Time, Price, Discipline: How I Read 2025 — and How I’ll Trade 2026
- Sagar Chaudhary
- Jan 1
- 9 min read
The end of an old year and the beginning of a new one has finally arrived.
For most people, this moment is emotional. For a trader, it must be factual.
Because if you are serious about markets, then you know a blunt truth: the market does not care about your hopes, your fears, or your New Year resolutions. The market only respects preparation and punishes negligence—sometimes gently, and sometimes brutally.
2025 was no ordinary year.
We watched the Nifty reach new heights, while gold and silver set new records. The Nifty gained 2,484.80 points in 2025. International Gold (XAUUSD) showed a record-breaking increase of 1,693.789 points. Numbers like these excite every trader—but they also hide a dangerous trap: when the market produces a powerful year, many traders confuse movement with money.
Let me be clear:
A market can move beautifully, and you can still lose—if your execution is undisciplined.
A market can be choppy, and you can still win—if your process is structured.
Now comes the question every trader secretly asks as the calendar flips:
Will this new year show us something similar—or something entirely different?
I leave the answer to this question in the dark.
Not because I am avoiding it, but because I respect the first law of trading:
Certainty is not a trader’s job. Probability is.
So instead of making predictions like a fortune teller, I prefer to do something that actually builds edge: I open my trading journal and review the past—because our past shapes our future, but only if we study it honestly.
And since you already know I am an intraday trader, my calculations reflect that reality. I don’t measure the market like an investor who can ignore drawdowns and wait months. I measure it like an operator—someone who needs a repeatable method, day after day, trade after trade.
Here is what my 2025 journal shows:
Through GPLS™, the Nifty recorded a profit of 13,743 points.
Through AP-ORB™, the Nifty recorded a profit of 9,834 points.
International Gold (XAUUSD) gave a return of 10,710 points on the AP-ORB™ system.
And beyond indices and commodities, my favorite work—classic patterns combined with Nakshatra timing—recorded 29,361 points across various stocks.
Overall, 2025 has been fantastic.
But the market isn’t just about Nifty and gold. Thousands of stocks are waiting to give returns—if you know how to approach them with structure and timing.
So, with a new year in front of us, let me share this chapter as a proper journal entry for every serious trader: the records, the lessons, the rules, and the operating plan.
Because the best way to enter a new year is not with excitement.
It is with discipline.
The Market’s Story vs. The Trader’s Story
The market’s story in 2025 was simple to tell:
New highs.
Big moves.
Strong trends.
But the trader’s story is always different.
Because a trader’s story isn’t about what the market did. It is about what you did when the market did it. This is where most people fail.
They look at a chart at year-end and say, “What a great year!” Then I ask, “Great year for whom?”
For the trader who followed a process, yes. For the trader who chased moves, over-leveraged, revenge traded, and broke rules, it can be the worst year—even in a bull market.
So, I split my review into three layers:
Market Records (what happened)
System Records (what was tradable with rules)
Behavior Records (what I learned about discipline)
This covers all three.
The 2025 Record Book: Nifty and XAUUSD
Let’s begin with the raw numbers again:
Nifty: +2,484.80 points in 2025
XAUUSD (International Gold): +1,693.789 points in 2025
These numbers matter for context, but context is not a strategy.
The important question is:
What portion of that movement is capturable by an intraday system—without gambling?
Because intraday trading is not about catching the entire trend. It is about catching repeatable segments with controlled risk.
That is why I track performance through systems like GPLS™ and AP-ORB™—not to show off, but to confirm that the approach is not a “one-hit wonder.”
GPLS™: Why Time Discipline Beats Market Drama
When I say GPLS™ produced 13,743 points in Nifty in 2025, understand what that represents:
Most traders treat the market like a 6-hour entertainment show. They sit, watch, react, click, regret, repeat.
GPLS™ is built to eliminate that behavior.
The core mindset behind GPLS™ is:
You do not need to trade all day.
You do not need to react to every candle.
You do not need to “feel” the market.
You need a plan, a trigger, and a risk limit.
The intraday truth nobody wants to hear
Intraday profits are not primarily about analysis.They are primarily about behavior.
Can you wait?
Can you skip a trade?
Can you accept a stop-loss without revenge?
Can you stop after hitting your daily limit?
If not, even the best strategy becomes useless.
GPLS™ forces a trader to act like a professional:
predefined conditions
predefined execution
predefined stop
and most importantly: a predefined “NO TRADE” rule
If you want 2026 to be different, write this sentence in your journal today:
The trades I skip protect my capital as much as the trades I take.
That one belief separates gamblers from traders.
AP-ORB™: The Opening Range Is a Battlefield
Now let’s talk about AP-ORB™.
In simple language, ORB is the Opening Range Breakout concept. But most traders misunderstand it because they use it like a coin toss.
They mark a range, price breaks it, they enter, and then they get chopped.Then they declare, “ORB doesn’t work.”
No. The market worked. Their process didn’t.
AP-ORB™ exists to trade ORB with a disciplined framework—one that aims to reduce emotional entries and increase quality.
And my journal shows:
Nifty on AP-ORB™: +9,834 points
XAUUSD on AP-ORB™: +10,710 points in USD
Again, don’t worship the number. Respect the lesson:
The lesson of AP-ORB™
The market often reveals its intention around the first structured range of the session. That range is not magic—it is psychology.
It shows where early buyers are trapped.
It shows where early sellers are trapped.
It shows where institutions may defend levels.
It shows where volatility expands.
But none of this helps you if you trade it without rules.
So my rule remains the same, year after year:
Use AP-ORB™ to control your emotions and get the actual profit.
Because the biggest enemy in ORB is not the market.It is the trader’s impatience.
Gold’s Lesson: A 24-Hour Market Still Obeys Structure
Gold is emotional for traders because it is fast, global, and reactive. But that is exactly why a structured system matters even more.
International Gold on AP-ORB™ recorded 10,710 points in 2025 (as per my journal). That tells me something valuable:
Even when the market is global and 24-hour, structure repeats.
Even in fast instruments, disciplined timing reduces noise.
Gold teaches a timeless rule:
The bigger the market, the bigger the temptation to overtrade.And the bigger the reward for the trader who stays selective.
So if you trade XAUUSD in 2026, remember this: your goal is not to trade more. Your goal is to trade better.
The Hidden Giant: Stocks, Patterns, and Nakshatra Timing
Now we come to my favorite work—because this is where most traders are sleeping.
The market is not just Nifty and gold.
The Indian market alone has thousands of tradable stocks.
And inside that universe, opportunity is not scarce. Discipline is.
In 2025, classic patterns combined with Nakshatra timing recorded 29,361 points across various stocks (as per my records). That is not a small statement. It tells us something important:
Why patterns alone fail for many traders
Classic patterns—breakouts, flags, channels, bases—are everywhere.But most of them fail because traders trade them randomly.
They see a pattern at 11:17 AM, enter.
Then at 11:29 AM, it reverses.
Then they say, “Patterns don’t work.”
No. Patterns work. But patterns need context and timing.
What Nakshatra adds
Nakshatra timing gives a trader a time lens. It doesn’t replace price action; it strengthens it.
When you combine:
Pattern structure (what) with
Time rhythm (when)
You stop trading shapes, and you start trading setups inside windows.
That is the difference between:
“I think this will break out” and
“This pattern is mature, the timing window supports movement, and my entry rule is clear.”
This is why I keep repeating: Price action tells you the direction. Timing tells you the moment.
And when those align, your confidence is no longer emotional. It is mechanical.
The 2025 Behavioral Audit: What Worked, What Tried to Destroy Traders
Every year, the market creates a new trap. In 2025, the trap was simple:
Confidence.
A strong market makes traders believe they are skilled—even when they are just lucky.
So I audit behavior every year using four questions:
Where did I follow rules perfectly?
Where did I break rules?
What did the market do when I broke rules?
What will I enforce next year? If you do not run this audit, your 2026 will be a repeat of your worst habits.
And here is what 2025 reinforced:
The best trades came from patience, not activity.
The biggest losses came from emotional urgency, not bad analysis.
The most consistent periods came when I respected my journal.
The worst days came when I treated the market like a casino.
So I’m entering 2026 with one message written in bold:
My job is not to predict the year. My job is to execute my process.
My 2026 Operating Rules (Non-Negotiable)
If you want a new year, you must have new boundaries.
Here are the rules I carry into 2026. These are not motivational quotes. These are operating laws:
Rule 1: I trade only when my setup is present.
No setup = no trade. Boredom is not a signal.
Rule 2: I define the stop before the entry.
If I cannot define where I am wrong, I do not enter.
Rule 3: I protect capital first, profit second.
Because without capital, there is no trading.
Rule 4: I never trade to recover.
Recovery trading is emotional trading.Emotional trading is expensive trading.
Rule 5: I track weekly performance, not daily emotion.
Daily results can lie. Weekly patterns reveal truth.
Rule 6: I journal every trade.
If it is not written, it did not happen professionally.
Rule 7: I keep my system simple.
Complex systems create excuses. Simple systems create discipline.
The Trading Journal: The Weapon Most Traders Refuse to Use
Let me say something strongly, because it can change your life:
A trader without a journal is like a businessman without accounts.
He may feel busy. He may feel smart. But he is blind.
Your trading journal is not decoration. It is your feedback loop.
A proper journal should contain:
Date
Instrument
Setup name
Entry reason
Entry price
Stop-loss
Exit
Result
Screenshot (if possible)
Emotional state
Rule compliance score (0–10)
And once a week, you must answer:
What did I do right?
What did I do wrong?
What will I stop doing next week?
If you can’t answer those questions, you are not trading. You are participating.
If You Want to Be Ready for 2026, Do This in the First 7 Days
Here is a simple one-week preparation plan I recommend for every serious intraday trader:
Day 1: Write your “no-trade” rules
Examples:
after 2 consecutive losses
low volatility session
emotional mood / stress
unclear structure
Day 2: Fix your risk per trade
A fixed risk is a fixed identity.
Day 3: Choose one primary entry method
If AP-ORB™ is your method, commit to it and stop mixing.
Day 4: Define your maximum trades per day
Overtrading is not a skill.
Day 5: Build your watchlist rules
Trade only liquid, clean charts, and known behavior.
Day 6: Back-review your best trades
Study your winners: what was common?
Day 7: Back-review your worst trades
Study your losers: what was common?
This is how you turn experience into edge.
What I Expect From 2026 (Without Predicting It)
Do I think 2026 will be similar to 2025?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But I do expect one thing with certainty: 2026 will punish undisciplined traders and reward prepared traders.
Trends will come and go. Volatility will expand and compress. Some months will feel easy. Some will feel impossible.
That is normal.
So I am not entering 2026 with a prediction. I am entering with a process.
Because when you have a process, you do not fear uncertainty. You use it.
A New Year Message From Me to You
Wishing you a very happy New Year!
But I will not end this article like a greeting card. I will end it like a trader:
Are you ready for this new year?
Not ready emotionally. Ready operationally.
Ready means:
Your journal is prepared.
Your risk is fixed.
Your system is defined.
Your rules are written.
Your discipline is non-negotiable.
If you do this, then 2026 does not need to be “similar to 2025” for you to succeed. Because your success will no longer depend on the market’s mood. It will depend on your method. And that is real power.
Sagar Chaudhary
+1 438 448 6881
Thanks sir