Market Oscillations, Strategy Discipline & Drawdown Awareness – Today’s Trading Journal

Today’s session once again reminded me why discipline matters more than emotions in algorithmic trading.

The Nifty 50 oscillated within a narrow range, and most importantly, during my primary entry window between 9:40 AM and 9:55 AM, the market lacked clear directional intent. As a result, most of my selected stocks merely oscillated, showing no meaningful momentum. None of them moved decisively, and unfortunately, this resulted in losses across the selected stock basket.

However, trading is never about one side of the book.

Target Strategies Prove Their Strength

Despite the choppy conditions in stocks, all my target-based strategies hit their targets today. This contrast was very evident and offered an important lesson.

Because of this clarity, I made a conscious, risk-managed decision:

One account was slightly shifted exclusively to target-based strategies

Target ranges: ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 per strategy

The idea is simple: let the market decide, but stay aligned with what is currently working


What unfolds next will be observed with patience—not excitement.

Commodities Continue to Perform

On the brighter side, evening commodity strategies are once again performing exceptionally well, continuing the momentum seen in previous sessions. This reinforces my belief in diversification across instruments and sessions—when one segment slows down, another often compensates.

Acknowledging the Drawdown Phase

A very important and honest observation:

I am currently going through a drawdown / losing streak phase in stock strategies

This has been ongoing for the last 4 trading days

There is no denial, no justification—only observation and data


After deploying for a few more sessions, a clear, data-backed decision will be taken regarding strategies without targets. Knee-jerk reactions during drawdowns are the fastest way to destroy long-term systems.

Risk Framework in Place

For one major account with ₹35 lakhs capital, the risk structure is clearly defined:

Maximum daily loss: ₹85,000

Maximum daily profit cap: ₹40,000

Risk–Reward Ratio: 2:1 (based on historical high win ratio)


At the same time, other accounts will continue with the usual deployment style—no target, only SL-based strategies—ensuring diversification not just across instruments, but also across strategy logic.

Final Thoughts

Drawdowns are not failures. They are phases.

What matters is:

Capital protection

Process discipline

Data-driven decisions

Emotional neutrality


The market doesn’t reward excitement—it rewards consistency, patience, and respect for risk.

We observe.
We adapt.
We survive—and then we grow.

— Madhu Babu
Systematic Trader | Algo Strategist