Trading Results - Friday, 3/14/25
One of my worst days trading in very long time. Too much emotion, not thinking clearly. It could have very easily ended up being much worse.
Foreword
Since starting this blog, I’ve been thinking a lot about authenticity and integrity—two qualities that are seriously lacking in the trading space. There’s no shortage of marketers posing as traders on YouTube, or people on X and blogs who conveniently never share their losing trades, or worse, fabricate their results to give the illusion of proficiency. That’s not to say there aren’t honest traders out there trying to help others, it’s just really difficult to differentiate them from the frauds. If you’re a trader looking for genuine guidance, knowing who to trust can be nearly impossible. I know how frustrating that can be. The internet is full of misleading information that, if followed, can lead you down the wrong path.
I created this blog to provide honest, transparent content—a place where you can find real insights into trading. However, due to legal restrictions like non-disclosure and privacy agreements, I can’t share my actual trading results from the accounts I trade daily without risking my job.
That said, I still want to be as transparent as possible. So this weekend, I decided to sign up for a $50K combine with a popular prop trading firm and commit to posting my daily results from that account. You won’t find any Photoshop tricks here—you’ll see both wins and losses, real data, and an authentic trading journey. I hope that by doing this, I can provide some measure of authenticity and honesty for my readers and also help break the illusion that trading is easy and every trade is a winner. Neither of those things is true.
Each day, I’ll also write up a trading journal entry and share:
How I felt about my trading session
How I graded myself on execution and discipline
Mistakes I made and areas for improvement
Even after years of trading, I still make mistakes. Trading is a lifelong journey of learning, and this blog is here to reflect that reality. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s constant improvement.
Results for Today - Friday, 3/14/25
Trading Journal Entry
My grade for today: F
In hindsight, I think this will be a valuable post, and I hope it serves as a lesson to anyone reading. In the spirit of authenticity and transparency, I’ll be blunt—today was one of my worst trading days in a long time. It’s important to show that no one is perfect, trading is hard, and bad days happen to everyone.
I won’t go over every trade because there were simply too many—which, in itself, is a red flag. A lack of sleep and a frustrating morning at work dealing with other people’s mistakes put me in a bad mental state before I even started trading. That negative energy carried over into my trading. Normally, I’m known for being calm and collected, but today should have been a clear signal to step away. I ignored it.
I didn’t start trading in my combine account until 11:30 AM, catching the tail end of the uptrend that had been running since 10:30 AM. My setups and entries were solid, but with lower volume, price stalled. Instead of adapting, I overtraded, repeatedly trying to force breakouts and breakdowns that simply wouldn’t follow through. It became a battle of wills between me and the market—one that the market almost always wins. Today, I barely scraped by with a 51% win rate. I got lucky.
The rest of the day followed the same pattern—small losses, a few bigger wins, and eventually, I managed to pass the combine’s $3,000 profit target. But I feel zero sense of accomplishment. I didn’t deserve to pass today. If not for my experience and deep knowledge of my setups, this could have easily been a -$1,000+ loss, and I’d be writing a much more humbling post.
Do not trade the way I did today. I’m disappointed that I didn’t recognize what was happening and step away. I know better, and I expect better from myself.
Next week, I’ll start my XFA with a clearer head and a reset mindset. I hope everyone has a great weekend—I know I’m looking forward to a few days away from the markets. Cheers!
Thoughts on the Day
Terrible. I’m ashamed of how I traded today—I’m better than this, much better. Trading momentum-based setups in a market with no momentum isn’t just a mistake, it’s completely illogical.
What I Did Well Today
I didn’t blow my account—that’s about the only positive, though I probably deserved to.
Entries were solid, but the setups were completely mismatched to the market environment.
Held trades longer, as I planned after yesterday’s journal review. Unfortunately, in tight, choppy price action, this backfired. Multiple trades that were up $200-$300 reversed and hit my stop.
What I Didn’t Do Well Today
Again, traded the wrong setups for the wrong market conditions.
Traded with too much emotion.
Refused to walk away, even when I knew I should have.
Got into a battle of wills with the market—I was lucky to escape intact.
Ignored clear mental warning signs—I knew I wasn’t in the right headspace but traded anyway.
I hope your trading day today was great and better than mine. Monday is a new day!