From the desk of Big Bull
Slippage: The Hidden Tax on Every Options TradeAugust 22, 2026Slippage is the gap between the price you wanted and the price you got, and on 0DTE options it compounds brutally. How I measure it and keep it small on $SPY and $QQQ.Read the post →
One Setup Specialist: Why I Stopped Collecting StrategiesAugust 24, 2026I used to collect strategies. Now I trade one setup with total mastery. Why specialists beat collectors, and how to pick the one setup worth your next 500 trades.Read the post →
From Part-Time to Full-Time: The Numbers Nobody Shows YouAugust 26, 2026Full-time trading is a math decision, not a motivational poster. The income replacement math, the runway, and the proof period I require before anyone quits a job to trade.Read the post →
Funded Account Rules: Surviving the Consistency EraAugust 28, 2026Passing the eval was the audition. The funded account has its own rules: consistency ratios, payout thresholds, and drawdown floors. How I trade a funded account.Read the post →
How to Pass a Prop Firm EvaluationAugust 30, 2026Passing an eval is a math problem with a clock attached. The rules I trade by: size for the drawdown you actually have, front-load nothing, and never let one day decide.Read the post →
Anatomy of a Blown AccountSeptember 1, 2026Accounts rarely die in one trade. They die in a sequence you can recite. The five stages of a blown trading account, and the exact points where it can still be saved.Read the post →
The Monthly Review: Grading Your Trading MonthSeptember 3, 2026Weekly reviews fix weeks. Monthly reviews fix businesses. The 60-minute monthly review I run: the numbers, the leaks, and the one fix that matters next month.Read the post →
The One-Page Trading Plan: My TemplateSeptember 5, 2026If your trading plan does not fit on one page, you do not have a plan, you have a novel. The exact one-page plan template I use for $SPY and $QQQ, free to copy.Read the post →
Max Pain: The Strike Where Options Go to DieSeptember 7, 2026Max pain is the strike where the most options expire worthless. How I use it as a context line on $SPY into OPEX, and why it is a magnet, not a prophecy.Read the post →
Gamma Exposure (GEX): Why Price Pins and SnapsSeptember 9, 2026Gamma exposure explains why some days pin to a strike and others snap violently. A plain-English GEX guide for $SPY and $SPX 0DTE traders.Read the post →
The Put/Call Ratio: Sentiment at the ExtremesSeptember 11, 2026The put/call ratio measures fear and greed in the options market. How I read sentiment extremes as context for $SPY, and why I never trade the ratio alone.Read the post →
Sector Rotation: Reading the Index's Internals for BiasSeptember 13, 2026The index can lie by standing still while money rotates underneath. How I read sector strength and weakness to set my $SPY bias each morning.Read the post →
Earnings Season: How Big Reports Move $SPYSeptember 15, 2026You trade the index, but a handful of giant stocks move it. How I handle earnings season as a $SPY and $QQQ trader: the calendar, the weightings, and the morning traps.Read the post →
High of Day and Low of Day: The Magnets Above and BelowSeptember 17, 2026The high of day and low of day are liquidity magnets that price visits all session. How I trade the raids on $SPY and $QQQ extremes, and when I leave them alone.Read the post →
The Asian Range: Overnight Liquidity Sets the Morning TrapSeptember 19, 2026The quiet overnight Asian session builds a range, and its edges are liquidity. How I use the Asian range high and low to plan $SPY sweep trades at the US open.Read the post →
Vertical Spreads vs Long Options: Paying for CertaintySeptember 21, 2026Vertical spreads cap your risk and your reward. Long options leave both open. How I decide between a debit spread and a straight call or put on $SPY.Read the post →
0DTE vs 1DTE vs Weeklies: Picking Your ExpirationSeptember 23, 2026Same-day, next-day, and weekly expirations are three different trades wearing the same ticker. How I choose between 0DTE, 1DTE, and weeklies on $SPY and $QQQ.Read the post →
IV Crush: The Volatility Tax on Event Day OptionsSeptember 25, 2026IV crush is implied volatility collapsing after an event, draining option value even when your direction is right. How I handle earnings and news days on $SPY and $QQQ.Read the post →
Tape Reading and Level 2 for $SPY TradersSeptember 27, 2026Level 2 and the tape show orders stacking, pulling, and printing in real time. What I actually watch on $SPY and /ES, and what I ignore.Read the post →
Cumulative Delta: Reading Who Is Actually AggressiveSeptember 29, 2026Cumulative delta shows who is hitting the button, buyers or sellers. How I use delta divergence on $ES and $SPY to confirm or kill an intraday bias.Read the post →
Premium vs Discount: Where Price Sits in the RangeOctober 1, 2026Premium and discount pricing is the simplest filter in trading: never buy in premium, never sell in discount. How I measure the range on $SPY and $QQQ every morning.Read the post →
Mitigation Blocks: The Zone Price Comes Back ForOctober 3, 2026A mitigation block is an untested zone left behind by a strong move. Why price comes back to mitigate it, and how I trade the revisit on $SPY and $QQQ.Read the post →
Breaker Blocks Explained: When Broken Levels FlipOctober 5, 2026A breaker block is a failed order block that flips polarities. How I identify breaker blocks on $SPY and $QQQ and where they fit in my entry model.Read the post →
Inducement: The Trap Before the Real MoveOctober 7, 2026Inducement is the fake move that traps traders before the real one starts. How I spot inducement on $SPY and $QQQ, and how it fits my sweep, shift, entry sequence.Read the post →
Equal Highs and Lows: Where the Liquidity Pools SitOctober 9, 2026Equal highs and equal lows are where the stops live. How I map liquidity pools on $SPY and $QQQ, and why price almost always visits them before the real move.Read the post →
First Hour Only: My Complete Session in 60 MinutesAugust 20, 2026The first hour holds most of my edge. The complete first-hour-only system: prep, the two windows inside the hour, and why I shut it down at 10:30.Read the post →
Win Rate vs Risk-Reward: The Math That Actually MattersAugust 18, 2026A 40% win rate can make you rich and a 70% win rate can keep you broke. The expectancy math every trader must know, worked through with clear examples.Read the post →
Sleep Is a Trading Edge (I Learned It the Hard Way)August 16, 2026Tired traders hesitate, chase, and revenge trade. Why I protect my sleep as a 0DTE trader and the simple rules that keep me sharp for the open.Read the post →
In a Trading Slump? Take the Scheduled BreakAugust 14, 2026Three red weeks in a row means the problem is not the market. My slump protocol: scheduled time off, review-only mode, and the checklist I clear before returning.Read the post →
Quit While You Are Ahead: The Green Day DisciplineAugust 12, 2026The easiest way to turn a green day red is one more trade. My rules for shutting it down green: knowing your "enough" number, capping winners, and walking away.Read the post →
Fibonacci Extensions: How I Set Profit Targets That Make SenseAugust 10, 2026Retracements give me entries. Extensions give me exits. How I use Fib extensions (127.2%, 161.8%) to set profit targets at liquidity instead of random numbers.Read the post →
The Flip: Why Old Resistance Becomes New SupportAugust 8, 2026The most reliable level on my chart is a broken one. How I trade polarity: when support breaks it becomes resistance, and the retest is the entry.Read the post →
Anchored VWAP: The Only VWAP Setting I Actually UseAugust 6, 2026Regular VWAP resets daily. Anchored VWAP starts from the event that matters: the swing high, the gap, the news spike. How I anchor it and trade the reclaim.Read the post →
Assignment Risk on 0DTE: What Actually Happens If You Are AssignedAugust 4, 2026Sold an option into expiry and worried about waking up short 100 shares? What assignment actually means on 0DTE, when it happens, and how I avoid it entirely.Read the post →
$SPX vs $SPY Options: Why I Still Trade $SPY (And When $SPX Wins)August 2, 2026$SPX is cash-settled with no assignment risk and better tax treatment. $SPY is simpler and cheaper to start. My honest breakdown of when each one wins for 0DTE traders.Read the post →
Round Numbers Are Liquidity Magnets: How I Trade ThemJuly 31, 2026$SPY loves running to the big round number, sweeping it, then reversing. Why round numbers act as liquidity magnets and how I trade the sweep at 780, 790, 800.Read the post →
Trend Day or Range Day? How I Classify It by 10:30 AMJuly 29, 2026Everything about my plan changes on one read: trend day or range day. How I classify the day by 10:30 AM and what I do differently in each.Read the post →
OPEX Friday: How Monthly Expiration Changes the TapeJuly 27, 2026Monthly OPEX Friday brings gamma pinning, weird chop, and fake breakouts. How I adjust: respect the pin zones, expect the unpin move, and trade lighter.Read the post →
FOMC Day Playbook: How I Trade the 2 PM Rate DecisionJuly 25, 2026FOMC days chop all morning then explode at 2 PM ET. My playbook: sit out the drift, trade the statement spike sweep, and never hold through Powell.Read the post →
How I Trade CPI Days: The 8:30 AM Volatility PlaybookJuly 23, 2026CPI prints at 8:30 AM ET and SPY can rip 2% in minutes. My CPI day rules: no positions into the print, wait for the sweep of the spike, then trade the real move.Read the post →
Market Breadth: How I Use Advance/Decline for Day BiasJuly 21, 2026When $SPY rallies but breadth is weak, I do not trust it. How I read advance/decline and up/down volume for intraday bias on trend days vs chop days.Read the post →
The Overnight High and Low: My First Levels Every MorningJuly 19, 2026Before I mark anything else, I mark the overnight high and low on ES. Why globex levels matter at the open and how I trade the sweep of them.Read the post →
Why I Mark My $SPY Levels on ES Futures (Never on $SPY)July 17, 2026The SPY chart misses the overnight action. The real swing highs and lows live on ES futures. How I mark levels on ES and translate them to SPY trades every morning.Read the post →
How VIX Moves Your 0DTE Option Prices (And How I Adjust)July 15, 2026VIX up means your SPY puts cost more and every contract bleeds differently. How I read VIX as a 0DTE trader and how it changes my strike selection and size.Read the post →
The TICK Indicator: How I Read Intraday Bias in SecondsJuly 13, 2026$TICK tells me when the whole market is leaning long or short. How I read NYSE TICK for SPY day trading bias: extremes, divergences, and when I ignore it.Read the post →
Pyramiding Winners: How I Add to Trades Without Blowing UpJuly 11, 2026Adding to winners is how small accounts grow fast, and how most traders blow up. My pyramiding rules: only add on new structure, never add to a loser, keep total risk capped.Read the post →
Re-entering After a Stop-Out: When the Setup Re-armsJuly 9, 2026Getting stopped out does not always mean the idea was wrong. My rules for re-entering a stopped trade: when the setup re-arms, when it is just revenge, and the two-attempt cap.Read the post →
Time Stops: Why I Exit Trades That Do Not Work Fast EnoughJuly 7, 2026Not every loser hits your stop. Some just sit there, decaying. My time stop rule forces me out of dead trades on 0DTE before theta finishes the job.Read the post →
The Breakeven Stop Rule: How I Never Let Winners Turn RedOctober 16, 2026My rule is simple: at 25 to 30 percent green, my stop goes to breakeven. Why that one rule changed my P&L and exactly how I apply it on SPY 0DTEs.Read the post →
Trailing Stops on 0DTE: How I Lock In Profits Without Choking the TradeOctober 13, 2026I used to give back every winner. Here is my trailing stop method for SPY 0DTE options: when I start trailing, what I trail (structure, not fixed cents), and when I do not trail at all.Read the post →
Winning Streaks Are Dangerous: My Overconfidence ResetMay 22, 2026Overconfidence after winning streaks quietly destroys more accounts than red days do. My reset rules: streaks breed size creep, so I review after five green days and never increase size on a heater.Read the post →
Stop Setting Money Goals: Process Goals Are the Real EdgeMay 15, 2026The best trading goals are process goals, not money goals. Why "$10k months" cause forcing, and my weekly scorecard: plan followed, trades capped, journaled daily.Read the post →
Options vs Stocks for Day Trading: My Honest TakeMay 8, 2026Options vs stocks for day trading is the first real decision. My honest take: options give leverage with defined risk and a theta clock, shares are simpler with no decay. Why I chose 0DTE options on $SPY.Read the post →
How to Backtest a Trading Strategy (My No-BS Method)May 1, 2026Learning how to backtest a trading strategy properly saves years. My method: bar replay, 100-trade minimum sample, log setup grade and R-multiple, and what backtests can and cannot prove.Read the post →
My Exact Chart Setup for Day Trading $SPYApril 24, 2026The best chart setup for day trading is a clean one. My exact $SPY layout: candlesticks, VWAP, four timeframes, marked levels, and why I deleted every indicator that was not earning its keep.Read the post →
Day Trading With a Full-Time Job: My Part-Time SystemApril 17, 2026Day trading with a full-time job is absolutely doable with the right system. Mine: a 15-minute premarket plan, one morning window or power hour, 1-2 A+ setups max, alerts instead of screen-staring.Read the post →
Why Most Day Traders Fail (The 4 Killers, and How I Dodged Them)April 10, 2026Why do most day traders fail? Four killers take out almost everyone: no real edge, no risk rules, psychology, and impatience. Here is how I survived each one.Read the post →
0DTE Expiration Day: How I Survive Gamma ChaosApril 3, 20260DTE expiration day is pure gamma chaos: price pins, whipsaws, and ATM options go wild. My expiry-day rules: tighter stops, smaller size, and never holding into the final 30 minutes.Read the post →
When to Increase Position Size (The Right Way, Not the Fast Way)March 27, 2026Knowing when to increase position size separates growing traders from blown accounts. My rule: 30+ clean trades at your current size first, fixed step-ups, never size up in a drawdown.Read the post →
Power of 3 (AMD): Why $SPY Moves in Three Phases Every DayMarch 20, 2026The ICT Power of 3 explains why $SPY moves the way it does: Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution. How I read each phase and why the Manipulation leg is my Liquidity Sweep.Read the post →
Paper Trading vs Live Trading: The Truth Nobody Tells YouMarch 13, 2026Paper trading vs live trading is not the same game. Paper trading teaches mechanics but lies about fills and emotions. My rule: 20-30 sim trades to learn the pattern, then go live small.Read the post →
Day Trading a Small Account: My Honest PlaybookMarch 6, 2026Day trading a small account is possible but the math is unforgiving. My honest playbook: fewer trades, only A+ setups, strict 1-2% risk, and why slow compounding beats lottery tickets.Read the post →
My Drawdown Recovery Plan (For When It Is Not Just One Red Day)February 27, 2026Trading drawdown recovery is a different animal from one red day. My multi-week comeback plan: cut size, find the ONE recurring mistake in the journal, and the 30-trade rule before changing anything.Read the post →
The Best Times of Day to Trade (My Killzone Windows)February 20, 2026The best time of day to trade is when volume shows up. My killzone windows: the morning drive, the power hour, and the dead zone I refuse to touch.Read the post →
Previous Day High and Low: The Levels I Mark Every MorningFebruary 13, 2026The previous day high and low are the most honest levels on my chart. How I mark them in premarket, why they hold overnight liquidity, and how sweeps of these levels become PSS setups.Read the post →
Bid-Ask Spreads on 0DTE: How I Get Clean FillsFebruary 6, 2026The bid-ask spread on 0DTE options decides your real entry price. How I use mid-price limit orders, why I never use market orders, and when wide spreads mean no trade.Read the post →
How I Trade FOMC and CPI Days Without Blowing UpJanuary 30, 2026Wondering how to trade FOMC day without getting chopped? My news-day rules: flat into the number, trade the reaction after the liquidity sweep, never the prediction before it.Read the post →
My Daily Loss Limit: The 2-Loss Rule That Saved My AccountJanuary 23, 2026A daily loss limit is the circuit breaker every day trader needs. Mine is simple: two consecutive losses and I am done for the session. Here is how the rule works and why it saves accounts.Read the post →
How I Stopped Chasing Entries (My Anti-FOMO Rules)January 16, 2026Learning how to stop FOMO trading changed my P&L more than any strategy. My anti-chase rules: if I miss the entry zone, the trade is gone, and there is always another setup.Read the post →
0DTE Strike Selection: ITM vs ATM vs OTM (What I Actually Buy)January 9, 20260DTE strike selection decides your trade before it starts. Here is how I choose between ITM, ATM, and OTM strikes on $SPY 0DTEs, and why far OTM lottery tickets quietly kill accounts.Read the post →
Building Consistency: The Boring Truth About Trading EdgesSeptember 18, 2026How to become a consistent trader: one model, repeated with discipline. The boring truth about building a real edge on $SPY. No secret strategy.Read the post →
My Weekly Review: The Sunday Process Behind Green WeeksSeptember 16, 2026My weekly trading review process: grading every $SPY trade, finding the one lesson, planning the week ahead. Green weeks are built on Sundays.Read the post →
Power Hour: Trading the Last Hour With the PSS ModelSeptember 11, 2026Power hour trading strategy for $SPY: 3 to 4 PM ET is the second-best hour of the day. End-of-day flows, closing sweeps, and the PSS Model.Read the post →
Surviving Midday Chop: Why I Slow Down at LunchSeptember 9, 2026Midday chop trading kills morning gains. Why I reduce size or sit out the $SPY lunch session, and how I protect what I made before noon.Read the post →
Gap Days: My Playbook for Gap Up and Gap Down OpensSeptember 4, 2026How to trade gaps in day trading: gap fill or gap and go? My $SPY gap day playbook. Wait for the sweep, read the first 30 minutes, then strike.Read the post →
0DTE Greeks in Plain English: Delta and ThetaSeptember 2, 2026Options Greeks explained for beginners: the only two a $SPY 0DTE scalper needs. Delta for strike selection, theta for decay. No textbook needed.Read the post →
VWAP and the PSS Model: My Intraday CompassAugust 28, 2026How to use VWAP in day trading: my intraday line in the sand. VWAP as a bias filter with the PSS Model on $SPY, plus the reclaim setups I trade.Read the post →
The Opening Range: How I Trade the First 30 MinutesAugust 21, 2026Opening range breakout strategy for $SPY: the first 30 minutes are information, not an invitation. How I trade the sweeps and breaks that follow.Read the post →
Multi-Timeframe Confluence: How I Stack the OddsAugust 14, 2026Multi timeframe analysis for day trading: 4H bias, 15m structure, 1m entries. How I stack confluence before risking a dollar on $SPY.Read the post →
When Sweeps Fail: How I Know a Setup Is DeadAugust 7, 2026Failed liquidity sweep meaning: body close versus wick tells you everything. My invalidation rules for dead sweeps on $SPY, and walking away.Read the post →
Scaling Out vs Holding Runners: How I Take ProfitsJuly 31, 2026Scaling out vs holding runners on 0DTEs: my exact profit-taking system. Partials at targets, letting winners run, and the PAYtience behind it.Read the post →
When I Don't Trade: The Days I Protect My CapitalJuly 24, 2026When not to trade in day trading: chop days, news events, low conviction. Why sitting out $SPY and $QQQ protects capital better than forcing it.Read the post →
Killing Revenge Trading: The Rule That Saved My AccountJuly 17, 2026How to stop revenge trading: my pause rule after every stop-out on $SPY and $QQQ. The psychology circuit breaker that saved my account.Read the post →
The Trading Journal That Actually Changed My ResultsJuly 10, 2026A trading journal template for day trading that actually works: what I log on every $SPY trade, how I review weekly, and grading my setups.Read the post →
My Premarket Routine: The 30 Minutes Before I Risk a DollarJuly 3, 2026My premarket routine as a day trader: levels, news, futures, and a written plan before risking a dollar. No plan, no trade on $SPY or $QQQ.Read the post →
$QQQ vs $SPY: Which 0DTE I Trade and WhenJune 26, 2026QQQ vs SPY options, which is better for 0DTE? I trade both, but never interchangeably. How I pick between $QQQ and $SPY each morning.Read the post →
0DTE Timing: When I Enter and When Theta Eats You AliveJune 19, 2026Best time to trade 0DTE options: mornings are forgiving, afternoons are brutal. When I enter $SPY 0DTEs and when theta decay keeps me out.Read the post →
Position Sizing: Why I Take the Same Size Every TradeJune 12, 2026How to size positions in day trading: I take the exact same size on every $SPY and $QQQ trade. Why this one rule keeps traders alive.Read the post →
Stop Loss Placement: Why I Hide Mine Beyond the ManipulationJune 5, 2026Where to place your stop loss in day trading: beyond the manipulation high or low, never at the obvious level. My exact stop rules for $SPY 0DTEs.Read the post →
The 10 AM Reversal: My $SPY Morning SetupOctober 10, 2026At 10:00 AM ET I watch one candle: the 30-minute. My exact 10 AM reversal rule on $SPY, how I read the open, trade the sweep, and target the 4H high or low.Read the post →
The Trader's Contract: The Commitment I Signed With MyselfOctober 9, 2026Discipline is not motivation. It is a contract. Here are my exact trading discipline rules: same size every trade, full exits on stops, no revenge trading ever.Read the post →
Red Day Recovery: My Exact Protocol for Bouncing BackOctober 8, 2026A red day is not the problem. What you do after it is. My exact red day recovery protocol: stop the bleed, kill revenge trading, and come back sized down.Read the post →
The A+ Setup: How I Grade Every Trade Before I Take ItOctober 7, 2026Most traders take C setups with A+ confidence. Here is my exact 10-point scorecard for grading every trade before entry. Below 7 out of 10, I don't touch it.Read the post →
SPY 0DTE Options: How I Trade Zero Days to Expiry Every MorningOctober 6, 2026How I trade SPY 0DTE options every morning: what zero-days-to-expiry means, my routine, how I pick strikes, and the risk rules that keep me alive on expiry day.Read the post →
High-Value Zones: The Only Place I Place My EntriesOctober 5, 2026Chasing breakouts cost me years. The high-value zone is the 50% to 61.8% pullback where I buy wholesale. Here is how I draw it and place my stop on $SPY.Read the post →
Structure Break Points: Where Price Commits and I Get AggressiveOctober 4, 2026I bought every breakout for a year and got chopped to pieces. The structure break point is my two-stage confirmation filter. Here is how I read it on $SPY.Read the post →
The Directional Shift: The Candle Close That Tells Me the Sweep Is OverOctober 3, 2026A liquidity sweep alone cost me money for a year. The directional shift is the candle close that proves control changed hands. Here is how I read it on $SPY.Read the post →
Liquidity Sweeps: Why Smart Money Hunts Your Stop Loss Before the Real MoveOctober 2, 2026Ever get stopped out by one tick, then watch price run without you? That's a liquidity sweep: how smart money hunts stops, and how I trade it without fear.Read the post →
The Downside PSS Model: Shorting $SPY TopsOctober 1, 2026I stopped shorting breakdowns years ago. The Downside PSS Model is how I short $SPY tops: sweep the high, bearish shift, structure break, premium-zone entry.Read the post →
The Upside PSS Model: Buying $SPY BottomsOctober 27, 2026I stopped predicting bottoms years ago. Here is the exact 4-step Upside PSS Model I use to buy $SPY dips with precision: Liquidity Sweep, Directional Shift, Structure Break, High-Value Zone entry.Read the post →
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Risk note: everything on this blog is educational content from my own trading experience, not financial advice. Trading options involves substantial risk of loss.