The Setup: Fundamentals + Sentiment + Technical Support

Back in late May, Nick opened a long position on the Russell 2000 index (via $IWM in his personal account, and mirrored via US2000 CFDs for international traders). His reasoning? A confluence of fundamental and sentiment factors:

• Domestic Onshoring: With the Russell 2000 made up mostly of U.S.-based companies, Nick anticipated these small caps would benefit from economic initiatives favoring domestic production.
• Inflation Cooling: He believed inflation was easing enough for the Fed to consider rate cuts later in the year—typically a bullish factor for equities, especially smaller companies that rely more heavily on financing.
• Support Holding: On the technical side, the index had found support, giving a favorable entry with a defined risk.

Initial Entry: 2026.15
Initial Stop: 1950.16

Trade Management: Trailing the Move

As the trade developed, Nick adjusted his stop multiple times to reflect changes in price structure, market momentum, and macro news:

• May 29: Trimmed the stop slightly tighter to reduce risk after an early bounce.
• June 7–13: Trailing stops were placed below recent resistance-turned-support, especially following strong jobs data.
• June 27: Another stop adjustment came after the U.S. Senate passed a major spending bill under Trump—one that the market interpreted as highly favorable to small caps, particularly in sectors like industrials, finance, and healthcare.

Later Stop (as of July 8–9): Trailed up to 2187.61
"Locking in more profit… strong push today, and a higher low forming around 2200." —Nick

Strategy in Action: Using the EdgeFinder

This trade was a textbook example of how Nick blends macro analysis with tools like the EdgeFinder, our proprietary market scanner. The EdgeFinder flagged the Russell 2000 as a bullish opportunity weeks before the move, thanks to its:

• Bullish fundamental score (based on interest rate projections and inflation trends)
• Strong sentiment rating, due to institutional optimism
• “Top Setup” status, highlighting the asset on Nick’s radar

“My best trade of the year so far,” Nick wrote in a July 8 update.
“The EdgeFinder gave a bullish signal... I was able to buy the dip and trail the move up.”

Key Lessons from This Trade

• Be Patient with Good Setups: Nick’s trade developed over several weeks, and he never forced a target. He let the market run while trailing stops did the work.
• Let Fundamentals Guide You: Inflation trends and rate expectations drove this move. Understanding the macro story helped Nick align with the bigger picture.
• Use Tools That Reinforce Your Edge: The EdgeFinder served as a confirmation tool—not just identifying opportunities, but giving traders confidence in their thesis.

Want to See Trades Like This in Real Time?

Nick shares all of his trades—including entry/exit, live updates, and detailed analysis—inside our VIP Discord.

VIP members also get:

• Nick’s full strategy library & market breakdowns
• Real-time trade alerts and trailing stop updates
• Live chatrooms

Use code READER for a discount on all VIP memberships and start following trades like this from day one.

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The post Nick’s Big Win on Small Caps: What He Saw Before the Breakout first appeared on LINDEX.

Lately, we’ve seen pressure mounting across several major asset classes:

• US Stocks are struggling.
• The US Dollar has weakened.
• US Treasuries are taking hits.

This isn’t just a blip—it reflects deeper uncertainty in the macro environment. Trade negotiations are stalling. Alliances are being tested. There's concern about what's next for the U.S. economy and its role in the global landscape.

And in the middle of all this, gold is quietly doing its job. When investors get nervous, they often look for safety—and that’s where gold shines. It's long been considered a hedge against both market volatility and monetary instability. When traditional assets falter, gold steps up as both a safe haven and a reliable store of value.

Fundamentals are King

This recent move in gold didn’t catch me off guard.

The EdgeFinder—our data-driven analysis tool—has been highlighting bullish fundamentals for gold since February 6th. For those watching the data, the case has been building for months.

Here’s what we’ve been tracking:

Seasonality data has shown that this time of year tends to be historically bullish for gold.

COT (Commitment of Traders) reports continue to show heavy institutional interest—major players aren’t just trading gold, they’re holding it.

Inflation pressures are easing, which gives the Federal Reserve more room to cut rates.

And with oil prices falling, the likelihood of easing monetary policy only grows—an environment that typically supports metals and weakens the dollar.

None of this is guesswork. It’s what the data has been telling us.

The EdgeFinder Advantage

One of the biggest advantages I’ve had in this trade isn’t timing or gut feeling—it’s having a systematic way to process information.

The EdgeFinder isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about equipping you with the tools to interpret real-world data: economic reports, sentiment trends, institutional activity, and more.

Too many traders make decisions based on headlines or hype. But when you have something that cuts through the noise and shows you how key data points align, your confidence goes up—and so does your consistency.

That’s what we built the EdgeFinder for: to give traders a real edge based on what actually moves markets.

Stay Systematic. Keep It Simple.

The goal isn’t to chase headlines or gut feelings. It’s to let the data lead. When you do that, you’re not just reacting—you’re anticipating. Gold is a perfect example of how fundamentals can guide smart, profitable decisions.

So here’s the takeaway:
Stop leaving money on the table.
Start tracking what really matters.
Ignore the data at your own peril.

The post I’m Up Over $57,000 on Gold – Why It’s Not Just Luck first appeared on LINDEX.

But after more than eight years of experience, I’ve come to believe that the real solution has nothing to do with psychology—and everything to do with having a system you can trust.

This Gold Trade Reinforced What Experience Has Already Taught Me

I’ve been in a gold trade for the past seven days. And if I were trading based on emotion or “gut instinct,” I would’ve closed this trade out early—probably multiple times.

The fear of giving back profits or watching the market turn against me would’ve taken over.

But I didn’t close it.
I stayed in because my system told me to stay in.

When You Have a Plan, You Don’t Need Confidence—You Need Trust

This wasn’t about confidence. It wasn’t about mindset. It was about trust—trust in a strategy that’s been tested, refined, and consistently delivered results.

The EdgeFinder flagged a bullish setup. Gold pulled back to a key level of support I’ve been watching for a while. And despite all the noise in the news—headlines about tariffs, elections, fear—my system gave me clarity.

I didn’t have to overthink. I just had to follow the process.

Your Psychology Isn’t Failing You—Your Lack of a System Is

Here’s the part no one tells you:

Most traders don’t struggle with psychology—they struggle with not having a process that gives them confidence in the first place.

If you find yourself constantly second-guessing your trades, panicking during pullbacks, or closing too early out of fear, don’t beat yourself up.

You’re not broken—you just need a better plan.

Build a System That Works—Then Trust It

Whether it’s the EdgeFinder or your own strategy, the key is to build something you can rely on. Something that filters out the noise and gives you conviction in the trades you take.

Because once you have that?
The whole psychology thing starts to take care of itself.

Get the EdgeFinder at 40% Off or Start Your 30-Day Trial Today

If you're ready to build a system that you can trust, now is the time to get started.

Use code READER to get 40% off your purchase of the EdgeFinder. Or, if you want to take it for a spin first, start your 30-day trial today to see how it can help you make more informed, confident trading

decisions.

The post Why Trading Psychology Isn’t Your Problem—Your System Is first appeared on LINDEX.

New & Improved Top Setups Page

We have added several new columns to the scoring algorithm, including PMI data, GDP data, retail sales, employment change, and unemployment rate. Additionally, we categorized the columns into “Output”, “Sentiment”, “Technical”, & “Economic Data” to simplify the layout. Lastly, the colors were also improved!

New Data Scanner Pages

We recently introduced brand new "Data Scanner" pages, which allow traders to dig deeper into all of the EdgeFinder's data points on a single page! On these pages you can also see the new categories that have been added to the scoring algorithm!

Brand New "EdgeFinder Score Indicators"

This page allows users to view at a glance the historic score of the EdgeFinder, and be used to spot potential shifts in score momentum!

Improved Smart Money Indicator

Compare retail positioning vs institutional positioning with our interactive charts!

Additional Updates:

Improved scoring explanations can now be found using the "Help" button on the top setups page & data scanner pages. View EdgeFinder tour page here or visit the EdgeFinder scoring page here.

More data can be viewed by country for several metrics, such as retail sales data, PMI data, GDP data, etc.

Many bug fixes & cosmetic improvements

How to access these updates:

All of these updates have been automatically applied to existing user's dashboards. If you already have purchased the tool, these are available to you now!

If you do not currently have access to the EdgeFinder, I have a special offer for you! Right now, we are offering 10% off a lifetime purchase of the EdgeFinder. To get 10% off, use code READER at checkout here.

Happy trading!

The post NEW Features on the EdgeFinder first appeared on LINDEX.

What is Seasonality?

Seasonality is how markets historically perform month to month. For example, you could look at how SPX500 trends in January over the last 10 years. Referring to the chart below, you can see that historically speaking, SPX500's best performing month is November. November is election month in the United States which may explain why November is historically SPX500's best month.

How to Use the EdgeFinder's Seasonality Scanner

The EdgeFinder takes the 10 year average of different assets and portrays this data into monthly and weekly charts. According to the data in the image below, you can see that the current week, as well as the next week, are historically good weeks for the VIX. Additionally, the month data shows that the current month is a great month for the VIX historically.

How Seasonality Data Compares to the Charts

Looking at SPX500's performance in 2023, you can see that price was steadily increasing until around September where it saw a decline. In November, SPX500 took off continuing to increase into December. If you compare this to the seasonality data, this aligns almost perfectly. The seasonality data shows that September is historically the worst performing month while November is historically the best performing month.

While seasonality is not the holy grail of trading, it can be very powerful when used in confluence with other fundamental data and technical analysis.

More resources for traders

• Get 10% off the EdgeFinder with code READER
• Checkout our FREE Fundamental Analysis course
• Read our analyst's trading strategy using seasonality
  

The post Market Seasonality: What Seasonality Can Tell You About The Markets first appeared on LINDEX.