DH7 Trades the Bond Futures

[darkhorse70]

Ok so back to B/E for the day. 2 Lots on that up move caused me $390 in damage. Went long 4 lots immediately after finding out what the news was + seeing the equities getting squeezed back down + the positioning of the notes at their highs since last year august + notes being bid.

Ive still got 1 lot left after selling 2 lots, then 1 lot. I still think theres potential for more upward movement but the equities are pushing back hence im trying to reduce my risk. Im still +90$ on my last lot.

 

[captain black]

Well its definitely a lesson I wont forget again.

We never stop learning!

I try to have a backup for everything; spare laptop ready to go, etc.

But...

I had one of my monitors die this morning, guess who'd forgotten to buy a spare monitor when the last one died a few months ago

A quick browse through the MSY site and I've got 2 spare monitors being shipped. Wont make that mistake again

I ended up pinching the wife's spare flat screen telly out of her office, not impressed! Guess who's cooking dinner tonight...

 

[darkhorse70]

haha, I want a big flat screen monitor. You could fit like 20 charts and DOM's on that.

haha on that note, that reminds me that I need to make sure I have an alternative to getting out of a trading position in case the internet goes down. Last time that happened and I was fuming, especially because I wasnt sure how to manually exit the trade using IB.

 

[captain black]

haha on that note, that reminds me that I need to make sure I have an alternative to getting out of a trading position in case the internet goes down. Last time that happened and I was fuming, especially because I wasnt sure how to manually exit the trade using IB.

If you have 3G or 4G coverage where you are then the Telstra WIFI modems are a great backup. I have a NextG Wifi modem I have connected to the trading lappy as well as the ADSL connection. If the ADSL drops out I pull the ADSL cable and it switches to the NextG connection. There are dual ADSL and 3G modems that will automatically switch over after 30 seconds but I'm always at my laptop so figured I can do it quicker manually.

A good quality UPS is another must have.

Most software allows a backup licence for another PC. I keep a spare laptop with my trading software set up so if I have a catastrophic failure on my main lappy I can swap them over in 2 minutes and be up and running again.

I even keep a backup office chair

Wont forget the spare monitor ever again...

 

[darkhorse70]

Sounds like a good plan. The laptops lying around at home are ancient but its always a good idea. Especially if the market is really volatile.

Thanks for the heads up man.

 

[captain black]

The laptops lying around at home are ancient

Linux is a great option for reviving ancient laptops. Lightweight Desktop Environments like XFCE or LXDE are quite easy to use but consume very few resources. An LXDE distro like Lubuntu can run on a Pentium2 processor with as little as 256-384Mb of RAM. Of course, more is better for a smoother drive

There's a TWS Linux version:

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=16044&ns=T

Or it could be handy having an old laptop as a backup and use IB's Webtrader just in case you need to close out a position in a hurry.

I have a couple of old Dell laptops with Core2Duo processors and 2Gb RAM running Linux Mint. My trading laptops are I5's running Windows but everything else I do on my old Dells.

There's always the smartphone option as a backup too, I still use a steam powered mobile phone so I haven't a clue about IPhones etc. but I think IB has an app that runs on them?

Enjoying your thread too, I know nothing about Bonds so your posts are forcing me to look up stuff you mention that I don't understand.

 

[CanOz]

My contingency plan is as follows:
PC - backup laptop always active
Screens - not an issue with 6
Power/wifi - Phone call to one of 4 brokers, either close or hedge

 

[captain black]

Sounds like a good plan. The laptops lying around at home are ancient but its always a good idea. Especially if the market is really volatile.

Another option if you don't have a backup laptop/PC is to keep a clone of your hard drive. It's the one thing that usually fails first and only takes a few minutes to slip the old one out and the new one in.

 

[CanOz]

Linux is a great option for reviving ancient laptops. Lightweight Desktop Environments like XFCE or LXDE are quite easy to use but consume very few resources. An LXDE distro like Lubuntu can run on a Pentium2 processor with as little as 256-384Mb of RAM. Of course, more is better for a smoother drive

There's a TWS Linux version:

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=16044&ns=T

Or it could be handy having an old laptop as a backup and use IB's Webtrader just in case you need to close out a position in a hurry.

I have a couple of old Dell laptops with Core2Duo processors and 2Gb RAM running Linux Mint. My trading laptops are I5's running Windows but everything else I do on my old Dells.

There's always the smartphone option as a backup too, I still use a steam powered mobile phone so I haven't a clue about IPhones etc. but I think IB has an app that runs on them?

Enjoying your thread too, I know nothing about Bonds so your posts are forcing me to look up stuff you mention that I don't understand.

Captain, when you have time. post us a new photo of your workstation...i don't think I've seen it since you moved to Tassie

 

[darkhorse70]

Linux is a great option for reviving ancient laptops. Lightweight Desktop Environments like XFCE or LXDE are quite easy to use but consume very few resources. An LXDE distro like Lubuntu can run on a Pentium2 processor with as little as 256-384Mb of RAM. Of course, more is better for a smoother drive

There's a TWS Linux version:

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=16044&ns=T

Or it could be handy having an old laptop as a backup and use IB's Webtrader just in case you need to close out a position in a hurry.

I have a couple of old Dell laptops with Core2Duo processors and 2Gb RAM running Linux Mint. My trading laptops are I5's running Windows but everything else I do on my old Dells.

There's always the smartphone option as a backup too, I still use a steam powered mobile phone so I haven't a clue about IPhones etc. but I think IB has an app that runs on them?

Enjoying your thread too, I know nothing about Bonds so your posts are forcing me to look up stuff you mention that I don't understand.

CB I think we might possibly have a linux. My brother use to have an awesome sony laptop, but we lost it in a home invasion a few years ago. In terms of all that computer stuff, Ill just get my brother or dad to sort it. For some reason my dad loves fixing the old laptops in the house lol.

My sisters just given me her ipad since my parents bought her a new iphone (spoiled kids these days haha). The ipads manageable enough with a big screen.

Im actually with amp futures atm so I need to figure out how their manual trades work because they provided me with multi charts and the orders can be directly executed through the software.

Glad youre enjoying the thread. I should put up more photos but its always going to look like the same thing. I was actually thinking why or how its nearly impossible to teach some one verbally how to trade. Im not suggesting that im good enough to trade but it almost feels like trading is an intuitive thing based on so many pieces of information simultaneously. Even so much so that some times we can't even reason why we make the trades that we do other than the fact that it felt like the "right" thing to do.


The clone thing seems like a reasonable idea.When my brother built this new pc for me, our ram was faulty and the comp kept crashing. Having a back up file will remove hours of pain as well haha.

 

[captain black]

Captain, when you have time. post us a new photo of your workstation...i don't think I've seen it since you moved to Tassie

We're still here in SA, wife's family has health issues so we've had to stay. Looking at the fires and floods in Tassie at the moment I'm sorta glad we did!

Not much has changed in the office apart from the desk and chair getting chewed a bit more by my Labs

Here's a picture of me hard at work...

 

[darkhorse70]

Can 4 brokers haha awesome. I think im on two and one is about to close on me due to lack of funds. Im slightly hesitant to let IB shut me down purely due to the head ache of opening up another account with them later in the future.

Actually having a petrol powered generator is probably a good investment to just incase lol.

 

[Modest]

rom the desk and chair getting chewed a bit more by my Labs

Here's a picture of me hard at work...

Living the dream mate!

 

[darkhorse70]

A screen shot of the p'l today. Ignore the 0$ trade positions. Theyre when I get flat or open a position. I got out of the last trade as I had to leave the computer and the equities were making a second attempt at the days highs. Notes were pulling away from their highs. It could go either way in terms of if equities would get above and keep going up so i took the profits.

 

[captain black]

it almost feels like trading is an intuitive thing based on so many pieces of information simultaneously. Even so much so that some times we can't even reason why we make the trades that we do other than the fact that it felt like the "right" thing to do.

I started out purely trading mechanical systems on the ASX I developed in Amibroker. I still trade them but also started day trading futures a few years ago. The more screen time I have with index futures the more I rely on discretionary or intuitive decisions. I think perhaps it's like high level sport like Tennis etc. where you practice something so many times it becomes almost a reflex action.

 

[darkhorse70]

Agreed. I gave amibroker a go but it felt like a completely separate en-devour on its own. Maybe one day when I actually have a strategy that works.

Lol at the labs. My dog annoys me to. I feel bad for her if i dont go in the back yard for a while. Atleast she forces me to take a break once in a while.

 

[darkhorse70]

On another note im downloading excel + the markets look like theyre setting up really nicely and the catalyst in 30mins cpi EUR could generate a good opportunity.

 

[captain black]

Living the dream mate!

There's been a few nightmares along the way, got caught up in the MF Global bankruptcy in 2011 at the same time I was in a 20% drawdown. Had a 35% drawdown in my earlier days too when I was systems trading.

It's the best job in the world though, anyone who tells you different ain't doin' it right!!

 

[darkhorse70]

1 x long @ 17.5

Sold 1 x @ 19.5

 

[darkhorse70]

Performance since 13th jan.

Theres a few skewered results since I wasnt aware that my performance was being tract and so while I was spread trading for experimental reasons, they were recorded. Maybe half a dozen or so.

The results are obviously from start to finish.