The Chart Said Yes. The Process Said No
This is exactly the type of setup I look for.
Strong move up. Tight flag/pennant pattern. Volume low in the pullback, then came in at the close.
Everything about this chart was actionable.
But I still said no.
Why?
Because earnings were after the close.
This is where discipline matters most.
Not when the setup is messy. Not when the market is unclear.
But when everything looks perfect… except for one thing.
“Never trade in situations where you don’t have control. For example, I don’t risk significant amounts of money in front of key reports, since that is gambling, not trading.” — Paul Tudor Jones
I wanted to take this trade today.
But that is not part of my process.
The moment you start bending your rules for a “perfect” setup is the moment you start to lose consistency.
Earnings remove control.
Intel can gap up 20%.
It can also gap down 20%.
That’s not trading.
That’s gambling.
