PM Session Recap — 2025-10-14: Stops, Actions & What’s Next
Source: Trading Journal — 2025-10-14 Evening (internal trading journal)
Concise, trader-focused recap of the PM session with emphasis on stops, actions taken, watchlist moves, and macro context.
Quick summary
The afternoon session closed with risk-on attempts failing at key resistance and selective strength in cyclicals. We saw short-lived breakouts that reversed into range extension to the downside late in the session. Execution remained focused: strict stops were honored, and position sizing was reduced into intra-day volatility.
Stops & actions
- Stopped out on a momentum long after price rejected upstream resistance — stop was honored immediately to preserve capital.
- Reduced exposure on a large intraday position after tightening due to widening market volatility; took partial profits when price hit the conservative target.
- Placed a contingency short on a failed breakout; active management kept risk controlled and allowed re-entry only after clear confirmation.
- Updated stop placements to intraday structure — below recent short-term swing lows for longs and above swing highs for shorts.
Watchlist & setups
- Names that flashed relative strength will stay on a short watchlist for pullback entries — look for retests of the breakout area with lowered volume and clear support.
- Weakness in defensives suggests potential continuation if the broader market shows follow-through; will watch for a sweep of micro-support levels.
- Macro-sensitive cyclicals remain candidates for momentum trades but only with compressed stops and explicit exit rules.
Macro context
Markets digested mixed macro signals during the afternoon: risk appetite faltered after a brief bid phase, likely tied to end-of-day position adjustments and headline noise. Liquidity thinned into the close, which exaggerated intraday swings and favored active risk management.
What we’ll watch next session
- Opening strength/weakness relative to overnight futures — treat the first 30 minutes as information, not opportunity.
- Price action around yesterday's key levels: respect those as boundary areas for both mean-reversion and breakout scripts.
- Volume confirmation on any breakout — no follow-through, no commitment. If volume aligns with direction, consider scaling in with tight stops.
- Macro calendar for any scheduled data or headlines that could reintroduce volatility; position sizing will be adjusted accordingly.
Trade smart: honor stops, size to volatility, and let price confirm before adding risk.
Attribution: This recap is distilled from the internal note titled “Trading Journal — 2025-10-14 Evening.”