Can you relate?  

Reasons why traders feel overwhelmed

• Too much information and analysis to process

• The prospect of losing money on your next trade

• Not knowing the outcome of the trade you put on

• No time to trade because you don’t have a streamlined method

• Feeling alone and unsupported due to a lack of resources and guidance

TLDR

1. Too much info to process.

2. Not knowing if you'll lose money.

3. Fear and anxiety about future outcomes.

4. Lack of time.

5. The pressure of making decisions.

6. Feeling all alone and unsupported.

Five steps to solve the above:

What do the traders on the floor of the CME below have in common?

𝟭. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲

Meaning they focus all their attention on a single market.

How much time do you spend scanning and monitoring markets for opportunities? Imagine if you spent that time focusing on a single market.

“But what if there aren’t any opportunities in your market?”

There are more daily trade opportunities than I can physically trade in the market I specialise.

2. Playing field

The easiest way to describe it is via an example:

The yellow and pink lines and the "Pre-pro" level correspond to relative value areas. They're the backbone of market-making and institutional trading.

They act as boundary lines informing you where you can trade (within the playing field) and where you no longer trade (out-of-bounds).

3. Catalyst

Underlying events move price. Not setups or patterns!

There is no edge in the latter.

As a specialist you develop an acute awareness of how your market responds to events and which events lead to the largest moves.

Plus, because you focus on this market, you know where different traders have positioned themselves. It's equal to knowing your opponents' cards at the poker table.

In the trade above:

• First the market proved the thesis for a move up correct.

• Second the market moved into the playing field.

• Third - I'll get to it in a minute...

See: There's a saying "not all movement is opportunity."

There are infinite ways price can move from one price to another. But so much of the market's movement is a wealth hazard. Yet here's the good news and it's called a:

4. Playbook

What's a playbook? It's a catalogue of trading strategies with positive expectancy—also called "edge". They feature very specific characteristics and behaviours distinguishing them from other price movements.

But you don’t automatically trade when:

1. the market moves within your playing field

2. telling you your thesis is working.

Instead you wait. With the patience of a lion stalking a gazelle.

You're waiting for the market's movement to match one of your playbook trades.

Do you know what's awesome? Playbook trades have edge.

So without fail a fair sample size of playbook trades = you make money.

And once you have a catalogue of 17-30 playbook trades

Multiple playbook trades can coincide.

Underpinning the above trade was 3 playbook trades coinciding.

Now you know why a 2nd buy happened in the above trade so early.

Awesome right?

See how it solves:

• Too much information to process

• Endless options & choices stopping you from making a decision

• Limited time to monitor & scan for opportunities

• Dealing with unknown outcomes

• Worry about losing money

But wait! We left one out:

• Feeling you're all alone because you're lacking...

5. Guidance

If you have resources & guidance for approaching each trading day as per the steps above, then you can:

1. Find a rhythm in trading

2. Making it feel very natural

3. And end years of inconsistent results and progress.

You can either join a professional trading firm or work with a trader with professional firm experience to:

1. Replicate a playbook of strategies with edge.

2. Master implementation trading under their guidance.

Further reading:

👉 Largest edge trades are found where? (Don't take heat)

👉 What exactly are playbook trades
and why do the best traders swear by them?