[{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/futures/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Futures","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ict/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ict","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is my personal trading journal, a transparent look into my journey through the futures market. I share my trade ideas, break down my setups and execution, and document the wins, losses, mistakes, and lessons that continue to shape me as a trader.\nFor me, trading is bigger than the outcome of a single trade. It’s about discipline, patience, accountability, and constantly refining the process. I believe small improvements, repeated consistently, compound into exponential growth, not only in the markets, but in life.\nThis is where I document that process. No pretending every trade is a winner. No shortcuts. Just real experience, continuous learning, and the pursuit of becoming better than I was yesterday.\nOne trade. One lesson. One step closer to 100X.\nEverything shared here is for educational purposes and reflects my personal experience and opinions. Nothing on this website should be considered financial advice.\n","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Martin Trades","summary":"","title":"Martin Trades","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/mnq/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Mnq","type":"tags"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Long · Size: 5 contracts\nSession: early NY, around 9:56 to 10:52 AM ET\nModel: sellside sweep of the session lows, 1m BOS, long off the inverted 1m FVG, target the bearish BPR\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +98 points, 1:3, target filled at 10:52 (about +$980 on 5 contracts)\nMNQ 1m: the open swept the London Low, PDL, and Asia Low, then a 1m BOS above 29,683.25. Price retraced into the 1m FVG (29,686.25 to 29,690.50), inverted and held at 9:58, and delivered up to the bearish BPR target at 29,786.25, filled at 10:52. Draw on Liquidity # The open sold straight down and cleared the whole sellside stack. It took the London Low at 29,717.50, the PDL just above it, and then the Asia Low at 29,666, all in one leg down. That is a lot of liquidity gone from below, so the draw flipped to the upside. The target became the bearish BPR sitting up at 29,786.25, that was the pool I wanted price to reach.\nThe Setup # Sweep: sellside taken, the London Low, PDL, and Asia Low all run BOS: a 1m break of structure, closed above 29,683.25 Entry: price retraced back down into the 1m FVG (29,686.25 to 29,690.50), tapped it at 9:58 and respected it. The old FVG also inverted, so it became an inverse FVG holding as support, exactly what I want to see. Long around 29,688. Stop: below the FVG (the trade ran at 1:3) Target: the bearish BPR at 29,786.25, about 98 points, 1:3 Size: 5 contracts How It Played Out # After the sweep and the BOS, price came back down to the 1m FVG, tapped it at 9:58, and held. The inversion was the confirmation I needed. From there it delivered clean into the target, filling 29,786.25 at 10:52 and pushing to a high of 29,805, right inside my window. A 1:3 winner on 5 contracts.\nKey Lesson # The target made this trade. I did not reach for the highs at random. There was a bearish BPR at 29,786.25, so that was the pool price was drawn to, and that is where I exited. Sweep the lows, shift structure, buy the FVG that inverts and holds, and target a real level above. Let the draw pick the exit.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-aug-11-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Long off an inverted 1m FVG after a sellside sweep of the London Low, PDL, and Asia Low, targeting a bearish BPR at the highs for a 1:3 winner.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Aug 11, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/nasdaq/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Nasdaq","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Series","type":"series"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/smc/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Smc","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/trading-recaps/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Trading Recaps","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/trading-recaps/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Trading Recaps","type":"series"},{"content":"This section contains my trading recaps and analysis.\n","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"","title":"Trading Recaps","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":"","date":"August 11 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/trading-recap/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Trading-Recap","type":"tags"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Long · Size: 4 contracts\nSession: early NY, around 9:41 to 10:09 AM ET\nModel: sellside sweep, BOS, patient entry from the bullish order block, target the nearest pool\nResult: ✅ WIN, +102 points, 2.2R, about +$816 on 4 contracts ($102 per contract risk)\nMNQ 1m: sweep of the equal lows at 29,734, bottoming at 29,719 below the Asia Low, BOS above 29,811.25 at 9:49, then the patient long from the bullish OB (29,754 to 29,777) into the PDH at 29,867.25. The FVG above was the trap. Draw on Liquidity # Price opened around 29,805, already below the London Low at 29,845 from the premarket slide. Between 9:34 and 9:41 it drove down and took out a cluster of equal lows at 29,734 and 29,734.75, bottoming at 29,719. That was the sellside sweep, and it sat well below the Asia Low at 29,788. Displacement up followed right away, and the 9:49 candle closed at 29,818.25, above the 29,811.25 structural high, so the break of structure was confirmed. With the lows swept, the draw was the nearest opposing pool above, the PDH at 29,867.25.\nThe Setup # Today gave me two entries, and only one of them was any good.\nThe FVG (29,792 to 29,798.75) was the trap. It was the obvious entry, left by the first displacement leg. Price tapped it at 9:48, then went 40 points lower, down to 29,754 by 9:53. A tight stop under the gap got stopped for a full loss on a setup that ultimately worked. A wide stop under 29,719 survived, but at 81 points of risk the PDH target was only 0.9R, below my 1:2 minimum, so it fails the rules anyway. The bullish OB (29,754 to 29,777) was the patient entry, the last down candle before the real move. Entry around 29,765, stop 29,714 under the sweep low. 51 points of risk, $102 per contract, 4 contracts for $408 total. Target: the nearest opposing pool, the PDH at 29,867.25. That is 102 points, 2.2R, about $816. Filled at 10:09, well inside my window. How It Played Out # After the sweep and the BOS, the retrace went deep, straight past the FVG and down into the order block before it delivered. From the OB it ran clean, up to 29,900 by 10:15 and tagging the PDH at 29,867.25 on the way, filling my target. The whole trade came down to not chasing the FVG. The deep retrace is exactly why the OB was the entry and the FVG was the trap.\nKey Lesson # A few things worth keeping from today.\nThe FVG is not automatically the entry. When the retrace is deep, the OB is the entry and the FVG is the trap. Target selection decided everything. The run topped at 29,900 and stalled below the Asia High at 29,930.50, so anyone reaching for that level never got filled. The nearest pool was the right pool. This was a thinner setup. Sweep plus BOS plus OB sits right at my minimum confluence, not comfortably past it, so target and risk discipline had to carry it. When the setup is not the cleanest, size down. A thinner read means less certainty, so I cut the risk. Only ever put up what you can afford to lose. One on myself: I went into the open without my levels drawn on the chart. That is the one genuinely missed thing today, and it is the cheap fix. Levels first, always.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"August 10 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-aug-10-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Long from the bullish order block after a sellside sweep and BOS. The FVG was the trap, the OB was the patient entry, targeting the nearest pool at the PDH for 2.2R.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Aug 10, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Short · Size: 5 contracts\nSession: early NY, around 9:57 to 10:10 AM ET\nModel: buyside sweep of session highs, BOS, short into a bearish FVG, target the sellside pool\nResult: ✅ WIN, +99 points, 2.83R, +$990 on $350 risk\nMNQ 1m: BSL sweep of the Asia High, London High, and PDH cluster to 29,821.75, a 1m close below 29,703.5 at 9:57 for the BOS, then a short from the bearish FVG at 29,695 into the sellside pool at 29,596. Draw on Liquidity # The open did the work first. The Asia High 29,619.25, London High 29,669.75, and PDH 29,686.25 were all stacked close together, a buyside cluster begging to be taken. Price ran straight through all three and tagged 29,821.75, a clean BSL sweep. Once that buyside was gone, the draw flipped to the downside, and the target became the sellside pool resting at 29,596.\nThe Setup # Sweep: BSL sweep to 29,821.75, taking the Asia High, London High, and PDH cluster BOS: a 1m candle closed below 29,703.5 at 9:57, confirming the shift down Entry: short on the retrace into the bearish FVG (29,700 to 29,725) at 29,695 Stop: 29,730, just above the FVG, $350 of risk Target: the sellside pool at 29,596 R:R: 35 points risk for 99 points, 2.83R How It Played Out # Straightforward once the sweep and the BOS printed. Price ran the highs, closed below 29,703.5 to break structure, then pulled back into the bearish FVG. I got short at 29,695 with the stop tucked above the gap at 29,730. From there it delivered down into the sellside pool and filled the target at 29,596 around 10:10, right at the near-exact reversal low. 99 points on 5 contracts, +$990 on $350 of risk. No early exit and no rule violations, I held it to the planned level instead of grabbing profit early.\nKey Lesson # The whole trade was mapped before I clicked. Sweep the buyside cluster, wait for the BOS, sell the FVG, target the sellside. When the session highs stack up that tight, taking them is the tell, and the reaction back down is the trade. Plan the levels first, then let price come to the entry.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"August 7 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-aug-07-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Short after a buyside sweep of the Asia, London, and PDH highs, BOS below, selling the bearish FVG into the sellside pool for +$990 at 2.83R.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Aug 07, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Long · Size: 5 contracts\nSession: early NY, around 9:33 to 9:40 AM ET\nModel: sellside sweep of session lows, reclaim with a BOS, FVG entry into the PDL\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +145 points to the PDL, roughly 1:5.8 (about $1,450 on 5 contracts at $2 per point)\nMNQ 1m: SSL sweep of the London Low and overnight low at 9:33, bullish OB and inverted FVG at the lows, BOS close above 29,371 at 9:36, then a long from the FVG 2 entry zone into the PDL at 29,530. Draw on Liquidity # The setup was built around the session levels. Sellside was resting under the London Low at 29,364.75 and the overnight low, and that was the first place price wanted to go. At 9:33 the market drove down and swept it, tagging 29,241 and taking both pools. That sweep was the signal. Once the sellside was taken, the draw flipped to the upside, and the obvious target above was the PDL at 29,530.75, the previous day low sitting overhead as unfinished business.\nThe Setup # Sweep: SSL sweep to 29,241 at 9:33, taking the London Low and the overnight low Reversal: the lows left a bullish order block, an inverted FVG (a bearish FVG flipped at 9:34), and an unfilled FVG 1 BOS: price closed back above 29,371 at 9:36, confirming the shift up Entry: long from the FVG 2 entry zone around 29,380 to 29,400 Stop: below the entry near the London Low, around 29,360, about 25 points of risk Target: the PDL at 29,530.75, then extension toward the London High 29,564 and Asia High 29,678 R:R: about 25 points risk for about 145 points to the PDL, roughly 1:5.8 How It Played Out # Textbook once the sweep printed. Price took the London and overnight sellside, then reclaimed fast and closed above 29,371 to give me the break of structure. I did not chase the low. I waited for the pullback into the FVG 2 zone and got long there with the stop tucked under the London Low. From there it ran clean into the PDL and kept going, pushing up through the London High and into the Asia High later in the session. The 5 contracts made a small point move into a solid dollar day.\nKey Lesson # Mapping the session liquidity ahead of time is what made this easy. I knew where the London and overnight lows were, so when price swept them and reclaimed, the trade was already planned. Sweep, reclaim, buy the FVG, target the level above. Let the market show its hand by taking the liquidity first, then trade the reaction.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"August 6 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-aug-06-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Long after a sellside sweep of the London Low and overnight low, reclaimed with a BOS, buying the FVG entry zone into the PDL.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Aug 06, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Long\nSession: late morning, around 11:30 to 11:45 AM ET\nModel: discount FVG entry after a sellside sweep and BOS\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +305 points to target, roughly 1:6.7\nMNQ 3m: sellside sweep and stacked iFVGs at the lows, BOS up, retrace to the 50 percent equilibrium into a 3M FVG, then long into buyside liquidity at the highs. Draw on Liquidity # The move started with a sellside sweep at the lows, price running the liquidity resting under the session low. Down there it left a stacked 5m iFVG and 3m iFVG, the imbalances that turned the market back up. Off that sweep price put in a break of structure to the upside, which flipped intent bullish. Now the draw was the other side of the range, the buyside liquidity sitting up at the highs around 29,020. The plan was to buy a discount on the pullback and target that buyside.\nThe Setup # Sweep: sellside taken at the lows, with a 5m iFVG and 3m iFVG left behind BOS: break of structure to the upside confirmed the shift Equilibrium: price rallied, then retraced back near the 50% equilibrium of the range (around 28,650) Entry: long off the 3M FVG around 28,717, a discount entry that price respected multiple times before going Stop: 28,672, just below the FVG, about 45 points of risk Target: buyside liquidity at the highs, 29,020 to 29,027 R:R: about 45 points risk for about 305 points, roughly 1:6.7 How It Played Out # This one made me wait. Price rallied off the sweep, then came all the way back down to the equilibrium and sat on the 3M FVG. It tapped the gap more than once and held every time, which was the confirmation I needed. Buying that discount instead of chasing the first move up is what set up the reward. Once it left the FVG it ran clean into the highs and took the buyside liquidity right where I was targeting.\nKey Lesson # Premium and discount is the whole edge here. I swept the lows, shifted structure up, then let price come back to a discount at the FVG before buying, targeting the premium buyside at the highs. Patience for the retrace into equilibrium is what turned 45 points of risk into a move worth six or seven times that. Do not chase, let price come to the discount.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"July 17 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-jul-17-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Long off a discount 3M FVG after a sellside sweep and break of structure, targeting buyside liquidity at the highs.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Jul 17, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Short\nSession: around 10:05 AM ET\nModel: ICT Silver Bullet (10 to 11 AM window), sell side\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +315 points to target, roughly 1:7\nMNQ 2m: BOS to the downside, retrace into the 3m iFVG under the order block, then delivery through the Liq level into sellside at 29,570. Draw on Liquidity # Up at the highs sat a bearish order block around 29,900 to 30,000, the supply I wanted price to react from. The market first put in a break of structure to the downside, breaking below the 29,850 area, which told me intent had flipped bearish. From there the downside draw was clear. There was resting liquidity at the Liq level around 29,700, and below that the deeper sellside pool at the range lows near 29,570. The plan was to fade the retrace back into supply and target that liquidity.\nThe Setup # Order block: bearish OB at the highs (around 29,900 to 30,000) BOS: break of structure to the downside below 29,850 confirmed the shift Entry: short off the 3m inverse FVG around 29,885, right under the order block Stop: 29,930.25, just above the iFVG into the OB, about 45 points of risk Target: sellside liquidity, the Liq level at 29,700 and then the lows at 29,570.50 R:R: about 45 points risk for about 315 points, roughly 1:7 How It Played Out # Price retraced up into the 3m iFVG under the order block and rejected, exactly where I wanted the short to trigger. The delivery was clean. It broke lower, ran the Liq at 29,700, and kept pressing until it filled the sellside draw at 29,570. One trade, one direction, no fighting the move. The order block held as resistance the entire way down.\nKey Lesson # When the order block and the iFVG line up on the same side, the entry gets simple. The break of structure gave me the direction, the imbalance under supply gave me the entry, and the liquidity below gave me the target. Let the three agree before committing, then hold for the draw instead of grabbing the first move.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"July 15 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-jul-15-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Short off a 3m inverse FVG under a bearish order block, running the Liq level and delivering into sellside at the lows.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Jul 15, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Short\nSession: around 10:00 AM ET\nModel: ICT Silver Bullet (10 to 11 AM window), sell side\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +210 points to target, roughly 1:14\nMNQ 3m: price retraced up into the stacked 1m FVG and 3m iFVG under the BPR, rejected, then delivered straight down into sellside liquidity at 29,570. Draw on Liquidity # The 08:30 spike ran price up to about 29,920 and left a BPR (balanced price range) sitting at the highs. That was the premium array I wanted price to trade back into before selling. Below the market, the obvious downside draw was the sellside liquidity resting under the range at the session lows around 29,570. So the plan was simple. Let price rally back into the imbalance up top, then look for the short down into the lows.\nThe Setup # Premium array: BPR at the highs (around 29,900 to 29,920), with a stacked 1m FVG (about 29,800 to 29,820) and 3m iFVG (about 29,780 to 29,800) just under it Entry: short off the 3m inverse FVG around 29,780 as price retraced up into the imbalance Stop: 29,795.25, tucked just above the iFVG, about 15 points of risk Target: sellside liquidity at the range lows, 29,570.50 R:R: about 15 points risk for about 210 points, roughly 1:14 How It Played Out # Price pushed back up into the 1m FVG and 3m iFVG, the imbalance held, and the market rejected right where I wanted it. From there it was one clean leg down. Price broke the range and delivered straight into the sellside at 29,570, filling the target. Because the stop was tucked right above the iFVG, the risk stayed tiny while a normal sized move paid out large.\nKey Lesson # Tightening the stop to the imbalance is where the trade was made. Same 210 point target, but risking 15 points instead of 60 turns a decent short into a great one. That only works when you trust the iFVG to hold, so the entry has to be precise. Wait for price to trade back into the array, then let the imbalance do the work.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"July 14 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-jul-14-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Short off a 3m inverse FVG under the BPR, targeting sellside liquidity at the session lows for a full winner.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Jul 14, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":" The Trade # Instrument: MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100)\nDirection: Long\nSession: roughly 10:40 to 11:00 AM ET\nModel: ICT Silver Bullet (10 to 11 AM window)\nResult: ✅ WIN, about +111 points to target\nMNQ 3m: price swept the NY Low, broke structure, then delivered a long off the 3m inverse FVG straight into the NY Open High draw. Draw on Liquidity # The morning built the whole story before the entry ever showed up. Price sold off out of the 09:30 open, set the NY Low, then pushed just below it. That was a clean sellside liquidity sweep that ran the resting stops under the low. That sweep was the tell. Liquidity got taken, and price snapped back up with a break of structure (BOS) that flipped short term intent bullish. With sellside already engineered and taken, the obvious upside draw was the NY Open High around 29,735.\nThe Setup # Sweep: sellside taken below the NY Low BOS: displacement leg back up confirmed the shift in order flow Entry: retrace into the 3m inverse FVG (around 29,601 to 29,624), long as the gap held as support Stop: below the iFVG (around 29,600) Target: NY Open High at 29,735 (session extended to about 29,752) R:R: about 24 pts risk for about 111 pts to target, roughly 1:4.6 How It Played Out # The gap did its job. After the BOS, price pulled back into the 3m inverse FVG and respected it as support instead of continuing lower. That was exactly the confirmation I wait for. From there it was a fairly clean delivery, higher into the silver bullet window, through the NY Open High, and on to a session high near 29,752. Textbook run from a swept low into a break of structure and then the FVG entry, right in the 10 to 11 AM window where I want to be looking.\nKey Lesson # Let the model come to me. The edge was not predicting the low. It was waiting for the sweep and BOS to confirm, then trusting the inverse FVG entry with the stop tucked under the gap. Patience for the confirmation is what turned a small defined risk into a roughly 1:4.6 winner.\nEducational purposes only. This is my personal analysis, not financial advice. Always do your own research and never risk more than you can afford to lose.\n","date":"July 13 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/trading-recap/mnq-trade-jul-13-2026/","section":"Trading Recaps","summary":"Long off a 3m inverse FVG after a sellside sweep of the NY Low and a break of structure, targeting the NY Open High.","title":"MNQ Futures Trade Recap - Jul 13, 2026","type":"trading-recap"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/authors/","section":"Authors","summary":"","title":"Authors","type":"authors"}]