August 20th, 2026
Today was a much easier trading day. There were really only two trades worth taking, and both of them would have worked. Unfortunately, I only took the first one, but it was still a solid day.
I’m becoming more convinced that expanding beyond NQ was the right decision. My old strategy of focusing only on NQ is still viable, but this has been a scratchy month, and NQ simply isn’t going to break out and trend every day. By watching multiple instruments, I’m giving myself a better chance of finding whichever market is actually moving that day. This week, Gold has clearly been the winner.
I’m honestly wondering why I wasn’t doing this before. There’s no reason to force trades on one instrument when another market is offering a much cleaner trend. I’m starting to believe this approach is going to be much better for my trading going forward.
The goal right now is to keep this month positive. It has been a profitable month so far, and I want to keep it that way.
Day 65 Travel Poster
Looking at the charts, Gold was really the market that was trending today, pushing steadily higher. I took the first trade at around 9:50 a.m. and rode it up toward the next levels. The trade worked really well, and I also let the second contract continue to run. Overall, I finished the day up about $270, which I’ll gladly take.
The one thing I’m disappointed about is MES. I should have taken that trade as well, but I was a little too nervous because it hasn’t been trending particularly well over the last few days. There was also what looked like a possible false breakout earlier in the morning, and I was already in the Gold trade at the time.
The eventual MES setup would have worked extremely well and probably would have added another $270–$300 to the day. That’s frustrating, but it’s also another reminder that if the setup meets my rules, I need to trust it.
Still, +$270 on the day is a solid win, and more importantly, this multi-market approach continues to make a lot of sense.
Total Profit: $270.40
MES Chart
MGC Chart
