A second public $3,000 discretionary 0DTE series built around the lessons from the original 87-session experiment. Series I demonstrated both the potential of aggressive small-account compounding and the consequences of inconsistent risk management, lower-quality trades, and trading during poor market participation. Series II began from the same $3,000 balance with a more defined execution framework.
Starting Balance
$3,000
Current Balance
$1,759.07
Total Series P&L
-$1,240.93
Total Return
-41.36%
Green Day Rate
44.4%
Days Logged
18
Why this series exists
The original $3k Account Series was a public proof of concept for the Foxchase discretionary 0DTE framework. The account grew from $3,000 to a peak above $22,000 before a significant drawdown reduced the ending balance to roughly $6,300.
One of the biggest lessons from Series I was discovering just how important 5-minute relative volume (rVol) is for filtering out false or lower-quality setups. Not accounting for low-participation conditions contributed heavily to the July drawdown.
August and September have provided time to study rVol further, reaffirm that observation, and tighten several other parts of the framework. At the same time, work has continued on the private algo and dashboard.
Before the discretionary $3k Small Account Series II began, the rest of September was used as an observation and development period. This included monitoring the market through the new Series II rules, addressing remaining algo bugs, and observing the gated Extrinsic Divergence trades recently added to the bot.
Series II asks a different question: can the same aggressive small-account growth approach produce a better equity curve when the lessons from the first series are incorporated from Day 1?
This remains a growth-mode experiment. Profits will be compounded rather than withdrawn, and position sizing will remain intentionally aggressive. The difference is greater selectivity, predefined risk, and more consistent execution. There is no arbitrary account target; the series will simply follow the rules, compound the account, and document what happens.
Series II Rules
A+ setups: 50% deployment
Qualified A setups: 30% deployment, primarily qualifying Extrinsic Divergences
Anything below A: no trade
Low rVol (5-min): no trade
Default OCO: -20% stop / +20% target
Stops may tighten, never widen
Profit targets may extend
No adding to positions after entry
No chasing missed entries
Re-entries must independently qualify as a new A or A+ setup
The operating principle is simple: take the qualified trade, size it according to the planner, define the risk before entry, never widen the loss, and do not manufacture another trade.
Setup Quality & Deployment Framework
Deployment follows current setup conviction: A+ is the highest-conviction qualified setup and maximum planner preset at 50% deployment (approximately 10% planned account risk); A uses 30% deployment (approximately 6% planned account risk), including qualified Extrinsic Divergence trades; below A means no trade.
Management / Exit: Waited until after the aggressive 10am news move through the doubled PML/YDL levels rather than chasing the initial flush. Took the cleaner R5-E short setup afterward.
Management / Exit: Took another R5-E short as the bearish structure continued, but the trade failed to follow through and hit the predefined OCO stop loss. Once price later reached EM-, NDX GEX became especially useful for defining the expected range and downside targets.
Management / Exit: Took the final R5-E short after EM- was reached. With the lower NDX GEX level providing a clear downside target, I extended the take-profit beyond the default +20%. The move continued lower and hit the extended target for a win.
Trade 4
Setup Grade: A
Planned Deployment: 30%
Primary Entry Reason: Bearish Extrinsic Divergence short
Supporting Context: A-size / R5 tendency to favor bearish divergence
Management / Exit: Took the bearish divergence short, but the move did not follow through enough and hit the predefined stop loss.
Trade 5
Setup Grade: A
Planned Deployment: 30%
Primary Entry Reason: Bearish Extrinsic Divergence short re-entry
Supporting Context: A-size / option price never closed above the Bear Div entry / continued R5 bearish-divergence context
Management / Exit: Re-entered the bearish divergence short because the option price never closed above the original Bear Div entry. The trade moved into profit, but not quite enough to reach the target and ultimately stopped out.
Closing observation: Overall, Day 1 ended slightly red after the two later bearish divergence attempts. The morning execution remained disciplined, particularly avoiding the 10am news spike and waiting for cleaner R5-E setups afterward. The later Bear Div trades had reasonable R5 context and both saw some profit, but neither produced enough follow-through to complete the move.
🦊 Day 2
🟢 Green Day
Starting Balance$2,960.22
Current Balance$3,372.51
Daily P&L+$441
Total Series P&L+$372.51
Thinkorswim displayed +$441.00 P&L Day. Documented account balance moved from $2,960.22 to $3,372.51 (+$412.29).
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A
Primary Entry Reason: Bearish Extrinsic Divergence short
Supporting Context: A setup / opening Bear Div
Management / Exit: Took a quick short scalp right at the open on the Bear Div and closed for a profit. I accidentally selected the wrong OCO order, so the position was much smaller than intended.
Trade 2
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: Spot up / vol up long
Supporting Context: A+ setup / R2 structure
Management / Exit: Took the A+ long with spot and volatility rising together. The move failed to follow through and hit the predefined OCO stop loss.
Trade 3
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: A+ long re-entry
Supporting Context: Same long thesis / z-score bounced exactly from the 0 zone
Management / Exit: Re-entered the A+ long after noticing z-score had simply bounced directly from the 0 zone rather than breaking down. The re-entry worked and profit was taken at PMH.
Trade 4
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: PMH rejection short
Supporting Context: A+ setup / R2 / PMH rejection
Management / Exit: Knowing how important PMH tends to be on R2 days, took the short when the rejection became clear. Took profit just above VWAP. Good trade, although the exit was too early and price continued lower afterward.
Closing observation: Very good Day 2 overall. The first Bear Div worked despite the accidental undersizing, the initial A+ long stopped out cleanly, and the re-entry was justified by the z-score 0-zone behavior rather than simply trying the same trade again. The PMH rejection then gave another clean A+ opportunity on the short side, a classic Regime 2 behavior.
🦊 Day 3
🔴 Red Day
Starting Balance$3,372.51
Current Balance$3,278.89
Daily P&L-$64
Total Series P&L+$278.89
Thinkorswim displayed -$64.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: NDX forward positive GEX ramp long
Supporting Context: A+ setup / immediate long at the open / expected spike above PMH
Management / Exit: Took the long immediately at the open with the NDX forward positive GEX ramp supporting a move above PMH. Exited at the default +20% target for +$280.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Long re-entry
Supporting Context: Re-entry of the opening bullish thesis
Management / Exit: Re-entered long looking for additional follow-through, but the continuation failed and the trade stopped out.
Trade 3
Primary Entry Reason: ZWAP short bias
Supporting Context: Short entry after the bullish continuation failed
Management / Exit: Took the short on ZWAP short bias, but the trade also failed to follow through and stopped out.
Closing observation: Too choppy of an environment today. Trade 1 was very good and hit the planned +20% target, but there was no meaningful follow-through afterward and we ultimately gave the gains back.
🦊 Day 4
🟢 Green Day
October 6, 2026
Starting Balance$3,278.89
Current Balance$3,420.10
Daily P&L+$169
Total Series P&L+$420.10
Thinkorswim displayed +$169.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: Spot up / vol up long above PMH
Management / Exit: Re-engaged the spot up / vol up long above PMH at A+ size once the higher-confidence opportunity presented itself. Intentionally took profit early to protect the recovery and finish the session green.
Closing observation:
Two good lessons from today.
First, never marry a position. Staying flexible after the first two failed attempts gave us the agility to re-engage the true A+ spot up / vol up opportunity in R4 above PMH and recover the day.
Second, a small cash account makes failed attempts more painful because settled-cash limits reduce how much capital is still available when the best setup finally arrives. That constraint should matter less as the account grows. For now, disciplined sniping is what has to grow the account.
🦊 Day 5
🔴 Red Day
October 7, 2026
Starting Balance$3,420.10
Current Balance$3,178.48
Daily P&L-$212
Total Series P&L+$178.48
Thinkorswim displayed -$212.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: R5-R opening short
Supporting Context: Early R5-R downside / volatility expansion
Management / Exit: Took the short shortly after the open into the R5-R downward price action. Caught a volatility spike almost immediately and took profit at the default +20% target within seconds.
Management / Exit: Took the R5-R long attempt around 9:45 knowing the initial reversal can sometimes fake out. Targeted a move back toward VWAP, but the negative GEX environment kept price unstable and the trade ultimately stopped out.
Management / Exit: After the R5-R reversal failed and z-score stayed flat, entered short with a large negative SPX GEX strike below as the downside reference. Negative GEX continued to produce choppy price action, followed by a stretch of blue rVol that developed after entry and eventually helped stop the trade out.
Closing observation:
Trade 1 was exactly what we wanted: catch the clean R5-R opening move, take the quick +20%, and move on. The reversal attempt never developed cleanly in the negative GEX environment, and the later short was ultimately overwhelmed by chop and deteriorating participation. Another reminder that even when the broader read makes sense, the environment still has to cooperate.
🦊 Day 6
🟢 Green Day
October 8, 2026
Starting Balance$3,178.48
Current Balance$3,434.99
Daily P&L+$288
Total Series P&L+$434.99
Thinkorswim displayed +$288.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A
Planned Deployment: 30%
Primary Entry Reason: Bullish Extrinsic Divergence long
Management / Exit: Took the Bull Div long at A-size. The trade moved into profit, but with negative GEX creating a less stable environment and some blue rVol developing, I took profit slightly early rather than pressing for additional follow-through.
Trade 2
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: R5-R reversal long
Supporting Context: A+ setup / z-score 0 crossover / Y-mid rejection / blue rVol developing during the trade
Management / Exit: Took the A+ R5-R long. A stretch of blue rVol developed during the trade and slowed the move considerably. After the z-score crossed above 0 and SPY rejected Y-mid on the 5-minute chart, I moved the stop up to lock in profit rather than leave the position exposed to a full reversal. I was stopped out in profit, price exploded higher once again shortly afterward, but then reversed back down, reinforcing just how fragile the Y-mid area remained.
Closing observation:
The broader R5-R thesis had strength, but the repeated failure to cleanly hold above Y-mid and the blue rVol made the area fragile. Tightening the stop protected profit while still respecting the setup, and the subsequent spike higher followed by another reversal reinforced why reducing risk there made sense.
🦊 Day 7
🟢 Green Day
October 9, 2026
Starting Balance$3,434.99
Current Balance$3,567.96
Daily P&L+$170
Total Series P&L+$567.96
Thinkorswim displayed +$170.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: z-score double-top short
Supporting Context: R4 morning / increasing but still blue rVol / SPX max GEX below price / SPX GEX cradle
Management / Exit: Shorted the z-score double top, a bearish pattern I’ve seen repeatedly on R4 mornings. I knowingly broke the Series II low-rVol rule because rVol was still blue, although it was increasing and the setup had strong supporting context. The trade immediately worked and hit the default +20% take-profit within about two seconds. Target was SPX max GEX below price.
Management / Exit: Took another short into the SPX cradle looking for continuation lower, but the trade failed and stopped out.
Trade 3
Primary Entry Reason: Short re-entry
Supporting Context: Max NDX negative GEX aligned with lower SPX max GEX
Management / Exit: Re-entered short with NDX max negative GEX lining up closely with SPX max GEX below. The trade moved into profit, so I tightened the stop to protect gains rather than leave the position exposed in the choppy environment.
Closing observation:
Ended up making roughly the same amount as if I had simply taken Trade 1 and stopped for the day. Another tricky, low-rVol Friday where we have to tread lightly and be extremely selective. I’ll take the profit though, better than flat.
The main blemish today was Trade 1 technically breaking the blue-rVol rule. It worked immediately, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was an exception to a rule Series II was specifically designed to enforce.
Management / Exit: Columbus Day brought extremely low participation, with 5-minute rVol staying mostly blue and gray. Most of Friday’s cash was still unsettled in the cash account, so this was effectively a skip day. I used roughly $100 of settled cash for a small short attempt into an order block, but the trade failed.
Closing observation:
No surprise here. Options premiums spent most of the morning chopping around with very little clean follow-through. The proper decision was essentially no trade, but given the very small risk of a 1-contract SPY position, I took a small discretionary probe anyway.
🦊 Day 9
🟢 Green Day
October 13, 2026
Starting Balance$3,541.04
Current Balance$4,175.38
Daily P&L+$676
Total Series P&L+$1,175.38
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: Bearish Extrinsic Divergence short
Supporting Context: Bearish OB rejection / trade confirming in profit / bullish OB downside target
Management / Exit: Entered the Bear Div short at A-size off the bearish order block rejection. As the trade moved into profit and continued to confirm, I added to the position to bring total deployment up toward A+ size. Took profit on the bullish order block tap.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Long z-score setup
Supporting Context: High rVol / PDC upside target
Management / Exit: Took the long on the z-score setup with strong rVol supporting the move. Took profit as price pushed toward PDC.
Closing observation:
Very clean day overall. Trade 1 lined up the Bear Div with the bearish OB rejection and gave us a clear bullish OB target below. Trade 2 then gave a clean long opportunity with high rVol supporting the move toward PDC.
One thing worth documenting: adding to Trade 1 after entry technically broke the current Series II no-adding rule, however this was turning an A trade into an A+ trade by adding to a confirming trade rather than averaging down.
Management / Exit: Shorted at the open after seeing the exponential z-score pattern that we have previously associated with Regime 6 reflecting R1-CC behavior. About halfway through the trade, price began trending upward in a way that did not look normal for the thesis. The position eventually stopped out slightly above VWAP.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Long after failed R6 / R1-CC behavior
Management / Exit: Once it became clear that the expected R6 / R1-CC behavior was not developing normally, I switched long with a stop below PML in case PML had marked the day’s low. The long also stopped out.
Closing observation:
Regime 6 volatility got the best of us today. The original directional thesis (R6/R1-CC) ultimately played out, but the path there was far more volatile than expected. I sized Trade 1 as what I believed was a solid A+ setup, and I have no regrets about taking the trade or the size. The mistake was in execution and underestimating the amount of intraday volatility the setup would have to survive. A strong reminder that getting the eventual direction right is not enough; understanding the expected path and intraday volatility is just as important when sizing and managing 0DTE positions.
🦊 Day 11
🟢 Green Day
October 15, 2026
Starting Balance$2,055.76
Current Balance$2,739.76
Daily P&L+$697
Total Series P&L-$260.24
Thinkorswim displayed +$697.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: R5-R short
Supporting Context: High conviction / expected lows to be taken / SPY bullish OB downside target
Management / Exit: Took the R5-R short as a repeat of yesterday’s directional idea, but under a different regime. After yesterday’s lesson, I intentionally gave the trade more room to handle the expected volatility, which meant widening the stop and technically breaking the Series II rule that stops may tighten but never widen. Conviction remained high that the lows would be taken. The thesis played out, and I took profit just above the SPY bullish OB.
Closing observation:
Good recovery after yesterday. The major difference was respecting how much volatility the move might need to survive instead of assuming the path would be clean. The directional thesis was correct and the downside target was reached.
One thing worth documenting: widening the stop technically broke a Series II rule. It worked today, but the fact that the trade won does not erase the rule exception.
🦊 Day 12
🔴 Red Day
October 19, 2026
Starting Balance$2,739.76
Current Balance$1,996.39
Daily P&L-$723
Total Series P&L-$1,003.61
Thinkorswim displayed -$723.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: R1-D short
Supporting Context: PML breakdown / partial premarket gap fill / EM- target / no GEX available due to Schwab outage
Management / Exit: Took the R1-D short looking for a PML breakdown and partial fill of the premarket gap toward EM-. Price instead recovered PML and worked back toward VWAP, stopping the trade out.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: PMH to PML short
Supporting Context: 4 contracts / looking for range rotation back toward PML
Management / Exit: Took the short looking for a PMH-to-PML move. VXX fell back below PML, invalidating the continuation idea and stopping the trade out.
Closing observation:
Definitely did not help that I was basically flying blind on GEX today because of the Schwab outage. The original R1-D downside thesis had a logical PML breakdown and EM- target, but PML recovered and the later PMH-to-PML attempt also failed once VXX broke back below PML.
🦊 Day 13
🔴 Red Day
October 20, 2026
Starting Balance$1,996.39
Current Balance$1,543.49
Daily P&L-$439
Total Series P&L-$1,456.51
Thinkorswim displayed -$439.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A
Primary Entry Reason: R5-E short
Supporting Context: A setup / perfect opening short entry / negative GEX ramp / PML downside target
Management / Exit: Took the R5-E short with a very clean entry and negative GEX supporting the move lower. The trade reached roughly +30% profit, but price turned around aggressively just shy of PML and eventually stopped us out. We tried to squeeze too much out of an A trade and should have taken the available profit.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: z-score 0 re-short
Supporting Context: Short continuation attempt after the failed push toward PML
Management / Exit: Re-entered short around the z-score 0 area looking for another continuation move lower, but the trade also failed and stopped out.
Closing observation:
The biggest lesson today is simple: Trade 1 was an excellent entry and gave us roughly +30%, but we tried to turn an A setup into something bigger than it needed to be. The current Series II framework only gives A+ setups permission to extend the profit target. This was an A trade, and pressing it beyond the available profit turned a winner into a loser.
🦊 Day 14
🟢 Green Day
October 21, 2026
Starting Balance$1,543.49
Current Balance$2,547.88
Daily P&L+$1,022
Total Series P&L-$452.12
Thinkorswim displayed +$1,022.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A
Planned Deployment: 30%
Primary Entry Reason: z-score 0 rejection short
Supporting Context: A-size / repeated z-score 0 rejections / positive GEX rejection from below / PMH-to-PML range
Management / Exit: Took the A-size short after repeated z-score rejections of 0 and a positive GEX rejection from below. The PMH-to-PML move completed, and I took profit around PML for +$100.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Long from just beneath PML
Supporting Context: Order block bounce / large untouched positive GEX above / Regime 1 PML-to-PMH behavior
Management / Exit: Took the long from just beneath PML after the order block bounce, with a large untouched positive GEX level higher up and the typical Regime 1 PML-to-PMH behavior supporting the move. Took profit at an order block rather than trying to hold for the full PML-to-PMH rotation.
Closing observation:
Good recovery today. Trade 1 completed the PMH-to-PML move cleanly, then Trade 2 caught the reversal from beneath PML with both the order block and positive GEX supporting the long. I did not try to squeeze the entire PML-to-PMH move out of it and instead took the available profit at the order block.
Also, the preplanned decision to delay R1 entries until 10:00 AM worked well today. Price spent much of the opening period barcoding, and waiting until 10:00 AM helped keep us out of that low-quality opening chop. We’ll continue using the 10:00 AM entry rule for R1 going forward.
🦊 Day 15
🔴 Red Day
October 22, 2026
Starting Balance$2,547.88
Current Balance$1,917.58
Daily P&L-$609
Total Series P&L-$1,082.42
Thinkorswim displayed -$609.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: Bullish Extrinsic Divergence long from EM-
Management / Exit: I was out of the office and missed the main moves of the morning, but later saw an opportunity to long from EM- once some bullish momentum developed alongside a Bull Div signal. The trade failed and stopped out.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Immediate reversal short back toward EM-
Supporting Context: Failed long / mean reversion toward EM- / negative GEX
Management / Exit: Immediately reversed short looking for mean reversion back toward EM-. The trade briefly moved into profit, but negative GEX pulled price back above EM- and the move failed.
Closing observation:
Not a great day. Missing the main morning moves left us trading later opportunities in a negative GEX environment where price was much less stable. Trade 1 had momentum and Bull Div support, but failed, while the immediate reversal briefly worked before negative GEX pulled price back above EM- again.
🦊 Day 16
🟢 Green Day
October 23, 2026
Starting Balance$1,917.58
Current Balance$3,257.65
Daily P&L+$1,354
Total Series P&L+$257.65
Thinkorswim displayed +$1,354.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: R5 reversal long
Supporting Context: A+ setup / day’s low around 10:30 / positive GEX overhead / negative GEX flush below the morning range / no exponential z-score
Management / Exit: Took the long around the day’s low near 10:30 for the common R5 reversal setup, despite there being no exponential z-score pattern. Positive GEX had remained above price throughout the morning, but we first needed negative GEX to drive price beneath the tight morning range and give us a better call entry after the higher IV at the open. The move developed quickly, and I extended the A+ profit target before taking roughly +80% just short of the order block. Price then spiked into the OB within seconds and rejected almost immediately afterward.
Closing observation:
Excellent R5 reversal today. The key was waiting for negative GEX to finally break price beneath the tight morning range rather than paying up for calls earlier in the higher-IV environment. Once the lower entry developed, the positive GEX overhead gave us a clear path higher.
🦊 Day 17
🔴 Red Day
October 26, 2026
Starting Balance$3,257.65
Current Balance$2,025.58
Daily P&L-$1,208
Total Series P&L-$974.42
Thinkorswim displayed -$1,208.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Setup Grade: A+
Planned Deployment: 50%
Primary Entry Reason: Regime 1 short
Supporting Context: A+ size / forward negative SPX GEX ramp / VXX Regime 3 / doubled PMH-YDH levels / possible return to Friday’s range
Management / Exit: Took the A+ short with a large forward negative GEX ramp on SPX and VXX in Regime 3, looking for a possible return toward Friday’s range. Price became increasingly volatile around SPY’s doubled PMH/YDH levels, then rVol dropped off as well. The trade eventually stopped out.
Trade 2
Primary Entry Reason: Short re-entry on original thesis
Supporting Context: Small position / continued bearish thesis / low rVol / barcoding
Management / Exit: Re-entered with a much smaller short position for one more attempt at the original thesis. rVol stayed low and price continued barcoding until SPY eventually broke above PMH around 10:10am.
Closing observation:
The Regime 1 rule of waiting until 10am would have saved us today, but I ignored it because the doubled PMH/YDH levels made the behavior border on Regime 4.
I’m not especially disappointed with taking the original trade because the payoff potential was large if VXX broke above PMH and the forward negative SPX GEX ramp followed through. The bigger lesson is that GEX shows potential, not confirmation or certainty. Regime behavior was ultimately the better signal today, and that is what we need to respect next time.
🦊 Day 18
🔴 Red Day
October 27, 2026
Starting Balance$2,025.58
Current Balance$1,759.07
Daily P&L-$248
Total Series P&L-$1,240.93
Thinkorswim displayed -$248.00 P&L Day.
Trade 1
Primary Entry Reason: R4 long continuation to PMH
Supporting Context: Positive GEX / z-score holding flat above 0 / potential second leg higher
Management / Exit: Took the R4 long continuation toward PMH with positive GEX as supporting context. Z-score stayed flat above 0 for several minutes, which is typically a good indication of a second leg. The invalidation was very clear: a break back below VWAP with z-score returning below 0. The trade stopped out there, and SPY proceeded to dump just minutes later.
Closing observation:
Overall, I’m happy with today’s trade despite the loss. The setup had reasonable supporting context, but once the thesis invalidated, the stop got us out before the larger downside move. Good example of why defining invalidation clearly matters just as much as finding the entry.
Each session records day number, status, starting balance, current balance, daily P&L, total Series P&L, trade reasoning, supporting context, management / exit notes, and screenshots.
Foxchase Trading, LLC provides educational content only and does not provide investment advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.
