S&P 500 (ES)
“Cycle Day 1: Bulls Take Ball Control”
The trading day kicked off with PTG’s usual pre-market prep: levels mapped, risk defined, coffee implied. Access to the Daily Trade Strategy was confirmed and the roadmap was set before the bell.
📈 Early Session: Targets Don’t Argue
The market wasted little time getting to work.
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ES tagged the 6960–6965 Upper Target Zone shortly after the open — first box checked.
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NQ followed suit, efficiently fulfilling its 25655 initial target.
Clean rotations, no drama. As always, price respected structure — a gentle reminder that the plan doesn’t need opinions to work.
For greater detail of how this day unfolded, click on the Trading Room RECAP 1.5.26 link.
…Transition from Cycle Day 1 to Cycle Day 2
SPX at Altitude (ATH)
SPX 500 (cash) punched a fresh all-time high yesterday. Now the baton passes to the futures boys—their task today is simple: confirm it.
After a three-day opening rally to kick off the year, today sets up as a textbook Cycle Day 2:
👉 Back-n-fill, light consolidation, high-altitude digestion.
No fireworks. No drama. Just business-as-usual market rhythms near ATH.
And yes… it appears the Santa Rally quietly slipped out the back door, took flight, and delivered anyway—after most had written it off as grounded.
Surprise. Surprise. 🎅✈️
🎯 Cycle Day 2 Focus — Scenarios in Play
🟢 Bull Case (Buyers Stay in Control)
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Hold north of 6985 ± 5
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Upside objectives:
7000 → 7008 → 7015
Momentum remains constructive as long as acceptance holds above the pivot zone.
🔴 Bear Case (Rotation / Reset)
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Hold south of 6985 ± 5
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Downside objectives:
6970 → 6965 → 6955
Failure to reclaim the pivot opens the door for a controlled reset—not a collapse.
📊 Key Reference Levels
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PVA High Edge: 6991
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PVA Low Edge: 6962
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Prior POC: 6988
Bottom Line
Cycle Day 2 favors consolidation over celebration.
Respect the pivot, trade the edges, and let price tell the truth—ATHs don’t need fanfare, just follow-through.
⚠️ Tactical Takeaway
Of course, nothing changes for PTG…Simply follow your plan. Take only Triple A setups and manage the $risk. ALWAYS HAVE HARD STOP-LOSSES in-place on the exchange.
PTG’s Primary Directive (PD) is to ALWAYS STAY IN ALIGNMENT with the DOMINANT FORCE.
ESH
Nasdaq (NQ)
…Transition from Cycle Day 1 to Cycle Day 2
Magnificent 7: from bearish drag to bullish flag.
As New Englanders like to say:
“Stick around… the weather can change overnight.”
That proverb fits markets perfectly.
The Nasdaq and the Mag-7 have nearly retraced the entire year-end drawdown. Never underestimate the psychological power of flipping the calendar page—sentiment has a way of turning from risk-off to risk-on faster than most expect.
🎯 Cycle Day 2 – Trading Focus
Key scenarios in play for today’s session:
🟢 Bull Case
Holding north of 25780 ±10 pts opens the door to upside continuation toward:
25880 → 25895 → 25922
🔴 Bear Case
Holding south of 25780 ±10 pts keeps downside pressure intact with targets at:
25745 → 25721 → 25681
Reference Levels
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PVA High Edge: 25780
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PVA Low Edge: 25647
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Prior POC: 25760
⚠️ Tactical Takeaway
Of course, nothing changes for PTG…Simply follow your plan. Take only Triple A setups and manage the $risk. ALWAYS HAVE HARD STOP-LOSSES in-place on the exchange.
PTG’s Primary Directive (PD) is to ALWAYS STAY IN ALIGNMENT with the DOMINANT FORCE.
NQH
Economic Calendar
Trade Strategy: Our tactical trade strategy will simply remain unaltered…We’ll be flexible to trade both long and short side from Decision Pivot Levels. Continue to focus on Bull/Bear Stackers and Premium/Discounts. As always, remaining in alignment with dominant intra-day force increases probabilities of producing winning trades.
Stay Focused…Non-Biased…Disciplined ALWAYS USE STOPS!
Good Trading…David
“Knowing is not enough, We must APPLY. Willing is not enough, We must DO.” –BR
*****This trade strategy report is disseminated for “education only” and should not be viewed in any way as a recommendation to buy or sell futures products.”
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
IMPORTANT NOTICE! No representation is being made that the use of this strategy or any system or trading methodology will generate profits. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. There is substantial risk of loss associated with trading securities and options on equities. Only risk capital should be used to trade. Trading securities is not suitable for everyone.
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CFTC RULE 4.41 –HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN