Battle Lines Are Drawn by Tony Rago   Bears showed up at the open yesterday… but stalled right at the weekly pivots. No real pressure below. That makes 6323 on ES and 23163 on NQ the key battlegrounds today. Above those levels? Bulls need to attack Monday’s highs — 6370 and 23350 — and prove they’re in control. Below? Bears have to crack 23000 and 6300 to get new weekly lows on the board. Could be a chop-fest if no one steps up, so keep expectations in check. We’ve got Fed speakers and a bond auction coming — stay sharp. Same plan: let the open play out, give it 30 minutes, then strike. Full breakdown’s inside today’s Pre-Market Playbook.   [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item title=”Wednesday%2C%20August%205%2C%202025%20-%20Tony’s%20Pre-Market%20Playbook” icon=”style1-Pdf-64×64.png” file=”https://theotrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TonysPre-MarketPlaybook-08062025.pdf” package=”” level=”” new_window=”Y”][/op_file_download_item][/file_download]

  Bull Trap or Bear Mirage?by Tony Rago Yesterday’s action was suspect. Sellers dominated late last week… then disappeared. So what is this? A real bounce — or bait? Here’s the deal: If bears mean business, they’ve got to take us back under 23,000 and 6300 fast. No follow-through, no pressure — just talk. If bulls want control, they need to defend the overnight lows and flip 23,412 and 6388 into support. If they can do that, we could see another leg higher. We’ve got econ this morning, so let the first 30 minutes set the tone. No hero trades — just read the tape. Everything’s mapped out in today’s free Pre-Market Playbook. [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item title=”Tuesday%2C%20August%205%2C%202025%20-%20Tony’s%20Pre-Market%20Playbook” icon=”style1-Pdf-64×64.png” file=”https://theotrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TonysPre-MarketPlaybook-08052025-1.pdf” package=”” level=”” new_window=”Y”][/op_file_download_item][/file_download]

New Week, New Opportunities to Make Money! by Tony Rago   It’s Monday — fresh week, fresh chances to get paid. We’re getting a bounce overnight back into some key zones — 6300 on ES and 23000 on NQ. After two days of heavy selling, this move could be a simple relief rally… or the start of something more. Weekly pivots are sitting just above us, so that’ll be the first real test. If we reject off those, bears will want to press back toward Friday’s lows. If not, we may be looking at a squeeze to kick off the week. Either way — no need to get fancy. Let the market open, let it establish the initial balance, and the trend will reveal itself. Let’s keep it tight, stay focused, and start the week off right. Everything you need to get ready is in today’s free Pre-Market Playbook.  

The Tape Is Starting to Soften Up – Perfect  by Tony Rago   It’s Friday, the start of a whole new month! We saw weakness continue overnight from yesterdays session, with a nice pullback to some key levels — 6300 (ES) and 23106 (NQ). We’ll just see how the dip-buyers deal with this; if they’re denied today we could get a bigger move down, maybe under 6288 and 23000.  Either way, it’s Friday, so no big bets and no overdoing it. Let’s see how we open and get the day done!  Everything you need to get ready is here in the free download of the Pre-Market Playbook…   [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item title=”Friday%2C%20August%201%2C%202025%20-%20Tony’s%20Pre-Market%20Playbook” icon=”style1-Pdf-64×64.png” file=”https://theotrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TonysPre-MarketPlaybook-08012025.pdf” package=”” level=”” new_window=”Y”][/op_file_download_item][/file_download]

How to Get Ready for Fed Day by Tony Rago   These kinds of days, with the Fed and earnings in play, can be tough sessions for day-trading futures.  The typical day is busy for the first one to two hours, and then the tape basically dies until the 2 PM ET announcement. And so the real moves come from the chairman’s press conference.  Ultimately, the way to trade a Fed day is to get your trades in early and then take a step back; most of the time NQ isn’t even tradeable around the announcement and presser, so, if you must trade, I’d look at ES for opportunities.  Overall we’re still weak under the weekly opens 23520 (NQ) and 6450 (ES). Let’s see if we can retest the lows from yesterday.  Everything else you need to succeed is right here in the free downloadable Pre-Market Playbook…   [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item

  Don’t Expect Much Excitement Today, But… by Tony Rago   I’m expecting another slow day today as we head into earnings and the FOMC remarks tomorrow, but ready for anything!  Keep an eye on the weekly open for ES — it’s still resistance and an inflection point at 5450.  If we stay under, selling pops is favored. All the other moves to make are in the Pre-Market Playbook…     [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item title=”Tuesday%2C%20July%2029%2C%202025%20-%20Tony’s%20Pre-Market%20Playbook” icon=”style1-Pdf-64×64.png” file=”https://theotrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TonysPre-MarketPlaybook-07292025.pdf” package=”” level=”” new_window=”Y”][/op_file_download_item][/file_download]

  We’re Starting Another Huge Tech-Earnings Week by Tony Rago   EU tariff deal headlines sent us over the top to new highs. Now it’s all about the bulls staying above the 6400 on the ES to continue.  We’ll see how the cash session reacts to this in terms of “selling the news,” but sellers are few and far between these days. We’re heading into a big earnings week for tech, and we’ll hear from the FOMC on Wednesday, too, so there could be some nice vol for us! Today, though, could be a little slow as the tape may be waiting for earnings and FOMC. Be patient and let price come to you!  Stick to your plan, focus on getting the day done, and then move on to the next day. Rinse, repeat.  Get up to speed with the free Pre-Market Playbook and let’s crush it today!   [file_download

It’s a Good Idea to Tweak Your Goals Today  by Tony Rago   The plan is the same for this session — stay on your toes. Price is just drifting right now and the bulls are extremely complacent. The way they’re thinking, “it can’t go wrong; every dip gets bought”… until it doesn’t.  It’s true there is no energy in this tape but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a headline that yanks us lower and kicks off a sell program that sticks.  Mind your risk regardless and manage trades accordingly. Get the day done; consider a smaller daily goal in this tape until we get some volatility.  Everything you need to move ahead is in today’s free download of the Pre-Market Playbook…   [file_download style=”2″][op_file_download_item title=”Friday%2C%20July%2025%2C%202025%20-%20Tony’s%20Pre-Market%20Playbook” icon=”style1-Pdf-64×64.png” file=”https://theotrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TonysPre-MarketPlaybook-07252025.pdf” package=”” level=”” new_window=”Y”][/op_file_download_item][/file_download]

Too Quiet at the Highs? Stay Sharp, Stay Nimble by Tony Rago The S&P is pressing into new highs with a test of 6400 on deck — but the Nasdaq is still dragging its feet. Will ES have enough strength to lift all boats? TSLA’s down in the pre-market, while GOOGL is catching a bid. All eyes on how retail responds to earnings when the bell rings. So far, we’ve got quiet bullish action… maybe too quiet. These are the kind of sessions where complacency gets punished. Stay alert, trade what’s in front of you, and don’t assume smooth sailing. I’ll be watching the open closely and letting the market digest the morning econ — PMI hits at 9:45 and New Home Sales at 10:00. Jump into the main room with me at 10:00 — let’s navigate this together. In the meantime, make sure to check out today’s pre-market playbook