PRE-TRADE CHECKLIST

Market is choppy / going nowhere KILL — No trade. Paper trade instead.

Considering a Long when the market is trending DOWN KILL — No longs in a down market.

Considering a Short when the market is trending UP KILL — No shorts in an up market.

Trading within the first 30 minutes of the open without clear, established confirmation KILL

REQUIRED I know what SPY is doing right now — trend direction is clear (up, down, or undecided).

REQUIRED I have checked futures pre-market and formed an early market thesis for the day.

SPY has not broken any major trendlines in a direction that conflicts with my trade direction.

Market volume is adequate — low daily RVOL signals untrustworthy price action; size down accordingly.

I can clearly answer: "What is the market doing, and where might it go next — both immediately and near-term?"

REQUIRED Daily chart shows a clear bullish or bearish bias — confirmed via Heiken Ashi candles and pattern analysis.

REQUIRED At least 2 flat-bottomed (bullish) or flat-topped (bearish) HA continuation candles on the daily chart.

REQUIRED For Longs: stock is above all major SMAs on the daily. For Shorts: stock is below all major SMAs.

No significant resistance (for longs) or support (for shorts) close enough to block the move.

Daily chart is not gappy, choppy, or overly extended (generally no more than ~10% from the 8 EMA).

REQUIRED Minimum 1% void available on the daily before the next major support/resistance/algo/trendline level.

REQUIRED Stock demonstrates clear Relative Strength (long) or Relative Weakness (short) vs SPY — on both the 5-minute and daily chart.

REQUIRED Stacked sector RS/RW confirmed — the stock has RS/RW to its sector, AND the sector has RS/RW to the broader market.

For Longs: stock is green for the day. For Shorts: stock is red for the day.

Trade direction is aligned with — not against — the current market direction. (Trading against the market requires extreme stock strength/weakness and extra scrutiny.)

REQUIRED For Longs: stock is above VWAP on the M5. For Shorts: stock is below VWAP on the M5.

3 EMA is above the 8 EMA (for longs) or below the 8 EMA (for shorts) on the 5-minute chart.

TrueStrengthIndex (TSI) confirms the trade direction on the 5-minute chart.

No nearby 5-minute trendline resistance (longs) or support (shorts) that could immediately block the move. (Zoom out the chart and look for wicks touching that price area.)

Market timing confirmed — if unsure, wait until at least 10:30–10:45 AM for clear directional confirmation before entering.

REQUIRED Relative volume is above average — at least +20% above normal volume for that time of day (Volume Buzz ≥ +20% on TC2000, or equivalent). The stock is being actively pushed, not just drifting.

Daily relative volume is 1.5x or higher. Higher green volume bars vs red confirms buyer/seller conviction in the direction of my trade.

At/near All-Time High or All-Time Low — no bag holders above/below to create resistance/support.

D1 Event: breakout above horizontal resistance, break of a major SMA, or break of an algo line (algo breaks are the strongest signal).

Compression breakout — stock breaking out of a sustained tight daily range with volume confirmation.

Heiken Ashi continuation — 3rd (or beyond) consecutive HA candle of the same color with a flat side on the daily chart.

I know why the stock is moving — checked news and social ($TICKER on Twitter/X). Sympathy moves are noted and treated with extra caution.

Sector health verified (e.g., via Finviz sector map) — sector is aligned with my trade direction.

No major scheduled news event (earnings, CPI, Fed announcement) that could create unpredictable volatility against my position.

REQUIRED I have a clear, articulable thesis: I know exactly why I'm entering, where I expect the stock to go, and what price is my target.

REQUIRED I know my stop — defined by a specific technical level (support/resistance/VWAP/EMA), NOT an arbitrary dollar loss.

I could explain this trade to another trader and they would understand the logic — it is not based on a gut feeling, FOMO, or momentum chasing.

I know what technical event would invalidate my thesis and force an exit — and I will act on it.

Position size is calibrated to market conditions — larger in high-probability trend days, smaller in low-volume or choppy conditions.

I am not over-allocating buying power to a single trade to a degree that would cause emotional decision-making or force an early exit.

Risk per trade is defined by the technical stop level, not a fixed dollar amount. I am risking only what the chart says — not what feels comfortable.