Coding Trades

 Hey everyone, It's been a week of reflection and some important re-calibrations on my trading journey. You know how it goes – sometimes you make a decision with good intentions, and then, with more knowledge and perspective, you realize it might not be the best path forward right now . That's exactly what happened with a trading contest I recently signed up for. The Contest: A Good Idea... Eventually I initially thought signing up for a trading contest would be a great way to test my mettle, push myself, and get some real-time practice. After all, the competitive element can be a strong motivator. I discovered this particular contest through The 5%ers , a prop firm that has quickly become a favourite in my research, especially with recommendations from members of The Trading Cafe community. However, after a lot of thought and reviewing my recent progress, I've come to a clear conclusion: it was a terrible idea to sign up for a contest right now. And with that realization,...

 Hey everyone, It's been a really productive period on the learning front, and I'm feeling a significant shift in my focus and confidence! I've been pushing hard to solidify my foundational knowledge, and I'm excited to share some major updates. "The Boring Shit" is Done! First off, I'm thrilled to announce that I've completed "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich" course! This course from The Trading Cafe, despite its cheeky name, has been an absolute game-changer. It hammered home the non-negotiable importance of trading psychology, robust risk management, and disciplined learning. It provided so much clarity on managing emotions, setting realistic expectations, and building effective study habits – all the stuff that truly underpins success in trading, regardless of the strategy or automation level. Finishing this feels like a major step forward in building a truly resilient trading mindset. TradingView Mastered (for now!) On the practical...

 Hey everyone, Life's shifted gears again! After a period of more flexible learning, I'm officially back at work , and alongside that, I've got university assignments due . It's a familiar feeling for many of us trying to build something new (like an algo trading skill set) while balancing existing commitments. The sudden increase in demands means my time is now a far more precious commodity. It's no longer just about deciding what to learn; it's about figuring out when and how to squeeze it all in without burning out. Enter: The Bullet Journal This is exactly why I've finally taken the plunge and started bullet journaling! I've been eyeing this method for a while, and now seems like the perfect time to give it a real shot. My primary goal is to increase my time management and productivity by getting everything out of my head and onto paper in a structured, yet flexible, way. For those unfamiliar, a bullet journal is a customisable organisational sys...

 Hey everyone, It's easy to get caught up in the technical rabbit hole of algo trading – the code, the backtesting, the deployment challenges. But lately, I've been focusing on something far more fundamental, something that I'm quickly realizing is absolutely critical for long-term success, whether you're trading manually or building bots: trading psychology and the art of effective learning. And for that, I've been diving into a course from The Trading Cafe that truly lives up to its name: "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich." Embracing "The Boring Shit" When I first saw the title, I chuckled. "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich." But honestly, it's such an apt description. This course isn't about flashy indicators or secret strategies. It's about the foundational principles of discipline, mindset, risk management, and the often-overlooked mechanics of how we truly learn and integrate complex information. It's been in...

 Hey everyone, After the recent, shall we say, "humbling" experience with my news straddle strategy's backtesting (ouch, those 10-pip losses!), I've had to take a serious step back and re-evaluate my entire approach. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of "algo" and "bots," but sometimes, the best path forward is to slow down and deepen your fundamental understanding. And that's exactly what I'm doing. Back to Basics: Alex Morris's Supply & Demand Strategy I've decided to shift my primary focus for now. Instead of immediately trying to fix my news straddle algo, I'm dedicating my effort to learning the components of Alex Morris's Supply and Demand strategy from The Trading Cafe . This isn't abandoning algorithmic trading, but rather taking a strategic detour. The "Six Figure From Scratch" book and the accompanying chapter readings have been incredibly insightful, and I'm realizing the impor...

 Hey everyone, Just wanted to check in and let you know: I'm still here! Lol. After the sobering, albeit necessary, reality check of my news straddle strategy's recent backtesting performance (or lack thereof!), you might have expected me to throw in the towel. But nope, that's not how we roll on this algo trading journey. If anything, those clear, undeniable losses have only intensified my resolve. It's frustrating, yes, but it's also incredibly motivating to figure out why it's not working and how to fix it. Back to the Drawing Board: News Straddle Re-Evaluation So, my primary focus remains the re-evaluation of my news straddle strategy . As I mentioned, the manual backtesting revealed a painful consistency in hitting stops. This means I need to go deeper than just tweaking parameters. I'm looking at fundamental questions: Are my entry conditions too broad or too precise? Is the 10-pip loss simply too tight for the post-news volatility? Am I missing ...