week 1 september done.
slow week. consistent gains.
week 1 trades #
9/1 friday: +$965 (mean reversion +$425, momentum +$540)
9/5 tuesday: +$310 (TLT call spread)
9/6 wednesday: +$205 (QQQ put spread)
week total: +$1,480
september progress #
goal: +$5,000
current: +$1,480
progress: 29.6% to goal
days left: 19
if maintain pace, hit $7,400 by month end.
account status #
sept 1 start: $358,450
current sept 6: $359,930
gain: +$1,480 (+0.41%)
momentum strategy update #
total live trades: 5
wins: 5
losses: 0
win rate: 100%
net: +$2,540
sample size still small.
need 15 more trades before confident.
mean reversion performance #
september trades: 5
wins: 4
losses: 1
win rate: 80%
net: +$940
one loss on 9/4 (holiday monday, low volume). -$215.
lesson learned: avoid trading holidays.
filter effectiveness this week #
blocked trades:
- vol detection: 2 trades
- correlation limit: 1 trade
- time-of-day: 1 trade
- holiday filter: now added after 9/4 loss
estimated saves: ~$400
account milestone tracking #
current: $359,930
next target: $360,000
need $70 more.
hitting it this week probably friday.
what’s working #
1. discipline
following rules. no revenge trading after 9/4 loss.
2. patience
passing on marginal setups.
quality over quantity.
3. filters
blocking bad trades before they happen.
saved estimated $400 this week alone.
what needs improvement #
1. holiday trading
learned hard way. 9/4 labor day = low volume = fake moves.
added holiday filter to block entries.
2. crypto diversification
currently 30% crypto allocation but only trading BTC/ETH.
researching altcoin momentum strategies.
3. risk scaling
momentum strategy performing but still at 0.5% risk.
need more data before increasing.
biggest win this week #
9/1 friday momentum: SPX breakout +$540
captured trending move perfectly.
stage 1 exit at 2R (+$270).
trailed remaining half to 4R (+$270).
total: +$540 (2.7R average).
personal update #
A. and i are solid.
she has drawer at my place now. toothbrush, clothes, makeup shit.
feels natural. not forced.
never had this stability before.
next week plan #
financial target: +$1,500 minimum
strategy focus:
- continue mean reversion as primary
- collect 3-5 more momentum trades
- test crypto altcoin signals (paper trade first)
infrastructure:
- research websocket feeds for faster data
- optimize async pipeline (currently 200ms latency)
risks ahead #
1. small sample momentum
5 trades perfect record = dangerous confidence.
staying at 0.5% risk until 20+ trades.
2. september historically choppy
back-to-school, post-summer volume drop.
may see fewer quality setups.
3. relationship time management
A. staying over more = less late night coding time.
need balance. trading comes first.
reflection #
week 1 solid. +$1,480.
slow grind beats big swings.
consistency is the goal.
3:18am thursday. week 1 september done. +$1,480. slow but steady. 70 bucks from $360k milestone.
-AK