Free · printable
The Gold Pre-Market Checklist.
The 15-minute routine Mark runs before every session: five steps before the open, three questions after the close. Same routine every day — that is the point.
Get the printable version
We email you the checklist and, now and then, a short lesson. That's it.
Before the open · ~15 minutes
1. News & calendar · 3 min
- Check the economic calendar for high-impact USD events: CPI, NFP, FOMC, PCE, jobless claims.
- Write the exact release times in your time zone.
- News rule: no new entries in the minutes before and after a high-impact release.
2. Higher-timeframe bias · 4 min
- Daily: is structure making higher highs and higher lows, or lower highs and lower lows?
- 4H: where was the last break of structure (BOS) or change of character (CHoCH)?
- Write your bias in one sentence. If you can't, it's neutral — and neutral is a valid answer.
3. Key levels · 4 min
- Previous day high and low.
- Asian session high and low.
- Nearest unmitigated order block or fair value gap on the 1H–4H.
- Obvious liquidity: equal highs/lows, round numbers.
4. Scenario plan · 2 min
- Scenario A: if price does X, I look for Y.
- Scenario B: the alternative, same structure.
- No-trade condition: the situation where I stay out.
5. Risk check · 2 min
- Maximum risk per trade, as a % of the account.
- Maximum daily loss and maximum number of trades.
- Written stop-loss placement rule.
- State check: tired, angry or chasing? Reduce size or sit out.
After the close · 3 questions
- Did I follow my plan? Yes / Partly / No.
- What did price do compared with my scenarios?
- One thing to improve tomorrow.
Write the answers down. SniperJournal has a daily plan and review built in for exactly this.
Want to see the routine applied live?
See the live scheduleJoin Gold VIP · $52/moMark runs it on screen every weekday morning in Gold VIP.
Education only, not financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.