Aug 25 – Aug 29, 2025
Nick SchmidtAugust 31, 2025SPY-0.04%QQQ-0.27%
Six trades in five days and the portfolio looks completely different than it did Monday morning. Sold HOOD, UBER, and NVDA, started new positions in WULF and LMND, and had a frustrating add on RKLB that got stopped the same day and ruined my cost basis.
The theme of the week was concentrating into the names I believe in most and cutting the ones that were just taking up space. UBER was fine but it was the smallest position and wasn't going to move the needle. HOOD had no cushion and NVDA was a pre-weekend risk reduction. Every exit made sense on its own but the cumulative effect was a portfolio that went from spread across six names to focused on four.
I think we're early and there's a lot of opportunity ahead if I protect the downside. Pullbacks are going to create even more chances to get involved and the key is just being there when they show up.
Sold HOOD, UBER, and NVDA. Added WULF and LMND. Concentrated from six names down to four.
Weekend scan showed an abundance of setups which is a positive sign but can spread attention thin. The plan was to concentrate on the highest quality themes and not get distracted by quantity. Good day across the board with most leaders trading in tight ranges which made me think I was focused on the right names.
WULF gapped up on its highest volume ever and that type of volume signature generally births new trends. It was directly inside the circle annotation I had made on my chart the week before so the setup was right there. Entered from the universe list.
Big day for portfolio shuffling ahead of NVDA earnings. Sold UBER because it was the smallest position and wasn't going to move the needle. Sold HOOD at a 5% loss because it had no cushion and I didn't want the exposure. Tried to add to RKLB on a bounce attempt with tight stops but got stopped out the same day, which was frustrating because it ruined my cost basis from $41 to $44.26.
SNOW earnings gap brought life back into the software group and that felt like it could be a meaningful tell for the next few weeks. Software looks like a top group to watch again. Started a position in LMND which I found by sorting my watchlist by lowest volume, it was sitting at the top with almost no volume on the retest. Trying to stay aggressive and heavily invested until proven otherwise.
Brutal day with TSLA as the biggest position. Lots of weakness across the board. Sold NVDA before the close to reduce exposure into the long weekend. It was still structurally fine but I didn't want the risk over three days off. Despite the ugly day, the outlook hasn't changed. As long as we protect the downside that's all that matters to be there for the upcoming opportunities.
WULF gapped up on its highest volume ever and it landed directly inside the area I had circled on my chart the week before. That type of volume signature generally births new trends because it represents a completely different level of institutional interest showing up. SNOW did the same thing at the end of 2024 and that marked the beginning of a big move.
Something I started doing this week was sorting my watchlists by lowest volume to see what's quiet and drying up. LMND was sitting right at the top with almost no volume on the retest. These are the entries that become your best positions before the risk gets too wide, because everyone else is focused on the names moving and ignoring the ones coiling.
Trading clicked for me when I made sure that I removed the possibility of any setbacks. Even after I was good at finding stuff and had big successful trades I never had any consistency because I ignored the importance of keeping losses small. Hard stops on every position, never more than 7% from entry, ideally much lower. Confidence comes from seeing consistency in the equity curve, not from having one big winner.