Daily Trading Recap - 3/13/26
Fighting a Problem Ticker on a Friday
TLDR
Tried a crude oil short via USO but cut it quickly when the breakdown failed.
BIAF turned into a problem ticker. I kept hitting 1-minute short signals and got chopped up before finally catching the afternoon crack.
Small win fading ISPC based on its usual gap-and-fade behavior.
Stopped out of UAMY swing trade
Trades I Took
USO
Crude triggered a higher timeframe trend break in pre-market and also gapping down, so I started in short through USO. When a headline hit around 8:45am, I added to the position expecting the weakness to accelerate.
Instead, the opposite happened. Oil held strong and never really started breaking down. Once it became clear the move wasn’t materializing, I cut the trade and moved on. The thesis didn’t play out and there was no reason to keep fighting it.
BIAF
BIAF was a biotech small cap gapping up on a revenue catalyst but I didn’t think it mattered. I first tried a short in pre-market but had to stop out when it held up.
Right after the open I made a small mistake and shorted it again on a conflicting signal and it cost me about another -0.25R. From there it turned into a problem ticker. Doing volume and trending over premarket highs. I kept hitting starters on 1min short signals and those cuts started adding up.
At that point the trade turned into more of a battle than it should have been. Eventually I stuck with one last attempt and finally caught the afternoon crack after it gave the true confirmation signal.
ISPC
I also shorted ISPC in the morning. It’s a $0.50 stock, which isn’t ideal, but most top gappers have been subbies lately. The main reason for the trade was its history as a gap-and-fade name. Statistically these gaps tend to give back a lot of the move.
I leaned on that data and the fade worked out well. I even piked it.
Swings and Other Notable Mentions
-Stopped out of UAMY. Good setup but the wrong environment.
Current holdings: EQT
Takeaways
Today turned into a classic example of getting stuck fighting a problem ticker. BIAF kept baiting shorts while holding strong levels, and I kept engaging with the 1-minute signals even though the higher timeframe confirmation never showed up until later.
The big lesson is sticking to the process. Systems are built for a reason. Monday focus: respect the system signals and avoid turning one ticker into a battle.