Your First Trade
This walks you through placing your first trade using the Trade Echo process - the same system behind our TSLA 500%, TSLA 750%, and OKLO $10K trades. The core idea: stack your edges, then execute.
The Process
- Scan - Find relative strength
- Catalyst - Check News Edge
- Gamma - Read Dealer Edge
- Flow - Confirm with Algo Edge / Option Flow
- Structure - Draw chart levels
- Entry - Time it on a lower timeframe
- Manage - Risk rules, scale out, journal it
Step 1: Find Relative Strength
Before opening Trade Echo, scan your watchlists.
- Which tickers are up pre-market while the broader market is flat or down?
- Which sectors are leading? (tech, nuclear, energy, EV, etc.)
- Did any tickers from yesterday's Algo Edge flow show follow-through overnight?
If a name is strong while everything else is weak, someone knows something. That's your starting point.
Step 2: Check News Edge for a Catalyst
Open Markets and select News Edge. Search your strongest ticker.
A catalyst gives price a reason to move. Look for:
- Earnings surprises, analyst upgrades, price target raises
- M&A, partnerships, or policy headlines
- Sector-level catalysts (DOE announcements for nuclear, tariff news for EV, etc.)
- Reports of unusual options activity matching what you saw pre-market
No catalyst? Be cautious. Relative strength without a reason can fade.
Step 3: Read Dealer Edge
Switch to Dealer Edge and pull up your ticker.
Four things to note:
- Anchor Point - the strike with the most concentrated gamma. Price gravitates here. This is often your trade target
- Flip Level - the dividing line between positive and negative gamma. This is your trigger level
- GEX Rating - 4-5 means short gamma (explosive moves likely); 1-2 means long gamma (mean reversion)
- AI Analysis - read the AI summary at the bottom. It will often give you a specific entry trigger and target (e.g., "Take a 435 break entry to target 440")
Key rule: If price is below the flip level and reclaims it, dealers are forced to buy to hedge. That creates an explosive move toward the anchor. This is the highest-conviction setup.
Step 4: Confirm with Algo Edge and Option Flow
Algo Edge: Filter for your ticker. Look at the large trades table.
- Total premium over $250K
- Individual blocks over $1M
- Strike distribution - are they loading calls or puts?
- Timing - did the flow come in at yesterday's close? That's institutional positioning ahead of a move
Option Flow: Apply your filters (Price under $2, Size over 500, Expiration under 3 weeks).
- Are there clusters on the same ticker?
- Is premium concentrated in one direction?
- Do the strikes match the Dealer Edge levels?
When Algo Edge, Option Flow, and Dealer Edge all agree - you have a high-conviction setup.
Step 5: Draw Chart Structure
On TradingView or your charting platform:
1-hour chart (big picture):
- Draw key support and resistance levels
- Note trendlines from recent highs and lows
- Mark the Dealer Edge flip level and anchor point
- Identify your target zone
Example from TSLA 500% trade: Trendline from 451 highs to 433 open. Resistance at 440 (matched the Dealer Edge anchor). Retest level at 425.
Step 6: Time Your Entry
Drop to a 3-minute or 5-minute chart for entry timing.
Three high-probability entries:
Opening Range Breakout
Price breaks the first 5-minute high in the direction Dealer Edge supports. Enter on the breakout or the first pullback to the breakout level.
GZ Retest
Draw a zone from the prior day's low to the opening range high. A pullback to the 0.5 level of this zone (the "golden zone") is a high-probability entry.
VWAP Retest
If price runs, pulls back to VWAP, and VWAP holds - that's a strong secondary entry or add-on point. Especially powerful when the broader market is weak but your ticker holds VWAP (relative strength).
Strike Selection
- Delta around 0.20
- Premium around $1-2
- Choose a strike that aligns with Dealer Edge levels (the anchor strike or a node)
- Verify tight bid-ask spread
Step 7: Manage the Trade
- Stop at 20% below your entry price
- First target: 50-100% gain - take at least half off
- Let the rest run with a trailing stop
- Exit 0DTE trades by 2 PM - theta decay accelerates after that
- Record the trade in your Dashboard when closed
Walkthrough: OKLO 95 Calls (+102.6%)
Here's the full process applied to a real trade:
Scan: Nuclear/uranium names showing relative strength while the market was soft. OKLO had unusual options activity the prior day (120 calls, 02/20 expiry).
News Edge: DOE seeking sites for nuclear deployment with OKLO listed as a beneficiary. Fresh bullish analyst initiation with aggressive price target.
Dealer Edge: Anchor at 100, GEX Rating 4, Flip Level at 86, node at 95.
Chart Structure: 1-hour showed 86 as the breakout trigger, 95 as the first target, 100 as extension. Clean structure.
Entry: 5-minute breakout above 86 at 9:46 AM. BTO 10 OKLO 95 calls at $1.15. Strike chosen because it aligned with both the chart level and the Dealer Edge node.
Management: Price pulled back to VWAP - held. OKLO showing relative strength vs weak market. Held through the retest.
Exit: Sold at $2.33 at the 95 target zone. +102.6% gain, $1,180 profit. Pushed the challenge account to $10,000.
Edges stacked: Sector strength + News Edge catalyst + Dealer Edge levels + chart structure + clean entry trigger. Five edges pointing the same direction.
Watch the full breakdown (8:27)
Quick Reference
Before Every Trade
- Relative strength identified
- News Edge catalyst found
- Dealer Edge anchor, flip, and bias noted
- Algo Edge or Option Flow confirms direction
- Chart levels drawn (1-hour)
- Entry trigger on lower timeframe
- Strike aligns with Dealer Edge levels
- Risk sized at 1-2%, stop at 20%
Risk Rules
- Risk 1-2% per trade
- Stop 20%
- Scale out at first target
- Exit 0DTE by 2 PM
- Never trade on one signal alone - stack your edges