I am starting this journal to record my preparation and document my Topsteptrader combine. My goal is to eventually become a full time trader. I have enjoyed lurking in the Big Mike community and look forward to participating more actively going forward.

I have traded off and on over the last several years, options and futures mostly. My demo-ing over the last several months has been tracking well and I am ready to see if I have turned the corner.

I am going to focus on trading corn futures. I am very familiar with the physical grain space professionally. I don't expect knowledge of grain fundamentals to help me much with my day trading timeframe; however, it is an instrument that I have a level of comfort with and keep an eye on in my day job anyway. I will lean heavily on market profile to get in and out of what should be 1-2 trades per day. More to come on my process and progress.

Net PNL: +$4.68

Trade 1: -$123.54 (-0.75 pts)
After price opened out of balance and retraced up to yesterday's POC where it traded light volume, I went short 3 contracts. I viewed this as a low risk entry as I could place a tight stop at the 385 level single prints. If price made it through the overnight low I saw 380 as a likely destination. My trade was broken when price could not break the overnight low. Volume dried up at this level retraced back into yesterday's range. I exited prior to my stop getting taken out as I could see the probabilities were against my position. I should have recognized the trade was broken much sooner and could have possibly broken even or made a small profit. I need to trust what I am seeing. Staying in was an emotional decision.

Screenshot just after entry


Trade 2: -$161.04 (-1 pts)
I was very late on this trade. Definitely felt like I was missing out. Got long reasoning that we were still one-timeframing as long as price doesn't take out two ticks below F period so I could have a tight stop and with the day's momentum price could make a run at the stops above the 392 level. Shorting at the upper bracket was too obvious and I had to be the contrarian... I was still emotional about missing the first move and didn't objectively look at the chart. Classic mistake. Need to be better than this.

Screenshot just after entry



Trade 3: +$288.96 (+3 pts)
Price had retraced back to yesterday's high and had formed a decent POC above my entry. A "P" shape had formed and price was at a good point where I could put my stop a couple ticks into the single "C" period prints. I entered long 3 contracts and rode it all the way to the last minute of trading and exited at the "J" period high.

Screenshot just after entry