Wednesday Jul 30: Daily Trade Plan and Price Action Zones for S&P Futures

Wednesday July 30, 2025

Wednesday’s ES and MES futures briefing underscored the importance of a purpose-driven approach to trading and a disciplined execution plan. The session emphasized the week’s dominant range, highlighting a key level at 16 as a potential pivot point for long entries and stressing caution on trades taken near the top of the range. Traders were urged to adopt performance-enhancing practices such as video-recording their sessions and refining trade exits through structured journaling. With major earnings and GDP data acting as near-term catalysts, the focus remained on trading defined reactions within the current range-bound market.
📚 RESOURCES
☀️ AM BRIEFING

Opening Remarks

The briefing opens with a strong emphasis on a purpose-driven approach to all activities, including trading. The speaker cites Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord and not for men.” He explains, “You don’t do it for people to praise you. You do it in a manner that honors the Lord.” This establishes trading as more than financial gain; it becomes an act of dedication and excellence.

Practical Tips for Trader Improvement

The “tip of the day” focuses on self-observation and performance enhancement. The speaker recommends setting up a camera to record trading sessions: “If you videoed yourself trading, you would observe yourself like you were the floor boss watching your traders trade your money.” This method provides valuable insight into patterns, emotional reactions, and decision-making processes. He emphasizes this as a crucial step for traders who want to “go to the next step and actually video yourself.”

Key Market Drivers and Upcoming Events

  • Economic Data: “Here in about four minutes, we’re going to get some GDP data.”
  • Major Earnings: After close today: Meta and Microsoft. Tomorrow: Amazon, described as “the big boy this week.”
  • YouTube Live Sessions: The speaker announces plans to go live on YouTube that afternoon and encourages subscriptions for alerts.

Essay Format Questions

  1. How did you show improvement in your trade exits this week?
  2. What adjustments will you make to refine your exit strategy further?

Market Analysis: The Dominant Range and Battle Plans

A significant portion of the briefing is devoted to the current market structure and the “battle plan” strategy.

  • The Range: “This range is the most important part of our trading this week and it has framed everything we’ve done.” Understanding and trading within this defined range is paramount.
  • Battle Plan Methodology:
    • Pre-Market Mapping: The speaker explains mapping out price action the night before, creating a “battle plan” with magnets and ideal entry/exit points.
    • Communication: Screenshots of the plan are shared with members who cannot attend live Zoom sessions.
    • Dynamic Adaptation: He notes that real-life interruptions may prevent perfect execution, but understanding the plan’s logic is critical.
  • Range Behavior: Within a range, price will “enter into the range, come to the bottom of the range, try to leave it and come back in, try to leave it, come back in.”
  • Strategic Positions:
    • Longs: Better entries are at the bottom of the range; “in my opinion, the trade was to be long here and hold that runner.”
    • Shorts: “You’re looking for shorts up in here.”
    • Breakouts: Possible but risky due to “turtle head” false breaks.
  • Key Levels and Targets:
    • Magnets: Expected price targets. NQ hit its overnight all-time high magnet; ES did not and went to another magnet.
    • Most Important Level: “The 16” is identified as a crucial level for potential long add-ons targeting the all-time high.
    • Bottom of the Range: Losing it signals potential further downside.
  • Three-Contract System: A strategy allowing partial profit-taking and holding a “lotto runner” for extended moves.
Trades initiated at the top of the current range are considered “kind of risky.”

Current Market Outlook and Cautionary Notes

The speaker assesses the market as currently in “the lower distribution.” He expresses surprise ES did not hit its all-time high like NQ but cautions this is not inherently bearish within a range-bound context. His focus remains on identifying “where are the bears, where are the bulls, where are people going to defend price, where are those ranges, where is price typically going to be contained—and we trade those reactions.”

Call to Action and Community Engagement

The briefing concludes with encouragement for interaction: “If you like this, hit that like button.” He reminds traders of live Zoom and YouTube sessions and directs them to microtrader.com for “tomorrow’s trades tonight” via the Battle Plan.

Futures Trading FAQ

Q: What is the core philosophy that underpins the trading advice provided?
A: The core philosophy is rooted in the biblical principle from Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord and not for men." This elevates the purpose of trading beyond mere financial gain or external validation, encouraging traders to approach their work with dedication, integrity, and a sense of honouring a higher purpose.

Q: What innovative self-assessment technique is suggested for traders?
A: Traders are encouraged to video record themselves while trading for an hour or an entire day, then review the footage as if they were a "floor boss" supervising their traders. This self-observation provides valuable insights into their actions, reactions, and decision-making processes during live trading.

Q: What key economic data and earnings reports are highlighted as important news drivers for the trading day?
A: The important news drivers include GDP data released shortly after the briefing begins, with major earnings reports from Meta and Microsoft after the close and Amazon’s earnings as a major event for the week.

Q: What is the "trading prompt" for the week and how does it relate to journaling?
A: The weekly trading prompt is "How did you show improvement in your trade exits?" encouraging traders to reflect on and analyse their exit strategies as part of their daily journaling practice using Trader Meditations.

Q: What is the significance of "magnets" and "battle plans" in the trading strategy discussed?
A: "Magnets" are specific price levels expected to attract price action, while "battle plans" are pre-determined strategies created the night before, outlining ideal entries, targets, and exits to guide trading decisions.

Q: How are trading ranges defined and what is their importance in the week's trading?
A: Trading ranges are zones where price is typically contained between a top and bottom, providing clear areas for long and short opportunities. The current week’s range is described as the most important part of all trading decisions.

Q: What is the recommended strategy when trading within a defined range, particularly regarding breakouts?
A: The recommended approach is to look for longs at the bottom of the range and shorts at the top, while treating breakouts with caution due to the common "turtle head" effect of false moves outside the range.

Q: What support resources and engagement opportunities are mentioned for traders?
A: Traders are provided with live Zoom and YouTube sessions, group screenshots of battle plans, educational content such as the "range rules" video, and are encouraged to engage with the community via likes and comments.

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