S&P 500 (ES)

Prior Session was Cycle Day 2: Balancing Day…Normal CD2

aka: “The Market That Collected Patience Like Rent”

Cycle Day 2 showed up right on schedule and chose violence against boredom, not price.

📌 Translation:
If you were chasing…
You donated.
If you were patient…
You survived with dignity.

For greater detail of how this day unfolded, click on the Trading Room RECAP 1.28.26 link.

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…Transition from Cycle Day 2 to Cycle Day 3

Transition into Cycle Day 3: Targets Tagged — Now Enter the Wild-Card 🎲

Cycle objectives? Achieved.
Confetti swept. Chalkboard erased.

Despite POTUS throwing some verbal side-arms at Team JPOW, the Fed delivered the ultimate nothing-burger: unchanged rates, zero drama. Markets yawned, stretched, and went right back to watching earnings.

The tape remains cool, calm, and bullish-composed as trader attention pivots squarely to the earnings conveyor belt rolling in over the coming days and weeks.

Big money?
They don’t reshuffle portfolios mid-earnings season.
They sip coffee, read transcripts, and let price do the talking.

So today earns the label: Wild-Card Day.
Cycle targets are fulfilled. Directional edge gets fuzzy.
Participants continue to dissect the Fed statement looking for future tells — between the commas and footnotes.

🎯 Cycle Day 3 Objective:
Trade above the CD1 Low (6972) and lock in a positive 3-Day Cycle stat (92.13%).

Above it? Structure stays friendly.
Lose it? Mr. Market starts asking uncomfortable questions.

Stay sharp. Stay nimble.
No heroes required. 🃏

— PTGDavid

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   ESH

 

Nasdaq (NQ)

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…Transition from Cycle Day 2 to Cycle Day 3

Transition into Cycle Day 3: Magnificent 7 Earnings Risk — Enter the Gauntlet

The market isn’t guessing anymore — it’s actively pricing chaos.

Welcome to Cycle Day 3, where patience gets thin, reactions get exaggerated, and the Magnificent Seven earnings gauntlet separates conviction from cope.

Wednesday night hitters:

• Tesla (TSLA)

• Microsoft (MSFT)

• Meta (META)

Thursday’s final boss:

• Apple (AAPL) — the last word on whether the AI growth narrative still lifts all boats… or just pokes holes in them.

Expect big candles, short fuses, and zero forgiveness for even minor misses.

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Earnings Breakdown — Hits, Misses & Market Mood Swings

META (Meta Platforms)

• FY 2025 in the books

• Q1 2026 revenue guide: $53.5B – $56.5B

• AI-driven ad efficiency and recommendation engines delivered a ~20.6% YoY revenue lift

• BUT… aggressive AI hiring cooled profit growth to a near three-year low

Translation: Growth’s alive, margins got sweaty.

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MSFT (Microsoft)

• Fiscal Q2 2026 revenue: $81.3B

• EPS: $3.95 – $4.14

• Intelligent Cloud: $32.9B, powered by 39% Azure growth

Beat the numbers…
Stock still dipped.

Why?
Because Wall Street suddenly remembers AI isn’t free.

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TSLA (Tesla)

• Beat earnings

• Slight revenue miss

• Market reaction? Classic Tesla shrug with a side of whiplash

Nothing breaks momentum like “good, but not perfect.”

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NQ Futures — Cycle Math Checks Out

As expected, after-hours NQ futures whipped between 25,993 and 26,293, and yes —
🎯 The 3-Day Cycle Target (26,293) is officially fulfilled.

Textbook. Clean. No notes.

Now comes the fun part.

With the cycle target complete, Cycle Day 3 shifts into wild-card mode — same story for ES.

Direction is no longer owed.
Continuation is optional.
Volatility is mandatory.

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PTG Takeaway

• Cycle objective? ✅ Done.

• Earnings risk? 🔥 Elevated.

• Directional edge? 🎲 Conditional.

This is the zone where discipline beats prediction, and traders who overstay their welcome get politely escorted out by Mr. Market… without a refund.

Trade sharp.
Respect the cycle.
And remember — when targets are hit, the market stops explaining itself.

–PTGDavid

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NQH 

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Economic Calendar

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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.”

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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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