My Trading Playbook: Strategy, Stock Selection, Entries, Exits & Psychology

Over time, I have received many similar questions from learners about my trading style, stock selection process, entry and exit rules, and the overall approach I follow in the markets. While I have always tried to answer them individually, I realised it would be far more helpful to document everything in one place and make it accessible to everyone who wishes to learn.

This guide is an effort to compile those frequently asked questions and share my personal framework for trading and investing in a clear and structured manner. The intention is simple — to help learners understand the process, develop discipline, and build their own approach to the markets with clarity and confidence.

Whether you are just starting your journey or looking to refine your understanding, I hope this document serves as a useful reference that you can revisit anytime as you continue learning and growing in the markets.

General Questions

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What is your trading style?

My trading style focuses mainly on swing trading to capture moves of 20–25%. Occasionally, when the market is coming from a deep correction and the structure supports it, I also hold stocks for a longer duration.

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Which broker do you use?

For Indian markets, I use Zerodha.

For US markets, I use Vested.

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Which screeners do you use to select stocks?

For Indian markets, I use Chartsmaze.

For US markets, I use DeepVue.

I also use other platforms for research—especially Screener for fundamentals and Stock Scan to stay updated with the latest announcements and news.

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What is your stock selection criteria?

I run three primary scans:

1. Relative Strength Scan – Stocks close to highs or top monthly gainers.

2. IPO Scan – Stocks listed within the last one year.

3. Earnings Scan – Stocks with strong quarterly and yearly performance.

My entire trading universe comes from these screens.

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How do you narrow down to a focused list of 6–8 stocks?

From my screening universe, I look for my specific setups and filter down to the best opportunities.

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What are your trading setups?

I mainly trade:

• Tight consolidation breakouts

• Pullbacks

• Shakeout entries

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How do you choose 6–8 names from 15 setups?

I prefer small-cap stocks with strong themes.

Themes play an important role in my trading, and I try to deploy most of my capital into stocks belonging to the strongest sectors and narratives.

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Entry Rules

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How do you enter a tight consolidation setup?

I enter when price crosses the high of the consolidation.

I do not like to pay more than 2% above the breakout level.

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How do you confirm volume?

At times, volume at entry is not meaningful and may expand later in the day. Waiting for perfect volume can cause missed trades.

I extrapolate volume. For example:

If the 20-day average volume is 1 lakh shares and the stock trades 30,000 shares in the first 15 minutes, I consider that healthy.

Sometimes my entry is within the first five minutes of the trading day, and during that period I do not focus much on volume.

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What is your risk per trade?

If I am starting from cash, I risk 0.25% to 0.5% per trade.

When feedback from recent trades is positive, I increase risk to 1% per trade.

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What is your typical position size?

My stop loss is usually below 4%, which gives me a minimum position size of about 6% when risking 0.25%.

On full conviction trades, my position size can go up to 25–30%.

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Do you trade outside your main setups?

Yes. In such cases, I trade a standard breakout setup:

• Draw a horizontal resistance line.

• Buy the breakout.

• Keep a 4% stop loss below the line.

I only do this for stocks showing exceptional strength with a strong catalyst, such as earnings, sector momentum, or a compelling story.

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Exit Rules

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How do you sell your stocks?

My golden rule is to sell one-third into strength when a stock reaches +15%.

In choppy or weak market environments, I sell one-third at a 2R–3R reward multiple.

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What guides your exits?

• Partial profit at +15%.

• 21-day EMA as a trailing stop.

• Trendlines and price structure for final exits.

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Which moving averages do you use?

On the daily chart:

• 21 EMA

• 50 EMA

• 200 EMA

On the weekly chart:

• 10 EMA

• 40 EMA

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Which indicators do you use?

• QE Ultra 2.0 by EquityCraze for fundamental data.

• Swing Data Indicator by JSFREV.

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Journaling, Learning & Psychology

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Which app do you use for journaling?

I maintain a manual trading diary and also use TradesViz for performance analysis.

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Which books do you recommend for beginners?

• How I Made $2 Million in the Stock Market – Nicolas Darvas

• You Can Still Make It in the Market – Nicolas Darvas

• How to Make Money in Stocks – William O’Neil

• Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard – Mark Minervini

• Think & Trade Like a Champion – Mark Minervini

• Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets – Stan Weinstein

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Which YouTube channels do you recommend?

• TraderLion

• Jack Corsellis

• Trade With Trend – Raunak

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What is the best resource for trading psychology?

There is nothing better than your own trades.

Start with a small account, execute consistently, journal every trade, and analyse your own mistakes. Your behaviour in real markets is the best teacher of psychology.

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