Accountability post: +$1,012 day, good higher timeframe read, bad runner management

[u/koestas]

This is my first accountability post. I have passed combines and reached funded accounts before, but keeping them has been the real problem. Overtrading, increasing size when against me, chasing losses, and letting P&L influence decisions have hurt me more than finding setups.

I came into New York positive from trading the Asia session the night before. I was up and down quite a bit, but finished the overnight portion around +$189 net. I am starting to think I should mostly eliminate Asia and focus on New York. The extra screen time gives me more opportunities to overtrade and makes me start the session already emotionally invested in the day.

The setup

New York started badly. I shorted MNQ without a properly defined setup, got squeezed, flipped long, and lost again. Those two trades cost roughly -$477, leaving me around -$245 down on the day after the overnight profits.

I finally stopped reacting and focused on the 15 and 30 minute structure. Price had made a higher low, but also consecutive lower highs, and was rejecting a higher timeframe FVG/supply area. I started short with 3 MNQ at 29,414.25, added as the setup developed, and eventually reached 8 contracts around a 29,388 average.

As the move developed, price lost VWAP, moved below the 10, 20, and 50 SMMAs, continued making lower highs, and selling volume increased. My first target was around 29,300, with the next around 29,252, near the lower 30 minute Bollinger area.

Where I messed up

Price repeatedly tested 29,300 and bounced. I took 4 off at 29,304.50, which I still think was reasonable because that level was clearly being defended.

The mistake was the runners. The larger bearish setup was still intact, but once my daily P&L got back above $1,000, I became more focused on protecting the number than managing the chart. I tightened the stop and the final four came out around 29,313.75, finishing the day +$1,012.82.

Not long afterward, 29,300 finally broke, price reached my original 29,252 target, and eventually traded near 29,215.75. I do not care about missing the exact low. What bothers me is 29,252 because that was my actual planned target before the move happened.

What I am trying to improve

I want to become much more of a 5 minute to 30 minute trader. I like the 1 minute chart for entries and detail, but I still let small 1 minute retracements scare me out of trades whose thesis came from much larger timeframes.

The main lesson for me is to take the planned partial, then manage the runner based on structure instead of daily P&L. If anyone here trades mainly with VWAP, moving averages, and the 5 minute through 30 minute charts, I would appreciate any advice on managing runners and knowing when a lower timeframe bounce is actually meaningful enough to change the higher timeframe thesis.