// Overview
Exits aren’t vibes — they’re prewritten branches. You stage de-risk into objective bands, trail only when structure confirms, and you hit full-exit triggers without debate. Survival first, compounding second, ego never.
// Playbook
Stage the Win
De-risk 25–33% at the first objective (range mid, measured move, VWAP/MA confluence).
Move stop to break-even only after acceptance beyond your first objective — not on emotion.
Let It Work (Inside the Window)
Momentum breathes inside timing windows. Outside of it, you manage, not manifest.
When window closes, require structure to hold to keep a runner.
Write Full-Exit Triggers
Loss of reclaim, failed hold on retest, parabolic giveback > 50% of impulse, or HTF rejection at target band.
Any one trigger → flat. No courtroom.
Trail With Structure
Trail below last defended HL (uptrend) or above last defended LH (downtrend), not candle noise.
If trail gets hit and structure breaks, say thanks and exit.
// Protocols
Stair-Step De-Risk Bands
Plan: 30% at Band A, 30% at Band B, let 40% ride to Band C if structure holds.
Failsafe: Lose acceptance back under Band A → flatten remainder.
Time-Stop (Window Close)
Plan: If window (e.g., NY AM) ends and there’s no acceptance above your last objective, trim or exit.
Why: Liquidity thins; slippage rises; odds decay.
Parabolic Giveback Guard
Plan: After vertical expansion, if price gives back > 50% of the leg without reclaim in 2 bars → exit.
Why: Blow-off risk and distribution in progress.
Failed Reclaim Kill-Switch
Plan: Entry based on reclaim? If reclaim fails (two closes back below) → full exit.
Why: Your thesis is invalid. Don’t negotiate.
// Common Mistakes
Winning → Hoping
Refusing to pay yourself at first objective. Round-trip city.
Stop at “Where It Won’t Get Hit”
Stops belong at invalidation, not imagination.
Trailing Noise
Tight trailing under micro wicks; get chopped out before the leg completes.
Counter-Window Optimism
Keeping a runner into dead hours then blaming “whipsaw.” Time matters.
// Checklist
Before Entry
Write Bands A/B/C; define first objective; pre-commit de-risk percentages.
List full-exit triggers (loss of reclaim, failed hold, 50% giveback, HTF rejection).
After Entry
De-risk at A; adjust stop to B/E only on acceptance beyond A.
Window closing? Require structure to hold or flatten.
