Trade What You See, Not What You Think Or Feel

ByTTT

If you’ve felt like every market move this month was a personal attack… you’re not alone.

It’s good to be back. Back at my desk, aligned with the charts, and reconnected with the rhythm of the markets. This is where I feel at home. Reading the flow of price, identifying the market stage, and waiting for the setups that meet our criteria — this is the work I was wired for.

Trading, when done with a clear system and sound mindset, isn’t emotional chaos. It’s logical. It’s structured. And above all — it’s calm.

But after skimming a few support emails and community comments this week, I realized again how many investors still view the trading experience as stressful, uncertain, and even exhausting.

Where the Stress Is Really Coming From

Here’s a question that came in recently:

“Chris, you’ve been saying you expect a bear market?! Other analysts like Lance Roberts and Sven Henrich are bullish. What supports your outlook? Could you be wrong?”

Of course, I could be. But here’s the difference — I don’t act on opinions or forecasts. I act on price. I don’t have to be right in my opinions — I have to be aligned with what the market is doing right now.

That’s how we booked a 10% gain in QQQ recently — even with a longer-term bearish view in the back of my mind. Why? Because our strategy told us to go long. And when the trend changes, we’ll reverse and protect. That’s the power of a price-based, non-emotional process like Asset Revesting.

Right now, we’re long QQQ, SPY, and IBIT. Our strategies are aligned with this strength. And if that changes, we’ll exit. That’s what logic-driven trading looks like. No guesswork. No gut feel. Just disciplined execution.

“It Feels So Volatile” — But Is It?

Many members said this past two weeks, while I was away, felt “highly volatile.” But if you zoom out, you’ll see the markets have been relatively range-bound.

So why the tension?

Here’s what I believe happened:

  • Without a calming, data-based voice during the noise, emotional reactions took over.
  • I’ve been told many times I’m like the “David Attenborough of the financial markets”—calm, clear, and composed, regardless of what the markets are doing. However, the absence of a calm, logical voice is noticeable when news headlines take center stage.
  • When you don’t have a plan, every wiggle feels like a crisis.
  • As stress rises, so does your sensitivity to normal price swings. The past two weeks weren’t volatile — your emotional state was. That’s the root cause.

Let’s be honest about what really happens when trading without a plan:

You refresh the chart.
You check CNBC.
You read three conflicting opinions.
You act on the one that “feels right.”
Then the market does the opposite.
Welcome to the emotional hamster wheel.

This isn’t trading. It’s reacting. It’s improvising in a system that punishes guesswork. And it’s exhausting.

There Are Two Kinds of Traders

This is something Brian McAboy — a coach whose work helped me sharpen my own discipline — summed up perfectly:

There are two camps in trading:

Side #1: “Trading is emotional. Get used to it.”
They white-knuckle every trade. They chase headlines. They follow vibes. They convince themselves this chaos is normal — maybe even noble.

Side #2: “Proper trading isn’t emotional at all.”
They follow a plan. They ignore the noise. They sleep at night. They treat trading like a business, not a battleground.

You already know which one feels more familiar. But only one builds wealth and sanity.

We stand firmly with Side #2.

Because once you’ve built the skills, once you’re executing a system, once every decision has a reason behind it… trading stops being stressful. It becomes routine. Predictable. Even boring — in the best way possible.

Here’s the harsh truth:

Most people aren’t trading. They’re reacting — to opinions, headlines, gut instincts. It’s not strategy. It’s stress management with a brokerage account.

If you’ve been there, you know what it feels like: refreshing Twitter mid-trade, second-guessing a good setup, clicking into market commentary like it’s oxygen. It’s exhausting. And expensive.

But it’s also fixable — if you build the skill, and stop outsourcing your confidence to the news cycle.

The Skill Gap Creates the Emotional Gap

Think about this: When someone with no culinary training tries to run a restaurant kitchen, it’s chaos. But for a skilled chef with systems in place, it’s routine. The same applies to trading. Without the skills and framework, every wiggle in the market creates doubt and stress.

When you’re equipped with:

  • A solid, proven strategy (like ACS)
  • A repeatable process built around that strategy
  • Clarity on your role (you follow the system, not your gut)
  • Consistent execution methods
  • Real data and signals guiding every move

…then the stress vanishes. You don’t have to wonder what to do. You don’t fear being wrong. You simply follow the plan.

What Our Members Are Saying

The shift from emotional trading to rational investing is something many of our members have experienced:

“Before I joined, I was an emotional mess with investing. Now I feel informed, confident, and calm — this service is a real eye-opener.” — Danny C.

“Chris has been great for helping with technical analysis and trading. He’s very down to earth and provides insightful analysis daily that removes emotion and focuses on trend and logic.” — Chase L.

“I’ve never been so relaxed about my investment strategy. The ACS positions in SPY and QQQ have helped me protect and grow our portfolio — and I sleep better at night.” — New ACS Member and Investor

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

Markets are still trending higher, and we may see all-time highs this week. But if you’re second-guessing every move, or jumping from news headline to YouTube expert, you’re not really investing — you’re reacting.

Recognizing, acknowledging, and setting aside emotions is key
to becoming a better trader.

This is the principle behind our Asset Revesting strategy. It’s designed to protect first and grow second — with logic, not fear.

Turn Trading into a Skill, Not a Stress

If you are done trading based on hope, fear, or news headlines, there is a better way.

Our newsletter strategies, like ACS and BAN, offer a hands-off solution. But if you’re someone who wants to build your own skills and trade with clarity and independence, we offer several educational courses as well:

When the herd runs into the fire,
the trader with a process walks the other way
— quietly, confidently, profitably.

These are the tools that make that kind of calm possible:

Each course is designed to move you from reactive to proactive. From emotional to methodical. From unsure to skilled.

Final Thought: Mastery Replaces Emotion

Whether you’re trading your own accounts or following our signals through autotrading, the most valuable lesson is this:

You can keep riding the panic loop, or you can build the skills to rise above it. Calm isn’t a mood — it’s a method. And the method is what builds wealth.

The market continues to show strength, and our strategies are positioned accordingly. But no matter what happens next, our plan remains the same:

Follow price
Follow the signals.
Manage risk.
Adapt as conditions shift.

When you have a structure like Asset Revesting, there’s nothing to panic over. There’s just a process to follow.

Chris Vermeulen  
Chief Investment Officer  
TheTechnicalTraders.com 

P.S. If this perspective hits home, there are several resources worth exploring:

  • Asset Revesting book — for those looking to preserve and grow wealth without the stress.
  • Technical Trading Mastery book — if you want to understand how to spot trends, manage risk, and build the discipline that replaces emotion with confidence.

If you’re tired of riding the emotional rollercoaster, it’s time to upgrade your process. Because when you follow a rules-based system that works — like ACS — you trade with clarity, not chaos. And that’s how wealth is built.

Book your free call with my team now! Pick a day and time here. 

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