Smoothie in One Hand, Chart in the Other: Your Vacation Manual

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Some traders bring a beach read. Others bring their TradingView charts.

It’s the heat of the summer and we figured, why not take it easy with a breeze of lightweight lines to pair with your mezcal espresso martini? Let’s talk about how to relax while still watching the markets.

‍️ Market Never Sleeps… But You Should

Vacations are supposed to be about unplugging, but for traders, that’s just code for “I’ll switch to the app instead.”

And we don’t blame you. With all that’s going on — US-EU tariff deal, stocks at record highs, and Ethereum ETHUSD outperforming Bitcoin BTCUSD in a monster July run — it’s only natural for market participants to be hooked at this time.

But watch for those signs of getting overly attached. Studies show performance suffers when you're overcooked — like your last scalp trade on Powell Day. So yes, that mojito matters. Just don’t place a leveraged position on a pool float.

Timing the Market… and Your Booking

Let’s talk timing. The pros know not to schedule getaways during Nonfarm Payrolls week or FOMC decision day. (Unless your idea of relaxing is explaining yield curves to your kids on a ferry across lake Como.)

Instead, try planning your time off during historically low-volatility periods. Summer often sees volume dry up like your skin without sunscreen. Think August’s fairly dry weeks — when even the algorithms seem to be on holiday. As always, consult with the Economic Calendar to know when these are.

Bonus tip: if you’re flying and you wanna stay wired in, go for premarket or after-hours shifts. Nothing says “seasoned trader” like placing an order while the flight attendant gathers everyone’s attention for the safety demo.

🧴 SPF 50 and the S&P 500: Know Your Risk Exposure

In these scorchers outside, you wouldn’t step out without sunscreen, right? But would you let your positions roast unsupervised?

Use stop losses like you use sunblock: generously and repeatedly. Even better — scale back. Summer’s thin liquidity (and other summer trading traps) can turn minor market moves into full-on tidal waves. No one wants to explain to their friends why they lost 40% of their portfolio during a snorkeling trip.

Adequate position sizing is your beach umbrella. It doesn’t stop the storm, but it’ll stop the burn.

🧭 Wi-Fi, but Make It Secure

Public Wi-Fi is great for scrolling memes, not executing trades. One accidental login from a beachside café in Mykonos and boom — your brokerage account may become a group project.

Trading from your vacation spot shouldn’t be a flex (no matter how much you want to look cool to the bunch of people around you). Focus on your game, trade in silence, and bask in sunlight and success.

️ Pack Light, Trade Lighter

The golden rule? If you’re not at your desk, don’t trade like you are.

Scale back positions, minimize leverage, and don’t try to outperform the market while someone’s kid is throwing a beach ball at your head. This is a maintenance phase, not a moonshot month.

Think: protect capital, avoid drawdowns, maybe sneak in a swing trade between sunscreen applications.

Must-Have Apps for Sand-and-Screen Trading

You’re not bringing a full setup, but your phone can still do the heavy lifting. Load it with TradingView (obviously), your broker, ideally paired with TradingView, and a solid news feed (we've got you covered there, too). Bonus points for noise-canceling headphones that can drown out both market panic and crying toddlers.

Set up push notifications smartly — only the alerts you actually need. You don’t want your wrist buzzing every time Nvidia NVDA moves 0.1%.

Question for the road: What’s your best summer trade… and was it worth checking your phone at dinner to place it?