Trading Results - Monday, 4/21/25

Three days, one combine passed, and zero regrets. The ORB ghosted me, the gap fill flopped, but patience paid—and now it’s XFA time. Let’s recap a volatile Monday.

Apr 21, 2025

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Trading Journal Entry

Daily Reflection

Grade for Today: B+

✅ Passed the combine in just three trading days!

The opening range breakout didn’t set up, and the gap fill never materialized. Price action off the open was volatile, so I took a step back and let the market decide which direction it was going to go.

The first fast move down out of the initial consolidation offered no clean entries. Once price paused and formed its first consolidation in the downtrend, I jumped in with some small scalps to kick things off on a positive note.

I did take a few losses today, but they weren’t bad trades—just trades that didn’t work. I kept losses tight by reading the footprint and exiting the moment I saw things turn against me.

On the next leg down, I was patient again. Once the structure was there, I fired off three solid trades and officially passed the combine. I immediately locked out and spent the rest of the day trading other accounts.

Tomorrow I begin the XFA, and now I’ve got a backup XFA in my pocket just in case. I’m excited to take you all along with me for the next leg of this journey.

What Went Well

Stayed patient and avoided FOMO—even during fast moves.
Trusted the footprint chart and kept losses small by acting decisively.
Locked out once the goal was met—no overtrading or greed.

What I Could Improve

Even though I started the day with a bearish bias, I hesitated after both the ORB and gap fill setups didn’t pan out. The sharp volatility threw me off, and I nearly sat out the session entirely. Mentally, I could’ve been better prepared for today. I was a little off today and I could feel it as I traded.

Every day in the market teaches something. If you traded today, I hope you found some wins of your own. If not—no stress. Tomorrow’s a fresh start!

— The Shmuts