November 12th, 2026

A Week of Extreme Volatility

This week has been a roller coaster. Huge swings, big winners, and big losers. While volatility creates opportunities, these are not necessarily the trading conditions I prefer.

The five-minute candles have been enormous, with some moving 140–150 points. When price moves that aggressively, the potential drawdowns can quickly reach $400–$500 or more. Even a valid setup can turn into a significant loss within minutes.

And today, technically speaking, my strategy didn’t work.

Day 110 Travel Poster

The Trades I Took

My first trade came at 7:00 AM, and I managed to secure approximately 12 points per contract. Nothing spectacular, but a positive start.

At 8:40 AM, I entered another trade and exited when price touched the second VWAP standard deviation band (2σ).

The next opportunity appeared around 9:00 AM. Price was moving higher near the first VWAP band (1σ), and the conditions appeared to support another entry. According to my rules, I probably should have taken it.

But what happened next demonstrated just how dangerous these conditions could be.

Price reversed and eventually crossed the 20 EMA, producing a roughly 147-point adverse move per contract. Had I taken that trade, the loss would have effectively ended my trading day.

Choosing Not to Force It

After that, I decided not to trade anymore.

Looking back, I believe that was a reasonable decision. The market continued producing difficult price action, and additional trades could have resulted in further losses.

I’ve said this before: Just because the market is moving doesn’t mean the opportunity is worth taking.

There is a difference between a market offering opportunities and a market offering favorable trading conditions.

The Bigger Lesson

This week has been full of extremes. I’ve experienced strong winning days and frustrating losing days, sometimes back-to-back.

Today reminded me that my strategy won’t perform perfectly in every market environment. Some days will simply be difficult, regardless of how disciplined I am.

I’m glad I didn’t force additional trades just because the market was moving. At the same time, I need to be careful not to confuse avoiding a loss with following my system.

The goal isn’t to avoid every losing trade. It’s to follow a proven process, respect my risk limits, and recognize when conditions genuinely justify sitting out.

Day 110 wasn’t a spectacular day, but it was another valuable lesson in managing risk and accepting that not every trading session will go my way.

Total Profit: $78.10

MNQ Chart