Good morning, traders,
This is what I see every time we roll into a holiday-shortened week like this: traders overtrading.
They’re sitting there, staring at the screen, bored and twitchy because the market’s barely moving.
So they force trades and try to create excitement.
They ignore the fact that the VIX is parked near the lows, the indexes are in tight ranges, and nothing — nothing — is following through.
And then they wonder why they’re down a few grand by Friday.
Let me save you the trouble: This is not the week to be a hero. Not when half the trading desks are empty and the other half are already mentally on vacation.
Yeah, we’re sitting at or near all-time highs. That’s fine.
But the move to those highs already happened. Now we’re just floating.
And when markets float like this — low volume, low volatility, no conviction — option premiums get crushed and direction becomes a coin flip.
So, here’s how to handle it.
Take It From a Guy Who Knows
I’ve been in this game a long time.
You know what experience has taught me? Sometimes the best trade is no trade at all.
But that’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for newer traders who feel like they’ve got to be in the mix every single day.
I get it. You’re building momentum. You’re chasing progress.
But chasing anything in a slow market usually ends the same way: frustration, losses, and a bunch of trades you regret taking.
This is when smart traders do less.
You don’t always need to be in the game. This business doesn’t pay you to be busy, it pays you to be right.
And the reality is, the odds of being right this week are worse than usual.
The setups are thin. Volume is weak. Momentum is MIA.
And you know what else? Market makers love weeks like this.
Retail traders overtrade, chop themselves up, and feed the spreads. It’s Christmas in July for the guys on the other side of your trades.
The only thing worse than missing a good trade is forcing a bad one.
So I’m giving you the same advice I’m giving my students: Stand down.
Take some time off. Go do something fun. Watch fireworks with your family.
Reset your brain.
The market isn’t going anywhere. There will be better opportunities next week or the week after when volume returns, volatility picks up, and real setups start forming again.
The Last Word
And when that happens? You want to be fresh and focused with your capital intact.
I’ve seen guys give back a whole month of profit in one sleepy holiday week because they couldn’t sit still.
Don’t be that guy.
But if you have to trade, just keep it tight.
Keep your size small. Be quick to book gains and even quicker to cut losers.
This is a scalper’s market, not a swing trader’s paradise.
But honestly? The best trade this week might just be closing your laptop and walking away.
That kind of discipline separates pros from gamblers.
Stay sharp,
Jeff Zananiri
P.S. Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, Aaron Hunziker will talk about the fastest-growing opportunities in the market right now:
These contracts move like lightning and hit big. Learn to trade them the right way.
👉 [Save your seat now — before space fills up.]
