$INTC ran almost 90% and I still walked away with like $18… here’s what happened...

You probably saw that big move on INTC, and yeah… I missed most of it. I wasn’t really focused on the earnings at the time, had my attention on other setups, caught a few things there, but this one just slipped by. By the time I got in, everyone was already posting gains, and I kinda just jumped in late… ended up with around +0.92%.

Being impatient didn’t help. I entered after the move was already stretched instead of waiting for a cleaner setup. Looking back, if I had paid more attention to some traders I follow, I might’ve handled it better since they usually explain their logic properly. It wasn’t even about skill, just missing small details that actually matter.

The return was tiny, under $20. The move I caught was basically nothing, around $0.03. To make that \~$18, I had around $2k in with 25x, which really puts things into perspective. If I had just caught even a small part of the real move, like 10–15%, with something more controlled like 3x–4x, that could’ve easily been a few hundred to over $1k. That’s the part that sticks more than the trade itself.

Opportunity isn’t fully gone, but I’m approaching it differently now. No more jumping in without confirmation. INTC is still tradable anytime, even weekends, and a lot of this move actually happened outside normal hours, so having access during those times does matter. Leverage is useful, but I’d rather keep it at a level that still feels under control, not something that turns into unnecessary risk.

This is what I’m watching now. NFA, DYOR.

HTF (4H): Still strong overall. Big move after earnings, price near highs (\~$82.81), so a pullback can happen.

LTF (1m): Sitting around $82.70–$82.80, watching if lows get taken and structure shifts.

Long:
Entry: $82.65–$82.70
Target: $82.85
Stop: $82.59
Invalidation: Close below \~$82.60

Short:
Entry: $82.81–$82.85
Target: $82.40–$82.20
Stop: $83.05
Invalidation: Holds above \~$82.90 without rejection