Thursday Notes - Put Up or Shut Up

4:00pm Well, time will tell if my backing off over the last few weeks will work the same magic as 2008, when I also backed off in April to take a breather and prepare for the next push. And surprisingly (at least to me) despite the brief mental break, today's +$6K chip gain (the result of some nice emotional fades as we got some decent unsustainable extensions), has me ending the month on my equity high and puts me ahead of where I was at the same time last year ... keeping in mind the ultimate $+1.6M 2008 gain was aided by the volatile and highly profitable fall.

So despite the flu, pinched nerve, declining volatility, and general breath-catching, I remain on track for the '09 $1M goal ... but only if I decide to get my head back in the game in a sustainable fashion and pick up the pace.

And so we bid a not-so-fond farewell to April vacation in terms of less than stellar stats:

April 2009
Daily Gains: $93,937
Daily Losses: ($24,399)
Commissions: ($23,023)
Overheads: ($3,231)
Net Profit: $43,284
Win/Loss Ratios
- Days: 15-7 (73-10 Year-to-Date)
- Daily Gains/Losses: 4-1

And for the only #s that matter:

Net Profit Pace (vs. Continuing Annual Goal of $1,000,000)
- Last twelve months: $1,641,377
- Jan-Apr annualized: $1,178,610

For reference and comparison purposes, here are links to the previous 2009 monthly recaps:
January
February
March

And so it's time to turn off the cruise control and see if the recent refueling can get me through the next few laps with some momentum. The target remains crystal clear: the rare industry feat of back-to-back Million dollar years ... and with all public eyes watching.

Last year, we of course topped the industry's top CTAs. This year, I want the back-to-back $1M. I want to dance that dance one more time.

Last year, many said it was impossible. This year, I'm starting to hear similar grumblings, including suggestions that my recent backing off means the market is getting the best of me, I've gone soft, or that I can't make money in a less-than-volatile market. (Ironically, some are the exact same folks that said no one could make money last fall ... you gotta love critical spectators.)

I say bring on the skeptics.

At this end, it's time once again to put up or shut up.

Let's see if we can shut them up one more time.

Poker night tonight. And tomorrow will be the final spring mulligan ... the real work starts on Monday.