Thursday Notes - A Market Blessing

4:00pm I'll be frank up front ... this is going to be my toughest post ever. I'm not even sure where to start, but I'll try.

Normally, specific days don't phase me. I've said for years that each day is fairly insignificant over the course of a year or career except in aggregation with all the others. Once the trade or day is done, it has to be forgotten as tomorrow is indeed the only day that matters. And yes, that silly counter to the left is the only earnings timeframe that means anything to me.

Yet today I find myself deeply moved as I've been blessed with a career trading day. Yes, a career day that was pretty much over by noon. And since I've been candid writing about my losses and bonehead moves, I suppose I should be candid on the upside as well.

It started out innocently -- and actually on the frustrated side -- as I was thinking about going long last night after the market closed on the panic, and also planned on getting up with the Eurex open at 3am. Well, I remained flat overnight (that's me ... I simply can't sleep with a position on) and didn't wake up until around 5am where I saw I'd missed a couple of prime opportunities. I wasn't too pleased. Yet something told me to just sit tight and the opportunity would be there.

Perhaps it was the frustration of missing out early that sharpened the focus, but from that point on everything fell into place. And I mean everything. Once ES starting pulling in around 9:45am, and with my eye on the TICK expecting a much higher initial low than yesterday (remember those comments and the TICK chart re: yesterday's extremes), I started buying and buying heavy. From then, the next few hours were frankly an unconscious dance with the market. Size, entries and exits seemed within ticks of perfection and there was no hesitation. None. It was like that scene near the end of Trading Places where Louis and Billy Ray were taking down the Dukes. Perfect afternoon earnings protection (minimal trading) while adding a small icing. It was like all of the experience of the last decade flooded into the moment. And I mean flooded. I just can't describe how I felt much more than that.

When all was said and done, $70K+ net (after transaction costs as always and including a teeny DAX loss) was in the bank on an absurd $77K ES gross. 7% of my annual earnings target in one day. I still can't believe it and have captured the gross figures from TT so I know it's real.

Oh sure, I didn't do some things well including passing on the afternoon long (got some nice short extension clips though) and losing on the DAX in the morning (I know, I know). And that will give me motivation for tomorrow. But that would be like saying you didn't like Manny's hair when the Sox finally won it in 2004.

Those that have worked with me over the years know I have a deep faith. I don't talk about it purposely as I try to live by example (often not doing a good job of it) rather than rant, but it's there. Today was a blessing which is frankly hard for me to comprehend right now. Other than that, I'm at a loss for words until this sinks in.

In the meantime, I know I have to forget about it and move on. Time has shown I can come back from draws ... Tuesday and Wednesday are recent cases in point ... and believing I'm always coming back from the abyss has become my cornerstone. Now I need to find out if I can keep that same even keel and believe the day of all days was really the draw of all draws.

There's another day left in the week, and 104 days left until this means anything.

The journey must continue.