🚨 I’ll be live at 9 a.m. ET🚨
 We’ll review key S&P 500 levels, review a new Daily Profit Play, Engineered Options and News Breakers setups and more [tap to join us for the Daily Profit Plan]!
Let me walk you through something that’s completely changed how I approach consistency in this market.
When you’re trading near all-time highs — though, we came back a bit on Tuesday — the question isn’t whether the market will eventually move higher. The question is whether it’ll happen this week, next week or after a real correction that catches everyone off guard.
That’s why I don’t trade with just one strategy. I use two distinct approaches within my Waterfall Income framework, and knowing when to deploy each one has made all the difference between consistent profitability and unnecessary losses.
2 Market Strategies
The first approach is what I use when I’m confident the market will grind higher in a timely way. It’s simple, reliable and designed to capture steady base-hit profits when momentum is clearly on our side.
During the election period in October and November 2024, for example, I had strong conviction that a Trump win would spark a rally. I opened 16 positions ahead of the vote and the morning the market gapped higher, I closed all 16 for profit.
But aggressive positioning like that only makes sense when you have a clear catalyst and well-timed conviction. That’s not where we are right now. In early 2026, even though I believe the market will eventually move higher, I’m not certain about the immediate 30-day window.
At these levels, I don’t want to take on unnecessary risk.
That’s why I lean on the second approach — the one built for uncertainty. It offers substantial wiggle room, often absorbing 5%, 10% and even 15% corrections while still producing winning trades. Both strategies keep risk defined, but the second one dramatically reduces the odds of ever touching that maximum loss during normal volatility.
One advantage of this environment is the opportunity to set up profit traps. These are positions structured to catch additional upside when price behaves favorably, creating larger-than-expected wins without increasing risk. They’re a powerful complement to the more cautious structure I’m using right now.
Strategic Caution in Trading
In today’s landscape, caution is not just a preference — it’s a strategy. Fresh trade setups continue to appear and the ones I’m selecting right now reflect a deliberate, measured posture. I like these setups because they allow participation without overexposure, capturing income while acknowledging the uncertainty that comes with trading at all-time highs.
The goal isn’t simply to trade — it’s to trade smart. That means adapting position selection, time frame expectations and risk tolerance to match conditions, not emotions.
When I’m cautiously bullish, I lean into this disciplined, structured approach. When the market eventually gives us cleaner, more timely momentum, that’s when I’ll switch back to the more aggressive side of the playbook.
If you want to follow these setups more closely and participate in the current trades, you can step into the classroom at 9 a.m. ET weekdays for Daily Profit Plan and stay aligned with everything I’m posting. There’s a lot to take advantage of right now even in a cautious environment.
I’ll see you in the markets.
Chris Pulver
Chris Pulver TradingÂ
Follow along and join the conversation for real-time analysis, trade ideas, market insights and more!
- Telegram:https://t.me/+av20QmeKC5VjOTc5
- YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FinancialWars
- Twitter:https://x.com/realchrispulver
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealchrispulver
Important Note: No one from the ProsperityPub team or Chris Pulver Trading will ever contact you directly on Telegram.
*This is for informational and educational purposes only. There is inherent risk in trading, so trade at your own risk.Â
P.S. 1 Trade. 1 Ticker. 1 Time a Week
That’s how my research has shown to leverage a little-known niche in the options market to target income every Monday around noon…
Want the entire breakdown?
Yes, Show Me This One-Ticker Secret!
We develop tools and strategies to the best of our ability, but no one can guarantee the future. There is always a risk of loss when trading. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The trades expressed are from an11-yearr backtest on 543 trades. The result was a 97.1% win rate, 17% average return (winners and losers) with an average hold time of 11 days. From 9/30/24 – 1/28/26, on 124 live trades, the win rate is 94%, 16% average return (winners and losers) with an average hold time of 12 days.
