The market changes state before traders realize it. Clear the gate, or wait.
A free pre-trade checklist from the State Change desks — FABLE (the story) and VORTEX (the structure). It won't print a trade ticket until you've cleared four pieces of evidence and written your invalidation first. If the gate isn't met, it hands you a clean WAIT — which, on this floor, is a respected outcome.
Is there a hard, dated reason for this to move now — earnings, a Fed decision, a forced repricing? "It looks cheap" is not a catalyst.
Does positioning / flow / liquidity support the move rather than fight it? Are you joining a crowd at an extreme?
Where are you wrong? Write the exit that kills the idea before you enter. No invalidation, no ticket.
Is the reward materially larger than the defined risk? Survival plus one asymmetric hit wins the game — activity doesn't.
Position size comes from your stop, not your conviction. Enter the book, the entry, and where you're wrong.
Timestamp it before the outcome is known. Post it unedited. That's the whole edge.