cleaning house today. got rid of almost all my trades. entered and then exited EWK because it was actually sitting just under a weekly 200 EMA. why am i not following my rules? exited RSX for a 3.2% loss. I think i should never have entered it since its daily trend was pretty weak. i want strong trends. exited /GC for a tiny 0.3% loss since it was not in a strong trend either, should never have gotten into it. exited /HO for a tiny 0.2% loss. I should have exited this trade for a few percentage point gain after its big up bar. The big bar closed right under my target but i didn't exit. I should have just gotten out instead of risking a sell off after getting so close. I need to make sure im getting into strong trends that have been around for a little while. I need to follow my rules. Im watching sugar futures /SB for a short trade. It would need to close down a little more and maybe ill short it. The hourly chart is currently in a solid strong downtrend. I have avoided going long in american stocks which was a good idea. the SP500 has been going nowhere. I have a little string of losses while trying to trade "other markets". What i was considering good daily trends, were actually so-so and risky. I would have done better if i had used the hourly trends. The biggest time frame with a strong trend is what i should be looking to trade in. I think my recent losses are mostly due to me not doing what im supposed to do. I printed out an improved entry/exit checklist which should help.