Despite large number different futures contracts, not all of them are characterized by the same parameters of liquidity and trading volumes. An important aspect of trading the futures market is liquidity, especially for day traders. Avoid trading a futures contract where insufficient liquidity results in wide spreads or poor execution trade orders. To achieve sustainable and consistent profits, futures traders should prefer liquid futures contracts.

Trading highly liquid futures contracts will make your day trading more efficient, and liquidity will also have a mitigating effect in case of unexpected market volatility, as for price movement a highly liquid futures contract will require much more volume than a contract characterized by “thin” liquidity.

Below is a list of the 9 most liquid futures that you can trade comfortably. This nine consists of contracts traded on the CME, one of the largest and most popular futures exchanges. Thus, from this list you can select futures suitable for both intraday and swing trading.

1. S&P500 E-mini (ES) The daily trading volume of S&P500 E-mini futures is about 1.6 million contracts. Without a doubt, the S&P500 E-mini futures contract is at the top of our list. Factors that contribute to the attractiveness of a given contract for trading include small amount intraday guarantee coverage and low price step cost. It should be remembered that the underlying asset of the S&P500 E-mini futures is the S&P500 stock index, an important indicator reflecting the state of the US economy.

Almost 24/7 trading in S&P500 E-mini futures provides the ability to trade this index future from anywhere in the world. The small cost of a price step allows day traders to more effectively control their risk with a relatively small capitalization. S&P500 E-mini futures are highly liquid and have quarterly expiration. Despite the presence of a standard “large” S&P500 futures contract, speculators and hedge funds have long preferred the “emini” contract due to its high liquidity and softer trade requirements. For novice traders, the emini S&P500 futures contract will be the right choice.

In addition, the S&P500 E-mini futures contract is also known for its so-called “technicality”, expressed in sustained trend movements, and a large number of trading strategies that can be developed based on technical analysis specifically for trading S&P500 E-mini futures contracts.

2. 10-year treasury bonds (ZN) It is not surprising that 10-year Treasury futures rank second among the 9 most liquid futures contracts. These bonds have a comfortable maturity of 10 years. Having such a not too short circulation period, these bonds are not affected by short-term interest rates, and at the same time, this period, being not too long, allows you to avoid the influence of market forces affecting instruments with a longer maturity period, for example, 30 years.

10-year Treasury futures reflect prices in the spot market for the underlying 10-year Treasury note issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Traders trading 10-year bond futures have the opportunity to play interest rates by making both short and long trades. A significant difference between the underlying spot market and the futures market, in this case, is the settlement nature of the futures contract, and physical delivery of 10-year bonds is not provided.

While interest rates are an attractive target for speculative trading, traders with open positions in the spot market for the underlying asset can use Treasury futures contracts to hedge their exposure. 10-year Treasury futures do not require much margin for swing trading, and the amount of intraday margin is also small. Along with e-mini futures contracts, debt market futures derivatives in the form of the 10-Year Treasury Bond futures contract offer traders a balance and blend of the equity and debt markets.

3. Crude oil (CL) Crude oil futures rank third among the most liquid futures contracts, and first among commodity futures contracts. Crude oil futures are traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), part of the CME Group, and reflect the price of the underlying asset, light sweet crude oil, abbreviated “CL.” It should be noted that another futures exchange, namely ICE futures, also offers crude oil futures contracts, however these must be distinguished from “CL” crude oil futures contracts, which are traded only on the CME Group exchange.

With an average daily trading volume of over one million contracts, crude oil futures represent a highly interesting tool for trade. Due to its large amplitude, and fundamental factors constantly changing over a short period of time, the price volatility of the crude oil futures contract is one of the attractive factors of this market for traders.

Crude oil futures contracts have a monthly expiration, and the need to move trades into the contract for each subsequent month makes crude oil futures traders very active market participants. The ability to instantly execute long or short trades makes it easy to conduct speculative trading in crude oil. Every week a report is released on US crude oil inventories, which has a significant impact on the price of oil.

4. 5-year Treasury bonds (ZF) Debt market participants may find an attractive alternative to 10-year Treasury futures in the form of 5-year Treasury notes. Although the preference for trading between these two types of futures is debatable, 5-year Treasury bond futures are an ideal trading instrument both for short-term speculators and professional market participants with open positions on the spot market of the underlying asset. Futures contracts on 5-year Treasury notes also represent attractive tool for trading due to its high liquidity.

The monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve has greater influence on the price of 5-year Treasury futures, which is generally typical for short-term interest rates and short-maturity Treasury instruments. 5-year Treasury futures are traded on the Chicago Board of Options Trade (CBOT) and are standard futures. The 5-year Treasury bond futures contract has a par value of $100,000, a contract period of one quarter, and trading occurs almost 24 hours a day.

5. 2-Year Treasury Notes (ZT) 2-year Treasury bonds are short-term in nature, outperforming only interest rate futures. federal funds for 30 days. Due to this circumstance, current statistical data on the state of the economy and the results of monthly meetings on issues monetary policy The US Federal Reserve has a significant influence on these futures. The underlying asset of this type of futures contract is 2-year Treasury bonds. ZT futures are traded on the CBOT exchange, part of the CME group. It ranks third among the three interest rate derivatives in the top ten instruments with the highest trading volume and liquidity.

It's understandable why 2-year Treasury futures contracts are so popular, along with 5-year and 10-year bonds. This type contract has a quarterly expiration with the transition to new contract in March, June, September and December, the par value of the underlying asset under this contract is $200,000, the minimum price step is 0.0078125, with a step cost of $15.625.

But still I’m here and even writing a note on my blog.

Last year, during the summer months, I began to seriously think about starting a new stage in my career as a private trader.

Questions related to trading sat in my head and they haunted me in the hot summer months, precisely during the period when I was on vacation in Sochi and it seemed like I had to think about the sun, sea, beach, girls ... ah (just kidding), etc.

Questions:

1. I’ve been trading on FORTS for several years now, maybe it’s time to try something different (foreign trading platforms, such as CME, NYSe...)?
2. What advantages do Western exchanges provide, and do they provide them in principle?
3. Will there be any problems with calculating and paying taxes on foreign currency income?
4. What trading scheme should I use: prop trading (for example through UT) or through a licensed foreign broker?

Returning home to Yekaterinburg in August 2016, I decided to practice trading futures on the CME through UT, participating in a finderby organized by them for a fee. Traded SP futures, gold futures, euro-dollar, oil.

After a couple of months of training, I was ready to try trading using the prop trading system, but it did not suit me for a number of reasons (their presentation is not the essence of this writing and therefore I will skip them).

I realized that I, as a self-confident and independent person, need to work on the CME market directly through an appropriate legal broker who has a license and with favorable conditions for me (low commissions, ensuring the safety of my capital, etc.).

For myself, I have identified the following advantages of trading on the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange).

1. Almost 24/7 trading time, with the exception of the time period at 01:00 (currently from 00:00 to 01:00 Moscow time) and with the exception of trading on weekends. This is very important for me, because I conduct positional trading with stop losses, which I sometimes hold for several days, since the risk of running into a gap and price jumping is much lower.

2. High liquidity on large contracts (mini and micro futures do not count!!!). Liquidity cannot and is not correctly compared with FORTS futures since the collateral (collateral) on CME is in dollars, and not in rubles as on FORTS.

For example, gold futures on the CME range from $4,300 to $6,000 (I speak in my own way) personal experience), on Forts GO for gold will be 7000-9000 rubles!!! approximate. Therefore, when you see a “pin” or “puncture” on the gold chart on FORTS, it does not mean that you will see it on the chart of the same metal on the CME. If you now open the charts for the months of June-July and compare them, then you will understand me. For traders conducting positional trading with stops, this is very important, since the minimum probability of stops being triggered on “punctures” is important to us.

3. The range and variety of futures contracts on CME is much higher. I got acquainted with trading wheat futures, bonds and which are not even mentioned on FORTS.

4. The presence of mini and micro contracts on CME is a big plus as it helps to increase trading efficiency.

For example, at my broker (I deliberately do not indicate which one) the micro-contract for MGC gold is $434 for overnight transfer and $250 for intraday trading, 1 tick equals 1 dollar. For example, taking a $30 move in gold from 1220 to 1250 you could make $300 from just one MGC contract. On Forts, to earn 50% on 1 gold contract, you need to take a movement of more than $40.
Trading 1 gold futures (GO $4,500) is much easier, in my opinion, than trading 50 GOLD futures on FORTS, and even with limited time trades, right?

5. The problem of broker reliability will be significantly reduced if you find an American broker who is licensed and listed as a broker on the CME exchange website.

6. There should be no problems with taxation. A declaration of income in foreign currency is submitted once a year. tax office at place of residence (permanent registration).

7.Lack currency risk. Yours working capital are in dollars, not rubles.

Among the disadvantages of trading on the CME, I can note a higher entry threshold for capital. With a capital of less than $1,000 - $1,500, you shouldn’t bother, in my opinion.

An amount of 1000 - 1500 is certainly not enough for trading standard futures, but it is quite suitable for working with micro futures (euro-dollar, gold - they are quite liquid) and some liquid mini contracts: natgas, oil).

For active intraday trading from microfutures, only the euro-dollar (M6E) is suitable due to good liquidity, as well as a mini contract for oil - (QM).
Micro gold contract (MGC) is more suitable for positional trading.

Attention!!!

I am ready to consider options for mutually beneficial cooperation with an investment partner who wish to invest their funds in the CME futures market and receive income in foreign currency!!!

I ask all persons interested in cooperation to write to me in a personal message.

I can note about myself - I have a higher legal education from a prestigious Russian university and I am quite soberly aware of my civic responsibility.

Experience in the Russian futures and options market (FORTS) since 2009 (before that I only traded shares on the MICEX).

I have been trading on the CME since the fall of 2016.

That's all I have for now!

Sincerely, Kuzmin Vadim Vladimirovich

In 2007, the CME GROUP was created through the merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. The group's headquarters are located in the center of Chicago (Chicago Loop).

The CME GROUP includes: Chicago commodity exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange. Trading is carried out both on the traditional platforms of the above exchanges and online in the GLOBEX system.

CME GROUP is the owner of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a number of financial indices. Trading is carried out in futures and options based on interest rates, stock indices, foreign currency, energy resources, agricultural commodities, metals, weather indices and real estate.

Commodity Exchange (Chicago Mercantile Exchange/CME)

In the world, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is recognized as one of the largest and most famous commodity exchanges and the most diversified. The trading volume on it currently amounts to more than 500 million contracts (on Globex - just over 320 million). The Chicago Mercantile Exchange opened in 1898. It was originally called The Chicago Butter and Egg Board, and its members and participants traded agricultural futures contracts.

In the 60s of the 20th century, futures for cattle (live) and frozen pork were added to the list of products. CME was one of the first in the world to begin trading these products.

In the 70s, trading in world currency futures began, and in 1982, the exchange opened trading in the most famous US futures – the S&P 500.

Subsequently, 1992 became the time of creation at CME Globex - the first global electronic trading platform. The exchange trades numerous financial products. Of these, the most famous are:

• Interest rates.
• NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 indices and mini-contracts on them.
• Currency futures.
• Commodity futures for cattle, pork, timber.

Globex trades the most popular contracts on the CME 5 days a week, 23 hours a day.

Also available are e-mini - electronic mini-contracts, the difference from regular transactions is that they have a lower denomination. Thanks to this, it is allowed to trade on the exchange with smaller investment amounts.

New York Mercantile Exchange/NYMEX

Currently, NYMEX is the world's largest center for trading energy resources and metals.

The exchange was founded in 1872 with the aim of standardizing the terms of contracts and organizing a civilized market for commodity products in New York.

Created and operating on NYMEX electronic version, which provides access to trading to small investors and traders.

The NYMEX exchange has three divisions:

1. Commodity Exchange or COMEX, it represents the metals market, from gold to aluminum;
2. NYMEX, it is represented by energy markets, from oil to electricity, and also palladium and platinum;
3. NYMEX miNY, it is a market where mini contracts are executed

The vast majority of investors look primarily at stock exchanges. Of course, working with shares is interesting, and most importantly profitable, and besides, each of us is superficially familiar with leading issuers.

However, such trading requires fundamental preparation. Naturally, collecting and processing information takes up an unusually large amount of free time. This aspect is perhaps one of the most significant shortcomings of the securities market.

For some reason, many people believe that they can select several volatile stocks in one sitting and trade them every day. We hasten to disappoint you, this will not happen. Indeed sometimes securities will show proper dynamics, but sometimes their quotes will just stand still.

As a result, trade intensity remains in limbo. Working according to a scenario in which there is no systematic approach is absolutely the same as simply throwing money out the window. Therefore, you have two options: constantly prepare again or choose another financial instrument.

In fact, it is impossible to work with absolutely everyone financial instruments, because if you are constantly torn, you will never make money in the end. Each asset and instrument has its own characteristic features, price levels, if you know them, you will be able to earn money without much difficulty. This is a fact. Ideally, you should have information on 2-3 instruments, no more is required.

The futures market is a healthy alternative stock exchanges. This platform trades many different contracts, each of which corresponds to a specific trading style. For example, the S&P contract is extremely popular. With its help, you can really make good money within one trading operation.

However, if you prefer more volatile instruments, then it is still better to give preference to gold futures, as it is more consistent with your interests. This means that trading will be much easier.

Thus, several advantages can be identified at once futures contracts:

• If you have researched and selected a specific futures, you can trade it any day. There will always be movements, therefore, there are also maneuvers for concluding trading transactions.
• Futures are a derivative instrument; based on this, if there is good volatility in other markets, then it will also be present on this site.
• No need for lengthy preparation. Of course, you need to prepare, but this stage will not take too much of your time.

Features of preparation for the trading process

Today it is fashionable to work exclusively with indicators. It is very important that the chart has a dozen different tools that do absolutely all the work for you. In fact, this is not the only forecasting method.

By by and large To determine the entry and exit points of a transaction, it is enough to use only two charts - cost and volume. At the same time, the price chart is of primary importance in this case. Thus, doing without additional tools is not so difficult.

Features of trading without additional tools

To accurately enter a trade, an investor should learn to understand the value distribution zones. What are they? By and large, we are talking about certain areas where the separation of bulls and bears is carried out. Accordingly, you can create a really good forecast with minimal error.

Pay attention to the screenshot above, which displays quotes for one of the European futures. As you can see, there was the most accurate trading operation here; the jewelry entry is worth special mention. All this became possible thanks to the correct determination of price distribution zones.

A similar situation is observed for other assets, for example, a transaction for futures contract S&P:

It should be noted that if you understand the distribution of sellers and buyers, then in this case you can easily catch a falling knife. Because you will know for sure exactly where to catch it. In general, everything is very simple.

Entering a trading operation with an accuracy of just a few ticks is a huge advantage over other players, which in the final score will allow you to successfully complete the transaction. Such operations are characterized by an excellent risk/reward ratio, it is calculated as follows: 1:5, 1:10, etc. In this case, the shortest stop is set.

The size of the stop order, of course, depends on many factors: asset, time scale, entry accuracy, etc. However, in practice it has been proven that the size of the largest stop on a watch is only 15 ticks. Naturally, this is a very good result.

What determines the accuracy of entering a trading operation? First of all, you need to outline the support and resistance levels. If you do this properly, you will enter into a profitable trade without any difficulty.

It is best to start studying the chart with an hourly clock, and then gradually move on to less significant scales. You should look at the daily chart several times a week to understand where the global trend is heading.

Which schedule do you prefer? The most profitable option will be a minute interval. But at the same time, you must understand that the work will be exhausting, in fact, this is the same scalping. Therefore, it is better to choose a 5 or 15 minute chart, which will also provide adequate profit and significantly simplify trading.

It is absolutely not necessary to artificially increase the intensity of trade to incredible limits. On the contrary, it is better to make only a few targeted trades during one working day. This way you will earn money and not get tired.

Guys, hello everyone! The title makes it clear that this post will be about the CME market, not so much about the market as about the UT Challenge CME WB competition and how I tried to pass it. Of course, this is something new for me, since I am a trader of the Russian FORTS market, where I know everything inside and out and I feel like a “fish in water”, having several real trading accounts. What made me want to start trading CME? The thing is that the Russian market has fallen into a protracted flat (consolidation = sideways movement) from which it is not a rewarding task to make money.

For greater clarity, on the daily chart presented below, I showed 2 time intervals of the Si instrument: the first lasted from March 16, 2016 to April 11, 2016 (almost a month!), the second, having brought down all hopes for great earnings, lasted from April 12, 2016 - June 8, 2016 (2 more months).

Rice. 1. Daily chart Si

As you can see, the instrument has been moving sideways for almost 3 months in a row, and due to the fact that RTS correlates with Si or vice versa, we see a similar movement in the RTS index futures. And guess what? There is nothing good about this. Boring and difficult trading. On June 8, Si hit the bottom and, anticipating a grandiose movement, I made a little money on this (somewhere a little more than 5 to 1),

Rice. 2. Real trade 5 to 1

but as you can see (in the first picture), the price subsequently returned to the boundaries of the previous consolidation, burying hopes for excellent trading. Of course, you can and should make money on a sideways market, but what trader doesn’t like trends?) I really do! At such moments, money is earned easily and not under pressure) That is why I made the decision: to temporarily suspend trading on FORTS until the instruments come out of consolidation and focus my attention on another market. Of course, the closest one to me is CME, although I have never traded it and know little about it. Well, if there are guys like me, then let's figure it out and try!

Market Information

Before rushing headlong into battle, I began collecting information about the market. And this is what I managed to find on Wikipedia:

CME Group Inc. (Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group) - largest North American market financial derivatives , built by combining leading exchanges Chicago AndNew York . The group was formed in 2007 by mergerChicago Mercantile Exchange AndChicago Chamber of Commerce . The organization's headquarters is located in downtown Chicago ( Chicago Loop ). Currently the group includes: Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange . Trading is carried out both on the traditional platforms of the above exchanges and online. The group is the owner of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a number of financial indices. Trade is carried out futures Andoptions based oninterest rates , stock indices , foreign currency , energy resources, agricultural products, metals , weather indices and real estate. On average, 12.2 million transactions are made per day (data for 2010).

Well, everything is clear with this, let's move on! Next, you need to figure out “What to trade?” In the UT Challenge CME competition, if you click on the buttonView Tickers in the Derby platform The following tools are presented:

Rice. 3. CME tickers in UT Challenge

As you can see, the list is quite impressive and the first thing that catches your eye is, of course, the ticker symbols, because some of them are duplicated. Why? And what do the letters stand for? Which one to choose for trading?

Let's look at the example of Gold -Gold GC/16M

G.C.- as you can guess, this is the ticker symbol of the instrument or as it is said onofficial website Product Code.

/ - separator.

16 - expiration year

M- expiration month

In international practice, the following letter codes are used to designate execution months for futures:

Thus we understand thatM -This is the June futures. But we also have access to futuresGC/16Q.Which one should you choose? This is quite easy to do. You need to trade the most liquid futures. This can be determined by the characteristics of the graph: the graph should be smooth, without pronounced breaks. If the futures charts are identical, then the site can come to the rescue BarChart.com. Where, finding a complete list gold futures, we choose the one with the largest Volume.

Rice. 4. Table of futures currently trading

In our case it isGCQ16.Moreover, all these manipulations can be simplified to the idea that the most actively traded futures is the one whose execution date occurs 1-2 months from the current date.

You can apply similar actions yourself for the remaining futures and deepen your knowledge of this issue. I’m moving on to the practical side of the issue, a report on completed transactions in the UT Challenge CME WB competition.

UT Challenge CME WB dated May 31, 2016.

Since I have knowledge in the field of trading, I have a trading strategy tailored to the Russian market. I didn’t invent anything, since the principles underlying it are reasonable and, in my opinion, are suitable for any market. So to speak, the strategy is universal) The only thing that remained in question was the size of the stop, because if you apply the same stop as for Russia, then you can fly out immediately on the first day. Therefore, if among those reading this post there are professional CME traders, then I ask you to answer in the comments under the article “what stop size do you use?” My idea was as follows. We are given a volume of $50,000, a daily stop of $300 and a maximum stop of $600. It turns out 2 days at -$300 and “goodbye.” Let's adjust the conditions to Russian market. We divide $600 into 5 trading days with 2 entries and get 60$ (excluding commission, which by the way is $2.5 for entry and $2.5 for exit. Total is $5) for 1 trade. It’s terribly small, but it was with this idea that I started trading.

Earlier in my article I focused onalgorithm for passing the UT Challenge , so we start with a set of days in “+”.

Day 1

Entry into the market from a local level following the trend. When the day reaches “+” exit. At the same time, I began to keep records of the maximum stop that was involved in the trade. This trade would have worked with a smaller stop of $30. This is 1 day in “+”.

Rice. 5. 1 Day

Day 2

Looking through the charts, I discovered an excellent level. The price pushed through the level and I went short. In this trade, the stop was at $60, but the maximum price reached -$25. Exit the market when the day reaches “+”.

Rice. 5. 2 Day

Day 3

The success of the previous days gave me confidence. While flipping through the charts I saw an excellent level from which I decided to enter for a breakout. But he immediately suffered a loss. How much each time I traded new tool, I thought that for this instrument the stop should be a little larger. Having increased the stop by two, I re-entered the long position, but the price returned below the level, throwing me off, and I reached the maximum planned loss for the day. Doubts about the size of the stop never left me, therefore, considering that if the instrument does not want to grow and we are below the level, I can sell short, taking a short pause, and that’s what I did. But discipline took over and I forced myself to cover myself. The result is a loss of -$185.

Rice. 5. 3 Day

Day 4

I decided that breakouts would be most suitable for me to gain days in “+”, because the stop from previous days allowed me to earn a day in “+” while risking little. So, having found another opportunity, I took a breakout in oil. The desire to hold the position longer was huge, but the day in “+” was more important, so it was covered upon reaching the day in “+” and this is the 3rd day in “+”.

Rice. 5. 4 Day

Due to the fact that the week was short (only 4 days), in the end I had the following result: +7.5$ on the account and 3 days in “+”, despite the fact that this is my first time participating in this competition. As you can see, there are 2 candidates for departure and 2 who depart upon reaching the maximum landing. In my opinion, it is quite reckless to conduct aggressive trading from the first days of the competition, but I already wrote about this in the algorithm, and of course I do not impose such an approach on anyone)

Rice. 6. Results of the first week

Day 5

The thought of trying to trade ES/16M with a short stop did not leave me, so on Monday I started trading with ES.

1 - entry to breakout of the current day high with a short stop. It knocked out instantly.

2 - limit entry, excellent entry, but again the stop size was not enough. I thought that the stop should be a little larger.

3 - entry to the breakout of a new day high. And this is where my short stop fits in! The maximum in the trade was +$100, but considering that with this trade I only covered the loss and did not reach the “+” day, I did not take profits. This is the same case when, as a result, you still catch a loss) The price turned around and blew away my stop.

As a result, I finished trading with a loss of -$165

Rice. 6. 5 Day

Day 6

I didn't bother with this ES anymore. There are catastrophically not enough days in “+” and it was necessary to continue gaining them at least until 6. Therefore, I found HG with an excellent, clear level, which I successfully sampled. The stop was short, and I didn’t see any loss in this trade at all. This means that taking a breakout with a short stop is absolutely reasonable, except for ES, of course)

Total: 4 days in “+”

Rice. 6. 6 Day

Day 7

This week I should enter a profit retention trade. Flipping through the charts, I saw that gold was near the highest level. So I entered the breakout. But I didn’t have time to put a stop and, as it turned out later, it was correct. With a short stop I would have been blown away. The maximum price fell to -$80, so my stop was set at -$100. Gold did what I expected from it, flying into space and giving a profit of about +$350 on the account. But then the price came up new level. The risk of an unexpected reversal is always present, so I decided to cover and, if the movement continues, enter a breakout along the trend. That's what I did. As a result, at the end of the day the profit was +$710. And of course, I began to self-flagellate) Having looked at the end of the day how much gold had passed that day, I realized that I left early! And he could earn about $1,500 by fulfilling the terms of the profit competition.

Result: +710$ and 5th day in “+”

Rice. 6. 7 Day

Day 8

Inspired by yesterday's profit, I decided that the most optimal stop in a trade is $120 per trade, and this is what such conclusions lead to. 2 entries at a loss + a small slippage and I was very close to the daily limit, trying to take a breakout on NG.

Rice. 6. 8 Day

Day 9

I decided that after such a huge loss I need to start gaining days in “+” again. This stabilizes the emotional state. In addition, on this day in Russia, oil provided an excellent entry point and we took it in a chat with the guys. I made 2 identical trades, one on FORTS and one on CME. Here I stupidly took the day in “+”.

Rice. 6. 9 Day

With this, week 2 of the competition has come to an end and these are the results I had. 6 days in “+” and $435 in profit and at the same time there are 2 weeks left until the end of the competition! This is more than a great result for me. The third week is a week of aggressive trading and I am in the mood to trade big.

Rice. 7. Results of the second week

Day 10

On this day, the bet was placed on gold. Having increased the stop size to $100 per trade, I made 2 trades on gold and suffered a loss of -$200! A long pause and a smoke break in trading allowed us to find an excellent level for NG. In the event of a breakdown, the profit would more than cover the losses from gold. Besides, it’s week three and we need to trade. The only thing is that at this moment I could not afford a stop of more than $70. NG breaks through the level and I went long with him, but the seller turned out to be stronger and I was blown away.

Total -280$

Rice. 7. 10 Day

Day 11

And this day became fatal for me. The chances of passing the competition are excellent. A methodical search for formations and movements in the market allows you to make money, but still, after 11 days, there is no clear understanding of which stop to use. In some instruments, a short stop works great, but in some, of course, $60 is very little.

Having increased the CL stop to $100, I made 2 breakout trades. As a result, I received a loss of -$220. But I had no intention of giving up. I decided that I had never tried to enter the market with a limit order, but this provides a minimum stop and the best entry point. I chose NG for the trade. Having determined the level, I placed a buy order with a stop of -$60, so the maximum loss should have been -$280. Of course, slippage is possible and $20, in my opinion, was more than enough. I didn’t see the point in sitting in front of the computer and waiting, so I didn’t watch the market. But when the water came back, “Oh horror!” I saw that I had exceeded the daily loss limit and was disqualified.

How did this happen? The price really turned out to be where I expected it. My limit actually worked at 2.551, but the set stop, instead of 2.545, worked at 2.536, almost at the very bottom! Causing me a loss of -$90! So much for slippage! It’s a pity, but for the first time I think it’s more than normal!

Rice. 7. 11 Day

Results

To summarize, I would like to note the following points:

1. Passing the competition is more than possible. There are both movements and excellent trading opportunities in the market.
2. Technical analysis works in any market and it's good that part of my trading strategy turns it on.
3. It is certainly a pity that CME does not allow positions to be carried over overnight (as stated in the competition conditions), since gold could have been held throughout the week, thereby setting a new WB record. But this is definitely fantasy)
4. The breakout works great with a short stop.
5. You should not enter the limit on the rebound if this is the last trade and there is a possibility of hitting the daily limit. Although who knew that the stop would work with such slippage)

Questions for readers:

1. Guys, what stop do you use when trading CME?
2. Did I understand correctly that in CME you cannot transfer positions overnight and you can be disqualified for this? (It’s great that you can do this in Russia)
3. Share your experience in the comments to the article.

I will definitely try again! It won’t be possible to publish a report on transactions every day, and there’s no point in doing so, but summing up the results with detailed analysis I will try) Thank you for your attention and don’t forget to click on the “thumbs up”)

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