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John Carter

Founder of Simpler Trading®

“I think there are a lot of parallels between being a good trader and living a good life. The market truly is the ultimate psychologist.”

Trading Plan

What is my approach?
Go into looking at the market without a bias - look at what the charts and internals are telling me and then go from there. Trying to impose my will on the market is pointless.

What are my goals?
My goal in my larger trading account is to make 2.5% to 5% weekly, and wire out 2.5%. In my small account, the goal is consistent growth.

What are my objectives?
Cutting the trades that aren’t working
Lighten up on the weekends
Don’t make a decision that could lead to giving back all my gains

What markets will I trade?
I trade futures, indexes, options, options on futures and indexes, and stocks.

What timeframes will I trade?
I will trade all time frames, my favorites being the Daily and the 30 minute charts. I also like the 195 minute chart.

What setups will I trade?
Squeezes on any time frame 
Reversion to the mean plays in a trending market
Fade the gap
High short interest with squeezes

Entry Rules:

  1. There has to be a Squeeze. A monthly or weekly Squeeze is a bonus.
  2. Price above the 34-period moving average
  3. Stacked moving averages on the daily time frame chart
  4. If it’s trading within 10% of 52-week or all-time highs, this is an especially good setup

Where will I place my stops?
I generally place stops right outside the 2 ATR band on a daily chart. 

Exit, take profit, and/or trail-stop rules:
For trade exits, I look at Fibonacci extensions to find resistance levels, and also watch for signs from my indicators that the move is weakening.

Risk management rules: My default risk for a trade is 5% of my account. I don’t let the trade go to max loss, but 5% is what I would be willing to risk going into a trade. I will go bigger as well.

What tools will I use for my trading business?
My trading relies on the Squeeze. I find it’s best to only trade when I have a Squeeze forming. 

Review/trade journal process: I write down notes each day on how the day went, if I made any trading mistakes, went too big on a trade, traded when the setup wasn’t ideal based on my rules, and note things I can improve on or that I did well.

Discipline & mindset notes:

  • Anything can happen: develop a resolute, unshakable belief in uncertainty. The market has no responsibility to give us anything or do anything that would benefit us.
  • Markets are neutral: the market does not generate happy or painful information; therefore, no threat exists. Our expectations formed from our original beliefs are the sole source of any happiness or pain. 
  • Losses are okay: losing or being wrong are inevitable realities of trading, since anything can happen. Taking small losses is part of a successful trader’s job.
  • Accept risk: fully acknowledge the risks inherent in trading and accept complete responsibility for each trade (not the market). When a loss occurs, do not suffer emotional discomfort or fear.
  • Monitor emotions: learn how to monitor and control the negative effects of euphoria and the potential for self-sabotage.
  • Abandon search for Holy Grail: attitude produces better overall results than analysis or technique.

My Golden Rules / Trading Commandments:
Don’t be a dick for a tick
When you get the chance, feed the ducks
Don’t lose your ass on a Friday

3-5 Steps to Getting Started with me:

  1. Understand the Squeeze and what I look for in these setups. I want to enter when the price is at the 21 EMA with squeezes. 
  2. Know that I enter a trade with defined risk. I will risk a certain percentage of my account, knowing I could lose it all, but ideally exiting before that happens. I also don’t watch the 5-minute chart when I am in trades. This is an easy way to get shaken out of trades.
  3. Know that I won’t get shaken out of a trade if the stock is just making its normal moves. I defined my risk, I know the stock's Average True Range. It can move around within that range. As long as the chart doesn’t negate the reason I got into the trade, I will stay in it. I balance this with getting rid of trades that just aren’t working. I won’t hope for it to come back, if the stock isn’t doing what it was doing for me to get into the trade, just cut it loose.

 

List of the core strategies and set-ups I trade:

Setups

  1. Reversion to the mean
  2. Squeeze
  3. Rounded bottom

Strategies

  1. Buying/Selling Calls & Puts,
  2. Vertical Spreads
  3. Butterflies

 

My standard chart layout:

  1. Images attached in email:
    • John’s Chart - Weekly
      1. Squeeze Pro
      2. Squeeze Stats
      3. EarlyInNOut Pro
      4. Exponential moving averages: 8, 21, 34, 55, 89
    • John’s Chart - Daily
      1. Squeeze Pro
      2. Utility Labels
      3. Volatility Metrics
      4. Volume
      5. 1 and 2 factor Keltner Channels with a 21-period moving average
    • John’s Chart - Multi Time Frame
      1. Squeeze Pro
      2. EarlyInNOut Pro
      3. Exponential moving averages: 8, 21, 34, 55, 89
      4. Multi-Histogram Pro
      5. Multi-Squeeze Pro
      6. RAF Pro

 


 

Who is John Carter?

John Carter is the Founder of Simpler Trading®.

He is the trading expert everyone turns to when the markets go awry (as they often do), and many of our traders have taken ideas and strategies from him and morphed them into their own strategies. He’s truly one of the best with a level of charisma that draws people in, which has transformed him into the famous trader he is today. He started Simpler Trading because he wanted to create a community of traders, who educate others simply because they care about other people’s success. His setups, market knowledge, and guidance to continually improve yourself as a trader are invaluable.

Small Account Mastery
Get Monthly Interactive Trading Sessions with John Carter

Miscellaneous Trading Tips

  1. The more you trade, the worse you will do. Focus more on the swing trades. Maximum of 5 intraday trades per day. Set them up, post your parameters and don’t screw around with them.
  2. For intraday trades, always trade a setup, no impulse trades.
  3. Don’t stare at the P&L. Cover it up and focus on the trade execution so you are not trading from a position of being “ahead” or “down.”
  4. Focus on mechanical signals that don’t care about what you are feeling about the markets.
  5. If your parameters are not clearly written down before you enter the trade, don’t enter the trade.

John’s Chart Setups

John uses a combination of indicators and market internals across his 6 monitors that he looks at daily. While he is constantly innovating these indicators, his core setup remains the same.

Check out the video below to learn how to setup your charts like his:

That's as far as you can go!