The TraderLion Podcast

+969% Return in 1 Year: The Winning Pullback Strategy of a Trading Champion

11 snips
Jan 31, 2026
Martin Luk, 2025 US Investing Championship top performer and swing trader, built a pullback-focused, tight-stop system that turned a small account into huge gains. He discusses shifting from breakouts to first-pullback entries, anchored VWAP and EMAs as core tools, and how strict stops, position sizing, and real trade post-mortems shaped his dramatic run and painful drawdowns.
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ADVICE

Risk 0.5% Per Trade, Scale With Stops

  • Limit portfolio risk per trade; Martin typically risks ~0.5% so he can size many positions while controlling drawdown.
  • Let position sizing scale with stop width and account growth instead of fixed dollar amounts.
ANECDOTE

December's 26% Drawdown From Rule Slippage

  • Martin suffered a 26% drawdown in December by overtrading, flipping between longs and shorts, and taking setups that violated his rules.
  • He estimates ~46 of those December trades were avoidable mistakes born from frustration.
INSIGHT

V-Shaped Pullbacks Are High-Probability

  • Good pullbacks often happen as quick dips into rising EMAs or anchored VWAP then fast rebounds (V-shaped), offering high-probability entries.
  • Pullbacks also prevent chasing breakouts and improve average entry price versus buying at resistance.
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