Monday, March 2, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
War Headlines and a Volatile Openby Tony Rago Big gap down on geopolitical headlines overnight, and with VIX pushing over 23, we’re walking into a high-volatility open. When the VIX gets elevated like this, it’s signaling expanded expected ranges — which means faster moves, wider rotations, and less forgiveness for poor entries. I’ll be laser-focused…
Survive the First Hour
Hey trader, Every NQ session opened with ATR readings between 47 and 57 this week. Hundred-handle bars were printing before 10 AM. If you traded the open the same way you trade 11 AM, you got hurt. I know because I watched it happen on Monday, and I felt it myself. This article breaks down…
Friday, February 2026, - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
PPI Jolt — Range Still Rulesby Tony Rago PPI hit this morning and the market didn’t love it — futures backed off and we’re setting up for what could be a bumpy open. ES 6850 and NQ 24,750 are the key spots on my radar. Those are the near-term lines where order flow should…
Thursday, February 26, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Breakout — Now Comes the Testby Tony Rago Bulls finally showed up and ripped price back above the major resistance that’s been capping us for the last couple of weeks. That’s a meaningful shift — when a level holds that long, it builds inventory and trapped positioning, so reclaiming it often forces a repricing. Now…
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Range High Pressure — Breakout or Fakeout?by Tony Rago Bulls managed to reclaim and close above the weekly pivots, pushing price right back to the top of this broader range. That’s constructive — weekly pivots often act as a directional gauge for institutional bias, and holding above them keeps short-term momentum pointed up. Now the…
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Rangebound — But Pressure Is Buildingby Tony Rago Bulls are struggling to gain traction here. We’re still operating inside this larger range, but every push higher has stalled before momentum can really build. First order of business for buyers is clear: reclaim and hold above the weekly pivot, then take out 6,900 on ES and…
Monday, February 23, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
New Week — Same Range, Fresh Opportunityby Tony Rago New week, new opportunity to make money 💪 We’re still locked inside this broader range, and ES is once again pressing up against 6,900 — a level that carries more weight than most realize. We opened 2026 at 6,902, so this area isn’t just psychological, it’s…
I made $200 on two micro contracts Wednesday. Here's the math.
Hey Trader, Wednesday morning, the NQ was whipping back and forth with a 50 ATR. The kind of tape that eats traders alive. I bought the 26 on a back test of the opening range, started dragging my stop up as it moved, locked in 20 handles, then 30, and closed it out at the…
Friday, February 20, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Stuck at the Weekly Openby Tony Rago It’s been a big sideways week — and the tape shows it. We haven’t strayed far from the weekly open, and once again we’re hovering right around that level heading into today’s session. When price keeps rotating around the weekly open like this, it tells you there’s balance…
Thursday, February 19, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Holding Higher Lows or Rolling Over?by Tony Rago Bulls tried to string a day together, but momentum stalled before it could really build. Now it’s about structure. On the higher time frames, they need to start carving out higher lows — that’s how trends stabilize and regain traction. For ES, 6,850 is the line in…