October Trading Summary

 Net breakdown (contracts traded):
6E -$64(3), ES $220(2), ZS $58(10), CL $1466(157)

RESULTS FOR OCTOBER
Contracts:	172
Net $P/L:	1680
Wins:	71
Losses:	73
Win%:	49
$Commissions:	768
Avg$Win:	160
Avg$Loss:	-133

Thurs. 10/30

1:50pm CDT - My neck hurts from all the whiplash.  Likely no trading tomorrow. We'll see.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	11
Net $P/L:	-579
Wins:	1
Losses:	5
Win%:	17
Avg$Win:	191
Avg$Loss:	-154

Wed. 10/29

2:20pm CDT - Recently I've begun to let faster charts have too much influence on whether I enter a trade or not. Need to fine tune my rules and slow things down.  FOMC sucked for OEC.  They've had many problems this year with chart feeds during fast markets usually resulting in a delay.  This afternoon was no exception.  My Ninja charts told me what was really happening luckily.  I had a 6E system short trade but passed on it (was an 18 pip winner) because "Last Price" on the OEC Trader DOM was stuck 100 pips higher than the "Bid/Ask" which were correct. One consequence was if you were short, you wouldn't be able to place a protective stop order unless it was above last price which was 100+ pips away, or so the DOM thought.  Guess I could have had a mental stop and exited at market if needed.  Trading is hard enough when technology works correctly! Ugh.

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
CL -$824(10), ES $220(2)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	12
Net $P/L:	-604
Wins:	1
Losses:	9
Win%:	10
Avg$Win:	222
Avg$Loss:	-92

Tues. 10/28

1:50pm CDT - Not my day. Very spurty, choppy CL today and had 3 fills that slipped 3 ticks each. That's $90 right there.

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
CL -$241(16), ZS -$90(5)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	21
Net $P/L:	-330
Wins:	8
Losses:	10
Win%:	44
Avg$Win:	93
Avg$Loss:	-108

Mon. 10/27

10:25am CDT - Done early so I can go play in the 76 deg. Fall weather.  Likely not any more days like this in Chicagoland until next Spring!

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	3
Net $P/L:	307
Wins:	2
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	153
Avg$Loss:	0

Fri. 10/24

12:45pm CDT - It's Friday. Why press my luck? One was enough. For the week, net +$744 or 2.7%.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	2
Net $P/L:	311
Wins:	1
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	311
Avg$Loss:	0

Thurs. 10/23

11:55am CDT - Another hole digging day to climb out of. Price action was really "spurty" today and difficult to trade.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	17
Net $P/L:	205
Wins:	6
Losses:	6
Win%:	50
Avg$Win:	154
Avg$Loss:	-120

Wed. 10/22

1:55pm CDT - Tough day... Internet outage right after I exited my last trade lasted most of the rest of the day. No point in pushing my luck further.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	13
Net $P/L:	203
Wins:	7
Losses:	4
Win%:	64
Avg$Win:	114
Avg$Loss:	-149

Tues. 10/21

1:50pm CDT - Goal today was just to get back yesterday's loss.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	5
Net $P/L:	808
Wins:	3
Losses:	1
Win%:	75
Avg$Win:	304
Avg$Loss:	-104

Mon. 10/20

1:40pm CDT - Not my day.  Could have been a one and done day if I had managed the 1st trade better.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	5
Net $P/L:	-782
Wins:	0
Losses:	5
Win%:	0
Avg$Win:	0
Avg$Loss:	-156

Fri. 10/17

1:50pm CDT - One and done was the safer way to go today with CL rollover splitting up volume and it being a Friday and all. For the week, net +$1177 or 4.5% gain.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	1
Net $P/L:	206
Wins:	1
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	206
Avg$Loss:	0

Thurs. 10/16

1:50pm CDT - What's with the spike today? Crazy volatility.  Again, if only I could hold trades longer...  If anyone knows of a free real-time news website for crude oil happenings, please let me know.  I searched for a reason for that spike but found nothing.  Perhaps just algos firing on all cylinders?  Interesting to me was that the CL Inventory report was the 2nd highest in past 2 years and far exceeded forecast, yet price did not sell off, thus making my short at that time (at 80.88) a terrible idea. So much for trying to mix some fundamentals in!

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	10
Net $P/L:	236
Wins:	5
Losses:	3
Win%:	63
Avg$Win:	176
Avg$Loss:	-215

Wed. 10/15

2:40pm CDT - Missed the first of two 6E system signals early this morning because I was eating breakfast and didn't have my computer volume up high enough to hear the Ninja alarm I have programmed.  Of course that was a winner and the next signal I caught was a big fat loser.  If that wasn't bad enough, OEC had major problems today with delays.  Charts went from lagging a few minutes to as much as 13 min. at one point!  How can you trade like this? - see below pic for 4 snapshots of what I was staring at.  The only saving grace was my DTN:IQ Feed data feeding my Ninja charts so I knew what was really going on.

Tried to make a few things happen in the early going on CL to no avail but was able to get above water and erase the 6E loss despite broker frustrations.

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
CL $797(12), 6E -$530(1)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	13
Net $P/L:	267
Wins:	4
Losses:	7
Win%:	36
Avg$Win:	356
Avg$Loss:	-165

Tues. 10/14

1:40pm CDT - One of these days I'm going to surprise myself and hold a position all day.  Too bad it wasn't that last short today!  IEA cut its 2014 oil demand growth forecast to its weakest since 2009 but that was early this morning.  Not sure what caused the bottom to fall out at 12:45pm CDT?

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	4
Net $P/L:	262
Wins:	3
Losses:	1
Win%:	75
Avg$Win:	89
Avg$Loss:	-4

Mon. 10/13

2:20pm CDT - If, like me, you recently noticed your balance to be ever so slightly higher from where you thought it should be, and you have a broker that doesn't communicate so well, there's a reason I just learned.  The NFA reduced fees by 50% on Oct. 1st.  Thanks for the extra pennies NFA!

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	1
Net $P/L:	206
Wins:	1
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	206
Avg$Loss:	0

Fri. 10/10

1:45pm CDT - Not sure what my problem is with Crude Oil this week but I misread it way too many times.  Perhaps I'm just not comfortable with the increased volatility yet.  For the week, +$641.

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
CL $1(11), ZS $496(3)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	14
Net $P/L:	497
Wins:	9
Losses:	5
Win%:	64
Avg$Win:	100
Avg$Loss:	-81

In other news, while most exchanges are going toward around-the-clock trading hours, CME is reducing hours for Cattle and Hog futures. In 2 weeks, say goodbye to overnight trading your steak or bacon! http://www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/lookups/advisories/ser/files/SER-7194.pdf

Thurs. 10/09

2:30pm CDT - Could have quit after that first trade but thought I could capture more.  Misread things nicely after that.  I need to do more work to better define my stop placement and when to move to BE or trail.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	6
Net $P/L:	-377
Wins:	1
Losses:	5
Win%:	17
Avg$Win:	305
Avg$Loss:	-136

In other news, my broker's parent company CEO is selling big. Does he know something or just diversifying by thinning his company stock holdings?
http://leaprate.com/2014/10/05/gain-capital-ceo-glenn-stevens-pockets-more-than-400000-from-sale-of-shares

And this caught my eye only because I wonder who the "educator" is. That detail is nowhere to be seen in this ad. Don't everybody apply all at once now!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/acc/4701754433.html

Wed. 10/08

1:45pm CDT - Tough day with too many mistakes or poor judgement.  The 2nd CL short trade should not have been made and the last CL short trade should have been a win but I took it off for small loss to lock in an overall profit on the day afraid it would end up a bigger loser.  Had a nice win in 6E but even there I overrode my system and took profit 10 ticks early, costing me $125.  And ZS was inexcusable as I bought twice above 9.43 just after the open.  Sorry no chart to show there but that was near the high of the pit session.  But tomorrow's another day...

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
6E $245(1), CL $210(9), ZS -$348(2)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	12
Net $P/L:	107
Wins:	5
Losses:	6
Win%:	45
Avg$Win:	170
Avg$Loss:	-124

Tues. 10/07

1:55pm CDT - Better day.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	2
Net $P/L:	391
Wins:	2
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	195
Avg$Loss:	0

Mon. 10/06

1:55pm CDT - Mismanaged is the word of the day.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	4
Net $P/L:	22
Wins:	4
Losses:	0
Win%:	100
Avg$Win:	6
Avg$Loss:	0

Fri. 10/03

1:25pm CDT - Finally had a system trade on the 6E.  There's only been a handful this year and I missed the last one a month or so ago which was a winner, just like today's.  CL trades shown.  For the week, net +$475.

Net breakdown (contracts traded):
6E $220(1), CL $202(4)

RESULTS FOR DAY
Contracts:	5
Net $P/L:	422
Wins:	4
Losses:	1
Win%:	80
Avg$Win:	147
Avg$Loss:	-165

Thurs. 10/02

10:25am CDT - If not for that first perfectly placed stop, it would have been a really good day. Glad to settle for a green day after that.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	9
Net $P/L:	210
Wins:	3
Losses:	3
Win%:	50
Avg$Win:	307
Avg$Loss:	-237

Wed. 10/01

3:15pm CDT - Not the start to the month I wanted.

RESULTS FOR DAY
CL Contracts:	2
Net $P/L:	-309
Wins:	0
Losses:	2
Win%:	0
Avg$Win:	0
Avg$Loss:	-154

In other news, this guy tries to get strangers to fund his next blowout! He doesn't even post a compelling video - just CNBC coverage of the 2010 flash crash. WTF?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1696997043/day-trading-endeavor

And this is a great read about a guy in Japan.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-25/mystery-man-moving-japan-made-more-than-1-million-trades.html