Doing Nothing Was the Trade: MES MICROS TRADE PLAN
| Timestamp | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 00:21 | Extra Espresso Required | This market is all volatility and fast fills — know your levels, respect the wicks, and strap in. |
| 00:55 | Last Day of the Month | Happy Friday wrap-up, spring vibes, and Psalm 118 to start the session right. |
| 01:26 | News on the Calendar | Chicago PMI today plus a peek at next week — ADP, ISM Manufacturing, and Non-Farm Payrolls. |
| 02:22 | Fix Your YouTube Comments | George corrects a settings issue — viewers can now comment and ask questions during the live stream. |
| 02:57 | Who Controls Price Action? | Bulls are in charge. Anyone shorting this tape is paying the counter-trend tax — plain and simple. |
| 03:57 | The Battle Plan Keeps You on the Right Side | A walkthrough of Tuesday through Thursday showing why the battle plan kept traders long the entire way. |
| 04:26 | Difficult Trade Location | Price is at the top of the range — not a great place to go long, and a tough place to short against the bulls. |
| 05:30 | 100-Point Pre-Market Short | A core strategy short triggered 15 minutes before the open right at the highs — a beautiful locationally correct trade. |
| 06:28 | Counting the Vomit Move | Five strong levels crossed, one hour and 48 minutes of selling — the liquidation move hit all the benchmarks. |
| 07:47 | No New Battle Plan Entries | At the top of a difficult range, George stood down and added nothing new — and explains exactly why. |
| 08:42 | Trading Your Plan, Not the Move | The DOM was closed. George waited 100 points for his entry zone — and that's exactly what a trade plan is for. |
| 09:14 | Battle Plan Trade 1 Hits | Price drops into the target zone, bulls show up, and the first round-trip delivers roughly 40 points. |
| 09:44 | Battle Plan Trade 2 — The Re-Entry | Long at 5,825 on the one-minute core strategy as price returns to the battle plan zone for a second round trip. |
| 12:31 | Reading the Broader Market | Under previous day low across the board, VWAP rolling over — George's preference is the next battle plan location. |
| 12:58 | Join Us Live | Zoom opens 15 minutes before the market — and get tomorrow's trades tonight at MicrosTrader.com. |
MES MICROS TRADE PLAN
Doing Nothing Was the Trade
Posted: Friday February 28, 2025
Last trading day of the month... and the market delivered exactly what the battle plan called for. Bulls have been in firm control — but price has pushed up into the top of the range, and that creates real complications for entries in both directions. The session walked through two battle plan trades that hit their targets, a deep review of Thursday's liquidation vomit move, and the disciplined mindset behind standing down when your plan doesn't cover the action on screen. This is what trading the plan — not the emotion — actually looks like.
Who Controls? Bulls Do — And That Changes Everything
Before you look at a single chart, you need to answer one question: who controls price action? Right now, the answer is the bulls — no debate. That context shapes every trade decision you make. Shorting against a bull-controlled market means you're paying what George calls the "counter-trend tax" — and it's the hardest tax there is to pay.
- Counter-Trend Tax: When you trade against the dominant trend — in this case, shorting a bull-controlled market — you're fighting the structure of price itself. The odds are stacked against you, fills are harder, and stop-outs happen faster. Every short taken in a bull tape is a reminder of why trend alignment matters.
- ES as an Upward-Moving Instrument: George made a point worth repeating... the ES is structurally an upwardly moving instrument over time. That doesn't mean you never short. But it does mean your default posture should lean long, and your conviction threshold for shorts needs to be higher.
- Top of the Range Complication: Price pushing into the top of a defined range creates a difficult location. It's not a great place to go long (you're late), and it's a risky place to go short (you're fighting the trend). George's solution? Don't force it. Stand down and wait for price to deliver.
Thursday's Liquidation Vomit Move — Counting the Levels
Thursday opened with a classic "liquidation vomit" — a fast, aggressive sell-off from the session highs. These moves are recognizable once you know what to look for, and understanding their typical structure helps you stay calm instead of chasing. Two key measurements define whether a vomit move has run its course.
- Strong Levels Traversed: Thursday's vomit move crossed exactly five strong levels from high to low. George's framework identifies five to seven strong levels as the typical range for what bears can muster in a move like this. Counting levels in real time tells you when exhaustion is likely near.
- Time Duration: The sell-off ran from the session high to the low in approximately one hour and 48 minutes. The historical benchmark is roughly one hour and 30 minutes for these moves. Thursday came in just over that window — meeting the time requirement and reinforcing the read that the move was likely complete.
- Pre-Session Short Setup: A core strategy short entry triggered approximately 15 minutes before the RTH open, right at the session high. That trade offered roughly 100 points of downside — a "beautiful 100-point short" for anyone locationally correct and ready to act at that moment.
Vomit Move Checklist
| Metric | Typical Range | Thursday's Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Levels Crossed | 5–7 | 5 ✅ |
| Duration | ~90 minutes | 1 hr 48 min ✅ |
Trade Your Plan — Not the Move on Screen
One of the most powerful moments in yesterday's session wasn't a trade — it was a non-trade. With the market selling off sharply and traders scrambling, George's DOM was closed. He wasn't interested. Why? Because the plan didn't cover the action on screen. His first battle plan entry was 96 to 100 points away from where price was moving. That's a deliberate, pre-planned location — not a reaction.
- No New Battle Plan Entries: When price is at the top of a difficult range, George chose not to add new battle plan trades. The environment didn't support new long setups, and he wasn't comfortable calling a short against bull control. The play was patience.
- 100-Point Separation to Entry: The battle plan target zone — where George expected bulls to re-engage — sat nearly 100 points below the opening action. Waiting for that level is the plan. Missing the vomit move entirely is acceptable if your setup lives somewhere else.
- It's Okay to Miss the Move: A YouTube viewer commented that standing down looked like "wasting time." George's response is the lesson: you're not wasting time when you're waiting for your pre-planned trade. You're protecting capital and respecting the system.
Battle Plan Results — Two Entries, Two Round Trips
Once price dropped into the target zone, the battle plan came alive. Two separate entries — both pre-planned, both executed with the core strategy on a one-minute chart — delivered clean round-trip trades. This session is the blueprint for how the system is supposed to work.
- Battle Plan Trade 1: Price dropped into the pre-mapped target zone. George went long, managing the trade with the core strategy. The first round trip returned approximately 40 points — right at his projected price map ceiling for the initial move.
- Battle Plan Trade 2 (Re-Entry): Price pulled back into the battle plan zone a second time. George re-entered long at 5,825 using the core strategy on the one-minute chart, executing a second round-trip trade as price returned to the strong range.
- Three-Contract System for Battle Plan 2: For traders sizing into Battle Plan Area 2 (a higher-risk entry near news), the recommended approach is three contracts: peel the first at five points, move stop to break even, and manage the runner. Single-contract traders have fewer options but should set the stop just below the nearest strong level or the session low.
Session Trade Summary
| Trade | Entry | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Plan 1 | Target zone long | ~40 point round trip |
| Battle Plan 2 (Re-Entry) | Long at 5,825 | Round trip to strong range |
Economic Calendar — Week Ahead
Today's session includes Chicago PMI hitting approximately 15 minutes after the 9:45 AM CT mark. Looking ahead to next week, several high-impact reports are on the calendar that futures traders need to have circled.
| Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Today | Chicago PMI | Regional manufacturing sentiment — can move ES in both directions |
| Next Week | ISM Manufacturing & Prices | Broad manufacturing health + inflation component |
| Wednesday | ADP Non-Farm Payroll | Private payroll preview ahead of Friday's government report |
| Friday | Non-Farm Employment Change | Major monthly jobs report — one of the highest-impact events of the month |
"I think that's the only way to trade it successfully over a long period of time — stand down when it starts vomiting if your trade plan doesn't have a plan for that move... and wait for your pre-planned entry."
COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS
What is the "counter-trend tax" in futures trading?
A: The counter-trend tax is the cost — in losses, stress, and missed opportunity — that traders pay when they trade against the dominant trend. In a bull-controlled market like the current ES environment, every short trade is fighting the structural direction of price. Fills are harder, stop-outs happen faster, and the probability of success drops significantly compared to trend-aligned trades. George uses this concept to reinforce why trade direction should align with whoever controls price action.
What is a "liquidation vomit" move and how do I recognize one?
A: A liquidation vomit is a fast, aggressive sell-off — often triggered when weak longs are forced out of positions — that moves quickly through multiple support levels. The typical signature includes five to seven strong levels being crossed and a duration of approximately 90 minutes. Thursday's vomit move crossed exactly five strong levels and ran for one hour and 48 minutes, meeting both benchmarks. Recognizing these moves by their structure — not their speed — helps traders stay calm and avoid chasing.
Why didn't George take any trades during Thursday's big sell-off?
A: Because his battle plan didn't include a trade at the location where the sell-off occurred. George's first pre-planned entry was 96 to 100 points below the opening action. His DOM was closed. His philosophy is clear: if the move isn't in the plan, you don't trade it. Standing down isn't wasting time — it's protecting capital while you wait for your actual setup to develop.
What does "trade your plan" actually mean in practice?
A: It means every trade you take was mapped out before the session opened — specific price zones, specific conditions, specific management rules. When Thursday's market sold off 100 points, George had pre-mapped exactly where he expected bulls to re-engage. He waited for price to reach that zone, took the long, and executed a clean round-trip trade. Trading the plan means you're not reacting to the screen — you're executing what you already decided when the market was closed.
How does the three-contract system work on a battle plan entry?
A: The three-contract approach is George's preferred structure for managing battle plan trades in higher-risk conditions. Contract one is peeled off at five points profit, locking in a small gain. The stop on the remaining two contracts is then moved to break even, eliminating downside risk. The remaining contracts are managed as runners toward the larger target. This approach allows traders to participate in big moves while protecting against the trade failing. Single-contract traders don't have this flexibility — their stop should be placed just below the nearest strong level or the session low from the entry zone.
What is a "top of the range" trade location and why is it difficult?
A: A top of the range location occurs when price is trading near the upper boundary of a defined multi-day or multi-week price range. At this location, longs are at risk because there's limited upside before resistance, and shorts are at risk because the trend is still upward. George describes this as a "chop zone" on the daily chart — an area where price often stalls, reverses, and traps traders in both directions. His response is to either avoid new entries entirely or scale targets down significantly.
What is the Core Strategy and how was it used in Thursday's session?
A: The Core Strategy is George's primary entry method, applied to a one-minute chart to identify precise long entries within pre-mapped battle plan zones. On Thursday, once price dropped into the target zone, the Core Strategy generated a long signal that George used for his first entry. Later in the session, when price returned to the battle plan zone a second time, the Core Strategy on the one-minute chart produced a re-entry long at 5,825 — which also completed a round-trip trade. The Core Strategy is taught in depth inside the MicrosTrader membership.
What is the significance of the "Price Map" in battle plan trading?
A: The price map is George's pre-session projection of where price is likely to travel once it enters a battle plan zone. On Thursday, the price map top was set at approximately 40 points above the long entry zone — and the first round-trip trade hit almost exactly that level. The price map gives traders a realistic expectation for how far a move may go, which helps with profit-taking decisions and prevents over-holding in difficult conditions.
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