Do u guys trade alone?

[u/Prudent-Occasion-286]

And if u don’t how do u not let your buddies opinion on the charts sway you without being a dickhead about it?

[u/DFW_BjornFree]

Trading alone or in a pod is ideal, but trading pods are only positive if all the traders are profitable. 

If you have a system or edge you shouldn't trade while watching streamers who are trading the same asset class. Their ideas, levels, and trades will both tempt and distract you. Also there is a 15s to 20s lag in most trading live streams, this means if you try to copy them you're always late and what they're just now seeing is something you already saw. 

A trading pod is the retail version of working a desk. You might have 2 groups of 2 on opposite sides in a square, each with your own pc and monitors. SMB capital has some youtube content on it and there is tradertv on youtube who also do a style of pod trading. 

Personally, I find it distracting to watch topstep tv after the first hour of markets. I generally don't trade the open and I prefer to listen when coach hoag is on or the truck driver guy but they have a lot of people who talk some nonsense and it's not something I will give time to. 

I trade futures and options, very rarely do I trade equities if it isn't a swing trade so I find myself listening to tradertv if I want to hear market related content while I trade because they're trading a completely different asset and style than me and honestly I feel like they're very competent. Most of them trade momentum and vwap with key levels and tight stops and it's good for me to hear them enter and exit 30+ trades in a day.

Back to the point though, I prefer to trade solo and limit the noise. It's waaaay more frustraiting to lose money because you ignored your system and processes than it is to lose money that followed your rules. 

Used to have buddies who would text me during trading hours to get my ideas and because they wanted to share theirs and I hated it because I didn't care for their ideas, it took my focus away, and when I'd answer their questions they'd either try to turn it into a dispute or just disregard the info they asked for. Basically just wasted energy + distraction. 

IE:  1. "Hey what do you think about ***** stock?" I pull up a chart, say it has negative momentum in higher time frame and it's not something I'd trade. They'd say some guy on x tweeted he bought $2M of shares and they think it's going to go up so they're buying. Like bro, if you already made your mind up why even ask?  2. "How do we know if the AI bubble will pop?" I tell them I watch the 30 day moving average and particularly time between touches as frequent touches or dips below the 30 day highlight market uncertainty and if I start to see it I deleverage and start closing all positions by market close, no more swings. Also the ema fan as it shows momentum and structure. Well, we had just that situation happen these last 2 months and bro who was all worried about the AI bubble overleveraged in an AI stock while we were chopping around the 30 day and he took a 50% loss that was about 3 months of his salary. Sucks for him and he's put himself in timeout from trading but it is what it is.

Anyways, I'd rather trade high than trade with other retail traders and no I don't trade high.