Well, it's time to step into the light. I've lurked around BMT and futures.io for a couple of years now, wandering through the journals of others, sampling indicators, hearing stories of gains and losses and feeling quite at home. I came here as a stock trader who wondered about futures, and I'm here now as a futures trader. I'll say more about the transition later.
I live in Missoula, Mt., work as a nonprofit coordinator dealing with homelessness, and spend most of my time either with family or rock and ice climbing. I learned, quite inefficiently, how to trade stocks to put my daughter through college. It wasn't pretty for a while, but I got her through a private college with no debt. Frankly, I was pretty burnt out on trading after those years, and stepped away for a few years.
About a year ago, I started to miss trading, so I dabbled in stocks a bit, day trading at times and making swing trades, which was never my forte. I would have just day traded, but had moved what was left of my old trading money to retirement accounts. I did have about $10k that I wanted to put to work, though, so I started sim trading oil futures. I spent six months looking for various holy grails, already knowing they didn't exist but hopeful nonetheless. I read books, read journals, watched videos and traded the simulator. I tired a host of "methods" and, over time, weeded out those approaches that just didn't click for me. When I traded stocks, I was pretty good at reading Level II, and basically put Kate through school making 1000-share trades for 10 cents.
It's not that I minded being good at finding 10 cents. But, with the best of intentions, many a futures trader told me I could not make it scalping. I took those words to heart and tried to be something different. I joined an oil trading room that focuses on bigger trades. I sucked at bigger trades. But I continued to refine my scalping technique, transitioning away from Level II and focusing exclusively on unirenko charts.
I had plenty of folks in the oil trading room offer up helping hands; some of them were extremely helpful, and a few have become good friends. But the room was not a holy grail, either. It did teach me the most important lesson, however, and that was this. I'm good at scalping. And I have found a set-up that works for me. It's simple in form, but requires discretion. It's unmistakable in appearance, but can be a false tell taken out of context. So, it's like all trading -- it requires judgment, discretion, experience and some measure of luck. Done correctly and with adherence to my own rules, it's very profitable for me. Certainly more profitable than being an advocate for homeless folks.
In the coming days, I will post a few charts and offer up an explanation for my trades. I've learned much from many of you. I am more than willing to give back to this marvelous community, but I also know this -- what I do works for me. It may not work for anyone else. And that's fine. I look forward to this journal, and to forging a closer bond with those on futures.io