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His recent 4,900% VIX win proves it. |
On November 25th at 2pm EST, he's breaking down his entire volatility framework in a Black Friday summit. |
You'll learn how to structure trades that survive wild swings and capitalize on chaos. |
This session won't be repeated. Seats are capped. |
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Why I Don't Care Where the Market Goes
by Tony Rago |
Not too many people outside the trading community know what I do for a living. |
But inevitably, when markets end up on the nightly news, someone will ask the same question: |
"Must have been a good week for you, huh?" |
I don't blame them. Few people actually understand the difference between traders and investors. |
Frankly, many traders forget the distinction, especially when it's chaotic like this week. |
They look at a day like Thursday and assume I was actively involved, playing breakouts, fakeouts, and whatever else is out there. |
Many would be shocked to know that I sat on my hands all week. In fact, this was probably the fewest trades I executed in a week this year, or close to it. |
Because I don't care where the market goes. |
All I care about are the setups. |
I don't just trust my Golden Setup system. I KNOW it's there to protect me. |
And this week, it told me not to participate. That decision alone saved me from making emotional trades in choppy conditions where my edge disappears. |
Understanding that decision requires backing up to a fundamental question that separates profitable traders from everyone else. |
Trading Vs. Investing |
Most people think the difference between trading and investing comes down to how long you hold a stock. |
That's not how I see it. |
Investing means you own a piece of a company or the market because you believe in its future. You're making a bet on long-term value and growth. |
Trading means you care about profiting from a setup based on a catalyst. In my case, that catalyst is technical analysis. The timeframe matters less than the reason you entered the position. |
I'm a particular type of trader known as a scalper. My trades last minutes at most. I'm in and out before most people finish reading a stock chart. |
This timeframe fundamentally changes what matters to me. The market being up 5% or 10% on the year has nothing to do with how I run my business. Bitcoin dropping 25% from its high doesn't affect my day. The Nasdaq 100 approaching correction territory isn't my concern. |
I make money sticking with mechanics and processes like my Golden Setup. The more trades I get from it, the more money I can make over time. |
Does it mean I win every trade? Absolutely not. Anyone targeting 100% win rates is chasing an impossible goal. |
I want to make money over time, over multiple trades. Some wins will be bigger than others. Some trades will lose. The system accounts for all of it. |
That's what trading is all about. The cumulative edge applied consistently across dozens or hundreds of setups. |
This approach narrows my focus to three things. First, whether the conditions are right for me to trade. Second, if a setup exists. Third, how to execute that setup. |
Everything else is noise. Market direction, news headlines, what some analyst said on television. None of it matters if my setup isn't there. |
This week, my setups weren't there. So I didn't trade. Simple as that. |
The Trap of Movement |
This philosophy becomes especially important during weeks like this one. Volatility brings out something dangerous in traders at every experience level. |
Anyone new to trading will look at this past week and feel like they failed if their account isn't up massively. Markets start moving, and they get the itch to jump on board, regardless of whether they should. |
In their mind, movement guarantees a setup. The price action alone becomes the reason to trade. |
That's not how it works. |
Setups happen or they don't. There's no forcing them into existence. |
Are they more likely to appear in volatile markets? That depends entirely on how you trade. |
If you fade big market swings, then yes. Volatility creates the conditions you need. |
If you're like me, looking for scalps in specific technical conditions, then no. Wild swings often destroy the precise setups I need to execute my strategy. |
Some traders might assume that leaves me feeling left out. They imagine me watching from the sidelines while everyone else makes money. |
They would be completely wrong. |
I don't want to carry the emotional baggage that comes with trying to beat the CNBC desk jockeys. I don't want to chase trades because I feel like I should be doing something. |
I want to make money so mechanically and consistently it's boring. |
Boring means the system is working. Boring means I'm following the process. Boring means I'm making money without the stress of guessing or hoping. |
Yes, I want to be bored because boring keeps me profitable over time. |
The flip side of embracing boring consistency is accepting that you won't trade every day. You won't participate in every market move. You'll sit out entire weeks when the conditions don't match your system. |
This week, I didn't have an edge. Next week I might. The week after that might be slow again. |
The market doesn't care about my schedule, and I don't care about its schedule. I only care about the intersection of market conditions and my setup criteria. |
That discipline separates traders who last from traders who blow up their accounts chasing action. |
So before you place your next trade, ask yourself one question. |
Why am I taking this trade? |
Am I placing it because I have a setup that meets my criteria? Or am I placing it because I think there should be a setup, because everyone else is trading, because I feel left out? |
The answer to that question determines whether you're trading with an edge or trading with hope. |
I choose the edge every time. Even when it means doing nothing. |
Tony Rago
Creator of the Golden Setup |
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