 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +205.
Dax = -48 (If traded today it would be on -93)

That's it guys and gals, hopefully i can pull a few more mornings like today out of the bag, got to keep that discipline though.

Positive Vibes From Ichimoku

Hi guys, well again a slow breakout morning. I'm waiting for all 3 strategies to make a profit for me on the same day, but they just don't want to do that for me at the moment.

Received another punch to the ribs, with a -40 on S1, that's -90 for the month. Need a few wins on the bounce now to bring me back into profit as i am running out of time. I have traded this strategy for over a year and have had 1 losing month in that time, is this the second, maybe. Made B/E on S2, went to +25, then retraced and hit SL at B/E, GRRR!!! Good result on S3, a nice +40, so happy with that.

Made 2 Dax trades as i write this, another -15 on the first trade and the second was B/E, so not great again. Come on Dax, sort yourself out!!!

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -90
S2 = -75
S3 = -30 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +165.
Dax = -48

The most exciting thing for me is how my Ichimoku 15min testing is going. All of my trades yesterday made a profit. I entered an EG Long today, which hit my SL, so -21, in another EG Short, which is looking ok and in UJ short, which is also looking pretty decent.

Results are below for the trades i exited last night....
UJ = +36
EJ = +17
EU = +94
GU = +57
UCHF = +80
UCAD = +42
AU = +15
NU = +10
EG = -21 this morning
Total for the month = +840

In 2 trades, UJ Short and EG Short.

I am very confident about my new strategy and i am looking forward to another months worth of testing, then will trade it live with proper cash from March onwards.

That's me done guys. Good luck with the rest of your day.

Still Testing Me!!!

Guys another trying morning for me on my BO strategies, just isn't playing ball, but still got days left yet to pull it back, i have faith. -40 on S1, bad spike due to the news caused the Cable to rise sharply and hit my SL, then shoot back down and hit my profit target.... again. -15 on S2 again, that's -75 for the month now. My target is +75, so still just 1 trade brings me back into the game and i still have faith. I have had months last year where i got 4 or 5 losses, then the winners came out to play, so still happy with this. S3 was B/E and good job i moved SL to B/E at +25 or else the news spike would have taken me out. Must thank Max Parry (fellow trader) for the advice - Cheers.

Dax is still messing about around B/E for the month, the trade that was still active yesterday made -15 unfortunately. Had 2 trades this morning, 1 made -15, the other is still active, so will update tomorrow on that one.


My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -50
S2 = -75
S3 = -70 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +125.
Dax = -18, but with 1 trade still running

My Ichi testing is going extremely well and i do feel that now i have an exit strategy in place i can make this work. See active trades below, all with an average SL of 20ish pips.

AU = +43
EJ = +51
UCHF = +85
UCAD = +30
EU = +92
UJ = +16
GU = +23

Now i know that last time i had good results like this and i let the trades slip away from me, but now i know when to exit, so all should (he says) make a decent profit, but we will see.

I have a positive thinking short film that i thought was very interesting. It's not a boring positive thinking programme like you can sometimes get, it's called the secret and i think it could help fellow traders out quite a bit if you give it chance. It's about one and half hours long, so if you are interested in it, email me at shanescully26@googlemail.com and i will forward you a copy.

That's it guys, cya tomorrow.

Get In!!!!

Here we are, a start of a new week of trading. I was hoping it was going to get better and my God it has.... a little, but better nonetheless.

My S1 bagged a nice +30 this morning, still in my S2 trade, with the SL to B/E, so happy with that, fingers crossed it can make it to 1.6401.4, that would be a nice +75, but as i write this, it seems to be running out of steam a bit, but we will see. My S3 made me a nice +40, so all in all a great start, if this S2 comes in, then a perfect start.

Made 2 trades on the Dax, the first was a winner, +12.7, the second is still running, so will update that one tomorrow.

So today was a good start to the second half of Jan, after a pretty slow first 2 weeks. I am hoping now that holidays are definitely well and truly over and the snow has gone, volumes will pick up and the markets will start to play ball again.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -10
S2 = -60, but with 1 trade still running
S3 = -70 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +125.
Dax = +12, but with 1 trade still running

That's it folks, take it easy.

Stop it!!!

Please GU stop this now, sort yourself out and stop being a toad!!!

Again S1 hit my SL by 1 measly pip and then went on to make a profit, GRRRR!!! So -40 AGAIN!!! S2 was a no trade for me and S3 made me another -24 and again S3 hit my stop by 1 bloody pip, can you believe it. It is simply being one of those weeks/months. To be stopped out by a pip and for both trades to then hit my profit target is so annoying, however sometimes it goes the other way and just misses by a couple of pips and goes your way - swings and roundabouts hey. What am i going to do..... absolutely nothing, going to take it on the chin and keep trading my strategies.

The Dax was slightly better today, 3 trades, 1 win, 1 loss, 1 b/e. The win was a reasonable +29.3 and the loss was a -15, so up 14.3 pips this morning.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -50
S2 = -60
S3 = -110 - This strategy if traded just the 1 trade after 0700hrs would be up +85.
Dax = -13.7

I am quite excited about my Ichimoku testing. My results are fantastic on the 15min charts as i now have exact entry and exit points and it's oh so simple. A little teaser below for you:

UJ - 3 wins, 1 loss - +113
EJ - 1 win - +46
EU - 4 wins, 1 loss - +128
GU - 3 wins, 2 losses, 1 B/E - +50
UCHF - 3 wins - +73
UCAD - 2 loss, 1 B/E - -44
AU - 1 win, 1 loss, 1 B/E - -33
EG - 2 wins - +101
NU - 2 wins, 1 loss - +114
AJ - 2 wins - +73

Look real sexy at the moment. These are results from the 4th Jan to now.

That's your lot folks, another week over and i'm glad i have 2 days of not trading. Come on markets, sort yourself out please, especially Cable in the morning. Have a cracking weekend.

January Blues

Awful, awful, awful is the best way to describe January for me. Again nothing performed for me today and i am left with yet another draw down on the old account, oh well, again we take it on the chin and move on. I trade in a live trading room and it seems January is proving to be a sticky patch for a lot of traders. This is where your emotions come into play, need to keep them Demons away - keep the faith, the trades will come, there's a random distribution of wins and losses, the good trades are on the way.....

S1 gave me a -30 today as the Cable has been stuck in a range for most of the day. S2, yet another -15 and S3, another -25, so not a great morning.

The Dax strategy didn't perform again, 2 trades made, 1 loss and 1 B/E.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -10
S2 = -60
S3 = -85
Dax = -28

As you can see not a great month, but you can have weeks like this, maybe the next 2 weeks will be better or it may just be a losing month, but again it is how you deal with them that counts.

On to tomorrow now.............

Snails Pace!

Another slow day for me, what a weird couple of weeks for my strategies, just can't seem to pull away, but hey it will come......

S1 was annoying for me this morning, there was a spike on Cable at 0800hrs on 15 min charts, which took me out of my trade by 2 pips, then it decided to hit my profit target, great! The S2 activated, went 25 pips, so moved my SL, then the spike at 0800hrs took me out of the trade and low and behold, it hit my profit target of 75 pips, so this is starting to get a bit frustrating, but some you win, some you lose. S3 was a no trade for me today as the Cable has been trending Long all morning, so nothing was activated for S3.

My Dax strategy did ok, managed to get a +19.5 from a Long trade and in another as i write this, which is currently at B/E. The trade that was active yesterday made -15, so as we stand, minus the active trade i am currently on +2 (woop, woop!).

Starts like this have made me realise that you have to simply take it on the chin and keep trading your systems if they are proven to work of course. A year or so ago i would have panicked and stopped trading and probably done a bit of system hopping, not anymore, got to keep that discipline at all times.

There are some interesting developments on Ichimoku, which i will share once i have carried out further research, but looks very encouraging.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +30
S2 = -45
S3 = -60
Dax = +2 - But with 1 trade still running.

So another slow morning, but the good trades are just around the corner baby.

Frustrating As Hell!!!!

Today was frustrating for me, just can't seem to pull away from 0 pips at the moment, with the exception of S1. Had a bad day on breakout, S1 was -40, S2 was -15 and S3 was -25. The Cable was very rangy this morning and i think whichever strategy you were trading this morning i think it was very difficult to make cash, but well done if you did, you certainly know something i don't.

My Dax strategy has had another frustrating day, with 3 trades being taken, all of them i moved my SL to B/E at +10 and all decided to retrace and hit it, although if i wouldn't have moved the stop i would have been -45 for the day because they all went on to hit my original SL of 15, so positive stuff there. I have learnt that it is so important to manage your trades once in them and today was a perfect example of that. I know a fellow trader who moves his SL to B/E once his trades achieve 66% profit, good little strategy in my opinion. I have currently 1 trade still running, so will update you with that tomorrow.

The Ichi trade i was in made me another loss of -58.8, so again another good reason to stop and put together a checklist for entry and exit points.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +70
S2 = -45
S3 = -60
Dax = -2.5 - But with 1 trade still running.

So again today was frustrating, seems the first couple of weeks in Jan are proving to be a bit difficult, but good times are just around the corner. This is trading for you, got to take the crappy times with the good times. Still one good day will bring me back in line.

For now, adios...

Keeping It Simple

Hope you all had a cracking weekend, i relaxed this weekend, spent time with my little girl and went for a nice Sunday lunch, so feeling refreshed and ready to take on the markets.

Reasonable start to the week, my S1 made me yet another +30, so that is +120 for the month so far, very pleased with that. S2 activated, went to +31, so moved my SL to B/E, however the market retraced and hit my SL, so BE there. However if i would have kept my SL at 15 i would have bagged my profit target of +75, so have made a note of that on my spreadsheet and will monitor accordingly. S3 was also B/E today after another good start, then it retraced and hit my SL. So not a bad morning, up +30 on breakout.

The Dax trade i was in on Fri, eventually made me a nice +32 and i have entered 2 this morning, 1 i closed for +6 (WOW!!!) and the other made -15, so not great, but not the end of the world.

I have decided to put Ichi on hold as i have changed my trade times and would like to put in place more mechanical entry and exit levels., To risk 2% of my cash balance on this without these levels in place is a little silly, so will report back when i have come up with something concrete. However the EG Short trade i was in stopped out for a loss of -55.9 and still in the GJ trade, which is currently on +85.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +120
S2 = -30
S3 = -35
Dax = -2.5
Ichi = -394.7, but with 1 trade on GJ still running at +85:
GBP/JPY = +85

So guys that is me done for the day, finishing now at 12.30 to have more free time to myself, plus getting a bit of a headache staring at charts all day. So another slowish day, but i am confident this is going to be a good week.

What A Day

Well, well, well what a weird week and a not so brilliant end to it either trading wise. I am hoping that next week is a lot better as volumes pick up and the weather gets better... hopefully.

My S1 is doing me proud with yet again another +30 to be had, that puts me on a nice +80 for the week, so very happy with its performance so far in 2010. No trade again on S2, so still sat at -30 and S3 decided to take 25 pips from me, so for the month it's on -35.

Dax is slow again, made 1 Long trade which was -15 and just come in on another as i write this, which is currently on +40ish, will update you with this on Mon.

Now Ichimoku, not great must admit, my UJ and EJ trade both taken out by the CAD news earlier today, awful spike which made them hit their SL's, luckily my UJ trade was at B/E anyway, but lost 102 pips on my EJ. My GU trade was taken out by the US news, so -49 on that one and my UCAD and GCHF trades where also stopped out, but with a profit, UCAD, +68, GCHF, +20. I am still in the GJ trade from yesterday and entered a EG trade today, both negative, so Ichimoku is not working for me as i would like, however it's a learning curve with this one and i reckon with a bit more practice the big trades will come.

Still it's important to stay disciplined at all times, however i do often think to myself why do i trade till 1500hrs everyday, when i could trade 3 good BO strategies with slightly bigger risk and just trade an hour in the mornings and make just as much profit or thereabouts. Hmmm will keep you posted....

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +80
S2 = -30
S3 = -35
Dax = -22.5, but with 1 trade still running, currently on +40 pips
Ichi = -338.8, but with 2 trades still running:
GBP/JPY = B/E
EUR/GBP = B/E

Have a great weekend guys, lets hope next week is a better one if your week wasn't so good.

Getting There, Slowly But Surely

So today i placed 6 trades altogether, 1 on S1, placed the trade on Cable at 0745hrs (Short), which finally reached my PT of 30 pips at 1300hrs. Lesson there was to stay disciplined and focused and keep faith in the system as i was thinking of taking my profit early after the Cable was messing about at 15900 level, but decided to stay in and glad i did. So total is now +50 for the week/month - very happy! No trades today on both S2 and S3.

Placed 4 trades on the Dax today, 2 B/E and 2 losers, so -30 today. Not so good, but hey that is trading for you, just got to take it on the chin.

Ichimoku is rocking for me now at last with 5 trades active on GU, UJ, EJ, UCAD & GCHF, all in profit and i have moved my SL accordingly to lower my risk further. Just going to simply follow S Span B and keep an eye on my KS and TS cross overs. Currently watching GJ, as may enter that in the next hour or so if the PA pulls away from S Span B.

So this week, although very slow, i'm enjoying it as i feel i am beginning to understand Ichimoku a lot more and hopefully as time goes on i should be able to pull off some pretty decent trades i reckon.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +50
S2 = -30
S3 = -10
Dax = -7.5
Ichi = -347.20, but with 4 trades still running:
USDCAD = +115
GBP/CHF = +77
GBPUSD = +76
USD/JPY = +60

Busy, Busy

Well today was def a game of two half's for me after a not so good start to the morning, then an afternoon of ups and downs. Just can't seem to pull away at the moment, but i am sure it will pick up, plus we are only 3 days in - patience in a virtue and all that....

S1 made me +30 again today, so very happy with that, it's now on +20 for the month, with 2 winners and a loser. S2 lost again today, so a -15, that puts it on -30 for the month, but not concerned as the profit target is +75. S3 made -25, so for the month that now stands at -10, so not brilliant, but not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, just a slow start that's all.

The Dax was slow for me today, with only 2 trades being made, 1 this morning, which made B/E and the other in the afternoon, which bagged me a nice +31, so very pleased with that. However this little baby can fetch me over 100 pips on just 1 trade, so being patient with this, but know it is on its way.

Ichimoku is a bit up and down for me at the moment. Placed 3 trades today, 1 on EUR/USD, 1 on USD/CHF and 1 on USD/JPY. Unfortunately EU lost again, that's 2 losers this week for this pair. USD/CHF also lost, so not fantastic there, however still in 4 trades, 2 winning, both on +130 and the other 2 are about B/E.

So a slow start, but positive stuff today, just takes 1 blistering day to get me into profit and it will come i can feel it in my loins. I have learnt over the past year or so that discipline, good money management and keeping your emotions in check is key to becoming a successful trader, try to enjoy yourself, it's one of the best jobs in the world in my opinion.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = +20
S2 = -30
S3 = -10
Dax = +22.5
Ichi = -347.20, but with 4 trades still running:
USDCAD = +130
GBP/CHF = +130
GBPUSD = B/E
USD/JPY = B/E

See you all tomorrow, cheers.

What a Difference A Day Makes...

What a difference a day makes. Today was a much better day for me, with a nice +70 on Cable to start with. This was made on S1 (+30) and S3 (+40) and there was no trade on S2 today as the indicators didn't line up for me.

On the Dax I've made +18.3 pips, with one trade still running as i write this, so a reasonably good day trading that as well, but there is def more to come using that strategy for sure.

On Ichimoku today i have three active trades, one on USD/CAD from yesterday, which is currently sat at +70, another on GBP/CHF which is at B/E and i placed another on Cable a couple of hours ago, which is at about -50. So just going to manage these for the next few days and see where we end up, hopefully in profit, but we will see.

So a better day today and just proves that trading is a funny old game and your emotions can change from day to day, i guess it is how you handle them that counts.

My results are below for the month so far:
S1 = -10
S2 = -15
S3 = +15
Dax = -8.7
Ichi = -73.8, but with 3 trades still running

Have a great evening and i will see you all tomorrow, adios!

2010 Here We Go!!!

Here we are in 2010, start of a new decade. I'm feeling good about this year and reckon it's going to be my year (counting my chickens already, lol!) Hope you all had a cracking Xmas and a great New Year, back to the grind as they say...

So i sat at my desk today, eager for the days events, thinking to myself this is going to be a good start to 2010, how wrong was i. My breakout strategy 1, made a loss of -40, after a false breakout occurred on Cable. Breakout strategy 2 again on Cable activated and went to +20 pips and then retraced and hit my SL of -15. The annoying thing is, is that i move my SL to B/E at +25, so 5 more pips and that would have saved me a loss, but anyway. Strategy 3 on Cable again made a loss of -25 as well, so all in all a pretty crappy morning.

I thought, mmm, this afternoon could only get better and it did..... a little. Placed 3 trades on the Dax strategy, 1 MASSIVE win of wait for it.....3 pips (wey hey), 1 B/E and 1 loss of -15, so not too bad, but not brilliant. I placed 2 trades on Ichimoku, 1 loss on EU of -73.8 and still in another on USDCAD, which is currently hovering around the +50 pips mark, so looking ok.

So not a great start to 2010, but that's sods law for you.

My results are below
S1 = -40
S2 = -15
S3 = -25
Dax = -12
Ichi = -73.8, but with 1 trade still running on +50ish pips

Well things can only get better and because i am trading with cash i can afford to lose and trading each strategy at 2% of cash balance, I'm not too concerned, although today, i must admit was crappy, which means it can only get better, can't it - LOL!!!

Thanks to all of you that have taken a look at my new blog and the ones who have signed up to follow it, it's much appreciated.

Anyway onto tomorrow now as that is another unique trading day.

Have a great evening, see you all tomorrow.