Purpose
This note is not here to predict the market.
Its job is to define the day’s context, identify event risk, set a conditional bias, establish trade permission, and hold me accountable to the behaviour required by the current market conditions.
The goal:
Recognition before action. Conditional bias, not prediction. Discipline before P/L.
1. Morning Briefing
Event Risk
Major scheduled events today:
[ ]
No-trade windows:
[ ]
Event Risk Rating:
☐ Green
☐ Yellow
☐ Red
Macro Tone
Broad market tone:
[ ]
Consider only what matters:
- Risk-on / risk-off
- Tech leading or lagging
- Yields helping or hurting
- Dollar / oil / geopolitical pressure
- Fed / inflation / earnings focus
Key Levels
Primary levels:
Additional structural levels:
2. Session Snapshot
Session Archetype
☐ Type 1 — Orderly Trend
☐ Type 2 — High-Momentum Trend
☐ Type 3 — Compression / Low-Information
☐ Type 4 — Value / Balance
☐ Transitional / Undetermined
Market Posture
☐ Trending
☐ Rotational
☐ Compressed
☐ Transitional
Participation Quality
☐ Clean
☐ Mixed
☐ Thin / Deceptive
Expected Flow Regime
☐ Forced
☐ Discretionary
☐ Transition
3. Morning Thesis
Daily Context
Opening vs yesterday’s range:
Gap size / direction:
Overnight structure:
☐ Trend
☐ Balance
☐ Volatile
☐ Compressed
☐ Mixed
Who should have initiative at the open, and why?
Current dominant flow regime expected:
☐ Forced
☐ Discretionary
☐ Transition
Key invalidation for this thesis:
4. Buyers vs Sellers Battle Plan
Buyers’ Intent
Buyers must defend:
Buyers must accomplish first:
First achievable upside target:
☐ ONH
☐ IBH
☐ Prior high
☐ VAH
☐ Other:
Sellers’ Intent
Sellers must break / reclaim:
First failure condition:
First achievable downside target:
☐ ONL
☐ IBL
☐ Prior low
☐ VAL
☐ Other:
5. Conditional Bias
Primary Scenario
If:
Then expect:
Structure confirming via:
☐ VWAP
☐ EMAs
☐ Delta
☐ DOM behaviour
☐ Tape
☐ Volume / participation
☐ Other:
Failure Scenario / Alternate Path
If:
Then:
Confirmation signal:
Bias
Current conditional bias:
☐ Long-side preferred
☐ Short-side preferred
☐ Neutral / two-sided
☐ No directional bias
Bias statement:
Example:
“Short-side preferred below VWAP / prior value. Neutral on reclaim. Longs allowed only after reclaim + hold.”
Bias Changes If
This is the bias-hangover protection section.
Bias changes if:
6. Trade Permission
Permission Level
☐ Green — Normal trading plan allowed
☐ Yellow — Selective trading only
☐ Red — Defensive mode / A+ only / possible no-trade
Restrictions Today
- Max trades:
- Max loss:
- Size restriction:
- Add restriction:
- News restriction:
- Shutdown trigger:
Best Setup
Choose one primary setup only.
Primary setup:
Secondary setup, only if necessary:
Avoid Today
The one trap most likely to cost me money today:
Examples:
- Do not chase lows after the opening move.
- Do not fade strength just because price looks extended.
- Do not trade the middle of the range.
- Do not short above the flip zone without clear failed breakout.
- Do not enter unless invalidation is obvious before entry.
- Do not manufacture a trade because I missed the clean one.
No-Trade Condition
Doing nothing is the correct trade if:
One Rule I Must Not Break Today
7. Final Morning Briefing Summary
Event Risk:
Macro Tone:
Market Context:
Session Archetype Bias:
Conditional Bias:
Bias Changes If:
Best Setup:
Avoid:
Permission:
Rule for Mark:
8. Intraday Updates
Short clarifying blurbs only. One to two sentences max.
07:30 Update
08:00 Update
09:00 Update
Other Update
9. Trades Overview
Individual trades are reviewed immediately after execution using the Per-Trade Review template.
Trades List Screenshot
Paste screenshot here.
Daily 3-Minute Chart With Positions
Paste screenshot here.
Optional One-Liner Notes Per Trade
10. End-of-Day Summary
Stats
P/L:
Win Rate:
Profit Factor:
Expectancy Snapshot:
Number of Trades:
Rule Breaks:
☐ Yes
☐ No
Briefing Accountability
Briefing Permission:
☐ Green
☐ Yellow
☐ Red
Briefing Bias:
☐ Long
☐ Short
☐ Neutral
☐ No-trade / defensive
Actual trades aligned with briefing?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Mixed
Did I violate the avoid instruction?
☐ Yes
☐ No
Did bias change during the session?
☐ Yes
☐ No
Did I adapt?
☐ Yes
☐ No
Did the briefing keep me out of a bad trade?
☐ Yes
☐ No
Did the briefing keep me from taking a good trade?
☐ Yes
☐ No
11. Performance Review
Strengths
What worked?
Weaknesses
What did not work?
Lessons Learned
Adjustments for Tomorrow
12. Runner Potential Review
Did any trades today show clear runner potential?
☐ Yes
☐ No
If yes, how many?
What structure supported the runner potential?
Did I exit early because of discomfort, or because the thesis was invalidated?
Lesson for future trade management:
13. Reflection
Mindset / Discipline Notes
Main Lesson
One sentence only:
Core Standard
This briefing is useful only if it improves execution.
Do not judge it by whether the market prediction was right.
Judge it by whether it helped me:
- avoid known event risk,
- identify the market condition,
- avoid my most likely behavioural trap,
- trade only when invalidation was clear,
- adapt when the bias changed,
- and take fewer off-plan trades.
The standard is not: “Was I right?”
The standard is: “Did I trade with discipline in the conditions I was given?”