Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 14 (Margin Goal $3000/Current Margin Bal. @ $3123.14)

 

Another GREAT day! $930 in margin. I think I passed my first combine today! I am so pumped. There is a small chance that I earned to much, but I'll know tomorrow.

Ultimate A.I. and watching price action. It's too easy!! I'll let you all know for sure tomorrow.

As always, feel free to comment, shoot me a message and share my blog if you like it.

Peace!~

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 13 (Margin Goal $3000/Current Margin Bal. @ $2284.70)

I didn't post much last week and made a few bucks. Tonight at 5pm CT I jumped into the market. Made a couple of bucks "Un-Scalping", ask me and I'll tell you how, the MNQ with 5 contracts. Then I went to the NQ and 3 contracts and more "Un-Scalping". Total today was $1656.50 in margin!!!!!

I had to stop, I had to step away. It's too easy. If you're not using the tools, i.e. Ultimate A.I. 2, from Ultimate Scalper by Reece Cadaval then you're LOSING money! $1600+ is HUGE!! I could have made a lot more, but that doesn't do me any good in a Combine account. I have to hit $3000 in margin, pay my activation fee and then I will have XFA #1 active and I can make profit and take withdrawals. 

I expect to hit the $3000 goal Monday or Tuesday and then the real fun begins. I will pay my $149 activation, buy another combine and then copy trade from XFA #1 to Combine #2. Wash, rinse and repeat!!

I will still have my script running during the day. As a reminder, these profits have all been made in after hours trading where volatility is far lower. IT'S FREE MONEY!!! I am excited for the progression and what the future holds! Stay tuned. As always you are welcome to comment or shoot me a message. If you like with you read forward to someone else that might want to watch the journey. Good night and HAPPY TRADING!

Peace!~

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 8 (Margin Goal $3000/Current Margin Bal. @ $367.70)

 

It's about 1932 CT on Monday. No trades taken today so PATIENCE is the watch word today. 

The daily chart was showing a pretty solid down trend, but now there appears to be a bit of a bounce.

My 15min chart, against which my strategy runs, shows the FASTMA moving downward towards the SLOWMA. I am hoping we pick up speed there and maybe we'll get a short trade overnight. I know this works, but waiting is killing me.

If I run a back test from Jan 1 thru today, it shows 41 trades for $17k+ in margin. So on average it would have taken less that 15 trades per months, so wait I must.

I am in a bit of a quandary right now. I can get a 10 day trial of the TachEonTimeWarp tool from Back to the Future Trading for $250. Advertised learning curve is 7 to 10 days to be comfortable using it. Alternately, I can get 3 months of the Ultimate A.I. from Ultimate Scalper for $300. 

During the eval, neither tool can generate revenue that I can realize as that won't happen until I pass the eval. Both tools can help me pass the eval faster. If I get TachEonTimeWarp, my license will be expired when I pass the combine and could not be used in the XFA account to generate revenue unless I buy a license for it. On the flip side, I could use Ultimate A.I. tool 8-10 more weeks to generate revenue. The Ultimate A.I. tool is $99/month after my 3 month trial. I suspect that the TachEonTimeWarp license is SIGNIFICANTLY more. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!??

With that I will leave you to ponder my dilemma. I think I'm retiring early. As always feel free to comment, share and/or shoot me a message with questions or observations.

Peace!~

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Days 4, 5 an 6 (Goal $3000/Current Margin Bal. @ $367.70)

 

Morning Folks!! It's Saturday evening, 3/15. The Futures market is closed until Sunday at 1700 CT and I am catching up on things. I really started this post this morning but between the dog, testing and trying to relax some, here we are.

**PRO TIP** - If you're using NinjaTrader don't have an custom ATM (Advanced Trade Management) strategy running at the same time you have a custom strategy deployed that also manipulates stops and take profit orders. This cost me $1100 in margin this week. Oh well, lesson learned.

Now, just so you know when I give a PRO TIP this really translates into "Don't do the same dumba$$ stuff I did!". I'm no pro yet, but I am always happy to share both the good and the not so good of my journey.

By not adhering to my PRO TIP above, I missed out on an $1100 trade. Technically, I should have been almost halfway to passing my combine after the first week. 

On a more positive note, I have made a couple minor changes to my strategy that extracts a few more margin dollars and also made losing trades smaller.

A couple of posts ago, I started a schedule for this journey. I hope to make a post tomorrow and update that schedule. As it stands now, I am VERY confident in my strategy and hope that the market cooperates this week. That's all for now. As usual drop me a comment or send me a message.

Peace!~

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 3 (Goal $3000/Current Margin Bal. @ $0)

Patience! Patience! Patience! So here we are as of 1931 CT and my strategy has still not taken a trade as the proper conditions have not been met. Just for those of you reading this, I am using automated NinjaScript script "LWTGMACrossoverV31". Just for reference, I have back tested this 6 ways to Sunday. Currently it is profitable with NQ(Mini Nasdaq), MNQ(Micro Nasdaq) and CL(Gold). I am not sure why is does not seem to work on some of the other commodities, but I am only focused on NQ and MNQ. I have to learn to walk before I run.

I'll not bore you with "SIM Dollars" and I encourage you to back test and form your own conclusions. I am, however, that I can pass multiple combines and within all Topstep parameters.

Lets take a step back and explain my plan. This is for me as much as for you all reading along.

Phase 1

1. Develop automated strategy to be used within NinjaTrader to trade my combine(s) as my work schedule does not currently allow me to trade during normal hours. Completed 2/15/25.
2. Run automated strategy (LWTGMACrossoverVxx) against MNQ for 2 weeks. Tweak as needed. Completed 3/1/25
3. Purchase Topstep $50k Trading Combine #1($49). Completed 3/9/25
4. Run automated strategy (LWTGMACrossoverV3) against Topstep Combine #1. Started 3/9/25 
5. Pass Topstep $50k Trading Combine #1. Estimated Completion 4/1/25
6. Pay for Topstep XFA #1 activation ($149). Estimated Completion 4/7/25

Phase 2 

1. Use profits from Topstep XFA #1 to fund Topstep $50k Trading Combine #2 (cost $49)
2. Use profits to purchase Ultimate A.I. Original Indicator ($297 for 3 months).
3. Run automated strategy (LWTGMACrossoverV3) against Combine #2.
4. "Scalp" trade against Topstep $50k Trading Combine #2 and XFA #1. The goal of adding scalping to the mix is to pass Combine #2 faster.
5. Pay for XFA #2 activation ($149). Estimated Completion 5/15/25
6. Purchase Copy Trader software (Replikanto? Affordable Indicators? Rithmic?) approx. cost $250
7. "Copy Trade" with LWTGMACrossoverV3 during the day and "Scalp" trade after hours (London open??)

Phase 3 

1. Purchase Topstep Combine #3($49). 
2. "Scalp" trade against Topstep $50k Trading Combine #3 and Topstep XFA #1 & #2 

                Gotta hit the hay and will return tomorrow!

Peace!~

                 

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 2 (Goal $3000/Currently @ $0)

 

Topstep Support got back to me promptly this morning. Once I got home from work, I made the minor change that was suggested and voila, not I can see my Topstep $50k Combine account in NinjaTrader. I guess I'm armed and dangerous so to speak.

As of 1923 CT, the script has not taken a trade. Remember, I am looking for an 18 period FASTMA (Fast Moving Average) to cross over a 146 SLOWMA (Slow Moving Average). If the FASTMA crosses over the SLOWMA from the top, then we go short. If the FASTMA crosses over the SLOWMA from the bottom, then we go long. 

I have done some more back testing and made some more changes. I am loading V3 of the strategy and this will run against my Combine Acct.

That's all for tonight. I will publish my full plan tomorrow.

Peace!~

Topstep $50k Trading Combine Day 1 (Goal $3000/Currently @ $0) -...switching gears!

 

Just to catch everyone up. I did not post on 3/7 and the system took no trades. The previously discussed mods to the strategy were implemented and back tested ad nauseum. My plan to test "live" in SIM account for 2 weeks before purchasing the Topstep $50k Account Combine. 

I recognized that I was again caught in a familiar trap of "Analysis Paralysis" and more testing and optimization was just wasting time. The strategy implemented as a NinjaScript trading systems works. Testing while trading 3 MNQ contracts makes enough to pass the combine in 1 to 3 weeks. If I run it trading NQ contracts it makes even more. I am confident in what I have created. I will also be using the Ultimate Scalper tools when I pass the combine I created the automated strategy to address the issue of my work hours and market availability. 

As of 1100 on Sunday, March 7th my NinjaTrader platform cannot see my Topstep Combine account. This might prevent me from trading tonight when the Futures market opens at 1700. I have sent a note to Topstep Tech Support but they are not available until tomorrow.

Read my initial updates to catch up. Comment or holler if you have question or if I can help you. Tell a friend about the blog if you think they'd like it or want to be a full time trader.

Let the games begin!!

Peace!~

EDIT @ 2056 - No news from Support, but I expected that. I have the script running against the Topstep SIM account. We will see what pops. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be live.