Hey there, Gianni here.
The market was poking at my SOLZ position all day last week. We had a stop loss on a close below $20.80, and it kept teasing that level. "Hey, you gonna make a move?" - like my son calling my name while I'm trying to work.
But we didn't get stopped out. Know why? Because we have a system.
Here's what I've noticed: Most people think trading is about finding the next hot stock or predicting market direction.
But when I look at any chart - doesn't matter if we're in a bull market or bear market - I'm following the same structure every single time.
That's the difference between trading and gambling.
Three Systems, Not One
Every real trade setup has three separate systems working together:
Entry System: This is where most people think trading begins and ends. They see movement and jump in. Wrong. When I looked at SOLZ, I wasn't just seeing a chart pattern. I was checking trend structure first - is this making higher highs and higher lows? Clean structure or choppy mess?
Profit Capture System: We just took off another third of our APLD position for 66% gains. That's not luck. That's having a systematic way to capture profits and sticking to it religiously. You can nail the perfect entry and still lose money if you don't know how to take profits.
Stop-Loss System: Your stops are not up for negotiation. Period. If you don't have a system to stop yourself out, you're not trading - you're hoping.
Why Systems Beat Emotions
When people start freaking out because stocks drop 2% from all-time highs, I know they don't have systems. They're reacting emotionally instead of following structure.
That SOLZ trade?
We almost got stopped out, but we respected the stop. The market tested us all day, but cooler heads prevail. There's a time and place to respond - you don't respond immediately just because the market is being dramatic.
If I was trading on emotions instead of systems, I would've either bailed out early or held too long and taken a bigger loss.
The Foundation Most People Skip
Here's something that might surprise you: The first thing I look at isn't the stock itself. It's currencies.
Most people think currencies are boring.
But the currency market is significantly larger than stocks or bonds. This is where real money flows. If you want to actually outperform instead of just hoping for the best, you need to understand what's happening at that level first.
You can keep looking at just stocks all day if you want. But if you actually want to make money consistently, this approach will save you time and losses.
Building Your Own Structure
When these three systems work together, they create something bigger. But each piece has to work independently first.
Trading isn't about predicting the future - that's a fool's game. It's about having a systematic approach that works regardless of what the market throws at you.
You can keep shooting from the hip with hot tips and stories. Or you can build systems that actually work.
Your choice. But I know which approach has been working.
Stay Sharp,
Gianni Di Poce