Frequently Asked Question

The following video covers navigation and display of NinjaTrader chart, and is from NinjaTrader’s YouTube channel.

When we refer to “Points”, we mean how many points you have accumulated from your first trade of the day to the last trade of the day.

Note that points have nothing to do with how many contracts you trade.

If you earn 8 points trading 1 contract, or 8 points trading 5 contracts, in the end, you only made 8 points.

If you took a trade and earned 10 points on that trade, and had traded 5 contracts when you took that trade, you did not earn 50 points, you only earned 10 points. Again, points have nothing to do with how many contracts you traded.

To begin, let me say that the Trade Copier is a product offered by apexinvesting.com, (not affiliated with atf.com). The Trade Copier is also not affiliated with The Princeton Trading Group, and outside of this document, we do not support or configure the Trade Copier.

You can purchase the Trade Copier by visiting https://apexinvesting.com/ninjatrader-8-trade-copier-for-multiple-accounts/.

To INSTALL the Trade Copier, follow the steps listed below:

1. Shut down NinjaTrader.
2. Launch the Apex Desktop Assistant
3. Click NINJATRADER TOOLKIT
4. Click NINJATRADER 8
5. Click INSTALL/UPDATE NT8 TOOLKIT
6. Select the newest date listed at the top left, and click INSTALL
7. Click CLOSE WINDOW
8. Click CLOSE THIS MENU WINDOW

To UPDATE the Trade Copier, follow the steps listed below:

1. Shut down NinjaTrader.
2. Launch the Apex Desktop Assistant
3. Click NINJATRADER TOOLKIT
4. Click NINJATRADER 8
5. Click CLEAR ALL NT8 HISTORICAL DATA
6. Click START AGAIN
7. Click NINJATRADER 8
8. Click INSTALL/UPDATE NT8 TOOLKIT

Once you have either installed or updated the Trade Copier, launch NinjaTrader. Once launched, click NEW > APEX COPIER, and it will appear on screen as a pop-up Window for you to configure. Configuring the Trade Copier is outside the scope of this document, however, we recommend that you visit https://apexinvesting.com/ninjatrader-8-trade-copier-for-multiple-accounts/ for further reading.

To check to see what version of NinjaTrader you are currently running, you can click on the HELP menu item in NinjaTrader, and the click on ABOUT to see the version number you are currently running.

To update to the latest version of NinjaTrader, simply follow the step-by-step instructions found on NinjaTrader.com

How Do I Update to the Latest Version of NinjaTrader Desktop?

The web version of TradingView is no doubt one of the best online platforms for studying markets and technical analysis. It’s available in all modern browsers on all devices, from mobile phone to desktop. So what’s the point of using TradingView Desktop?

TradingView Desktop is in fact a browser too, but made specially for TradingView. It was designed to enhance the TradingView platform with desktop-only features which aren’t available in your “regular” browsers.

Some benefits of TradingView Desktop you’ll see immediately after launching. It provides you with a dedicated space for all your TradingView tabs to make sure no one will be lost among tons of other tabs in your browser. You’ll also notice that in TradingView Desktop, there’s more screen estate available than in browsers, since no address bar and other unnecessary things for your work.

Other features of the app aren’t that obvious, here’s a full list of them.

• Auto-restores a ticker, interval, and active watchlist in every tab on app launch.
• Symbol syncing in tabs. Set the same color tag to a few tabs, and they will start following the ticker change made in any of them. You can sync not only chart tabs but can also sync the screener with a chart.

• Crosshair synchronization across tabs and window

• Customizable tab titles

• System-native notifications, including support for the Do Not Disturb mode.
• Follows the system theme setting with support for the Auto appearance mode in macOS.

You can download TradingView Desktop by following this link. Don’t use other resources on the internet to get the app.

If you decide to upgrade, we’ll convert the unused period of your current plan into extra days on a new tier in accordance with the price ratio and add them to the new subscription of a higher level. This means the renewal date will be shifted.

Trust me, the best time to upgrade one’s subscription to the PREMIUM plan is on Black Friday. It’s a no-brainer to renew your subscription every Black Friday.

Do you have a useful watchlist and want to let people follow it? Sharing a link to your watchlist is very simple to do – just open the list’s advanced view mode and then click to share it on your social networks.

Everyone who’s got a link to your list will be able to see it on a separate page, in the same way it looks when you’re in advanced mode. They’ll be able to watch your list as long as you don’t turn off sharing mode. They can also copy the list to themselves, so that they can work on it on their own.

If you find that the data in TradingView is 10 minutes behind that of NinjaTrader, you will need to follow these steps to purchase the “CME, CBOT, COMEX, NYMEX — CME Group (E-mini included)” package offered by TradingView, which will give you the real time data feed you need.

Here’s how to add real-time data to your existing TradingView subscription.

1. Visit TradingView and login to your account.
2. Click on your profile photo and click Account and Billing.
3. Scroll down the page until you see the following:

image1290×273 16.6 KB

4. Click on the Add Extra Market Data button.
5. Scroll down the page and check the box next to “CME, CBOT, COMEX, NYMEX — CME Group (E-mini included) ”, as shown below.

image1290×439 29.5 KB

6. Follow the instructions to pay for this addon.

You can upgrade your annual subscription at any time with no extra money payments. All remaining days of your current plan will be automatically converted into equivalent value days on the new tier. You don’t lose anything, just use the remaining amount to switch to a better version. Thus, the remaining period of your subscription will be reduced and your next payment date will be switched. Be aware of it.

Remember, it’s not a free trial. Once upgraded, there will be no option to revert this action. However, you’ll be able to set a downgraded planfor the next billing period.

However, if you subscribed through the Android mobile app, you can downgrade your subscriptionat any time. All remaining days will be automatically converted to additional days of the new plan at an equivalent cost.

Here is an example how the upgrade looks like on the website. To check how it works in your case, click the Upgrade button on the plan you’d like to switch to. Don’t worry, nothing will happen without your confirmation.

762×555 47.6 KB

Here you can check how to upgrade your plan in mobile apps.

The Watchlist section is most likely minimized. Just drag it down to see the hidden sections.

If you don’t remember your username or password, try getting it from the browser.

If that doesn’t help, you can click on the Forgot password or can’t sign in button in the sign-in dialog.

794×916 23.6 KB

You should enter an email used during the sign up or a verified phone number. You can also enter your username in the search field if you remember it, but can’t remember other details.

862×840 27.2 KB

You will then see several ways of receiving a password recovery link.

1. Registered email address
2. A phone number linked to your account
3. If you signed up through a social login, you should be able to log in using the same credentials

758×810 41.4 KB

Please note that account recovery is not available on mobile apps at this time. Please use our browser version to restore access to your account.

1. Make sure you are logged into the account for which you were charged. You can check the username in the invoice we’ve emailed you when you completed the payment. Perhaps you inadvertently created another, free account that you are currently logged into. If this is what causes the issue, then simply log into the correct account to enjoy the paid features. Please note that if the system spots an upgraded account, which we think is yours, we will let you know via a pop-up message.
2. The payment has not yet been processed by the bank/ payment processor. Sometimes this can take several hours and is beyond our control. Please check your subscription status after some time.

TradingView Desktop follows your system’s theme by default. This includes changing the app theme immediately when the system theme has changed.

In case your app’s theme shouldn’t match your system’s setting, you can choose the desired theme manually in the Settings. There are three options:

• Use system theme – default option
• Dark
• Light

Also, you can find the theme switcher on the main app menu which is called by clicking three dots at the top right.

In this article, I am going to show you how to create an alert that notify you to take either a BUY or a SELL position. Now, in no way, am I suggesting that you abdicate your responsibility from watching the charts and taking care to know what is going on in real time in the markets. We will be able to do this in 2 easy to understand steps, so let’s get started!

As you can see in the following screenshot, there is a SELL signal and a BUY signal. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be notified when a given strategy tells you that you should take a trade?

11747×1840 181 KB

TradingView has a feature that allows you to set up “Alerts” where you can be notified from within TradingView, have a pop-up display, or send an email.

Setting up an alert is the same for both a BUY or SELL. I will show you how to set up a BUY alert. Simply follow the step-by-step instructions below to set it up.

Step 1

RIGHT CLICK on a UT BOT Buy Alert and then click on the **Add alert on . . . **. Note that what you see displayed will be different if using a different strategy, but that does not matter. Simply Right Click on the BUY signal, and then select the top menu item from the pop-up that appears, to Add alert, as depicted in the image below.

2766×949 50.1 KB

Step 2

Once you click on the “Add alert” menu item, you will see the following popup that provides the details for the alert that you are looking to create. Note from the following screenshot that you are on the SETTINGS tab (at the top left).

Here you will want to ensure that under TRIGGER section, that you select ONCE PER BAR, and in the MESSAGE section at the bottom, change the alert to read something that is meaningful by typing something like, “BUY ALERT”

5702×1135 53.7 KB

Step 3

Now, click on the the NOTIFICATIONS tab at the top of this popup, and you will see the following screenshot. Be sure to place a check in NOTIFY IN APP, and place a check in the PLAY SOUND. Now the default sound is “Beep-beep, which does work and is loud enough to get your attention. In my opinion, the only other sound notification you should consider is 3 NOTES REVERB (you can test the sound by clicking on the triangle play button next to the sound for the sound you select). All other sounds are not loud enough or long enough to get your attention, again, in my opinion. Finally, be sure that ONCE is selected, so that it only plays one time.

4713×973 53.9 KB

Now simply click the blue CREATE button at the bottom right of the pop-up. That’s all there is to it!

To create a SELL alert, simply go back to STEP 1 and anywhere I reference the word “BUY”, simply replace it with “SELL” and follow the same steps.

Now, to manage the alerts, you will need to click on second from the top Alerts Icon at the top right hand side of TradingView, as indicated in the screenshot below.

7617×800 18.1 KB

When you click that icon, the flyout menu appears, and you will see you Alert(s) displayed, (for this example, I just put one alert up). Now, you can’t see it in my image, because it only appears if you hover over the alert in question, but if you hover over the alert, you will see 3 mini-icons. The first is the PAUSE icon, meaning, you are pausing the alert. The second is to EDIT the alert, and the third is to DELETE the alert.

I HIGHLY recommend that you *only run one set of alerts at a time (BUY and SELL), and then when trading a different strategy, you could set up alerts for that strategy. The reason for this advice, is because it can be confusing when looking at multiple charts, using different strategies, with alerts running on each. You’ll end up asking yourself, “What strategy is this alert for!?.

Incidentally, if you have installed the TradingView IOS app on your iPhone, and happen to have an Apple Watch, if when you set up the alert to “Notify in App”, when you get an alert, your Apple Watch will also vibrate and sound an alert.

Finally, remember, the alert will occur at the close of the candle, meaning that you don’t have time to race to your computer, try to figure out what is going on, and then place a trade. You should already be ready and at the helm when placing a trade.

If you can see your account in your rTrader Pro (the desktop Rithmic application), but not in NinjaTrader, follow the steps below.

First, confirm that you have at least one active account in an active state by checking via the MyRithmic application.

Now, if an account has been in a failed state for 8 days or longer, Apex will automatically disable your account along with your SIM account connection until the account is reset.

You can reset your account manually from your member’s portal at any time. Or you can wait for the account to renew in its failed state for a reset free of charge upon re-billing. Your subscription must be active.

If you have verified both steps above, please try the following:

1. Delete your connection from Ninja Trader
2. Close NinjaTrader
3. Clear your cache by following these steps:

• Open the Documents > NinjaTrader 8 > db folder.
• Delete the sub-folder named ‘cache’.
• Restart NinjaTrader
• Add your connection back to NinjaTrader and connect.

Always have RTrader (the desktop Rithmic application), open to watch your trailing threshold and to be able to close positions.

Try to close a trade using RTrader Pro by simply logging in, click on positions, and click the X next to the position to close it.

As a LAST RESORT for Emergencies ONLY!, use the Flatten Accounts button in your members area.

Remember, the FLATTEN ACCOUNTS button in your Members area at Apex Trader Funding is only meant as a last resort EMERGENCY option. Do not for use closing all trades, day-to-day, or do so frequently. You should ONLY use this option if all other backup options have been exhausted. Excessive use will cause a bottleneck in the system.

You should really only use this last resort option twice a month in emergency situations only. Traders who overuse the Flatten Accounts button may be banned by Apex from further use, so be sure to use the common steps for closing trades first.

If, however, you are experiencing repeated emergencies daily, or even weekly, the issue lies elsewhere. Take a fresh look at your trading computer, platform, internet service, etc.

The total limit is 20 active PA accounts across all people in the same house, companies, and connections whether the accounts are with Rithmic…

For example, you have an LLC with 5 PA accounts, your personal Rithmic account has 3 PAs, your wife or husband can have up to 8 accounts. Totaling 20 PA accounts in the same household.

You CANNOT exceed a total of 20 PA accounts. Any over that will not be paid out.

Every PA over 20 PAs in total, as described above, will be forfeited.

There are no limit to Evaluation accounts.

There is a Maximum withdrawal amount on accounts for the first three months of withdrawals. You can take out this maximum amount, twice a month, according to the schedule above, as long as you have had 10 (ten) trading days between requests and meet the minimum balance requirement. Starting the 4th month, after three previous months of withdrawals, there is no maximum. You can take out as much as you want, as long as the account stays above its minimum required balance. Remember, this is the starting balance plus $100, and there are a minimum of ten trading days between requests.

You are NOT required to leave the “safety net” amount in the account, unlike most other companies!

The maximum withdrawal amount for each payout period, twice monthly, depends on the account size:

$25k Account- $1500

$50k Account- $2000

$75k Account- $2,250

$100k Account- $2,500

$150k Account- $2,750

$250k Account- $3,000

$300k Account- $3,500

$100k Static Account- $1,000

Each account is considered a separate, stand alone account. This means that if you have 10 accounts, you can withdrawal the maximum from EACH account, EACH payout period. For example, if you have 10 50k accounts, you can withdraw $2000 from each account, for a total $20,000 payout. You can do this twice a month, for a total of $40,000 payout for the month!

You can do this the first three months. On the fourth and subsequent months, there is no maximum from each account.

In order to receive a payout, you must complete the PA Payout Method section first before you are able to access the Withdrawal Request page. You cannot request a withdrawal if you have not entered details of where the withdrawal is to be sent to.

During the dates listed above, you will see a section available for submission: PA Request Form in your back office members area, on the top tab options. Be sure you have hit your minimum balance and minimum trading days before requesting a payment.

For your first payout, you must have a total of 10 (ten) separate, individual, trading days, where trades were actual placed on those ten days, according to the PA guidelines, before you can request the first payout.

Subsequent payout requests also require the same minimum of 10 (ten) trading days between payout requests, where trades were actually traded on ten individual, separate trading days. The 10 (ten) active trading days are from request to request. It is not based on request approval dates, when the funds were deducted from the trading account, or when payouts were sent or received.

So, there must be 10 (ten) separate qualified trading days between any withdrawal requests, whether the previous request was approved or denied.

Their system does not count a trading day to be complete until the evening processing and the start of the 11th day. If today is your 10th trading day, you will not be able to submit a withdrawal request until the close and update of that 10th day, which is after 6 PM ET. Since there are two pay periods per month and a 5-day window for each period, this should cover all scenarios.

This system is automated and they are not able to make exceptions. Any deadlines that are missed will fall into the next payout request period. You can submit the withdrawal request at that time.

Payout approvals requires compliance with the PA Contract Agreement and the Consistency Rules. You can find these listed in the agreement, on the Apex Trader Funding website, and in the FAQ section on their site at atf.com.

A trading day is considered from 6PM ET- 5PM ET the next day.

For example, if you trade Sunday night at 6 PM, then trade again on Monday morning, that is not two separate trading days. It is considered one trading day and all trades will be counted towards Monday trades. However, if you trade Monday morning, then again Tuesday morning, then yes, that is two trading days.

Most holidays, where the market is closing early, are not considered a separate trading day. They are rolled into the next trading day for settlement purposes with the exchanges. It is important to keep this in mind for early close trading days.

To see how many trading days you have accumulated, check on Rithmic. If you have not met the minimum trading days, then simply request during the next period, two weeks later.

The Princeton Trading Group does not offer any advice on taxes and encourages you to hire an accountant.

However, according to Apex Trader Funding, (atf.com), you will be paid as an individual contractor. They state on their website that you must keep the address maintained or updated with us in order to receive a 1099-NEC. All US Citizens and Entities are sent a Form 1099 on January 31 of each year.

No reports are sent for Non-US citizens.

Once again, for any tax advice or questions, please contact your accountant. The Princeton Trading Groups is not able to give tax advice nor answer questions regarding taxes, filings, citizenship questions, work Visas, or any other tax related questions.

A candlestick is a graphical representation of price movements in trading. It consists of a body and wicks. The body can be either green or red, indicating whether the closing price was higher or lower than the opening price, respectively.

The wicks, also known as shadows, extend from the top and bottom of the body. They show the highest and lowest prices reached during the time period represented by the candlestick. If the top wick is long, it means the price reached a high level but then retreated. Conversely, if the bottom wick is long, it indicates that the price dropped significantly before rebounding.

In summary, candlesticks provide valuable information about price movements, including the direction of the trend and the extent of price fluctuations within a given time frame.

Let me start by letting you know what when we refer to an “instrument”, we are referring to a indice like, NQ, or MNQ, or ES, or MES. In the following examples, I will refer to NQ as the instrument we are measuring.

When trading, we measure the value of a given instrument, (like NQ), in points. Much like we determine the value of the US economy by the Dollar.

When we refer to a “Tick”, it further breaks down the value of a Point. Let’s use NQ as an example: 4 Ticks make up 1 Point. Just like the paper dollar has the same value as 4 quarters, when trading NQ, 1 point has the same value as 4 ticks.

The common language used in the trading community refers to the value of a an instrument (NQ for example), in points, not ticks. For example, if someone were to ask you, “How much does that Burger King Whopper Meal cost?”, you would not say, “48 quarters”. Instead, you would say, “12 dollars”. In the same way, although 48 ticks is technically 12 points, we simply say, “12 points” when referring to the value of a given instrument.

So, 1 Point = 4 Ticks, 2 Points = 8 Ticks, etc., etc.

Now, let’s talk about Contracts. I’m going make it super simple, but I’m going to give an example to bring clarification.

For a moment, imagine you are a farmer who grows apples. You want to make sure you can sell your apples at a good price when they’re ready to harvest, but you’re worried the price might drop by then. So, you make a deal with a grocery store to sell your apples at a set price in the future, let’s say $1 per pound.

This deal you make with the grocery store is like a contract. It’s an agreement between you and the store that says you’ll sell them a certain amount of apples at a specific price at a later date. This helps you because even if the price of apples drops, you know you’ll still get $1 per pound for yours.

Now, let’s say when it’s time to harvest, the price of apples has actually gone up to $2 per pound. Since you made the contract with the grocery store, you have to sell them the apples at $1 per pound, even though you could have made more money selling them at the higher price.

That’s how a contract works in trading futures. It’s like making a deal now to buy or sell something in the future at a set price, which helps both parties manage their risks and plan ahead.

The difference is, that whether you buy or sell contracts, you are out of them (closed them out), by 4:00pm. You never carry a trade overnight to the next day. You are in the business of getting into a contract, hoping for a better price, then getting out of that contract at a better price, usually within minutes, if not seconds.

Now that we have thoroughly explained what a contract is, and how it works, I now want talk about how to trade contracts when trading futures, specifically NQ.

We know that NQ is worth $20 per point. So, if we were to trade 1 contract and make 5 points, we would have made $100. Why? Because $20 (1 Contract) x 5 Points = $100.

Now, lets say that we were to trade NQ, trading 2 Contracts, going for 5 points. If the trade went in our favor and gave us the 5 points, we would have made $200. Why? Because we know that each point for NQ is worth $20, and therefore, each Contract is worth $20. So, if I trade 2 Contracts, each point is then worth $40, and if we were to make 5 points, we would have earned $200 (5 points x 2 Contracts).

Now, to exhaust the point, let’s say that we were to trade NQ, trading 5 Contracts, going for 5 points. If the trade went in our favor and gave us the 5 points, we would have made $1000. Why? Because we know that each point for NQ is worth $20, and therefore, each Contract is worth $20. So, if I trade 5 Contracts, each point is then worth $100, and if we were to make 5 points, we would have earned $500 (5 points x 5 Contracts).

Now, the same concept applies to trading MNQ, and as you know, MNQ is worth 1/10 the value of NQ, which means that if each point in NQ is worth $20, when trading in MNQ, each point is worth $2.

So, if we were to trade 1 contract and make 5 points, we would have made $10. Why? Because $2 (1 Contract) x 5 Points = $10.

Now, lets say that we were to trade MNQ, trading 2 Contracts, going for 5 points. If the trade went in our favor and gave us the 5 points, we would have made $20. Why? Because we know that each point for MNQ is worth $2, and therefore, each Contract is worth $2. So, if I trade 2 Contracts, each point is then worth $4, and if we were to make 5 points, we would have earned $20 (5 points x 2 Contracts).

Now, to exhaust the point, let’s say that we were to trade MNQ, trading 5 Contracts, going for 5 points. If the trade went in our favor and gave us the 5 points, we would have made $50. Why? Because we know that each point for MNQ is worth $2, and therefore, each Contract is worth $2. So, if I trade 5 Contracts, each point is then worth $10, and if we were to make 5 points, we would have earned $50 (5 points x 5 Contracts).

Finally, I HIGHLY encourage you to read the very short article I wrote, titled, “How to Determine How Many Points You Made on a Given Day”, as this article helps you accurately determine how many points you have made in a given day.

The price of Linear Regression Candles (LRC) can differ from Japanese Candlesticks due to the different methodologies used to construct them and the information they represent.

Japanese Candlesticks focus on displaying the open, high, low, and close prices within a specific time frame. Each candlestick represents this price information visually, with the color and shape of the candlestick conveying whether the price increased or decreased during that time period.

On the other hand, Linear Regression Candles utilize linear regression analysis to plot a straight line that best fits the historical price data, typically representing the average price trend. The Linear Regression Channel is then constructed around this line, showing potential support and resistance levels.

Because Linear Regression Candles are based on statistical analysis and trendlines, they may provide different insights into market trends compared to Japanese Candlesticks. While Japanese Candlesticks focus on individual price movements within a given time frame, Linear Regression Candles emphasize the overall trend direction and strength.

As a result, the prices displayed by Linear Regression Candles may vary from those shown by Japanese Candlesticks, reflecting different aspects of market behavior and trader sentiment. Traders often use both types of charts in conjunction to gain a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics and make informed trading decisions.

Arbitrage
Arbitrage is the practice of simultaneously buying and selling similar or identical assets in different markets to profit from price discrepancies. In futures trading, arbitrage opportunities arise when the futures price deviates from the spot price or when price differences occur between different futures contracts for the same asset.

Contract Size
Contract size refers to the quantity of the underlying asset that is represented by a single futures contract. It varies depending on the asset class and market specifications. Understanding contract size is crucial for calculating position sizes and managing risk in futures trading.

Expiration Date
The date on which a futures contract expires and must be settled. After the expiration date, the contract ceases to exist, and traders must either close out their positions or roll them over into a new contract if they wish to maintain exposure to the underlying asset.

Futures Contract
A legal agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of a commodity, financial instrument, or asset at a predetermined price on a specified date in the future. Futures contracts are standardized and traded on exchanges.

Hedging
A risk management strategy used by producers, consumers, and investors to protect against adverse price movements in the market. By taking opposite positions in futures contracts, hedgers can offset potential losses from price fluctuations in the underlying asset.

Leverage
he use of borrowed funds to amplify potential returns in futures trading. While leverage can magnify profits, it also increases the risk of significant losses. Traders must carefully manage leverage to avoid excessive risk.

Limit Order
A limit order is an order to buy or sell a futures contract at a specified price or better. Unlike market orders, limit orders are only executed if the market reaches the specified price or better. Limit orders allow traders to control the price at which they enter or exit positions but may not be immediately filled if the market does not reach the specified price.

Long Position
When a trader buys a futures contract, they are said to have a long position. They profit from a rise in the price of the underlying asset because they can sell the contract at a higher price in the future.

Market Order
A market order is an order to buy or sell a futures contract at the best available price in the market. Market orders are executed immediately at the prevailing market price, regardless of price fluctuations, providing certainty of execution but potentially leading to slippage.

Margin
The amount of money or collateral deposited by a trader with their broker to cover potential losses from adverse price movements in futures trading. Margin requirements vary depending on the contract and the volatility of the underlying asset.

Open Interest
Open interest refers to the total number of outstanding futures contracts for a particular market or contract. It indicates the level of activity and liquidity in the market and can help traders gauge market sentiment.

Position Limit
Position limit is the maximum number of futures contracts that a trader or group of traders can hold for a specific asset or contract. Position limits are imposed by regulatory authorities to prevent market manipulation and ensure market integrity.

Settlement
The process of fulfilling the terms of a futures contract by delivering the underlying asset or settling the contract in cash. Settlement can occur through physical delivery or cash settlement, depending on the contract specifications.

Short Position
When a trader sells a futures contract without owning the underlying asset, they are said to have a short position. They profit from a decline in the price of the underlying asset because they can buy back the contract at a lower price in the future.

Slippage
Slippage refers to the difference between the expected price of a trade and the actual price at which the trade is executed. It commonly occurs in fast-moving markets or when trading large volumes, causing orders to be filled at a less favorable price than anticipated. Slippage can result from market volatility, liquidity constraints, or delays in order execution, impacting the profitability of trades in futures markets.

Stop Order
A stop order, also known as a stop-loss order, is an order to buy or sell a futures contract once the market reaches a specified price, known as the stop price. Stop orders are used to limit potential losses or protect profits by automatically triggering a trade when the market moves in a predetermined direction.

Tick Size
Tick size is the minimum price movement allowed for a futures contract. It represents the smallest increment by which the price of the contract can change. Tick size varies depending on the contract specifications and trading rules of the exchange.

Volatility
Volatility measures the degree of price fluctuation or variability of an asset over time. High volatility indicates significant price swings, while low volatility suggests relatively stable prices. Traders often use volatility as a factor in their trading strategies and risk management.

This is an essential video that you must watch in order to trade. Trying to trade without having watched and understood the concepts discussed in this video is like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel. You will crash without the ability to steer your car. You also will loose your account if you do not understand Support & Resistance.

**Invest in your future by spending 10 minutes an 39 seconds watching this video. You won’t regret it.

Here is a Trade Log Excel Spreadsheet for you to use in backtesting and in forward testing. Enjoy!

Backtesting Template.xlsx (13.0 KB)

Before you place any trade, you must know what reports are being released that day.

You need to know this because the economic reports being released determine how the market will behave, both prior to the release of that report, and after it has been released.

Not knowing what reports are being released is like walking across a 6 lane highway with a blindfold on. You may find yourself in a trade, only to get hit by speeding bus full of grandparents on their way to Atlantic City.

The first thing you need to do before trading . . . before you open up the TradingView platform, . . . before you open your NinjaTrader platform, . . . you should always first visit forexfactory.com to see what reports, if any, are being released that day.

Below is what the forexfactory.com homepage looks like.

11858×1648 297 KB

I want to draw your attention to the main section on the homepage, (see below).

21579×784 100 KB

We are primarily concerned with (almost exclusively concerned with), the RED USD reports. A red report refers to the red folder listed on the screen. Red Reports have the power to move the market, and that’s why we are concerned with them.

**NOTE** that ***we are ONLY concerned with USD RED REPORTS**. Other Red Reports have very little effect on the market, meaning that they don’t move the market at all, like a USD Red Report.

In short, you do NOT want to be in a trade during a red report, because you can not predict the direction the market will go until after the red report has been released.

It is wise to wait several minutes (up to 15 minutes?), after a Red Report is released before entering into a trade, so that you know what direction the market will go based on the results of that Red Report. Regardless of what the Red Report is, don’t be in a trade when a USD Red Report is released.

Now, if you want to know what the Red Report is about, and why it is important to you as a Trader, and how it affects the market, you can read more about the Red Report in question by clicking on the folder icon as shown below, as indicated by the red arrow.

31457×163 22.1 KB

After clicking on the icon, you will see the following pop-up.

41404×712 66.5 KB

Every piece of information on this page is incredibly valuable and you should make yourself familiar with what this report means, especially the section, “Why Traders Care”.

At first, these reports will have no meaning to you at all, however, the more you click on the Red Reports to read up on what they mean, the more familiar you will become with what they mean and what effect they will have on the market.

Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity.

A non-farm payroll is a report detailing the employment situation in the United States which is published on a regular monthly basis by Bureau of Labor Statistics. It measures the change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry. This report is also referred to as Non-Farm Payrolls, NFP, or Employment Change.

The best time of the month to pass an account in 1 day is on NFP Day, and is published on the of the first Friday of every month at 8:30 am Eastern time. It is generally best to place the trade 15 seconds prior to the release of the report to maximize the probability of passing 1 of the accounts.

It goes without saying that when you do pit one account against the other account, 1 of them will probably pass, and the other will fail. That is intentional.