{"id":22713,"date":"2026-03-17T13:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cannontrading.com\/tools\/support-resistance-levels\/?p=22713"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:23:10","slug":"fomc-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cannontrading.com\/tools\/support-resistance-levels\/fomc-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"FOMC Rate decision tomorrow PLUS: May Cotton, CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 18th, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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\u00a0FOMC Rate decision tomorrow<\/h1>\n

1:00 pm CDT, Powell presser 1:30 pm CDT<\/h1>\n

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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At-a-Glance Levels<\/h1>\n
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Instrument<\/th>\nS2<\/th>\nS1<\/th>\nPivot<\/th>\nR1<\/th>\nR2<\/th>\n<\/th>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
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Gold (GC)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014 April (#GC)<\/td>\n

4939.87<\/td>\n4975.13<\/td>\n5012.27<\/td>\n5047.53<\/td>\n5084.67<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Silver (SI)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014 May. (#SI)<\/td>\n

75.76<\/td>\n77.53<\/td>\n80.15<\/td>\n81.92<\/td>\n84.53<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Crude Oil (CL)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014 April. (#CL)<\/td>\n

91.55<\/td>\n93.85<\/td>\n96.14<\/td>\n98.44<\/td>\n100.73<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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\u00a0June Bonds (ZB)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014 June. (#ZB)<\/td>\n

113 25\/32<\/td>\n114 11\/32<\/td>\n114 21\/32<\/td>\n115 7\/32<\/td>\n115 17\/32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Don’t forget! June (M) is front month for stock index futures like MES, NQ and others. ESM26<\/h2>\n

\"fomc\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0The following are suggestions on trading during FOMC days:<\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Reduce trading size<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Be extra picky = no trade is better than a bad trade<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Choose entry points wisely. Look at longer time frame support and resistance for entry. Take the approach of entering at points where you normally would have placed protective stops. Example, trader x looking to go long the mini SP at 6825.00 with a stop at 6815.00, instead “stretch the price bands” due to volatility and place an entry order to buy at 6810.00 and place a stop a few points below in this hypothetical example (consider current volatility along with support and resistance levels).<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Expect the higher volatility during and right after the announcement<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Expect to see some “vacuum” (low volume, big zigzags) right before the number.<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Consider using automated stops and limits attached to your entry order as the market can move very fast at times.<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Know what the market was expecting, learn what came out and observe market reaction for clues<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Be patient and be disciplined<\/h4>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If in doubt, stay out!!<\/h4>\n

I am sharing a very important question I had with a prospective client recently.<\/p>\n

He asked me, \u201cHow many day trades are too many with a $10,000.00 account valuation?\u201d.<\/p>\n

This question is more important than most think as we see too many accounts that overtrade leading to a kind of Hari Kari in this industry.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a fixed \u201ctoo many,\u201d but with a 10,000\u2011dollar futures account you should anchor everything to risk per trade and max daily loss, not trade count.<\/p>\n

Start from RISK PER TRADE<\/h3>\n

That means your stop distance and contract size must be chosen so a full stop\u2011out costs no more than that amount; if you can\u2019t get the stop that tight, you must drop size ( e.g., use micros)<\/p>\n

Common guideline is risking about 0.5\u20131% of the account per trade when you\u2019re still building consistency, so roughly 50-100 dollars per trade in a $10,000.00 account.<\/p>\n

Define a Hard Daily Loss Limit<\/h3>\n

A Typical daily loss limit for a 10,000 dollar account is 2-3% of equity. roughly 2-300 dollars per day.<\/p>\n

What that implies for \u201cHow Many\u201d day trades.<\/p>\n

If you risk 15 per trade and cap a daily loss at 3%, then 3 full trades is your daily limit: you’re done for the day if you\u2019re wrong 3 times.<\/p>\n

If you risk .5% per trade, that\u2019s 4-6 trades before you hit your max loss of 2-3% per day even if you haven\u2019t used all the slots!<\/p>\n

Why \u201cToo Many\u201d is dangerous for a small account<\/h3>\n

As the number of intraday trades rises, you will tend to: overtrade marginal set-ups, pay more in commissions\/fees, and increase the chance of revenge trading.<\/p>\n

A reasonable starting point for a $10,000.00 account might be something like 2-5 trades per day and a rule you live by that you also stop if you exceed a certain number of consecutive losers.<\/p>\n

What to discuss with me, myself and I<\/h3>\n

Discipline is essential to success. Plan your trades and trade your plans.<\/p>\n

Tell your Broker<\/h3>\n

If you tell your broker what market(s) you\u2019re trading and your typical risk per trade in ticks or points, he or she can translate this into a concrete max contract(s) and a sensible max contracts per day given the avg. volatility for the contracts you like to trade (they may even suggest different contracts that may be more suitable given your style and account size)<\/p>\n

Don’t forget! June (M) is front month for stock index futures like MES, NQ and others. ESM26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Cannon Edge for March 18th<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Introducing Cannon Edge \u2014 Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above<\/h3>\n

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:<\/p>\n