Sunday, October 23, 2016

Final target achieved on Challenge #9


...and a new Challenge has come to an end, once again we were able to double the account from US$ 10,000, this time it has taken us 3 months and 10 days to achieve our target, it was not easy, as usual, but we made it once more.

There were tough times to day trade during Summer, we had real tight range days, it was difficult for us to catch good setups any missed opportunity could have been the only one of the day, during several days we were able to take just a single trade while on others even no trade at all, a really tough test checking our discipline and patience to wait for a good setup, traders tend to trade carelessly when good setups take long or even don't show up at all.

But, even though, we were able to make it happen because we KNOW determination to succeed is what makes the difference between losers and winners, if we wait and only take the good setups, we know that from every 20 or 30 trades we will be winners on the great majority of them, 70%+ of all trades work in our favor, statistics don't lie, they repeat over and over again, staying the same in the long run.

Ready to start a new challenge with us day trading ES (S&P 500 e-minis)?

Our Challenge #10 starts on November the 1st, once again we will try to take an account from US$ 10,000 to 20,000 in 3 stages:

On the 1st stage we start trading 2 lots until we reach US$ 12,000,

2nd: 3 lots from US$ 12,000 to 15,000

3rd: from US$ 15,000 to 20,000 trading 4 lots.

Join us by clicking here: Diamond Setups

If you want to send me email: renatrader@diamondsetups.com

Best of luck!



Saturday, October 8, 2016

Spot the patterns, follow the rules


This month we complete the 6th year teaching our trading methodology on futures (ES) and Forex, it's been a long road up to where we are today, really happy to have been able to reach such level.

It all started on Twitter, back in 2009 I used to post some of my trades and one of the traders that followed me asked me how I did to be right on my calls so consistently and I jokingly said: - "Send US$ 1,000 to my PayPal account and I'll teach you how I do". And to my surprise on the following day he sent that money to my account and I had no other thing to do but to start teaching him how I did through chat on Skype, every time I spotted a new trade I told him whether to go long or short and showed on the charts why I was taking that trade...

At the same time that I was teaching him I was writing all the documentation on each of the setups I used then which later on was all published on my website for all the new members that came after that first one.

Today, after having taught my trading system to over 600 traders since 2010, I learned that most who signed up were looking for "a get rich quick scheme", but unfortunately that does not exist in trading, anyone looking to be successful in this business will have to put in the long hours of dedication and hard work required until they can become successful and able to live off of it, those who don't give up and have the discipline to follow the rules that are taught will be rewarded if they're patient enough to go through all ups and downs of a trading career, as it is the case in any other profession.

Markets change their behavior completely now and then, making totally different cycles along a trading year, we might have something from 3 to 5 different phases that we need to adapt our trading system or die, our job is to spot those changes and tweak the system here and there, it is dynamic, there is no comfort zone where we can sit and stay indefinitely, change is the normal core of our business.

Of course experience does help a lot spotting those changes in a timely manner, that is of fundamental importance if we want to survive and make money consistently.

Our over 20,000 hours of screen time does help showing our members the changes of mood in the markets, all we know is that patterns repeat themselves over and over again, our job is to find those patterns in play and take action by pulling the trigger and managing our risk on each trade.

If you want to be consistently profitable in this game, the only way is to have clear rules and follow them with discipline and patience, to name a few of those rules I'd stand out:

- having the patience to wait until the market shows a pattern that meets a certain criteria and when they do,  not to hesitate pulling the trigger

- taking profits at the predefined targets only

- having a strategy to scale out of a trade or go full size and stick to it

- never, ever taking a big loss

- respecting STOPs and so on...

Patience and discipline are key to success.

It's relatively easy to learn a trading methodology, where to buy/short and why, it will take you 1 or 2, maybe 3 weeks, the difficult part is to have the right mindset to follow the rules.


Our Challenge #9 is coming to an end, we must meet the final target either this week or the next one, we should be able to meet our target once again from SU$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000 in a little more than 3 months this time, so next challenge will begin by the end of this month: Challenge #10.

Join us by clicking here: Diamond Setups

If you want to send me email: renatrader@diamondsetups.com

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort." - Jesse Owens

Best of luck!


Saturday, September 3, 2016

Challenge #9 update: 2nd target reached, +50% in less than 2 months


Yes! We made it once again. Trading ES (S&P 500 futures e-minis) very conservatively due to the tight market we experienced during August summer trading when we had several days of 10 points or less ranges in regular trading hours.

From US$ 10,000 on July, 11th to US$ 15,000+ on September the 1st, next target: US$ 20,000, now we will be trading with 4 lots.

It was a trading period when we had to be really patient, on many days we had only 1 single trade, and even days of no trade at all, just watching, it was really difficult, mainly for those who think they need to pull the trigger everyday to be profitable, they want to to be in on every point the market moves, no need for that, we only trade when we see a good probability of making money, we don't want to just trade, we want to take trades that will yield a minimum of 4 full points or more.

We know that if we follow our system rules and only take the qualified setups, we have no doubt that 70-80% of the trades will work, allowing us to slowly increase the size we trade, pushing us higher and higher on each week/month.

And now that summer trading is done, let the volatility explode making it possible for us to take more trades and make more $$$$ on a daily basis.

If you want to learn a simple but yet effective system to trade, join us:

Diamond Setups, click here to learn more ==> www.diamondsetups.com

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Trading successfully - It's all about statistics


Challenge #9 update: approaching the 20% profit target, after 4 weeks, challenge started on July, 11.

We expect to reach that target early this week, all we know is that if we take all the setups our system triggers, profits will take care of themselves giving us 70%+ of winning trades, all we have to do is to watch the market waiting for those patterns that fit our criteria and when they show up, we pull the trigger without hesitating, a trading system is nothing more than a group of specific rules that determine entry and exit spots for a given instrument.

As our main instrument for day trading is the ES (E-mini S&P 500 futures), our minimum target for each trade is 4 points while our average STOP loss is 2 points, giving us a risk reward of 2:1.

So, do the math: if we're profitable in 70%+ of the trades (7 out of 10 trades are winners) then in a 50 trade sequence we would have a possible outcome like below:

50 trades ==> 35 winning trades = 35 X 4 points = 140 points
                       15 losing trades     = 15 X 2 points = -30 points

Total in points after 50 trades: +110 points X US$ 50.00 = US$ 5,500.00 per contract

This is the average outcome you can expect if you follow the rules of our trading methodology, but it also depends on the volatility at the time, when we have more volatility we may be able to take more trades and besides that we can increase the quantity of winning trades, taking the winning ratio from 70% to 80 or even 90%+, but, on the other hand, we will also see short periods of lower win ratio, from 60 to 65%, so let's illustrate that with a pessimist example of an outcome of only 50% win ratio, it would be something like this:

50 trades ==> 25 winning trades =  25 X 4 points = 100 points
                       25 losing trades     = 25 X 2 points = -50 points

Total points after 50 trades: +50 points X US$ 50.00 = US$ 2,500.00 per contract!

Discipline & rules profit, even with a 40% win ratio you'd still be profitable, you'd need to lose on over 65% of the trades to be in a losing position after that sequence of 50 trades.

Have in mind that when we have a higher volatility the number of trades we take increase, then that sequence would take less than 2 weeks to be done.

The Diamond Setups members know that in the last 5 years or so we've never experienced a losing ratio below 50-60%, we are certain that in that sequence of trades we will see profits, the only thing we don't know is how the sequence of winners & losers we will come up, it might be something like this: win, win, win, lose, lose, win, lose, win, win, win... and so on.

Just do the right thing and follow the rules, profits will be automatic, it feels really good when we're sure about that, if we do the work we'll be rewarded and be in the exclusive club of consistent winners.

Join us: Diamond Setups: www.diamondsetups.com

Have a great trading week, best of luck!


Saturday, July 9, 2016

Challenge #8 done: target achieved at US$ 20,000


This time our challenge has taken us two and a half months to reach our main target at US$ 20,000, we had 2 difficult weeks when profits were really sluggish, resilience is a must in our business, only the strong minds can make it through the more difficult times in the markets.

The BREXIT thing was not easy to trade so we spent more time watching than trading during that short period, it's really not easy to control the anxiety to take trades and try to make money, but if we don't see setups we like we rather just sit on our hands than trying and losing, it's so much easier to lose, don't forget that only 10% of all traders are able to be consistently profitable.

One of the advantages of using a trading system you have confidence on, is that you don't mind just sitting and waiting, you know statistics speak for themselves, so we wait until we see a high odd trade coming our way, but for newer traders it all looks like a real waste of time, they want to trade no matter what, but, at the end of the day, they understand that it's better to keep going forward slowly than going backwards.

In trading we do make mistakes almost daily, things like taking profits too early, or giving up on a good trade before the stop loss order gets hit are common, we are human beings and on some days we may not be at the top of our performance, as traders, our state of mind really makes the difference on results, traders are prone to making mistakes, but we are aware that we do not have to be a super trader to make money consistently, there is no need to be perfect, as long as we don't make the unacceptable mistake of taking a big loss in a single trade, never let that happen to you, small losses will not kill us, when stopped out, next!

On Monday, July the 11th, we start a brand new challenge: "Challenge #9" - from US$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000 trading ES (S&P 500 e-minis). This time it will be in just 2 stages, we start trading 2 lots and when we reach half way at US$ 15,000 we'll increase the size to 3 lots.

So our main target will be a little more than 80 points, let's see if we can make it once again and how long it will take.

We know that if we trade with discipline, without emotion, being patient to wait for the good trades and not giving up after 2 or 3 losses on a bad day, we will get there again, no doubt.

Trading is a process, we just have to repeat it over and over again until we reach our targets.

In our trading room, calls for the trades we take are made way BEFORE the trade takes place, giving you enough time to enter your orders.

Join us this time!

Click here: Diamond Setups - The only edge you need


"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" - former president of Harvard University, Derek Bok



Saturday, June 11, 2016

Challenge #8: Second target achieved at US$ 15,000


We finally met our 2nd target at US$ 15,000 from US$ 10,000, it's a 50% profit, huge for just 7 weeks, without having risked to lose our shirt, we know risk management is key if we want to be successful in this business.

On the previous two challenges we achieved the 2nd target in just 3 & 4 weeks though, this time it has taken us 7 weeks, why did it take longer this time?

Markets have different cycles, during some periods market can be very generous, allowing us to make huge profits with bigger volatility and wider ranges, we are able to take more trades, the more trades we take the more money we can make, we only take those trades that have high odds of working, so when ranges are tighter we need to be more conservative and we spend most of the time watching, preserving capital when it gets more difficult to trade is an important part of the trader's job, discipline is a must if you want to make money consistently.

When markets move in a single direction it gets more difficult for day traders to jump in, that type of behavior requires more discipline to wait for the right opportunity to trade, as a guepard waits for the right moment to get his prey, so does the trader need to wait for a good setup, and take them without hesitation once they're spotted.

As traders we know making mistakes is OK, as long as we learn from them and do not allow them to become bad habits.

Looking forward to start pursuing our next goal at US$ 20,000

Join us and see how we make it week in, week out: click here ==> Diamond Setups


“A trader who didn't make mistakes would own the whole world in a month." - Jesse Livermore

Saturday, May 14, 2016

"Challenge update: 1st target achieved" and also: "50+ point weeks on ES"


After just 13 trading days from the beginning of our 8th Challenge from US$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000, we were able to achieve our first target of 20 points, or US$ 2,000.00 trading 2 lots of e-mins (ES), which is not small for an account of this size, but we do have strict money management rules that allow us to be that aggressive and we could make 20%+ in such a short period.

The most difficult stage for any trader is the beginning of a new trading journey, usually after having tried to succeed several times and failed, the trader is hesitant, the level of confidence in himself is really low, but he is determined to make anything it takes to become a successful trader.

Now he has a good trading system so all he has to do is take all good setups and follow the rules, those rules never allow him to take a big loss, small losses are OK, he knows that, but the big question is: Is he be able to follow the rules? Psychological part is really important in our business.

Our next target now is US$ 15,000, so we increase size to 3 lots now for another 20 point target.

There are many different ways to trade using our system, the Diamond Setups, you can be a swing player for instance, to give you an idea, those who traded the swing setups this week were able to make a hefty 50+ points! (Trading S&P 500 e-minis, ESM6) That's the outcome for those traders week in, week out, with a occasional loss, and the best part is that they only have to work 1 or 2 hours a day. So if you traded for instance 2 lots, you'd have made US$ 5,000+ this week.

The only caveat for this system is that the stop-loss orders are much wider then our usual 2 to 4 points, so when a trader begins trading this style he has to be prepared if the first trades fail and he loses 10+ points on each trade, he must not be afraid and end up skipping the next one, which is what most traders do. Now if he is luck and the first trades he takes are winners then he might never go into losing territory, and his account might go one way up, that's the most sought after scenario by any trader. Then in order to trade this type of setup with 2 lots your account would need to be at least of US$ 50,000, so that you could risk 2% on each trade.

On the other hand, not only big players using our system are able to enjoy those types of returns. If you hold a small account we have a scalping setup that on the last 9 weeks has been yielding an average of 10+ points a day.

For that to be possible you have to like being an active trader to be prepared to take from 3 to 8 trades a day and risk small on each trade, from 1 to 3 points, using what we call the "HT strategy", where the minimum target is 4 points, and if you like to trail your trades and only leave if stopped out, you can score really big like in the example below:

Trade taken by HTs on last Friday:

[May 13, 2016 12:05:48 PM EDT]    RenaTrader    2058-60 key now (Resistance)

Those who trailed: +18 points or so in a single trade.

To learn more about our trading system, click here: ==> Diamond Setups



Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Challenge #7 done - target met at US$ 20,000 - new challenge starts on April, the 25th




After 7 weeks and two days we met the final target at US$ 20,000 from US$ 10,000 - ready to start the next challenge on Monday the 25th, we'll try once again to achieve 100% profit in 2 months or less trading ES (S&P 500 e-minis), without ever taking big risks, don't misunderstand, risk management is key in our system.

Every time we finish a challenge, besides the monetary reward, we feel proud of ourselves for having had the courage to do what was necessary without fear or hesitation, taking the trades when it was very scary to take them, because the smaller the account is, the bigger the fear is.

If you want to join us on the next challenge click here: Diamond Setups

Doubts? Questions about the system or anything? Send me email:  renatrader@diamondsetups.com

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Challenge #7 update: 2nd target achieved at US$ 15,000 - on to last target at US$ 20,000


This week we achieved the 2nd target on our 7th challenge, we reached the US$ 15,000 level and now on to our final target at US$ 20,000 trading 4 lots.

Most of the trades we take are scalping trades, we do not hold any position after market close, our targets are met just by scalping and day trading, we never take position trades.

I clearly show the entry levels in our trading room and confirm when my order gets filled so that the information I give is crystal clear for the traders who follow me, all entries are posted BEFORE the setup gets triggered.

For you to have an idea on how it works, look at this trade we took on Thursday for instance:

[Mar 17, 2016 9:57:14 AM EDT]    RenaTrader    GTS 2012.75

[Mar 17, 2016 9:57:40 AM EDT]    RenaTrader    GTS entry: Long 2013.25-12.25

[Mar 17, 2016 10:01:09 AM EDT]    RenaTrader    HARD STOP 2009.25

This is the way I make the calls on a daily basis, with clear entry levels and STOP, look how the trade was called minutes before we got filled, because timing is important to us. After getting in, we have rules for different styles of trading, some traders like to take profits at the initial target, others prefer to trail and only leave the trade if stopped out, besides that, we also have rules about how to hold or scale out, some traders will scale out as it goes up, locking in some profits along the way, while others will go "all in, all out", taking full profits only at the target levels.

When/if STOP LOSS is hit we get out without hesitating and wait for the next setup.

By the way, GTS stands for the type of setup we were taking, it was a day trade.

We do the same thing over and over again following the rules strictly, and we know that our execution does not need to be perfect for us to be consistently profitable, some traders might take profits early, but even those who do that (our minimum target is 4 points) are profitable week in, week out.

If you want to join us and learn how we do it, click here: Diamond Setups


Saturday, March 12, 2016

Challenge #7: 1st target achieved at US$ 12,000


After going a little down into negative territory on the first day, recovered on 2nd and met our first target on Challenge #7 - from US$ 10,000 to 20,000.

Now, we're pursuing the 2nd target at US$ 15,000, trading 3 lots, if we'd lose and went back down to US$ 10,000 then we'd decrease size back to 2 lots only and would start it all over again, until today that has never happened in any of our challenges though.

We've been trading using our Diamond Setups system for nearly 6 years now, I did not reinvent the wheel, I just created a set of rules that if followed with discipline will make us consistently profitable, we have no problem with the trades that do not work and we get stopped out, or when we miss some of the good trades, because we know that the trades we take will be winners most of the time, from every 10, 20, 50 trades our profits will be much bigger than losses, when we jump in a trade, we do not know whether it will work or not, so we just take the good setups, if they don't work as expected, we get out, when they do, we let them run to our targets, we're aware losing is part of trading and have no bad feelings when stopped out.

No matter what your experience in trading is, either as a newbie or a seasoned pro, join us to learn how we consistently make profits week in, week out.

Click here to go to our website: Diamond Setups 

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Final target met at US$ 20,000 - Challenge #7 starts on Monday, Feb, the 29th


After just a little over than a month our final target has been met at US$ 20,000 from US$ 10,000, it was much faster than expected due to high volatility allowing us some good catches.

One thing we never did during the 6th Challenge was to take a big drawdown or even a big risk, the max risk we take when trading ES (S&P 500 e-minis) never exceeds 6 points, but mostly from 2 to 4 points.

On Monday, February the 29th we start a brand new challenge, again we will try to take an account from US$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000 in 3 stages:

1st target: US$ 12,000, then we increase size to 3 lots - max date for target: 03/31/16

2nd target: US$ 15,000, increase size to 4 lots - max date for target: 05/02/16

3rd target: US$ 20,000 - max date for target: 06/02/16

To join us and learn how we do it, click here: Diamond Setups

Our trading room is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:15 PM EST - I show on the charts exactly what we're looking at to take our trades.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." - Sun Tzu

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Challenge update: 2nd target met at US$ 15,000



Lightning fast! After less than 4 weeks from the start we met our 2nd target on the Challenge at US$ 15,000, so now, on Tuesday, we start our way to the final target at US$ 20,000. I expect this target to be met next week as we are already close to it after breaking the US$ 15k barrier.

Our trading system gives signals on several different possible trades, depending on each traders' own trading style.

In our trading room I show trades for scalping, day and swing trading, so traders will take trades that fit their own way of trading.

As you probably may already know our main instrument for day trading is the ES (S&P 500 e-minis), one of the strategies we use is called "HT", that strategy consists on taking several trades a day in every possible swing, it's a scalping strategy, when on counter trend on the day, we try to make 4 points or better on each trade but when the trade is in favor of the current trend then we can trail the trade for bigger targets of 10 points or better. This single strategy has made 100+ points in each week on the last 2 weeks!

More than 200 points were possible in just 2 weeks due to high volatility in the markets, allowing traders to make 10+ point trades several times, if you're not familiar with ES, it yields US$ 50.00/point per contract, so for just 1 contract a trader could have made more than US$ 10,000 in just 2 weeks, the best part of this strategy is that the risk is never bigger than just 3 pointsm usually 2 points will be enough, and as a real "Diamond Setup", it wins on 70%+ of the trades taken.

If you still don't use a system with clear rules to trade, join us, our methodology is really easy to learn and use, it'll take you 1 or 2 weeks to learn all the concepts and rules, get rid of unnecessary stress and frustration, join us today!

I will NOT teach you technical analysis, I will show you how I do to make money consistently.

I show exactly what I'm looking at on the charts to take the trades we take.

Click here to learn more ==> Diamond Setups

“We must pass through the darkness, to reach the light.” - Albert Pike 

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Challenge update: 1st target achieved at US$ 12,000


After just 2 weeks we met the first target of the new challenge, from US$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000, at US$ 12,000.

It was not easy as we lost on the first day going into negative territory for 6 points or so, that's the most difficult time for most traders as we need to continue taking the good trades without skipping any good setup when psychological capital gets low, that's the real challenge, but regardless we continued taking the trades and made up losses closing the first week into positive field giving us the confidence we needed for the 2nd week which was also not easy but we made it happen!

Now we're ready to increase size on to the 2nd Stage of the challenge with the next target at US$ 15,000.

This time we will trade 3 lots so we need 20 points on full size to finish this new phase of the challenge and be able to move to the next and last one.

If you want to join us, no problem you missed the first stage as nothing changes, we will take all the good day trading setups we usually take, we're looking forward to the next week.

Click the link to go to our website: Diamond Setups

Sunday, January 10, 2016

New Challenge on ES begins on January, the 18th


Hi traders!

I'll start a new challenge on next Monday, the 18th, this time I intend to make it a bit shorter (and quicker, I hope), we'll trade an account live in our trading room from US$ 10,000 to 20,000 in just 3 stages (see below) while I teach new members our trading methodology, the Diamond Setups.

After having done this kind of challenge many times (this will be the 6th), I learned that the most difficult phase for most traders is the very beginning, to take an account from point A to point B is really hard if you don't have a plan with clear targets, a sound risk management and the right state of mind.

You need to use a set of rules if you really want to be successful in this business, a proven trading methodology that works week in, week out.

We have been using our methodology for more than 5 years now, it works like clockwork and I'm really happy and proud to be able to offer a high quality service to those who decide to join us.

Here are the steps we'll follow on our new challenge:

We will trade ES (S&P 500 e-minis), each point is worth US$ 50.00

1st Stage: from US$ 10,000 to 12,000

Trading size: 2 lots

Number of points necessary to meet first target: 20 points on full size.

Max estimated date to meet target: 02/18/2016


2nd Stage: from US$ 12,000 to 15,000

Trading size: 3 lots

Number of points necessary to meet first target: 20 points on full size.

Max estimated date to meet target: 03/18/2016


3rd Stage: from US$ 15,000 to 20,000

Trading size: 4 lots

Number of points necessary to meet first target: 25 points on full size.

Max estimated date to meet target: 04/18/2016

Rules:

- In case we reach the 1st target at US$ 12,000 and it happens that we lose and go back to starting stage at US$ 10,000, then we'd decrease the size we trade back to the original 2 lots and start it all over again from the beginning (it has never happened until today in the previous 5 challenges).

- When we reach a target by Thursday we start the next new Stage on the following Monday.

If you want to join us and trade your own account while you learn our system:

Click here ==> Diamond Setups - The only edge you need

Even if you want to start with just US$ 5,000 you can too, the only difference is that your targets and sizes will be different.

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” - Anthony Robbins

Friday, January 8, 2016

Challenge update: Final target achieved at US$ 50,000



We finally reached the main target at US$ 50,000, I started trading an account with just US$ 10,000, it has taken me less than 4 months to achieve the 6th and final stage of the challenge.

This is the 5th time I do this kind of challenge, I did learn several things that I'd never have thought of if I hadn't done that, one of the main things I learned was:

- The most difficult part when a trader starts a new account is the very beginning, because if he/she loses on the first 2 or 3 trades, the trader goes into negative territory, a situation that might make him/her start skipping the next trades, and that's where most fail, after getting stopped out on 1 or 2 trades they lose confidence and skip trades, exactly the ones that would be profitable, or they cut profits short to quickly go back to breakeven level.

On the other hand I realized that when the first 2 or 3 trades are winners traders are not afraid at all and and they take all good setups without hesitating, that state of mind makes all the difference, allowing them to move forward smoothly...

So, now that I know that, our next challenge will be: from US$ 10,000 to US$ 20,000 in just 3 stages, my focus will be to help you to stay the course at least until you reach a safe level in profits, stay tuned, more on that on the next post.