AM Briefing #800: The Hardest Part Of Trading Is The Waiting

AM BRIEFING

ES CHART | KEY LEVELS | SETUPS

EARN THE RIGHT TO TRADE SIZE

The week opened on a principle, not a price level. “Well done, good and faithful servant… you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many.” Applied to trading, the message is simple: you have to EARN the right to trade with larger size.

One trader had been talking about scaling up. George’s answer was to scale up slowly. Be faithful with a few contracts before you reach for many. Go reckless on a small account and you’ll pay the price one day… and you’ll never become a ruler of the many, because you weren’t faithful on the few.

THE WEEK AHEAD — A TRICKY CALENDAR

There are no real news drivers today. But the rest of the week is loaded with traps, and your trade plan should already account for them. This is exactly the kind of squirrelly schedule that punishes traders who don’t read the economic calendar before the bell.

Tip of the day: See money, take money. When the market hands you points on a week like this, you take them. You don’t get greedy waiting for the home run.

LAST WEEK — THE BULL BEAR LINE AND THE “VOMIT”

The review came back to one level above all others: the Bull Bear Strong Level… the most important line on the chart, in George’s humble opinion. Last week the plan was longs there, and we got a clean move down followed by a series of progressively smaller flush attempts.

Each push lower gave a little less, then a little less, until you finally get the “vomit” — the liquidation flush where stops cascade. Being IN that vomit is never the focus. Chasing it on the way down just gets you run over again and again. The disciplined play was to stand back, wait for the pre-mapped Battle Plan ideas, and take the longs as price came back to them. Not a bad way to trade a week.

NEW: BATTLE PLAN BUDDY — NOW A CHROME EXTENSION

Battle Plan Buddy is back, rebuilt as a Google Chrome extension. The old Mac/PC/Linux app has been retired. Now the 7-day free trial unlocks the Strong Levels, the Battle Plan Indicator, and Battle Plan Buddy — access that’s never been bundled before.

Setup is simple: enter the TradingView username you registered with for the trial, flip on the panel, and a small floating window sits right on your TradingView chart. Click any Battle Plan number or label and it serves up the notes for that level, in-browser, no app install required. It puts your mapped levels and session bias one click away while you trade.

OVERNIGHT — LADDERING UP, BUT BEARS STILL CONTROL

Overnight delivered a surprise 35-plus point gap-up candle, then a steady laddering higher. Price ran into a strong range, came back in, and ping-ponged between two Strong Levels all session. On the 4-hour we made it back to roughly previous day high on an upward-slanting VWAP — a beautiful move for the Bulls.

So do you chase it? No. When you believe the bears control, you need something really, really solid to get excited about longing into a vertical ladder. George wants to be long INTO an area on a pullback… not longing AT the highs where the upper region keeps showing rejection. Zoom out and that upper zone is where you see continual failure. The gap-fill concept wouldn’t have worked for anyone on that monster candle either.

A short was mapped out beautifully — but it was NOT a pre-planned trade, so it wasn’t taken, and George said so live in the Discord. And shorting the first three trades of the week? Not his style. No sir re Bob. You do you, but that’s the read here.

THE HARDEST PART IS THE WAITING

So with nothing to do at the highs, George landed on the real question: what’s the hardest part of being a trader? It’s the waiting. It really is. What you do BETWEEN real setups determines a huge slice of your success.

Are you searching for trades that aren’t there? Dropping down in time frames trying to manufacture something? It’s the boredom that gets most traders… they don’t have the patience to wait. But on the weeks where you do wait — where you tell yourself “I am waiting for my trade” — trading becomes so much easier you wonder why you ever did it any other way. Wait for your setup even if it’s 100 to 200 points away.

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

What is the Bull Bear Strong Level and why does it matter?

A: The Bull Bear Strong Level is the key dividing line between bullish and bearish bias on the ES futures chart, and Micros Trader considers it the single most important level to map. Reactions there — like the longs taken last week — carry more weight than almost any other level, which is why it anchors the daily trade plan.

Why shouldn’t I chase a market that’s laddering higher?

A: When price ladders straight up into the highs and the upper region keeps showing rejection, you’re buying right where sellers are most active. The higher-probability play is to wait for a pullback and go long INTO your mapped level, not AT the highs — you want price coming to your level, not chasing it as it leaves.

What does “see money, take money” mean?

A: It’s a reminder that when the market hands you open profit — especially in a choppy, news-stacked, holiday-shortened week — you take the points instead of holding out for a perfect home run. Booking what the market gives you protects your account when conditions are unfavorable.

What is the “vomit” or liquidation flush?

A: The “vomit” is a sharp liquidation break where stop-losses cascade and price flushes hard. Micros Trader doesn’t chase it — trying to be in every lower push gets you chopped up. The disciplined approach is to stand back and wait for a pre-mapped Battle Plan level to react from.

What is Battle Plan Buddy and how do I use it?

A: Battle Plan Buddy is a Google Chrome extension (replacing the old desktop app) that puts your Battle Plan notes directly on your TradingView chart. You enter the TradingView username from your 7-day free trial, turn on the floating panel, and click any Battle Plan number or label to see that level’s notes in-browser.

How should I scale up my account size in futures?

A: Scale up slowly and earn the right to trade larger. Be faithful and consistent with a few contracts first; trading reckless size on a small account eventually costs you. Position sizing should grow only as your discipline and track record prove themselves.

Why is the waiting the hardest part of trading?

A: Most traders lose not on bad entries but on boredom — they search for trades that aren’t there or drop down in time frames to manufacture setups between real opportunities. Patience between trades is what separates consistent traders; sometimes the right action is to wait for a setup that’s 100 to 200 points away.

Should I take a setup I mapped out but didn’t pre-plan?

A: No. A setup can be mapped beautifully and still be a no-trade if it isn’t on your written plan. Mapping a level helps you understand structure and find the next profit target, but only pre-planned, well-thought-out trades belong in your execution.

How does the holiday-shortened week affect my trade plan?

A: This week pulls Non-Farm Payroll to Thursday, closes the market Friday, and leaves the following Monday as the day after a long holiday — historically not the most favorable to trade. Update your trade plan in advance so you know which sessions to engage and which to stand down on.

📅 Upcoming This Week

Hit the bell — every AM Briefing and live trading session this week is already scheduled on YouTube:

• Tuesday, Tue Jun 30: AM Briefing · Live Stream
• Wednesday, Wed Jul 1: AM Briefing · Live Stream
• Thursday, Thu Jul 2: AM Briefing · Live Stream