Thread 🧵:
A Day in the Life of a Trader (A day in my Life)
1) I absolutely love my work❤️! In fact, I grew up dreaming to be a trader. So trading, to me, doesn’t feel like working (except when I lose😂).
It’s fascinating because it’s different every day.
A typical week day for me begins at 7:30 AM.
I spend the next 30 minutes on my daily chores — get ready for office, grab a quick breakfast & have a hot cuppa coffee.
3) 8:00 AM : Leave for office
On my way to office, I check what happened at the Wallstreet overnight & how are Asian markets performing.
I then look for any macro news that may affect overnight positions
P.S: We are moving to a new bigger office & will share pics of that soon
4) 9 AM - Connect with Trade Room members
I connect with trade room members on zoom & share my plan for the day, stocks to keep in radar & how to play the index & which option strategies to execute
For more details about Online Trade Room you can check
I keenly observe the pre-opening to get a general sense of where the market is it likely to open. At 9:07 AM, the pre-opening prices are out. I make a note of stocks opening with a big gap up or gap down and keep them on my watchlist.
6 9:15 AM: Market Opens
a) I commence with analysing Bank Nifty.
It’s my first instrument of choice where a bulk of my positions are created.
I run my proprietary system Snorlax on BankNifty.
For the uninitiated, Snorlax is a Pokemon that just sleeps & eats all day.
6 b)
Snorlax is our proprietary intraday theta eating strategy.
The model indicates the intraday trend for the index based on historical data, the opening and certain intraday patterns.
I manually create skewed delta positions as per that and place my stops.
6 c)
I already discussed some concepts of Snorlax( non directional theta decay strategy) on my #face2face on @elearnmarkets with @vivbajaj
I can be a good starting point for anyone who wants to understand how non directional trading works
7)9:30 AM : Action Begins
After taking position in BNF, our Momentum based system scans the liquid F&O universe and puts automated orders in futures as per generated signals.
We try to capture intraday moves and is built on concepts of momentum and intraday trading patterns.
8) 10:30 AM : Midday Doldrums
Around this time, market moves fizzle out & I again catchup with the traders at Online Trade Room on zoom.
I discuss how the trades discussed in the morning are doing & also share any other stocks on my radar
a)Next, I have a quick chat with the Quant team, who analyse raw market data &devise profitable trading strategies.
We thoroughly review the performance of the strategies that we’re back-testing & have built our own backtesting engine inhouse.
9 b )
Currently, quant team is working on ML models using CNN to see if we can find non-linear patterns from multi-dependent variables.
Major part of day of quant team is dedicated to back-testing, research and optimization.
10) 12:30 pm : TV Time
I go on air on TV @ETNowSwadesh before going online I prerpare which stocks to recommend, look at derivatives data & what additional data point to speak while being on air.
I’ll update my TV schedule soon here on twitter !
11)Connect with Trader friends
I call trader friends to discuss the markets.I connect with @Ronak_Unadkat almost 3 times during market hours & discuss our views. He is a good trader & friend
a) I check how my positions for the day are doing.
My actual screen time is quite low! Perks of being a systems’ trader!
The only exception is Thursday when I am actively in front of the screen.
12 b)
Markets tend to gain momentum post 2:00 PM.
We tighten our stops on our intraday positions & look for stocks where action is happening in terms of huge volumes/ large intraday moves/ stock breaking intraday high/ low etc.
We run our inhouse built algo for the same.
13) Scan for Positional Setups
I again connect with Trade Room members. I see if there’s any good positional trade shaping up based on momentum and the top gainers for the day. I design a strategy, discuss the hedge with the team and calculate its risk reward payoff.
14) 3 PM : End is near
Time to close all intraday trades. The team ensures that all positional trades & there is adequate margin. Lastly, we run a risk check to see what happens to the portfolio in case of a major gap up or gap down opening on the following day.
15) Closing Time
I hate to see the markets shut🙁 but, its 3:30 PM and markets are closed for the day.
I manually update my trading journal & note my learnings for the day if any.
16) 3:30 -4 pm : Lunch Time
Yes. I have lunch after market close. While having lunch I & my trading team discuss how did we do today, what could have been done better & crack our lame BnF jokes😋
17) 4 to 5 pm : Relax Time
I leave for home. I try to watch any random episode of Friends ( it’s my favourite show)
Get some nap for 10-15 mins and usually try to relax after a hectic trading day.
18) 5 to 6:30 PM : No pain, no gain
With so much happening throughout the day, my brain is fatigued. It’s time to give the brain some rest & tire the body. 5 PM. I hit the gym for about an hour.
19) Trade Plan for Tomorrow
As soon as I reach home after gym, I have a quick shower & prepare youtube video till my dinner is getting prepared.
I quickly record the video, discuss stocks to keep in radar & my trade plan for tomorrow !
The family sits down to have dinner together. The next 2-3 hours are spent on catching up and watching TV.
I prefer to watch any feel good or inspirational movie.
21) 11:30 PM : Reading Time
As a trader, I like to read about- new developments in quantitative finance, innovative ivestment products, books on risk management/psychology etc
Currently, I am reading ‘The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius of the World’s Top Hedge Funds!’
22) 12:30 AM : Bedtime
Time to call it a day. Off to bed.
Before sleeping, I look at SGX & Dow. If both are in direction of my overnight positions then I get a even better sleep😄😋
That’s what a typical week day is for me.
23) Weekends
a) On most weekends, we train large trading desks & hedge funds on quantitative trading and how to leverage the power of algorithms & data science in trading
For more details about our Quantitative Trading Program, can check
Weekends are usually spent on brainstorming about other business than trading & discussing new products, ideas & future growth strategy
We ponder over what did we do right that we might be able to replicate in another market, at another time.
23 c ) Team Building
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Weekends are put to good use by having an outdoor activity with the team.
At times,we party or play cricket or play any fun team games.
Yes, we have fun too!
24) Travel
I absolutely love to travel to best hotels in the world & just unwind.
I frequently travel after a good trading week/month to any place of my choice in India or abroad just to relax for a few days.
25) “The only way to do great work is to love what you do”
I am extremely passionate about markets & have also built my other business around it.
More than the money,trading allows me to live my life as per my terms 😬
That’s all folks! That’s my every day story.
End
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Mastering the Trade - Key Lessons from John Carter
Trading isn’t about luck. It’s about discipline, risk management, and repeatable setups. Here’s what every trader should know 🧵
1) Trading is a skill, not a gamble
Success comes from strategies you can repeat, not from guessing market moves.
Control what you can do with your entries, exits, and risk.
2) Mindset is everything
Most traders fail due to emotions, not setups.
Stick to your plan
Journal every trade: why you entered, what went right/wrong, how you felt
Trading isn’t just “buying and selling stocks.”
It’s about knowing yourself, managing risk, controlling emotions, and protecting your capital.
If you’re serious about trading, study your game inside out — not just setups and profits.
A thread 🧵
Trading success isn’t about the best strategy, it’s about mastering yourself:
Discipline. Patience. Consistency.
1. Discipline – follow your plan
Successful traders stick to their rules no matter what the market does. Impulse decisions and emotional trades are the fastest way to lose. Discipline keeps you consistent.
Simple Guide to Position Sizing for Trading Success
By Van K. Tharp
A thread 🧵
1) What is Position Sizing
Position sizing is simply deciding HOW MUCH to trade. It's about protecting your money while still making profits. Think of it as your trading safety net!
2) Why Position Sizing Matters
Prevents big losses that can wipe out your account
Helps you stay in the game during losing streaks
Makes your winning trades count more
Warren Buffett nearly went bankrupt in 1962
His biggest bet was burning $4M a month. Bankruptcy was weeks away
Then a man named Harry Bottle saved his career in 6 days
The untold story of Buffett’s riskiest investment 🧵
1) Young Buffett thought he struck gold
He bet big on Dempster Mill, a struggling windmill manufacturer
Stock price: $18/share
Book value: $72/share
A 75% discount is the perfect Ben Graham-style bargain
By 1961, he owned 70% of the company
2) But the numbers were lying
Dempster made up 21% of Buffett’s fund
Cash: $166K
Debt: $2.3M
$4M of inventory sat rotting in warehouses some of it since 1909
Bankruptcy was weeks away. Buffett was trapped
Trading in the Zone – Mark Douglas
Most traders lose not because of bad strategies… but because of bad mindsets.
Mark Douglas explains why trading psychology is the real edge.
Here’s the full breakdown 🧵
1)The Core Idea
Trading isn’t about predicting the market.
It’s about learning to:
- Think in probabilities
- Control your emotions
- Execute with discipline
Success = consistency, not prediction.
2) Why Traders Fail
Douglas says most traders fall into 3 traps:
- Need to be right → They can’t accept losses.
- Random reinforcement → A few lucky wins create overconfidence.
- Emotional trading → Fear, greed, and hope drive decisions.
Result: they sabotage themselves, even with good strategies.