AM Playbook: Cautious Tape, Catalysts Loaded

Subtitle: Starter-only mode while we let the week set up

Market open tone: cautious and choppy—respecting gap risk and waiting for the tape to prove it.

Key catalysts this week: Tuesday PMIs (Tue), Micron (MU) earnings after the close Tuesday, GDP second estimate + Durable Goods (Thu), and Core PCE (Fri). Calendar refs: Investing.com Econ Calendar; BEA for GDP/PCE; Micron IR for earnings timing.

Risk posture: conservative. We’re all-cash unless setups are A-quality. If we participate, it’s starter sizes only with per-trade risk ≤1% and hard stops. No hero trades ahead of data.

Focus list: INTC continuation watch—looking for clean trend continuation through recent highs with volume confirmation; no chase if extension is >ATR. MU post-earnings plan: trade the reaction, not the print—wait for first 15–30 minutes to set ranges, then look for break-and-hold or fade-to-VWAP with tight risk. Avoid pre-earnings front-running.

Process: keep screens lean, let leaders declare themselves, and preserve mental capital for the back half of the week.

We’ll reassess around ~15:30 ET for potential late-day adjustments or to flatten risk into the close.

Suggested tags: trading-journal, market-open, risk-management, earnings, macro