AM BRIEFING

ES CHART | KEY LEVELS | SETUPS

THE SEPTEMBER TUNE-UP

Routines slip during the summer. That is just how it goes… vacations, late nights, kids out of school. The prep gets shorter every week and you do not even notice, because dead summer price action lets you get away with it. The fall will not.

So here is your sign. Write your routine down, especially if you never have. Stop winging it… you know who you are. Then run the simple checkup below and fix the ones that made you flinch.

• Battle Plan: Did you read it? Did you listen to the audio? Did you listen to the AM Briefing?
• Overnight levels: Did you mark them? Did you draw out yesterday’s single printsSingle PrintsA Market Profile term referring to a vertical area of price movement with very little volume or friction. Price should move through these areas easily—"easy move through them"—or come back to "fill" them. Full entry →?
• POC: Do you know where yesterday’s Point of ControlPoint of Control (POC)The price level with the MOST volume traded during the session. This is the fairest price—where buyers and sellers agreed the most. Full entry → sits?
• Range: Are we in a range, and is that range actually drawn on your chart?
• Daily chart: When was the last time you drew levels on the daily?
• Journaling: Have you stopped… or did you even start?

If any of those hit close to home, that is where the work is. It is time to get your boots dirty and craft your pre-market routine.

Trader Lesson 1

Write your pre-market routine down instead of carrying it in your head. A checklist you can flinch at is the fastest way to find the prep you have been skipping.

KNOW YOUR BATTLE PLAN ANATOMY

Before you trade the Battle Plan, know what is inside it. The review section is unlocked and free for everybody, every day. That is where the recap video, the trade analysis, the tip of the day, the trader homework, the scoreboard, and the economic calendarEconomic CalendarA schedule of upcoming economic data releases. CPI, NFP, GDP, retail sales—it's all there. Check it every morning. Don't get caught unaware when a major report drops. Full entry → for the next two days all live.

The Battle Plan itself is for paid members. That is where you get the ES price map, an updated Strong Levels indicator, and an updated Battle Plan indicator… so every trade is loaded right onto your TradingView chart, ready to go. There is also an audio version, kept between three and five minutes, so it can be read to you if you want it read to you.

THE WEEK SO FAR AND TODAY’S BATTLE PLAN 4️⃣ LONG

Monday gave a Battle Plan 3️⃣ trade… take the apex and it was beautiful. Price then made a new low, which set up a second look at Battle Plan 3️⃣, and that entry ran clean to its 25-point target. Yesterday’s livestream was a no-trade day. We almost reached Battle Plan 3️⃣, but the only thing noteworthy in all honesty were the Strong Levels, and George does not force trades away from a location that tells him what to do.

▶ Watch this moment in the AM Briefing

▶ Watch this moment in the AM Briefing

▶ Watch this moment in the AM Briefing

This morning price opened, pushed back down, and filled that RTH gap right into Battle Plan 4️⃣. The notes read plainly… welcome a Battle Plan 4 long, but prefer Battle Plan 5. The entry hit beautifully with a nice little ladder, though you had to survive a near double back into the expected range. George is long in this trade, up early and ready.

Around the 25-point mark, that is not a horrible place to consider adding to a winning trade if you are already long. But nothing here guarantees we take out yesterday’s high. Sometimes you just get a piece of the move, and that is fine.

Trader Lesson 2

A no-trade day is a real decision, not a failure. When price is not at a location that tells you what to do, Stand Down and let the Strong Levels do the talking.

MANAGING THE RUNNER

Once you are long and price follows, you peel and peel until you are down to your final little contract at 50 percent. Now you have a runner. From here you have two honest paths… keep it at breakeven, or follow price up.

▶ Watch this moment in the AM Briefing

If you are a full member, you wait until you get protection layers in, then trail your stop behind those layers so you can capture a larger part of the move. And if a few points is all you make today, you have still done well. All you can do is follow price and know where you want to go long and where you want to go short.

Trader Lesson 3

Peel your contracts, then trail the runner behind protection layers instead of a naked stop. That is how you hold for a larger move without giving back what you already banked.

THE WEEK AHEAD ON THE CALENDAR

This is a loaded stretch, so put it on your radar now. Then bring your tuned-up routine to each event.

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

What is a pre-market routine tune-up?

A: It is a deliberate checkup of the prep you do before the open. You write the routine down and confirm you read the Battle Plan, marked overnight levels, drew yesterday’s single prints, know yesterday’s POC, have the current range on your chart, and are journaling. Summer lets prep slip, so fall is the time to rebuild it.

Why does the fall demand a sharper routine than summer?

A: In the fall the volume comes back, ranges expand, and the market builds the cards much faster than the slow summer tape. Dead summer price action forgives sloppy prep… a faster fall market does not, so the trader who is still winging it gets exposed.

What is inside the MicrosTrader Battle Plan?

A: The free review section holds the recap, trade analysis, tip of the day, trader homework, the scoreboard, and a two-day economic calendar. The paid Battle Plan adds the ES price map plus updated Strong Levels and Battle Plan indicators that load every trade onto your TradingView chart, along with a three to five minute audio version.

What is an RTH gap and why draw it the night before?

A: An RTH gap is the space between the prior Regular Trading Hours close and the next session’s open. Drawing it in advance flags a likely magnet… today price opened, pushed back down, and filled that gap right into the Battle Plan 4️⃣ long. A level you already drew is a setup you are ready to trade.

What does “welcome a Battle Plan 4 long but prefer Battle Plan 5” mean?

A: It means both levels are valid long locations, but the deeper one carries the higher conviction. You will take the Battle Plan 4️⃣ entry if price gives it, while ideally you want the better price down at Battle Plan 5️⃣. It ranks your entries in advance so you are not reacting live.

How do I manage a runner after I have peeled my contracts?

A: Peel and scale outScale In/Scale OutAdding to (scaling in) or reducing (scaling out) your position as the trade develops. Our 3-Contract System is all about scaling out—taking profits at different levels while letting a runner work. Full entry → until you are down to your final contract, usually near 50 percent. Then either hold that runner at breakeven or trail it up. Full members wait for protection layers to form and keep the stop behind those layers to capture a larger part of the move.

Why did George take a no-trade day yesterday?

A: Price never reached a location that told him what to do, so he did not force it. The Strong Levels were the only noteworthy thing on the chart, and honoring a no-trade day protects both your capital and your mindset for the sessions that actually pay.

What is Trade Buddy?

A: Trade Buddy is the MicrosTrader journaling and trade-analytics Chrome extension available to full members. You download a CSV of your fills from your broker and load it into the trade analytics panel of your dashboard, turning raw trades into reviewable data.

📅 Upcoming This Week

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

• Wednesday, Wed Sep 2: AM Briefing · Live Stream
• Thursday, Thu Sep 3: AM Briefing · Live Stream
• Friday, Fri Sep 4: AM Briefing · Live Stream