Hold Your Runners And Never Call The Top — AM Briefing #826

AM BRIEFING

ES CHART | KEY LEVELS | SETUPS

WE EARN POINTS THREE DIFFERENT WAYS

MicrosTrader is not a one-pony show. George was clear… there are three separate ways the group stacks points, and each one covers a different part of the trading day.

• The Battle Plan: Fewer, higher-quality, pre-planned trades already mapped on your chart the night before. High-probability levels you wait for. You don’t know how far price will go, so you hold runners on the winners.
• Live on Zoom: George’s job is to keep you on the right side of price action while the candles are printing. Calm, patient trading. It is often about the points saved, not only the points earned.
• Core Strategy: The advanced scalping system built on three basic bounce levels. Price hits the line, it bounces, you trade the bounce. Your lines match his lines. Black and white.

Three engines, one plan. That is why a flat Battle Plan day still leaves you with the Core Strategy and the live room.

THE FOMC-NIGHT RUNNER… A TRADE MAPPED IN ADVANCE

When George published the Battle Plan on FOMC night, price was up high. His trades were down low. He did not know the market would vomit that last bit of the day… he only knew the one place he was interested in getting long. BP3, BP2 and BP1 were laddered below, and he wanted at least a pullback to the bottom of the strong range.

Price got there. It dropped right into Battle Plan 3️⃣ and that was the entry. Then the confluence stacked up:

• A second Battle Plan entry sitting just below.
• A Core Strategy bounce level at the same spot.
• London doing what London does… it took the low, then went and took the Asia high.

Multiple reasons to be long in one place. George added at the bottom of the range and held over the weekend, caught the gap up, sold one contract off at 130 points, banked a small 10-point add, and let the last piece run. That runner is up more than 400 points and would still be alive if you never touched it. His original entry, and now his protected stop, sits at 7738.75.

Trader Lesson 1

You never know which trade is the 400-pointer. George took plenty of regular, ordinary entries the same week… then one goes, and goes, and goes. Hold a lotto runner on the winners so the monster move can pay you.

HOW WE TRADE A RANGE

Trading ranges is a primary piece of the MicrosTrader system. Monday and Tuesday the group was looking to get back into the strong range, and George called the long spot live. The pattern was textbook. Price got back over the top of the range, then back-tested it, back-tested it, back-tested it, tried once more… it wasn’t going to happen. Off to the races.

That reclaim-and-retest at the top of the range is the tell. Once the level holds as support instead of resistance, the double-tap fails and momentum takes over. Monday’s long delivered a 200 pointer for traders who were in the room live and unlocked on YouTube.

Trader Lesson 2

Trade the reclaim, not the guess. Wait for price to get back over the range and hold the retest. When the back-test fails to break it, that is your green light… not before.

DON’T COUNTER THE MOVE

As price barreled to the north, the market printed multiple sets of single prints… fast, thin levels with no volume built underneath. That is a sign of strength, and it is exactly when the top-callers show up. George’s warning was blunt. Don’t counter this move. If you do, do it small… the smallest leverage possible.

And here is the trap he wants you to see. Yes, the move is overextended. So what? Overextended is not a signal. You might decide you won’t enter another long because it feels stretched. Fine. That does NOT mean you need to short. Sitting out and shorting are two completely different decisions.

Trader Lesson 3

Overextended is not a short setup. Choosing not to add a long is smart. Flipping short into a strong range because it “feels” high is how accounts blow up. Bulls control. Shorts are counter. Small, if at all.

YESTERDAY WAS A NO-TRADE DAY… AND THAT’S A WIN

When the group got on Zoom yesterday, George called it early. Probably a no-trade day. Nowhere near a Battle Plan trade, nothing of real interest on the chart. He took no trade, and he gave a straight-up congrats to the traders who did the same.

Stand Down is a real trade decision. On the FOMC-night runner he simply moved his stop up to lock in his position at his 7738.75 entry and let the runner breathe. No forcing, no revenge, no manufacturing a setup out of boredom. FLAT as a TRADE.

Trader Lesson 4

A no-trade day protects capital and mindset for the days that pay. When there’s no Battle Plan trade and nothing of interest, Stand Down. The best traders yesterday were the ones with an empty ticket.

THE NEW NANO ES FUTURES (NES)

George broke down the coming nano contract. It’s still under regulatory review and the fees are not published yet, but plenty of specs have been released. He posted a full article and dropped the link in the comments and description. Here is the shape of it against what you already trade:

• Symbol: NES (the nano), where ES is the E-mini and MES is the micro.
• Tick structure: ES and MES trade in 4 ticks. The nano trades in 2 ticks, at 25 cents a tick.
• Notional size: One ES contract slings roughly $385,000 of notional… about 500 shares of SPY. MES is 50 shares of SPY. NES is just 5 shares of SPY.

That deleveraging is the whole point. The nano could be a great way for a brand-new trader to fund and trade a first cash account, to scale in, or to hold a single lotto runner without the size that keeps you up at night. When a member asked if you could hold one nano overnight… George’s answer was yes, you could.

SHOULD I BE TRADING TODAY? EARN THE RIGHT

Before the open, George runs the same pre-flight checklist every day. You earn the right to trade by answering yes across the board:

• Am I emotionally ready? Am I physically ready?
• Right location, right equipment?
• Do I have enough time to trade?
• Have I reviewed the Battle Plan?
• Am I the best me today?
• Have I checked the economic calendar?
• Do I have a written trade plan?
• Am I prepared for max loss today?
• Will I trade my system… and not my opinion?

If so, you are clear for takeoff. And a heads up on the calendar… non-farm payroll lands Friday, which makes Thursday the day before NFP… a level 10 training day. Moderate your expectations and let the volatility come to you.

Trader Lesson 5

Earn the right to trade. Run the checklist before the open. If you can’t answer yes to emotionally ready, written plan, and prepared for max loss, you are not clear for takeoff. Trade your system, not your opinion.

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

What are the three ways MicrosTrader earns points?

A: Three separate engines. The Battle Plan is fewer, higher-quality, pre-mapped trades taken at high-probability levels. The live Zoom room keeps you on the right side of price action while candles print, focused on calm, patient trading. Core Strategy is the advanced scalping system built on three bounce levels. It is not a one-system show, so a flat Battle Plan day still leaves you two other ways to trade.

What is the Battle Plan in ES futures trading?

A: The Battle Plan is MicrosTrader’s nightly ES trade plan… a set of tiered levels (BP1 up through BP8, the count varies by day) mapped on your chart before the session. You wait for price to reach a pre-planned entry instead of chasing. You don’t know how far price will travel, so you take profit in pieces and hold runners on the winners.

Should I try to call the top in a strong bull move?

A: No. When bulls are in control and the tape is printing multiple sets of single prints, countering the move is how traders blow accounts. If you must fight it, use the smallest leverage possible. The MicrosTrader rule is simple… Bulls control. Shorts are counter. Small, if at all.

Is an overextended market a reason to go short?

A: No. Overextended is not a signal. Deciding you won’t add another long because price feels stretched is a reasonable choice. That is a completely different decision from shorting. Sitting out protects you. Flipping short into strength does not.

What is a lotto runner and how do I hold one?

A: A lotto runner is a small, speculative piece of a winning position you let run far beyond your normal targets. You bank most of the trade at plan, then leave one contract alive with a protective stop. Because you never know which trade becomes the 400-pointer, holding a runner lets the rare monster move pay you. It requires the right account and the margin to carry it.

What are nano ES futures (NES)?

A: NES is a coming nano-sized S&P 500 futures contract, still under regulatory review with fees not yet published. It trades in 2 ticks at 25 cents a tick, versus 4 ticks on ES and MES. In size, one ES is about 500 shares of SPY, MES is about 50 shares, and the nano is roughly 5 shares of SPY. That deep deleveraging makes it useful for new traders, for scaling in, and for holding a single lotto runner.

Why is a no-trade day a winning day?

A: When there is no Battle Plan trade and nothing of interest on the chart, forcing a setup only bleeds capital and confidence. Standing down preserves both for the days that actually pay. On a no-trade day the best result is an empty ticket. Stand Down is a real trade decision.

How do I know if I’m ready to trade today?

A: Run the pre-flight checklist and earn the right to trade. Are you emotionally and physically ready, in the right location with the right equipment, with enough time? Have you reviewed the Battle Plan and the economic calendar, written a trade plan, and prepared for max loss? Will you trade your system and not your opinion? Only a full yes clears you for takeoff.

Why does London take the low and then the Asia high?

A: It is a recurring liquidity pattern. The London session often sweeps the overnight low to grab stops, then reverses and runs to take out the Asia session high. When that pattern lines up with a Battle Plan entry and a Core Strategy bounce level in the same spot, you have multiple reasons to be long in one place.

📅 Upcoming This Week

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