Hey everyone, Ross Cameron here! Today was one of those slow trading days where it was easy to set my expectations nice and low. Fridays can be a bit unpredictable, and it’s important to stay grounded when that’s the case. While I didn’t hit my daily target today, I locked in a decent green day just under my goal, and that’s a win in my book. So, let’s dive into how the trades stacked up and what lessons I took away from today.

Summary of Today’s Trading Activity

To start things off, I came in ready for a slower day, and after checking the gap scanner this morning, I knew we weren’t looking at anything explosive. I noticed a top stock that had popped up 150%, but after digging into the chart, it became clear that the clean part of the move happened after hours, starting around 4 p.m. the day before. By the time I saw it this morning, the stock had already pulled back and was on the backside of the move. Choppy trading is not my thing when I can avoid it, so I looked past that one.

Then, the second leading gapper was only up 20%. With a smaller bump and less excitement, the expectations for the day were clearly set — and it was looking like a slow grind ahead.

Pre-Market Observations

When I sat down and opened my platform, I could immediately tell this wasn’t a day for huge profits. It happens. You can tell right from the opening bell sometimes, especially if you’ve done this long enough. My first trade put me $400 in the red, not the prettiest start, but I kept my head in the game. On the next trade, I made back a little, about $200, which put me down roughly $200 overall at the moment.

At this point, it was easy to start thinking, “Hmm, maybe this is going to be a red day.” And you know what? That wouldn’t have been the end of the world. Taking small red days when needed is a major part of staying profitable as a trader.

Trading Experience: Up and Down

So after a couple of trades, I was sitting at 50% accuracy, with a bigger losing trade than my winning one. Not great, but not terrible yet either. I hit about $484 in profit, though I peaked at around $7,000. Unfortunately, I gave up around 30% of that early profit, but that’s part of the game. Knowing when to walk away is essential to keeping your profits.

Let’s break it down a bit more.

Trade Breakdown: ADTX, BENF, and FORD

The first stock I traded today was ADTX, which has been showing up in the gaps for a few weeks now. This one was a bit tricky due to a reverse split, which had already caught the attention of some bag holders. Reverse splits are designed to get people excited about a potential 50%, 100%, or even 200% move from the bottom, but today it just wasn’t giving us that.

My first trade on ADTX was right after a nice green candle where I bought it at $2.19, but I stopped out for a loss as the stock failed to continue upward momentum. I was a little frustrated, but two minutes later, I jumped in for a dip trade to make back $200. Not a huge recovery, but it got me a bit of redemption.

After things went quiet with ADTX, I moved over to BENF, which also showed up on the scanners. This stock was a real grind, but I managed to snag $1,200 in profit when it popped over $2. That put me at just over $4,000 for the day.

Then, out of nowhere, FORD shows up on the scanners. This one confused me a bit because it wasn’t moving at a typical time like right at 9 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. FORD hit the scanners at around 9:17 a.m., which is kind of an odd moment for a stock to pop. But, I took advantage, and it flew up quickly. I managed to pull out $1,500 before the next big dip, and then another $1,500 as it popped up to $6 before hitting exhaustion.

But as good as those trades were, I did have some losses too. I tried to catch a dip again at $6, and that one stopped me out for about $2,000. Twice! In just that trade, I gave back a lot of my gains. It hurt, but you can’t win every single trade.

Lessons Learned: Don’t Overstay Your Welcome

The big takeaway today was to stick to the plan and don’t let things spiral. Even though I had some nice pops, I ended up giving back about $2,000 during a couple of false breakouts. When that happens, you need to know when to be done. There is always a temptation to keep getting back in, but it’s better to walk away when you’re still in the green.

Market Patterns and Trading Discipline

Another thing to consider today was that we didn’t have any major market-moving news. I take note of how economic data can jumpstart the market, and today just wasn’t one of those days. Our pre-market volume was a little low, and post-market open, things began to taper off again. This meant a slower day for trades as well, and that’s just how some Fridays go.

Trading discipline is key when the market shows signs of slowing down. I’ve noticed that my confidence and attention start to wane toward the end of a trading session, especially if I arrive early. This can lead to small mistakes — buying impulsively or entering on weak setups. Today, I had to remind myself that the market is like this sometimes, and it’s important to go slow when things feel sloppy.

Adapting to Slow Market Days

It can be easy to get discouraged when the market isn’t giving you a lot of good setups. But that’s where experience plays its part. On slower days like today, it’s important to adjust your mindset and tell yourself that’s it’s okay to have smaller profits — or even a tiny red day. Days like this are still better than getting too aggressive and digging yourself into a hole.

I started today thinking this might be a “no-trade” kind of Friday. But, after realizing I was meeting my weekly goal, I wasn’t worried about being too aggressive. I knew I had built a nice cushion, and that helped keep my trades stress-free. That cushion also lets me take more risks next week, knowing that even if I take a few hits, I’m still up on the month overall.

Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead

At the end of the day, I walked away with about $4,800 in profit. That’s not quite hitting my daily target, but on a Friday, with low expectations, I’m happy with that. It’s a great way to end the week. My trading performance over the last five days has me sitting at my weekly goal of $15,000, which is right where I want to be. In tougher weeks, you have to look at the bigger picture and see that consistent, smaller wins stack up in your favor.

The great thing about having a cushion in your month early on is that it gives you the freedom to take calculated risks later without stressing about going red.

I’ll be back Monday morning, bright and early, ready for a new week of trades. Keep studying, stay disciplined, and always remember that the market is risky — take it slow. See you Monday!

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Disclaimer: The results shared are based on my personal trading experiences and are not typical. Trading involves significant risk, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Always practice in a simulator before trading with real money.