12d • 📈 Market Review
Lessons Learned From Today’s Trading Session 📉📈 - 8 January 2026
Today was one of those sessions that was good—but could’ve been great. The market gave opportunity, my reads were solid, and I was up nicely early. By the end of the day, though, I knew I had given some back unnecessarily and left more on the table than I should have.
This isn’t about beating myself up. It’s about honestly reviewing what happened and carrying the lessons forward.
Today the Dow and Nasdaq told completely different stories. The Dow was strong and trending higher most of the day, while the Nasdaq was weak early and chopped around before trying to stabilize. Instead of choosing one market and committing to it, I tried to trade both, which split my focus and made execution harder than it needed to be.
Lesson: When markets are moving in opposite directions, focus wins. Pick one and trade it well.
The frustrating part is that my early trades were clean. I read Nasdaq weakness correctly, took a solid short near VWAP, managed risk well, and exited properly. The Dow trades early on were also structured and mechanical.
Lesson: My process works when I stick to it.
After building up about $1,100 in profits, things started to slip. I didn’t suddenly do anything reckless—instead, I began taking small, “harmless” trades. Those losses didn’t feel significant in the moment, but they added up quickly, and before I realized it, I had given back close to 60% of the gains.
Lesson: Overtrading often feels comfortable, not dangerous.
One of the biggest takeaways today was emotional. I’ve gotten better at managing frustration, but I underestimated how much positive emotion can affect discipline. Feeling confident and euphoric lowered my patience, and I stopped waiting for my best setups.
Lesson: Positive emotion is still emotion—and it needs to be managed.
There was one Nasdaq trade in particular that I should have held. The entry was nearly perfect, the market confirmed immediately, and structure supported continuation. I exited early because I didn’t trust the move, capturing only a fraction of what was available.
Lesson: When the entry is elite and structure holds, I have to let the trade work.
Another mistake was not having clear rules once I hit a strong profit level. At +$1,100, I should have either stopped trading or significantly slowed down and waited only for A+ setups. Instead, I kept trading as my focus faded.
Lesson: Big green days require stricter rules, not looser ones.
I also noticed that my sharpest focus was in the first 30 minutes of the session. After that, my attention drifted, and my decision-making became less intentional.
Lesson: If focus drops, pause. Don’t force trades.
Even with the profit giveback, today wasn’t a bad trading day. Price action was read correctly, entries were strong, risk was controlled, and stops were respected. The problems came from overtrading, impatience, and emotional drift—not a broken strategy.
That’s fixable, and that’s progress.
Tomorrow’s goal is simple: trade less, hold winners longer, and protect green days. 💚
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Lessons Learned From Today’s Trading Session 📉📈 - 8 January 2026
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