ES EMINI AM BRIEFING #789

Market Conditions: Level 10 — Multiple Catalysts Stacking

This is not a normal week. Coming off CPI yesterday, today brings PPI. Tomorrow brings consumer sentiment and expectations. Contract rollover is active — adding squirrelly price action on top of an already volatile environment. And FOMC is right around the corner next week. These are Level 10 trading conditions, and they demand Level 10 discipline.

Trade Review: Yesterday’s Battle Plan Hit Every Target

Last night’s Battle Plan only included two mapped trades — intentionally. George said it plainly: if these two trades don’t set up, he’s not interested in price action. Both set up. Both hit target. That’s the ES futures daily trade setup working exactly the way it’s designed to work.

• Battle Plan Long — 50-Point Winner: Mapped the night before, traded live on Zoom and YouTube. Price hit the exact outlined target tick for tick. A review video is available on the channel showing every step.
• Battle Plan 2 Short — Full Target Hit: Several members took this trade. Price drove all the way to the final outlined target — which was also the zone where George was looking to get long. George posted a warning in the group as price approached: “The bulls either defend here or it is watch out below.” They defended.
• Live Trade — Market Order Long at 7,233.50: George was at the grocery store, came home, walked in the door, and hit a market order as price reached the mapped level. Initial entry at the bottom red arrow, add-on at the second. He set a trailer but only made three points on the add-on before price pulled back. If the trailer had caught the full run — but it didn’t, and that’s fine. The trade location was perfect.

A special shout-out to Caleb, a member since nearly day one. Caleb has his own group emoji — the Caleb News Network (CNN) — because he consistently delivers the fastest, most accurate news updates in the community. That’s the group working exactly the way it should.

Strong Levels: The Foundation Every Battle Plan Trade Is Built On

Every Sunday, George publishes the Strong Levels — the most important price levels for the upcoming week. These may be high time frame levels, market profile data points, or simply what George believes deserves the most attention. Members load them directly onto their charts via an indicator. These are the ES futures key levels that shape the entire week’s trading.

Today is Thursday. Four days into the week — how did those Strong Levels hold up? George pulled the chart and let the arrows do the talking. Every level acted. Every reaction was there. And the Battle Plan trade entries were mapped directly on top of those Strong Levels. That’s not a coincidence. The Strong Levels form the skeleton of the week. The Battle Plan is built on top of them.

• High Time Frame Levels: The most significant chart levels based on HTF price structure and market profile analysis
• Market Profile Data: POC, VAH, VAL, and other volume-based levels that carry weight for the session
• George’s Discretion: Sometimes it’s simply what he thinks — one trader’s well-informed opinion, delivered with full transparency

The Second Ladder Rule: Stop Knife-Catching, Start Entering Right

Member Jake asked a sharp question: when price is laddering down, how do you avoid knife-catching? What should you look for before entering? George answered it with a clean, teachable rule — and it aligned exactly with how yesterday’s trade played out.

The rule: wait for the second ladder.

• First Strong Level Reclaim: Price is falling and reclaims a Strong Level for the first time. This is tempting. It’s also the knife. Don’t touch it.
• Second Strong Level Reclaim: Price continues laddering and reclaims a second Strong Level. Now you have confirmation. This is your entry.
• Why Two? A single reclaim can be a dead-cat bounce — price catching a bid briefly before resuming lower. Two consecutive reclaims show the market is genuinely climbing, not just bouncing.
• Alignment with the Battle Plan: On yesterday’s trade, the Second Ladder Rule pointed to the exact same entry the Battle Plan already had mapped. When your own rules confirm the plan, that’s a high-conviction trade.

Prop Account Sizing: Can You Survive a 30-Point Pullback?

George’s Tip of the Day cuts straight to the question prop traders rarely ask before they trade: if price pulls back 30 points against you, does your account survive? This is futures position sizing for beginners and experienced traders alike — because plenty of people blow up prop accounts not from bad trades but from bad sizing. Know your number before you place the order.

• Static Drawdown (George’s #1 Recommendation): A fixed dollar limit that doesn’t move. Once you build a buffer, the drawdown stops trailing. Easier to manage mentally. Trades like a cash account. George’s top pick for prop account structure.
• End-of-Day Trailing Drawdown (e.g. Take Trader Profit eval): The drawdown trails only at end of day — more manageable than intraday, but still not George’s preference.
• Intraday Trailing Drawdown (sim-funded accounts): The drawdown follows your balance in real time during the session. George puts this in caps, bold, and double exclamation points. Not a fan. Not at all.

The 30-Point Pullback Math — $2,000 Drawdown Account:

Worth noting: Trade Day recently removed their static account option. George had recommended them specifically for static drawdown structure. If you’re shopping for a prop firm with a static account, do your homework — the landscape has shifted.

Pre-Flight Checklist: Have You Earned the Right to Trade Today?

Before market open, George walks through a complete pre-flight checklist. This is futures trading psychology made practical — a set of honest questions every trader needs to answer before placing a single order. Trading requires your best self. If you can’t check these boxes, you haven’t earned the right to be in the market yet. That’s not a knock — it’s a discipline. There’s another setup around the corner.

• Emotional Readiness: Are you still upset about missing last night’s trade? Are you carrying frustration, anxiety, or distraction into the session? Get clear before you get in.
• Physical Readiness: Did you sleep? Are you hydrated? Are you in the right physical state to focus when it counts?
• Time: Do you actually have enough time to trade? Don’t squeeze trading in. It demands your full, undivided attention — not the fifteen minutes you carved out between meetings.
• Battle Plan Review: Have you read today’s Battle Plan? Do you know the levels, the bias, and the setups? If you’re a member, it’s already there for you.
• Equipment Check: Is everything working? Platform connected? Internet solid? No surprises mid-trade.
• Economic Calendar: Do you know what’s on the calendar today? Surprises are easier to handle when you already saw them coming.
• Written Trade Plan: Do you have it in writing? Members have the Battle Plan. If you don’t have a written plan, you’re guessing.
• Max Loss Preparedness: Are you prepared — right now, today — for a max loss day? If not, don’t trade. The market opens tomorrow.
• System vs. Opinion: Are you ready to trade your system and not your opinion about where price should go? Because those two things are not the same.

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

What are Level 10 trading conditions?

A: Level 10 trading conditions describe a week with multiple high-impact catalysts stacking on top of each other — back-to-back inflation reports, contract rollover, a major IPO, and FOMC all hitting within a few days. In these environments, price behavior is squirrelly and unpredictable. The correct response is fewer trades, not more. Stick to your pre-planned Battle Plan setups and skip everything else.

What are the Strong Levels and how are they used in the Battle Plan?

A: Every Sunday, George publishes the Strong Levels — the most important price levels for the upcoming week. These may be high time frame chart levels, market profile data points (POC, VAH, VAL), or key levels based on George’s discretion. Members load them onto their charts via an indicator. The Strong Levels form the skeleton of the week — Battle Plan trade entries are built directly on top of them. If you’re a member, pay attention to these. They’re not optional context. They’re the map.

What is the Second Ladder Rule and how does it prevent knife-catching?

A: The Second Ladder Rule says: when price is laddering down, don’t enter long on the first Strong Level reclaim — wait for the second. The first reclaim could be a dead-cat bounce. Two consecutive Strong Level reclaims confirm that price is genuinely climbing and not just catching a bid before resuming lower. On yesterday’s trade, applying this rule led to the exact same entry the Battle Plan already had mapped. This filter is especially valuable for traders who tend to jump in early or call bottoms before the bottom is actually in.

How do I size my position on a prop account to survive a 30-point pullback?

A: Start with your total drawdown limit and apply the one-third rule — never risk more than one third of your drawdown on a single trade. Then calculate whether you can absorb a 30-point adverse move at that size. For ES/MES micro futures, a 30-point pullback costs $150 per micro contract. On a $2,000 drawdown account with a $667 max single-trade risk, that means four micros is your maximum. If the math doesn’t work at your intended size, reduce until it does. Know this number before you place the order — not after.

What is the difference between a static drawdown and an intraday trailing drawdown?

A: A static drawdown account has a fixed dollar limit that never moves — once you build a buffer above the limit, the drawdown stops trailing. This is George’s top recommendation for prop traders because it trades like a cash account and is easier to manage mentally. An intraday trailing drawdown account follows your balance in real time during the session — if you run up $500 and then lose $600, your drawdown limit has already moved against you. George strongly disfavors intraday trailing drawdown. An end-of-day trailing structure (like some evaluation accounts) is a middle ground — the drawdown only adjusts at the close, which is more manageable but still not George’s preference.

What is VWAP and how was it referenced in today’s session?

A: VWAP stands for Volume Weighted Average Price — the average price of a futures contract weighted by volume throughout the session. It’s a widely-watched level that institutions use as a benchmark. In today’s AM Briefing, George noted that price was in an upward-slanting VWAP, laddering up steadily, and had made it to the halfback level — which was the outlined target. An upward-slanting VWAP is a bullish signal. When price ladders up through it cleanly, it confirms the bulls are in control.

What should be on a trader’s pre-flight checklist before market open?

A: George runs through nine questions before placing any order: Am I emotionally ready? Am I physically ready? Do I have enough time to trade properly? Have I reviewed the Battle Plan? Is my equipment working? Have I checked the economic calendar? Do I have a written trade plan? Am I prepared for a max loss day? Will I trade my system and not my opinion? If you can’t answer yes to all of them, wait. Trading requires your best self — and there’s always another setup around the corner.

What is the Three-Contract System?

A: The Three-Contract System is Micros Trader’s core position sizing framework for how to trade ES futures daily trade setups. Instead of trading a single contract or scaling in randomly, you enter with a structured three-contract position — one contract designed to take quick profit, one to ride the primary target, and one to run as a lotto runner if the trade extends. This system gives you defined exits at each stage and eliminates the guesswork of “how long do I hold?” It’s taught in full at the Core Strategy Academy.