Look Left Before You Click
Tuesday morning, price descended into the 26 on the NQ. My finger hovered over the buy button. But before I pulled the trigger, I did what I always do… I looked left. No prior test from above. No green bar acting as a wall. This was the first test in the flow of price action.…
Friday, January 9, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Muted Payrolls, Eyes on Tariffsby Tony Rago Payroll numbers are out and the reaction has been pretty muted so far — not exactly the kind of impulse move that clears things up early. That puts more weight on the rest of the economic slate this morning, especially the upcoming tariff decision, which has the potential…
Thursday, January 8, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Testing 7,000 — Who Defends the Pullback?by Tony Rago ES hit a major milestone with a clean test of 7,000 overnight before backing off — a psychological level that naturally invites two-way trade. Now the focus shifts to defense. Bulls need to step up on pullbacks, with 6,912 acting as the clear line in the…
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Grinding at Highs — Patience Requiredby Tony Rago It’s been a slow-grind kind of tape, and those are never the easiest — especially sitting at all-time highs. ES continues to do the heavy lifting while NQ lags a bit, but the roadmap is clear: holding defended pullbacks keeps the door open for a push toward…
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Leadership Check at the Openby Tony Rago NQ is still boxed inside Friday’s range while ES is pressing its nose higher, trying to break out above recent highs. For NQ, bulls need to reclaim and hold above 25,633 to open the door toward 25,750 and 25,812 — those are the upside markers that signal real…
Monday, January 5, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
New Week, New Game Planby Tony Rago The first trading week of 2026 is here, and it’s kicking off with a busy news slate that could inject some volatility into the tape. Venezuela headlines are the big macro watch right now — so far the market hasn’t reacted much, but that can change quickly once…
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Year-End Drift — Eyes on the Levelsby Tony Rago Last trading day of 2025 and the tape is doing what holiday tape usually does — quiet, thin, and a little deceptive. Participation is light, but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. Low volume can still produce quick bursts of volatility if orders hit an empty book,…
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Waiting on a Sparkby Tony Rago It was a quiet overnight session, and for now the tape looks like it wants to stay that way. ES bulls need to hold above the weekly pivot at 6,957 and then reclaim the weekly open at 6,980 to really shift momentum back in their favor — that weekly…
Why Your Fourth Trade Fails
Christmas Eve morning, I did something most traders never do. I went backward. Not to relive trades I missed or second-guess decisions I made. I went back to validate the setups themselves. To answer a simple question that separates confident traders from uncertain ones. "All we're doing in this homework process is we're going back…
Friday, December 26, 2025 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Quiet Tape, Patience Requiredby Tony Rago We got the quiet overnight session we expected, and for now the day session is shaping up the same way. When conditions are like this, it’s important to stay open-minded — markets can offer everything or absolutely nothing. That means patience is the trade. Instead of forcing action, it’s…