ES EMINI KEY LEVELS

Thursday November 13, 2025

In Episode 567 of the AM Briefing, Micros Trader emphasizes the long-term value of psychological discipline over quick profits in futures trading. He critiques existing proprietary firm structures and advocates for the reintroduction of micro contract accounts with more trader-friendly parameters. The current market shows a bullish bias amid choppy conditions, with a key trading trigger hinging on a liquidity sweep in Nasdaq futures. The session concludes with a call for traders to decouple personal worth from financial performance and cultivate holistic metrics of success.

☀️ AM BRIEFING

Opening Remarks

Micros Trader opens the AM Briefing by focusing on the foundational elements of trading: patience, discipline, and long-term skill development. Rather than chasing fast prop firm payouts, traders are encouraged to build consistency with modest daily profits.

The Philosophy of Trading Discipline and Patience

Micros Trader reiterates that the core of trading success is mental strength. The path to becoming a great trader is paved with slow, deliberate actions—choosing patience over impulse.

Micros Trader discusses the importance of developing the "patience muscle" and the "am waiting muscle." The idea is not to make a fortune overnight, but to build the kind of discipline that sustains trading longevity. He highlights the "Tip of the Day": aim to make $50 a day. While that won't pass a prop firm challenge quickly, it teaches the consistency and control needed to last in the markets. The consistent small wins compound both financially and psychologically.

This slow-and-steady mindset helps traders wait for "that beautiful runner"—the occasional big win that makes a significant impact when it shows up. "Keep building that account balance, keep building your muscles that give you great trading long-term," he states.

Essay Format Questions

What impulse did you fight off? And what did it save you from?

Managing Internal Impulses and Sticking to a Plan

Micros Trader emphasizes that the real enemy in trading is often internal: the urge to act on impulse.

The “Prompt of the Week” challenges traders to reflect on their discipline: “What impulse did you fight off? And what did it save you from?” Trading is likened to parenting your inner child—Micros Trader says, “Tell the little kid within you to sit down and shut up. The adults are here, and this is what you're going to do and what you're not going to do.”

He cautions traders against trading based on pressure, such as the need to qualify for a prop firm account. “Nope, I’m going to trade my plan. Period.” Recognizing low-quality setups or "no trade price action" is a skill in itself. If that means skipping trades for several days, so be it.

Advocacy for Trader-Friendly Proprietary Firm Accounts

Micros Trader critiques the current structure of prop firm accounts, suggesting they often incentivize bad habits. He advocates for more realistic and forgiving models that allow traders to develop skills rather than gamble for fast payouts.

He calls on firms—particularly PopStep—to bring back a "Micros Account" model, allowing traders to:

Trade up to 3 Micro contracts
Target a $1,000 profit goal
Respect a $1,000 loss limit
Qualify days with just $50 or $25 in profit

He notes that he's emailed and posted multiple times asking PopStep to reinstate this account structure. If any firm reintroduces it, he says he’ll “preach them from the highest mountain.” He hints that PopStep may soon remove their activation fee and unveil new account types.

Price action is “massive slop and chop,” but structure remains bullish. ES longs depend on NQ taking out its three-lows liquidity zone.

Technical Market Analysis and Trade Scenarios

The current market environment is described as “massive slop and chop.” Despite this, the underlying structure remains bullish with higher highs and higher lows. Still, Micros Trader warns, “the bulls' hands look sweaty.”

The central technical concern is an intermarket divergence between ES and NQ. While ES has taken out a recent low and begun to climb back, NQ has not. It still sits above a clear liquidity zone formed by three lows.

Micros Trader's condition for entering a long position in ES is explicit: NQ must first sweep its three-lows liquidity pool. Only then would ES present a valid long opportunity.

Instrument and Level Overview

ES (E-mini S&P 500): Trading within a "bull/bear line for today" and a lower "real bull/bear line." A trap below and reclaim, in tandem with NQ taking out liquidity, would offer a strong long setup.

NQ (Nasdaq 100): Currently below its half-back level. Has three recent lows acting as liquidity targets.

YM (Dow Futures): Made a new all-time high the previous day. It challenged its overnight half-back level.

RTY (Russell 2000): Displaying a "laddering down" structure.

Review of Recent Trades

Micros Trader is mentally managing a long position, trailing a 200-point runner with stops beneath the RTH low.

Two overnight “Battle Plan” setups played out successfully:

“Battle Plan #2” short
“Speculator Special” short at 6888, which marked an ideal exit for the prior trade

A planned morning short was canceled before execution.

"Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."

Integrating Spiritual and Psychological Well-being

Micros Trader warns against letting account balance dictate personal value.

Traders are urged to separate self-worth from trading performance. A practical exercise: write down three non-trading areas to define success—such as relationships, health, spiritual growth, or service to others—and display them in your workspace.

Affirmation: “My value doesn’t change based on today’s trades.”

Prayer: A prayer follows, asking to “expose the greed in my heart that I've dressed up as legitimate ambition,” and to find security in something deeper than trading results.

Micros Trader leaves listeners with a grounding reminder: “You don't suck because you had a losing day… in the grand scheme of life, you blowing that account or taking that loss is meaningless. Let our account balance not dictate our significance as a man or woman.”

❓ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS

Question 1: As a new futures trader, what skill should I prioritize over achieving fast results like passing a prop firm challenge?

A: You should prioritize building a lifelong skill of patience. It is important to build your "am waiting muscle" and not worry so much about how quickly you can pass prop accounts or get a payout. The core focus should be taking your time and steadily building your account balance, which develops the mental discipline that leads to strong long-term trading results.

Question 2: How should I handle the psychological urges and impulses that arise while trading?

A: You must fight off those impulses by telling the little kid within you to sit down and be quiet, letting the adult decide what to do and what not to do. This involves strict discipline, where you ignore any desire to trade just to “get that day in” and instead trade your plan, period. If the price action is not good, you need to wait or walk away from the chart, even if that means having a “no trade price action” day or two.

Question 3: What is a common or ideal setup for contract limits and daily goals when starting with a small futures account?

A: A Micros account is often considered ideal for new traders, allowing you to trade up to three Micro contracts. A reasonable goal for qualification in such accounts is making around $50 a day toward a larger target, such as making a thousand without losing a thousand. Additionally, when taking short positions, some traders choose to trade strictly with one contract and would rarely increase size on the short side.