Tuesday, September 29, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

Weekly Pivot in Play — Bulls Need to Deliver by Tony Rago The NQ weekly pivot is still in play, and that’s where I’ll be focused at the open. Bulls need to convert that level into support and push toward 30,750. On ES, buyers need to defend the 7,742/7,750 area and work back above 7,777. If those levels fail to hold, bears have an opportunity to get a move going below yesterday’s lows at 7,726 on ES and 30,350 on NQ. Those are the key lines in the sand as we see which side can take control. There are plenty of FED speakers today, so expect another potential headline minefield with price reacting quickly in either direction. That makes patience and discipline even more important. Let the opening range develop, watch how price behaves around the weekly pivot and support zones, and don’t get caught chasing every move. We’ll take

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Monday, September 28, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

New Week — New Opportunitiesby Tony Rago New week, new opportunities to make money! We’re seeing some interaction with the weekly pivots overnight, so those levels will be important to watch today. The key is where we close on the daily — bulls want to close above the weekly pivots, while bears want to close below them. There’s no econ today, but the week is stacked with economic data, including the payroll numbers on Friday. It could be a quiet, range-bound tape to start the week, but with crude back around 95 and VIX popping a bit, we need to be ready for anything. Let’s see how we open and go from there. There’s no reason to force a move if the market wants to chop, but we also need to stay alert if volatility starts expanding. The weekly pivots should give us a good framework for reading the day,

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Why I Shorted a Rising Nasdaq for 60 Handles

Hey Trader, Thursday morning I shorted a rising Nasdaq that was climbing. Quick orientation first. My levels repeat inside every 100-point block on the NQ, so a 26 sits 26 points above a round number I call the roundy. I let price print the 33, then sold the 36 with three contracts. It dropped to my exit at the 16 for 20 handles a contract, or 60 on the trade. Then I said out loud what half the room was probably thinking. “Why did I short a market that’s going up? Dude, what’s wrong with you?” I had no idea whether 10:30 would mark the high of the day. My exit was already on the chart before I clicked. My rule fits in one sentence. I don’t take a trade until I can see 20 points of room between my entry and my exit. Here’s how I put it to

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Friday, September 25, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

Dip Bought — Now Stay Nimbleby Tony Rago The dip was bought, and price made its way right back to 31,000 on NQ and 7,800 on ES. There are plenty of crosswinds in this tape, so you need to keep your head on a swivel and stay on your toes. Be ready to flip if the market changes character, and if we simply chop around, stay out. We don’t need to force trades just because the market is moving. We truly have to trade what we see and take the setups that fit our process. That means staying flexible without getting emotional and letting price tell us when the opportunity is actually there. Let’s see what the opening range says and build from there. Stay patient, stay disciplined, and get after it! 💪 👉 Full breakdown is inside today’s Pre-Market Playbook. Check it out here and trade it smart. Until

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Thursday, September 24, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

Bulls Are on Notice — Bring the Heatby Tony Rago A full round trip on ES, with price spending most of the overnight session under yesterday’s low, puts the bulls on notice today. Bulls need to bring it or risk losing 7,700. On NQ, they need to defend 30,250 or risk a quick move down toward 30,000. Bears have the advantage while price remains under yesterday’s lows — they just need to keep those levels acting as resistance if we test them from below. That reaction will be key. Let’s see how we open and whether buyers are ready to step back in. There’s no need to guess at it — the levels will tell us who is actually showing up. If bulls can reclaim and hold the key areas, they have a chance to shift the tone. If not, sellers have room to press. Bulls are on notice —

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Wednesday, September 23, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

New Highs — But No Commitment Yetby Tony Rago NQ reached a new high on the continuous contract, while the Z contract still has a high at 31,334. ES is consolidating up here, but so far there hasn’t been much commitment from new money at the highs, which is leaving us with a pretty choppy tape. That doesn’t mean the move is over — it means we need to see where the next expansion comes from before making assumptions. All we can do is stay patient, wait for our setups, and let the market show us when it’s ready to expand out of this zone. My plan remains the same as always: let the opening range tell the story. I’m certainly not interested in trying to pick the top with guesses. Let’s see how we open, watch the reaction, and go from there. Patience first, then execution. 💪 👉 Full

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Tuesday, September 22, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

Monster Rally — Now What?by Tony Rago ES hit new highs yesterday on a monster rally, and the strength of the move surprised a lot of traders — myself included. I missed the bulk of the move, while NQ led the charge and was by far the strongest of the two. Now the question is whether we consolidate or continue from here. Back-to-back trend days after such a big move would be pretty rare, but as always, anything can happen. Bulls need to hold pullbacks to 30,612/30,500 on NQ and 7,788/7,777 on ES if they want to keep the momentum intact. I’m going to stick to my plan: let the opening range guide us and go with price. After a move like yesterday, there’s no reason to chase or assume we have to get another trend day. Let the market show us whether buyers are still willing to step in

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Monday, September 21, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

New Week — New Opportunitiesby Tony Rago New week, new opportunities to make money! Another big move overnight without us, as buyers stepped in at Friday’s close and extended that move into the Sunday night session. Now the question is simple: what’s left for us to trade? ES needs to hold pullbacks to 7,733, while NQ needs to defend a pullback to 30,000. Those are the levels I’ll be watching to see if buyers can keep the momentum going or if we start giving some of that overnight move back. We’ll let the opening range tell the story rather than chasing what already happened overnight. The market has made a pretty big move before the regular session even gets going, so patience will be important. Let’s see how price reacts around those key levels, identify where the real participation shows up, and go from there. Let’s get after it! 💪

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How I Played the Fed for My Best Day This Month

Hey Trader, Wednesday morning, before the bell, I told the Futures Room to keep some powder dry. It was FOMC day. I played the Fed before. ATR was sitting at 19, and my pre-market playbook said what it always says on a Fed day… Less is more. Then I said the part I want to talk about today. Wednesday gave us three Golden Setups off the same level. All three paid both targets. So what exactly did I do differently? Not only will the answer surprise you, but it’s the key to being successful in any market. Wednesday Paid Three Times Quick orientation before I walk you through it. The 26 is a level on my chart, and the 33 is the line it has to hold once I’m long. Everything below is a trade off that one pair of numbers. The first 26 set up and I didn’t take

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Friday, September 18, 2026 – Tony’s Pre-Market Playbook

Bulls Have the Ball — Can They Break Out?by Tony Rago Our pre-market highs have poked out of the top of the range we’ve been stuck in, so now the question is simple: can we retest those highs and actually break out from here? That’s what the bulls need to do today. They want to hold 7,700/7,688 on ES and 29,750/29,633 on NQ, then push back toward the pre-market highs. Holding those levels on a pullback would keep the breakout structure intact and give buyers a chance to continue pressing. The bulls have the ball — now let’s see what they can do with it! We’ve been stuck in this range for a while, so I’m more interested in seeing whether price can prove the breakout than chasing it just because we poked above the range. Let the retest tell us what we need to know, stay patient with the

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