YM Futures Trade Review: Stop Run Into Daily Highs

The Setup: Stop Run at Daily Highs

My pre-market work that morning had one clear line on the YM chart -- the daily and overnight highs. Two scenarios going in:

• Bullish: price breaks out and fills the magnet above (the single prints on TPO)
• Bearish: price runs the highs, fails, and rotates back into value for a short

I had a TPO composite up -- multiple days stacked together. That tells me where value is sitting. Above the white lines was "too expensive". Below them was where buyers actually lived. That context is what frames the rest of the trade.

The Entry: Orderflow Confirmation

Once price ran the daily highs, I flipped to the PnF chart with volume imprint and started reading orderflow. Here's what I had:

• The stop run printed +136 delta on YM. Buyers were lifting the offer hard.
• Absorption kicked in at the level. Across the next few rotations the aggressive sellers started outpacing the buyers.
• Buyers got one last push -- +31 delta -- and then the next rotation came back with +33 delta down.
• The bar that opened after that confirmed sellers had it. I shorted 5 contracts.

Stop went behind the daily high. Targets were the naked point of control, the previous close, and the overnight singles -- three magnets stacked below.

Trade Management: Why I Didn't Add

The trade went green right away, which is usually a good sign. My rule is that if a trade works from the jump, I'm allowed to add. I didn't add here. The review afterwards confirmed why that was right.

Two reasons I stayed with the original 5:

• Unfinished auction above. Those act like micro magnets. To add I'd have to drag my stop down, and that stop would almost certainly get hit if price revisited the unfinished auction.
• ETH VWAP right there. The most likely rotation-back point was exactly where I'd be adding. Adding into VWAP resistance is asking to lose money.

Trade hit target anyway. But the call to not add is the kind of thing you only see clearly in review. In real time the urge to size up is strong. Review is what proves the discipline was right.

Why Daily Trade Reviews Matter

Review is the practice field for traders. A pro footballer doesn't just show up on match day. Most of their week is training and watching film. Trading is the same. The actual session is one slice. The rest is prep and review.

What my review process actually does for me:

• Pattern recognition. I see the setup live, then I see it again in review. Twice in one day compounds recognition faster than anything else I've tried.
• Strategy refinement. Each review shows what worked, what didn't, and what I can tighten up.
• Rule check. Did I actually follow my own rules? If yes, that confidence stacks. If not, I know exactly where I slipped.
• Execution. Was my entry clean? Could I have gotten a better fill? Sounds small. Adds up.

No review process, no improvement. The market is the best teacher you'll ever have, but only if you actually pay attention after the close too.

Key Takeaways