Grant (aka AC)

Intro

Continuing with the next trader from Snorm’s trading chat group is Grant. Grant has been an inspiration for me in the trading group and a great help in answering questions. What I like is the structured, understandable approach he has for trading, making it nice to backtest and comfortable to trade the setups.

A bit about yourself

What was your journey that led you into trading?

Did my work experience whilst at school at a trading house in London that specialised in Japanese stocks. Joined them full time once I left school

What trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?

Time. Would love more time to trade around the major centre Opens. Waiting for the kids to become fully self sufficient and to retire.

What inspires you to trade and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?

I genuinely love it. Mentally both challenging and stimulating.

In your head

What’s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?

creating my own future, knowing its me against the markets.

painful was watching an older trader have a heart attack at his desk during a news announcement.

What are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?

Discipline

How do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?

walk away and take a break

We all have off days, days we really shouldn’t open the charts, do you have a process or criteria to understand if it’s a day to not trade?

no, charts are opened every day. PA may not play ball but the charts are open

Strategy and trading plan

What does you typical trading session, including pre and post, look like?

pre - coffee then HTF analysis (wave counts, PA magnets/targets)

post - coffee then review days PA and entries

What market or markets and time-frames do you trade and why?

Dax, DOw, Nasdaq, Major FX pairs using all TFs to analyse but m1 to enter and manage

What are the key indicators or charts you look at first thing in the morning to understand the market trend?

elliot wave count on m15, h1, d1

Give 1 or 2 examples of your strategy explaining your reasons for entering the trade, how you managed the trade and your exit? This can be a win or loss as long as it sticks to your plan.

1. Major centre Open prices breaks and retests
2. low of wave 2 in an elliot wave 2 (AC on ewaves)

What platform, indicators and other tools you rely on for analysis, placing and managing a trade?

Pepperstone UK MT4 Advanced Trade Manager from for-exe Ewaves from for-exe Session Lines from for-exe

Do you have contact with other traders? Describe what you gain from this, how often you talk or share information and how did you find out about them?

Yes, I am in a matrix room full of like minded traders so we all call set ups.

I met the room owner 20 years ago in another trading room before he branched out on his own

How do you adapt your trading strategies to different market environments?

same set ups regardless of environments

Old Hands

How long did it take for you to really get trading down?

5 years

If you could start over what would you do different?

be more disciplined on not taking 50/50 set ups on fear of missing out.. there are plenty of set ups, let the market come to you, stop chasing

Was there a notable time when you started to regularly make a profit? Was it a gradual process or lightbulb moment? Describe please?

I stopped doing dumb shit by chasing entries that weren’t my set up

What are the things that are going to separate you from the large majority of traders who fail?

discpline on only taking the correct set ups

What’s your best advice for experienced traders who want to become independent and trade full time?

Dont. Pressure of having to make a living will et them up

What are most effective methods of spotting strength in an instrument?

candles, how its made up and size relative to the previous