Trading Stats Archive: 2016 Q1

I have decided to begin updating my Trading Stats page again. In this post, I am archiving the old data that was available on the Trading Stats page.

This data is of my trades during January to March 2016. During that period, I was almost exclusively trading the Range Compression Method. In that system, I used to wait for a visual discernible compression of price in the M15 and M3 charts. Then, I placed a Stop Loss Market (SL-M) order at either end of the range. Trailing was based on a mechanical formula.

With that system, I had a huge profit in the last 3 weeks of January. With the leverage that I was using, I made over 200% profit in January. After that, the exact same system went into a slump, and due to the same high leverage that I was using, I had lost all my gains by the end of April 2016. Note that with even with high leverage, it took me 3 months to lose the gains that I had made in 3 weeks in January 2016. That is the advantage of taking entries when the range compresses and the risk is small.

In the range compression system, I would trail my Stop Loss, only when I was able to lock in a respectable amount of profit. It meant that in many cases, I would book a loss, even on a trade that had moved decently in my favor. That would appear high on the Stupidity Index. In fact, this is what I was doing when I returned from my trading sabbatical. On Friday, when I did not move my Initial Stop Loss even once in 6 trades, I hopefully learned a good lesson about trailing Stop Losses sooner.

Profits by Individual Trade 

 

Profits by Individual Trade

 Profits in Points and Cumulative Profits

 Profits in Points and Cumulative Profits

 Profit versus Duration (Scatter Chart)

Profit versus Duration (Scatter Chart)

All Trades: Profits and Losses

All Trades: Profits and Losses

Trading Statistics: Summary Report

Trading Statistics: Summary Report

Daily Trading Summary

Daily Trading Summary

Details of Individual Trades

 

Details of Individual Trades

Click here to go to my Trading Statistics Page

It was not to be... ☹

A delay in typing the order caused me to miss the 3 PM expiry day move. That entry would have saved the day for me, but it was not to be... I put in the the reversal order, but maybe it did not reach the exchange or something, and what actually got executed was only the exit from long and not the SAR to short.

That was the story of my trading on the contract expiry day today. I took a total 10 trades. So, was busy all through a grinding day and had nothing to show for it.

I liked the volumes when the day began, and went short soon. That initial drop stalled, and I identified the reversal point, but was scared to take a long because the bar was wide. Then, I reversed for a loss, and then again reversed for a loss, and that set the tone for the first half. I was just trying to grab a big expiry day move where there was none.

The second half was better, though it would have been better if I had got the reversal move after 3 PM.

Too many trades today, so I think I will put overtrading as a sin for today. Still, my performance today was better than on Friday, when I had not moved the Stop Loss. So far, the lesson about trailing stop losses sooner seems to be working. How can I make this better?

Nifty M3 Price Action Chart

>>> Live tweets of today's trades <<<

Another bad day

Another bad day, but not as bad as Friday. I did 6 trades today, just like on Friday. On Friday, I did not move my Initial Stop Loss on any of the trades. Today, I did, and so the day was better for me, even though the price range was worse than on Friday.

I kind of guessed that the market was ranging, and even caught some of the reversals, though I missed some. But, on a ranging day, in addition to entering at reversals, we also need to book at extremes to profit. I did not book at extremes, because there is always the hope that it could move just a bit more and then turn into a decent breakout.

I had 6 trades today, even after taking a one hour break in between, but overtrading is still not on my sin list for today!!

Nifty M3 Price Action Chart

>>> Live tweets of the day's trades <<<

Don't look stupid!!

I did have a motto for today's trades: "Don't look stupid." I didn't want to look stupid like on Friday.
(Note: I that said "Don't look stupid.", not "Don't be stupid." There's a difference between the two.)

• I can look stupid when I miss a good move even after watching the chart the whole while.
• I can look stupid when I exit early from a big move.
• I can look stupid when I watch a profit turn into a loss.
• I can look stupid when I book a series of losses.
• I can look stupid when I attempt trades on a grinding day.
• I can look stupid when I broadcast my losses to the world. 
• I can look stupid just for day trading. (This I intend to do)

• I can look smart when I capture a big move.
• I can look smart when I capture a small move that then did not go on to become a big move.
• I can look smart when I scratch an entry that does not go anywhere.
• I can look smart by broadcasting more about successes and hiding most of my losses. (I don't do this, and hopefully my twitter feed vouches for it.)
• I can look smart by spouting predictions, analysis and philosophy like the TV analysts. 
• I can look smart when I do some positive psyching of myself or others.

I can look stupid when I make a loss.
I can look smart when I make a big profit.

But I am only really smart when I learn the right lessons. I am only really smart when I have a net profitable trading system. I am only really smart when I apply the right money management to profit from a net profitable trading system. I am only really smart when I realize that all that positive psyching is only going to work if I implement a net profitable trading system and money management. (What's the point of this blog?)

Today's trading

The first trade was not very high on the stupidity scale, because it reversed almost immediately and did not give much of a chance to trail. However, it would still look stupid to enter in the middle of previous day's range after a dull opening.

I would have looked really smart had I captured the reversal at the low of the day, but I have the excuse that I was out on some errand at that time.

The second trade would have looked stupid if the Initial Stop Loss had been hit, after entry at the Day's High. The exit would have looked bad if I had not reentered in the same direction.

The third trade was kind of ok, in hindsight, though it was taken just 10 minutes before auto sqaure-off.

Nifty M3 Price Action Chart

>>> Live tweets of today's trades <<<

Lesson: Trail sooner

Sometimes, when you look stupid, it might be because you are!! Yesterday, was one such day for me.

However, if a lesson is learnt, then it a money well lost. But, I have been paying these tuition fees, without learning much....

I took 6 trades, did not trail a single one of those Initial Stop Losses. Looks stupid, and is stupid.

I am not putting overtrading in the list of today's sins, because many of those trades could been closed better.

 

Nifty M3 Price Action Chart

>>> Link to my live tweets about these trades <<<

Trading again.... after a long break!!!

I have been on a long break from trading.... almost 2 months. Some personal issues, etc.

Since the past week, I had been thinking of getting back to trading. I got off by back testing different mechanical trading systems, like I always do. And like I always do, I kept getting inconsistent results in all my tests. Systems that work wonderfully well during a few months, stop working in other months. That discouraged me enough to have decided to stay off until April.

But the markets have been moving well recently. And the itch got to me today. Finally, I decided to try some semi-mechanical stuff. By the time I funded my account and logged in, I had missed the reversal at the top.

2 initial losses made me think that today was the wrong muhurat to have got back to trading. But the day ended in green!!!

Nifty M3 Price Action Chart

>>> link to my live tweets during the trading day <<<