🚨 I’ll be live at 9 a.m. ET🚨
We’ll talk about some new trades and possible hedges, review Thursday’s profit trap, talk GOOGL and more [tap to join us for the Daily Profit Plan]!
I need to share something that’s been eating at me — and it’s a lesson that could save you a lot more money than it cost me to learn.
Recently, I had $600 in profit traps sitting right in front of me.
I didn’t take them. I was holding out for the full payout — each trap offered up to $1,000 in potential profit.
I convinced myself that if the market got even close to my strikes, I could grab $500 to $600 at the end of the day.
That decision cost me $1,015 by the close.
Even worse, I had opportunities to reduce my total daily risk from $850 down to just $250–$270 by making defensive adjustments in the afternoon.
But I didn’t. I was waiting for the perfect move that never came.
To make things even more ironic, I expected the market to snap back into efficiency after behaving inefficiently the previous session.
Typically, when a market is inefficient one day, the next day tends to be efficient.
That expectation fed my confidence that I could squeeze more out of the position — but confidence turned into stubbornness and stubbornness turned into a loss.
When the Math Says Take It
Around 3-3:45 p.m. ET that day, my potential loss was as low as $270.
I had multiple chances to lock that in.
Once the market slipped above a certain level, my profit trap disappeared completely.
The calculation I was working with showed about a 1.27% move based on the VIX, with an expected high around a specific level.
The market didn’t quite reach it — and I paid the price for waiting.
Meanwhile, some members in my daily 9 a.m. ET Daily Profit Plan group who made defensive moves ended up with losses between $330 and $465.
They outperformed me simply because they didn’t let greed override their judgment.
The frustrating part? I actually had a solid setup.
If price had stayed in the middle of my structure, I had a $1,500 profit trap ready to catch that move.
The framework was right — my management was not.
What I’m Doing Differently Now
This experience reshaped how I approach trade management. If I see $300–$500 in profit across all my positions, I’m taking it.
I’m not holding out for the last 30%–50% of maximum profit and risking the entire position.
I’ve learned the hard way: It’s better to take 50–70% of max profit when it’s available than to watch the entire opportunity evaporate because you waited for perfection.
The trade doesn’t have to be flawless — it just has to be profitable.
Over years of watching market behavior, I’ve noticed inefficiency tends to be followed by efficiency.
It’s not a guarantee, but it’s consistent enough that I pay attention.
This time, that expectation pushed me to hang on longer than I should have.
Even a well-structured trade with multiple profit opportunities still requires disciplined management. You can do everything right on the entry and still blow it on the exit.
That’s the lesson here — and it’s one I won’t forget anytime soon.
Better to walk away with steady gains than to let a perfectly good opportunity slip through your fingers.
The market doesn’t reward greed — it punishes it.
Feel free to step into the classroom at 9 a.m. ET weekdays for Daily Profit Plan.
I’ll see you in the markets.
Chris Pulver
Chris Pulver Trading
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.
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.
