ES & MES Futures Trade Plan #390

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

What is a Strong Level in the Battle Plan?

A: A Strong Level is a price on the ES chart where buyers or sellers have defended before… and are likely to defend again. Sometimes it is a single price, like 7,745.00. Sometimes it is a Strong Range, like 7,715.50 to 7,712.25. I use them two ways. First, as entry locations. Second, as protection layers behind my stop. If you do not use TradingView, hand draw this week’s Strong Levels on your charting platform and let price come to them.

What is the Bull Bear line and why is it generous this week?

A: The Bull Bear line is the price that decides who is in control. Above it, the bulls have the ball. Below it, the bears take over. This week I am giving the bulls the benefit of the doubt and drawing it low. Battle Plan 1 is a minor pullback to that line where the bulls reclaim the Strong Levels above it. If the bulls are real, that pullback should be as low as we go.

What is Core Strategy?

A: Core Strategy is our advanced scalping system, available to Full Members. After a big gap up like this week, price does not give you clean pullbacks to the Battle Plan levels… so scalping is the only way to trade it. The entries are specific patterns on the 3 minute chart. This week, a 3M FS gave 20 points and a 3M BS gave 14 points. Both were plain as day and easy to identify. That said, it was CPI after a near 100 point move, so I would have sat those out.

What is the Expected Range and how does FOMC change it?

A: The Expected Range is the weekly move the options market is pricing in. We take the SPX at the money straddle and apply it to ES. This week it is about 98 points in either direction from 7,666.75… a low near 7,568 and a high near 7,765. Battle Plan 4 is built on the top of that range against a previous range we once traded. Now the catch. FOMC is Tuesday and CME FedWatch has the rate hike at 86% likelihood. If the hike lands, we could blow far past 98 points. Respect the range… but do not marry it.

How do I hold runners longer?

A: A runner is the part of a winning position you leave on after taking profit on the rest. Holding one through the RTH close into the electronic hours takes a plan. I want two or three protection layers defending my stop… or I want to be up at least 30 points, better yet 50. A narrative helps too, like a high risk of short covering. Thursday’s 93 point runner came from trade location, conviction, and enough embedded profit to weather the storm. If your prop firm or margin rules force you flat at the close, no problem. Close it and re-open in the electronic session. There is nothing wrong with that.

MICROS TRADER BASICS

The Leverage Matrix

The Leverage Matrix is Micros Trader’s proprietary risk management framework, taught inside the Core Strategy Academy. It defines a trader’s position sizing, stop placement, and daily loss limits before they are ever under the pressure of a live trade.

It is designed to be simple, scalable, and locked in before you are intoxicated with the excitement of trading. Members who complete the Leverage Matrix module know their risk on every trade before the market opens.

Related lesson: Position Sizing in the Trading Library

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