Tuesday Aug 5: Daily Trade Plan and Price Action Zones for S&P Futures

Tuesday August 5, 2025

In Tuesday’s MicroTrader AM Briefing, the focus was placed on mindset, discipline, and structured trade planning. Traders were encouraged to maintain a clear sense of priorities, use journaling for self-observation, and apply level-based entries supported by custom indicators. A Sunday night long trade yielded significant gains, while short opportunities were offered with caution given the broader bullish structure. Key levels and risk management tactics were highlighted to guide intraday decisions amid evolving market conditions.
📚 RESOURCES
☀️ AM BRIEFING

Opening Remarks

Micros Trader begins the Tuesday AM Briefing by emphasizing the importance of mindset in trading. The session opens with a powerful scripture:

"No household slave can be the slave to two masters since either he will hate one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves to both God and money."

Micros Trader uses this to underscore the idea that a trader must have their priorities in order. "Have your priorities in line," he says. "I believe it's going to make trading easier." The message is clear: being driven solely by money can cloud judgment and hinder performance. A balanced, value-driven perspective often leads to more consistent results.

Essay Format Questions

  1. What emotion affected your trade today?
  2. How will you respond differently next time?

Mindfulness and Journaling as Daily Practice

The "Tip of the Day" focuses on journaling and mindfulness. Traders are encouraged to “observe yourself as if you were the trading floor boss.” This means taking a detached, analytical perspective of your own actions:

“What does this guy do well? What trips him up? What are the early signs?”

Micros Trader encourages self-awareness and says, “The more mindful you can be of these things, the better trader you will be.” Journaling becomes a vital feedback mechanism for self-improvement.

In alignment with this, he reiterates a previous recommendation: video record yourself while trading and review the footage. "What does this guy do well? When does he excel? When does he crush it? Which trades are just his money trades? Which are his greatest temptations that never turn out well?" He explains that the visual record offers unmatched clarity into patterns and habits — both good and bad.

Market Context and Seasonality

The briefing took place on Tuesday, August 5th. A significant market event — Services PMI — was scheduled for release 30 minutes after the open.

Earnings reports expected included AMD, Pfizer, and Caterpillar.

From a seasonal perspective, August is described as being less clean than July. "July was so clean — up, up, and away," but August brings more noise. Still, Micros Trader believes that transitioning from August into September tends to provide "a wonderful time that one can find beautiful longs."

Battle Plan Trades and Strategic Execution

Micros Trader refers back to a "battle plan entry given to you Sunday night," which produced a long that moved beautifully on Monday — closing up 112 points. He affirms that if you're still in the trade, you should “still want to be long.”

Interestingly, the current day's plan includes multiple shorts — “probably three shorts or four shorts maybe.” He acknowledges this is out of the ordinary for him: “Unusual for me to do that, but I know where we’re at on the chart, and it’s going to lend itself to that if you’re interested in shorting.” These are labeled as risky, showing awareness that counter-trend trades require precise execution and conservative targets.

Micros Trader gives a specific short trade example: “I went short right at my level — short at 75. I captured five points.” He explains that the expected move was ten points, and because he was counter-trend and against a trend line bounce, he aimed to take only half the move. “There’s no sense in being overly greedy.”

He emphasizes three principles here:

  • Level-Based Entry: Executing trades at predefined technical levels.
  • Controlled Profit Taking: Capturing a portion of the potential move.
  • Risk Management: Recognizing when a setup is counter-trend and limiting exposure accordingly.

He also notes that VWAP and a proprietary indicator called “Strong Range” supported this setup.

The most important level today is the RTH high. A break above 84 could send price "off to the races."

Current Market Dynamics

The market is described as range-bound: “bouncing back and forth between this strong level and this strong range.”

Regarding technical structure, Micros Trader notes: “Trend line’s been broken. How can trend lines get broken? By time or distance. Time eventually won out.”

Despite the choppy action, the overall structure remains bullish. “The bulls are firmly in control,” he states. The market spent “basically the entire overnight session above Friday's high,” and we’re now trading above that prior high.

Stop Loss and Trade Management for Longs

  • Place stops “behind this strong range”
  • If it’s your first big win: “capture your 100-pointer”
  • For aggressive management: “move it behind the RTH low”

Call to Action

Micros Trader reminds viewers he’ll be live 15 minutes before the market open for real-time chart updates and execution commentary. For access to tomorrow's trades tonight, traders are directed to microtrader.com and encouraged to click on the Battle Plan section.

❓ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the primary focus of the "AM briefing video"?
A: The "AM briefing video" by microtrader.com focuses on providing insights and preparation for live trading. It covers market analysis, specific trade plans (like the "battle plan" trades), and tips for improving trading performance, such as journaling and mindfulness. The aim is to help traders "trade better" by understanding market movements and managing their own trading behaviour.

Q: How does the speaker connect religious scripture to trading?
A: Micros Trader incorporates a scripture from Luke, "No household slave can be the slave to two masters since either he will hate one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves to both God and money." This is used to emphasise the importance of having clear priorities. In the context of trading, it implies that focusing solely on monetary gain without proper alignment of values or principles might hinder one's trading journey or overall well-being.

Q: What is the "tip of the day" and how is it explained?
A: The "tip of the day" is journaling, with a specific focus on mindfulness. Traders are encouraged to "observe yourself as if you were the trading floor boss." This involves asking critical questions about one's own trading behaviour: what they do well, what trips them up, what are the early signs of potential pitfalls, and which trades are consistently profitable or problematic. Micros Trader even suggests video recording oneself while trading for later review to enhance this self-observation.

Q: What is the "battle plan entry" and how is it used?
A: The "battle plan entry" refers to a pre-defined trade strategy provided to members, often given out the night before. For example, the Sunday night "battle plan" involved going long, which resulted in a significant 112-point gain by the market close on Monday. Micros Trader also mentioned mapping out potential short trades for the following day, even sharing a specific "risky" short setup from the battle plan that involved counter-trend trading and capturing half of a 10-point move.

Q: What role do "trend lines" and "strong ranges" play in the trading strategy?
A: Trend lines and strong ranges are key technical analysis tools used in the trading strategy. Trend lines indicate the general direction of price movement and can act as resistance or support. However, Micros Trader notes that "trend lines get broken by time or distance." Strong ranges, on the other hand, are specific price levels or zones that provide significant resistance or support. He highlights a situation where the market was "bouncing back and forth between this strong level and this strong range," indicating their importance in identifying potential turning points or consolidation areas. The VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price) is also mentioned in conjunction with the strong range as a confirmatory indicator.

Q: What is the current market sentiment according to the speaker, and what are key levels to watch?
A: Micros Trader states that "the bulls are firmly in control." The market spent the entire overnight session above Friday's high and the previous day's high. A key level to watch is the RTH (Regular Trading Hours) high. He is particularly interested in whether the market will drop back below it. Another critical level is "the 84 level," which, if cleared, could lead to a significant upward move ("off to the races"). The "bull bear line on the strong indicator" is also mentioned as a crucial pivot point.

Q: What is the speaker's advice for managing existing long positions?
A: For those who entered the long trade from Sunday night's "battle plan," Micros Trader advises remaining long. For managing stops, two suggestions are provided: moving the stop "behind this strong range" or, if it's the trader's "first 100p pointer," to "capture your 100 pointer," implying taking profit on a significant gain. A more aggressive option is to move the stop "behind the RT low." He emphasises that it's "your choice, it's your trade," indicating flexibility in risk management.

Q: How does the speaker offer continued support and future trade insights?
A: Micros Trader invites listeners to join a live trading session "15 minutes before the market opens" for real-time updates to the chart and trade mapping. Additionally, traders can get "tomorrow's trades tonight" by visiting microtrader.com and clicking on "battle plan," suggesting a subscription-based service for pre-market analysis and trade setups.

🔗 ADDITIONAL LINKS

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