# Your First Trade > This walks you through placing your first trade using the Trade Echo process - the same system behind our TSLA 500%, TSLA 750%, and OKLO $10K trades. The core… Source: https://tradeecho.com/docs/getting-started/your-first-trade (updated 2026-09-30) This walks you through placing your first trade using the Trade Echo process - the same system behind our TSLA 500%, TSLA 750%, and OKLO $10K trades. The core idea: stack your edges, then execute. --- ## The Process 1. **Scan** - Find relative strength 2. **Catalyst** - Check News Edge 3. **Gamma** - Read Dealer Edge 4. **Flow** - Confirm with Algo Edge / Option Flow 5. **Structure** - Draw chart levels 6. **Entry** - Time it on a lower timeframe 7. **Manage** - Risk rules, scale out, journal it --- ## Step 1: Find Relative Strength Before opening Trade Echo, scan your watchlists. - Which tickers are up pre-market while the broader market is flat or down? - Which sectors are leading? (tech, nuclear, energy, EV, etc.) - Did any tickers from yesterday's Algo Edge flow show follow-through overnight? If a name is strong while everything else is weak, someone knows something. That's your starting point. --- ## Step 2: Check News Edge for a Catalyst Open **Markets** and select **News Edge**. Search your strongest ticker. A catalyst gives price a reason to move. Look for: - Earnings surprises, analyst upgrades, price target raises - M&A, partnerships, or policy headlines - Sector-level catalysts (DOE announcements for nuclear, tariff news for EV, etc.) - Reports of unusual options activity matching what you saw pre-market No catalyst? Be cautious. Relative strength without a reason can fade. --- ## Step 3: Read Dealer Edge Switch to **Dealer Edge** and pull up your ticker. Four things to note: 1. **Anchor Point** - the strike with the most concentrated gamma. Price gravitates here. This is often your trade target 2. **Flip Level** - the dividing line between positive and negative gamma. This is your trigger level 3. **GEX Rating** - 4-5 means positive gamma (a more stable, pinning-friendly regime); 1-2 means negative gamma (faster, more volatile moves). Use price versus Anchor, Flip and chart confirmation for direction. 4. **AI Analysis** - read the AI summary at the bottom. It will often give you a specific entry trigger and target (e.g., "Take a 435 break entry to target 440") **Key rule**: If price is below the flip level and reclaims it, dealers are forced to buy to hedge. That creates an explosive move toward the anchor. This is the highest-conviction setup. --- ## Step 4: Confirm with Algo Edge and Option Flow **Algo Edge**: Filter for your ticker. Look at the large trades table. - Total premium over $250K - Individual blocks over $1M - Strike distribution - are they loading calls or puts? - Timing - did the flow come in at yesterday's close? That's institutional positioning ahead of a move **Option Flow**: Apply your filters (Price under $2, Size over 500, Expiration under 3 weeks). - Are there clusters on the same ticker? - Is premium concentrated in one direction? - Do the strikes match the Dealer Edge levels? When Algo Edge, Option Flow, and Dealer Edge all agree - you have a high-conviction setup. --- ## Step 5: Draw Chart Structure On Pulse (or your charting platform), draw key levels - you can set alerts directly on your drawn lines: **1-hour chart** (big picture): - Draw key support and resistance levels - Note trendlines from recent highs and lows - Mark the Dealer Edge flip level and anchor point - Identify your target zone **Example from TSLA 500% trade**: Trendline from 451 highs to 433 open. Resistance at 440 (matched the Dealer Edge anchor). Retest level at 425. --- ## Step 6: Time Your Entry Drop to a **3-minute or 5-minute chart** for entry timing. Three high-probability entries: ### Opening Range Breakout Price breaks the first 5-minute high in the direction Dealer Edge supports. Enter on the breakout or the first pullback to the breakout level. ### GZ Retest Draw a zone from the prior day's low to the opening range high. A pullback to the 0.5 level of this zone (the "golden zone") is a high-probability entry. ### VWAP Retest If price runs, pulls back to VWAP, and VWAP holds - that's a strong secondary entry or add-on point. Especially powerful when the broader market is weak but your ticker holds VWAP (relative strength). ### Strike Selection - Delta around 0.20 - Premium around $1-2 - Choose a strike that aligns with Dealer Edge levels (the anchor strike or a node) - Verify tight bid-ask spread --- ## Step 7: Manage the Trade - **Stop at 20%** below your entry price - **First target**: 50-100% gain - take at least half off - **Let the rest run** with a trailing stop - **Exit 0DTE trades by 2 PM** - theta decay accelerates after that - **Record the trade** in your Dashboard when closed --- ## Walkthrough: OKLO 95 Calls (+102.6%) Here's the full process applied to a real trade: **Scan**: Nuclear/uranium names showing relative strength while the market was soft. OKLO had unusual options activity the prior day (120 calls, 02/20 expiry). **News Edge**: DOE seeking sites for nuclear deployment with OKLO listed as a beneficiary. Fresh bullish analyst initiation with aggressive price target. **Dealer Edge**: Anchor at 100, GEX Rating 4, Flip Level at 86, node at 95. **Chart Structure**: 1-hour showed 86 as the breakout trigger, 95 as the first target, 100 as extension. Clean structure. **Entry**: 5-minute breakout above 86 at 9:46 AM. BTO 10 OKLO 95 calls at $1.15. Strike chosen because it aligned with both the chart level and the Dealer Edge node. **Management**: Price pulled back to VWAP - held. OKLO showing relative strength vs weak market. Held through the retest. **Exit**: Sold at $2.33 at the 95 target zone. +102.6% gain, $1,180 profit. Pushed the challenge account to $10,000. **Edges stacked**: Sector strength + News Edge catalyst + Dealer Edge levels + chart structure + clean entry trigger. Five edges pointing the same direction. [Watch the full breakdown (8:27)](https://youtu.be/I7WiGHFfpvo) --- ## Quick Reference ### Before Every Trade - [ ] Relative strength identified - [ ] News Edge catalyst found - [ ] Dealer Edge anchor, flip, and bias noted - [ ] Algo Edge or Option Flow confirms direction - [ ] Chart levels drawn (1-hour) - [ ] Entry trigger on lower timeframe - [ ] Strike aligns with Dealer Edge levels - [ ] Risk sized at 1-2%, stop at 20% ### Risk Rules - Risk 1-2% per trade - Stop 20% - Scale out at first target - Exit 0DTE by 2 PM - Never trade on one signal alone - stack your edges