2025-12-08 · 4 min read
A qualitative run-through of every trade from 2025-12-08: setups, thought process, and outcomes.
Day P&L: $-4950.71 | Total R: -7.36R
Caught a washout long on IBIO early, entering at 1.97 and exiting at 1.99 for a small win. The setup felt solid with that 59.1% gap, but I quickly learned the tape was choppy. I saw some buying interest, but the momentum just wasn’t there. It was a good start, but I didn’t stick around to capitalize on what could have been a bigger move.
Next, I took a sub VWAP trap on IBIO again, entering around 2.03 but quickly exiting for a tiny loss. The stock faded below VWAP and it was clear I was fighting the tape. It was a good reminder that not every setup is worth forcing. Then I jumped into SMX with a washout long at 169.65, but it dropped hard and I exited at 160.17, losing almost $1,900. The low float (2.97M) should have tipped me off that volatility was going to be extreme, and I didn’t respect that.
CETX was another tough one. I tried two washout longs, the first at 6.35 and the second at 6.72, but both trades ended in losses totaling over $3,000. The stock showed some promise initially, but it just kept fading. I kept thinking it would bounce, but the sellers were relentless. I didn’t adapt quickly enough, and it cost me.
WVE was a mixed bag. I had a couple of sub VWAP traps that netted small wins, but then I got caught in a couple of fade attempts that didn’t pan out. I exited a long position at 17.88 for a slight loss after entering at 17.99. The stock was testing resistance but couldn’t hold, and I should have read that better.
Finally, I switched gears to TWG, where I found some better trades. I caught a decent bull flag at 14.03 and exited at 14.84 for over $2,000. That was a nice recovery moment for me. I also had a few washout longs that worked out, including a solid entry at 19.55 and exiting at 20.55 for a nice gain. It felt like I was finally finding my footing, but then I went back to the well too many times, taking larger losses on the subsequent trades.
By the end of the day, I was down nearly $5,000 across 43 trades. The win rate was only 40%, and my average loss was larger than my average win. The market was tough, especially with the biotech sector showing some wild swings. I saw a lot of low floats and high short interest; names like IBIO and WVE were running on news but then fading just as fast.
What I did well: I managed to cut my losses quickly on several trades. I also had a few solid entries on TWG that paid off.
What I did poorly: I overtraded early on, forcing setups that were clearly not in my favor. I also didn’t respect the tape on CETX, which cost me more than it should have.
Trading grade: B-. My entries were decent, and I had some good reads on TWG, but I didn’t manage risk well enough, leading to bigger losses on trades that should have been avoided.
One takeaway for tomorrow: I need to be more selective about my trades and trust my read of the tape. Less is more, especially in a volatile market.
Trade charts
Selected notable trades (by P&L) with time-of-day vs price (entry → exit).
CETX 10:08:12 – 10:14:05 — P&L $-2041.93
Entry $6.35 — Exit $6.15 $-2041.93
TWG 12:52:21 – 13:03:22 — P&L $+2001.03
Entry $14.03 — Exit $14.84 +$2001.03
SMX 09:55:01 – 09:55:21 — P&L $-1896.00
Entry $169.65 — Exit $160.17 $-1896.00
IOTR 16:23:43 – 16:24:37 — P&L $-1541.08
Entry $4.54 — Exit $4.21 $-1541.08
TWG 13:40:40 – 13:42:36 — P&L $+1450.88
Entry $19.09 — Exit $20.52 +$1450.88