I show the losses too
A losing trade gets the same space as a winning one — breakdown, screenshot, journal record. A journal without losses is marketing, not a journal.
MODEL-1 · a rules-based system
One system. One indicator. A public journal.
I built my own TradingView indicator — it decides when a trade exists and when it doesn't. Sweep, confirmation, position size: all on the chart, none of it in my head. Every trade it produces is in the journal the same day. Losses included.
New · interactive
Anatomy of a trade — one real trade, step by step
Take one real trade from the public journal (EURUSD short, +3R) and walk it step by step — sweep, Model-1, entry, stop and target. The chart draws itself as you scroll.
Explore the breakdownPublic journal · FTMO challenge live · No signals
MODEL-1 · EURUSD · 15MLIVE
FTMO challenge · live
Passing FTMO on one system
A $100,000 account, a $10,000 target. An experiment that's allowed to fail — if it doesn't pass, that goes in the journal, not under the rug.
Progress to target
$1,879 / $10,000
Max daily loss$300 / $5,000
Max loss$2,180 / $10,000
The worst loss reached against the allowed maximum.
- 69
- Days running
- 13
- Trades
- 12 / 4
- Trading days
Last tradeAug 19GBPUSDSHORT−1.0 R
The dollar figures are the FTMO account's real state, not a conversion from the journal. Don't back-calculate the balance from live R × risk — it won't add up, because the account carries history outside this system. I update the balance manually.
The full challenge →The system
Seven rows decide before I do
The indicator reads the dashboard top to bottom. By the time MODEL-1 lights up, every row above it is already settled — and if one of them isn't lit, there simply is no trade that day.
- D1 biasThe daily direction as a filter. Greys out to “not relevant” when the dollar index already confirms direction.
- SweepWhich side of the Asian range price took. This row sets the direction.
- PDL/PDHDid that same sweep also take the previous day's liquidity? Stronger setup.
- ConfirmationDid a candle close beyond the Model-1 level? No close, no limit order.
- MODEL-1The trigger itself. The retest filled the limit, the trade is live.
- DXYThe mirror setup on the dollar index has to confirm the opposite direction.
- A+ SETUPLights up gold when every row above it is green.
Underneath runs the context: is a 1:3 target even reachable against the liquidity map, where is the draw pulling, and is the pair I'm trading the weaker of the two. Two failed checks downgrade the trigger — the signal was valid, the surroundings weren't.
Manifesto
Why this site exists
The trading content market is full of embellished results and dream sellers. This site is built as the opposite — a live forward test with everything included.
No signals, no promises
I don't sell signals, I don't manage other people's money and I don't promise returns. Everything on this site is education and the documentation of one process — nothing more.
The journal is public and live
Every trade is recorded on the day it happens, in a public app running on a real database. You don't have to trust me — you can verify it.
Track record
Track record, live
The live journal has been running since July 2026. That there are more wins than losses so far means nothing — and it's fair to say so before anyone reads it as something else. A short run of wins comes up by chance even for a coin with zero edge. A reasonable first evaluation starts around twenty trades; a statistically useful one around a hundred. Until then these numbers describe what happened, they don't argue it will keep happening.
Live journal · since 07/2026
- 13
- Trades (closed)
- +19.0 R
- Total R
- 13 / 20
- To first review
What the numbers can say already: every trade was recorded on the day it happened, and the loss got the same space as the wins.
Recent trades
- Aug 19GBPUSDSHORT−1.0 R
- Aug 13EURUSDLONG+3.0 R
- Aug 6GBPUSDLONG−1.0 R
- Aug 4EURUSDSHORT−1.0 R
- Jul 28EURUSDLONG−1.0 R
This journal is a forward test — the numbers are produced trade by trade, going forward. A backtest exists, but it tested an older version of the system and lives on its own page, not here next to the live figures. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The backtest and its numbers →
Live trade journal →Journal
The journal is the core of the system
Every trade ends in a record: date, pair, direction, plan adherence, result in R, screenshot. The journal runs as a standalone public app — anyone can read it, only I can write. The data is real and complete.
- Equity curve in R, not dollars — position sizing is a private matter
- A calendar of days and outcomes: green, red, no retouching
- A "followed the plan" field on every trade — discipline is measured, not declared
The app opens in a new window — no login needed to read, only I can write.
journal.themonogram.cz
Case studies
Trades under the microscope
Every trade gets a breakdown: context, sweep, entry, result. Winners and losers alike — a journal without losses is marketing, not a journal.
EURUSD · SHORTpre-journalTP ✓
Model 1 entry at the CRH
M15 sweep above the daily range high, entry on the retest of the Model 1 level. Target hit in 81 minutes — the whole move down without touching the position.
19 Feb 2026
EURUSD · SHORTpre-journalTP ✓
Run into Prev Day High, 1:3 RRR
Liquidity above the previous day's high collected, confirmation and retest. Fixed 1:3 target, three hours in the trade, set & forget.
25 Feb 2026
GBPUSD · LONG+3.0 R
PDL sweep and return to range
The public journal's first trade. Previous day's low swept with a long D1 bias, entry on the return into range, 1:3 target hit.
6 Jul 2026
The tool
The MODEL-1 indicator
I don't run Model 1 from memory. I'm building a custom TradingView indicator that draws the whole model straight onto the chart — and above all makes sure no entry is ever born from a feeling.
Sessions and liquidity
Asia, London and New York as zones on the chart; plus the Asian high/low and the previous day's liquidity (PDH/PDL).
Sweep and the Model 1 level
It marks the candle that took the liquidity and projects the Model 1 level from its extreme for the retest entry.
Entry, stop-loss and target
The whole trade on the chart: entry at the retest, stop beyond the sweep extreme, fixed 1:3 target — including TP ✓ / SL ✗ hit markers.
A checklist instead of feelings
D1 bias, sweep, PDL/PDH, confirmation, trigger and DXY confirmation right in the corner of the chart. If the checklist isn't lit, there is no trade.
More about the indicator
In development — an internal tool for now. When MODEL-1 ships, recap subscribers get the invite first.
Free download
The Model 1 checklist — setup anatomy across three pages
An illustrated breakdown of the setup, a checklist to print next to the chart, and a legend for the indicator dashboard. Three A4 pages, no filler.
- Illustrated breakdown — liquidity, sweep, Model -1, confirmation, entry
- Checklist to print: preparation, setup conditions, execution, log of the day
- How the MODEL-1 indicator dashboard grades that same setup
The Model 1 checklist + monthly recaps
Leave me your e-mail — you'll download the checklist right away, and once a month I'll send a recap of the live journal: the numbers, trade breakdowns and what went wrong. When MODEL-1 ships, you get the invite first. No spam, no signals.
Who's behind this
Not a guru. An engineer with a journal.
My name is David Žalman. By day I manage automotive programs; in the London session each morning I trade one system on a live account — and record every trade. This site isn't about me, it's about the process; but it's fair to know who signs it.
More about me →FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell signals or courses?
No. Signals and managing other people's money will never happen here — it would directly contradict why this site exists. I don't sell courses and don't plan to. What is here: two affiliate links on the Resources page (FTMO and Anycoin) — labelled, with a commission that doesn't affect the price. That's the whole of the monetisation so far. When the full MODEL-1 ships, I'll say up front what's free and what isn't.
What is CRT Model 1?
A strategy built on Candle Range Theory: yesterday's candle defines a range, and liquidity rests at its edges. It trades the moment the market sweeps an edge and turns back. Clear rules, fixed 0.3% risk and 1:3 RRR — the whole model is described on the Strategy page.
Why is the journal public and free?
Because it's proof, not a product. Results are easy to claim and hard to document — a public journal, written on the day of the trade, is the hardest form of documentation I know. Losses included.
How many trades do you take?
At most one trade per strategy a day — and most days none. The mechanical Model 1 on GBPUSD typically allows one or two trades a month; alongside it I separately test discretionary setups, always marked by type in the journal. A low trade count isn't a weakness, it's the strictness of the filter — empty days in the journal calendar are data too.
Can I trade Model 1 myself?
The rules are fully described on this site and the checklist is a free download. But careful: nothing here is investment advice. Before you put anything on real money, test it yourself — exactly the way I do.