My First Year Trading Full-Time: Prop Trader, Ryan Trost

EP 196 · My First Year Trading Full-Time: Prop Trader, Ryan Trost
For this third episode in the My First Year Trading Full-Time series, I speak with Ryan Trost. At the time of recording, Ryan had recently crossed 12-months as a junior equities trader at SMB Capital in New York City…
Our conversation begins with Ryan speaking to how he was trading the massive intraday ranges of TSLA during it's parabolic run in February.
From there we chat about Ryan’s trajectory in life prior to trading, how he landed a seat on a proprietary trading desk, lessons from losing money month after month, how he began to develop an edge, Ryan’s take on trader psychology, a recap of his best and worst days, and ares in which he’s trying to improve upon.

[@albertoabraam9963]

Awesome video! Never confuse your position with your best interest. Many traders take a position in a stock and form an emotional attachment to it. They'll start losing money, and instead of stopping themselves out, they’ll find brand new reasons to stay even when I'm doubt. I turned $5,000 into $12,800 in a week

[@albertoabraam9963]

+. 1. 2 .0 9 7 1 9 5 2 3 1

[@albertoabraam9963]

Robert's FX service 🔝 on WhatsApp helped grow my funds

[@mavolodorbor7579]

Beware of scams 😜

[@Ninja-iq2xt]

Feedback: as an active trader i love to listen only the traders, and not hedge fund managers or founders. So even if you feel that interviewing same kind of people will be unhelpful for the trading community, i must tell you its VERY helpful, each trader can come up with different answer to the same question. So please feel free to interview these types of traders. Theirs really no need to interview unique peoples in each episodes. And am very grateful to u, thanks a lot for what u r doing.

[@danielius6863]

agreed

[@jajayesyes1388]

Yes, but, the hedge Funds are the big players who push alot volume. Hering them might also serve as insight to the bigger money players

[@MissBardoJeep]

@@jajayesyes1388 absolutely... I'm very curious about how these whales operate.

[@ChatWithTradersPodcast]

02:16 - Trading TSLA during its parabolic move in February 2020. 09:13 - Ryan’s trajectory in life prior to pursing a trading career. 20:28 - Early trading experiences, and reasons for seeking out a prop firm. 31:38 - Questions asked during the firms’ recruitment interview. 33:19 - The structured learning process for new hires. 41:30 - Lessons learned from many months of consistent losses. 46:27 - Discovering your best plays as a new trader. 50:25 - An example setup from Ryan’s high-beta system (chart below). 52:55 - Psychology shouldn’t be underestimated in performance-based roles. 58:35 - Best and worst trading days, and calculated method for scaling risk. 1:10:37 - Areas where Ryan is trying to improve and get better. Show Notes - chatwithtraders.com/196

[@MattDiamond]

great interview! took me 3 years to figure out everything he did in 1 year. Obviously personalities and learning abilities play to that but it goes to show that with a solid team, you can potentially speed up the learning curve 3x when it comes to being a consistently profitable trade

[@Ninja-iq2xt]

Same here. Wasted 3 years and still struggling with discipline and following the process.

[@profittrades5220]

@@Ninja-iq2xt can relate to this buddy

[@bigroo9566]

@@Ninja-iq2xt are you now full-time trading ?

[@spontaneousbootay]

I always say that these things are just a matter of perspective

[@lwazeem]

3 years? You guys are great. Am on my 5th year and the light bulb seems to finally be lit only now. And I'm definitely not quitting my day job as yet. 1 more year at least..

[@gaberoyalll]

I've been meaning to comment and say how amazing you are at asking the exact right questions at the right time. and then letting your guest speak. I've been learning so much not just about trading but also on my communication skills thanks man . Your a great mentor for me

[@wg4077]

Traders' interviews are the best! Hedgefund or founders interviews are the most boring. Cheers!

[@zaratustra00]

The worst one are episodes with bitcoiners who bought early.

[@handyrams4664]

@@zaratustra00 what about bitcoiners who bought early, lost it all in trading and then learned to trade and made it all back?

[@mylor1066]

Get him on again in a year. This was awesome.

[@metatrontrades]

this guy learned exponentially fast. very intelligent. very adaptable. and his awareness is high and everyone should learn from this. amazing interview.

[@samendo1227]

This is a great episode. Thanks for this Aaron and Ryan! :) Great one specially on psychology and peak state performance.

[@andregreen177]

So many gems 💎 for all traders 10yrs in or lower. Priceless podcast man highly appreciate your work!

[@joshm9163]

My man! Just in time to light this spliff too. Thanks as always my mate from another state

[@parkla4098]

Would love to hear more interviews of traders like this one.

[@arunpratapsingh2840]

Would like to pay my gratitude to you for sharing such a live experience of such a traders with us. Thank you.

[@hasanz5259]

Good stuff Aaron, thanks for everything you do!

[@maggiallaire6008]

I'm a new Options prop trader. I can relate to a lot of what Ryan said. Good nuggets of truth. I need to be much more selective with my set-ups and seem to overtrade. Working on the mind set and psychology of trading. Thanks for this podcast and loving your channel. I'm a big fan. I'd love to trade with SMB in NY for a year. Seems like an amazing prop trading firm.

[@juandejager7174]

Great pod, best interview with traders channel on youtube by far

[@shemrunboy]

Thanks Aaron for another good interview. Mainly for keeping it real, meaning reminding us that Ryan is still relatively new to trading. He is on an upswing and I wish him the best. Surrounding yourself with successful people goes a long way toward improving your performance. The rest is totally up to you: that's developing career long survival skills.

[@TheNocTrader]

Ryan sound like a high achiever. I'm sure hes going be continue being a solid prop trader. BUMPED up 25% every 10 DAYS!! - It's wild to me how much they scale their traders up in account side in just a few months!

[@RommanysWorld]

Thank you, Aaron, for all your work! I like your channel. So much great content! 🙏

[@nyxdoc2801]

Ryan, thank you so much for sharing your honest ideas. It’s very helpful.great job guys

[@harlanjames2787]

Great episode, thank you!

[@im.azad1]

Really good questions, Aaron. Thanks for doing this.

[@lovenpeace271]

Great interview--more of how a trader actually develops rather than taking someone else's system or buying signals. Key is to know what works for YOU as a person

[@majordave4789]

Great interview. As a fairly new trader he was easy to relate to. Best of luck, Ryan. Another awesome interview Aaron, thanks.

[@nickrosati3167]

Great interview. I became a member SMB community around the same time that Ryan started. I’m super jealous of his opportunity. I have virtually sat in on many of the Daly meetings that Ryan participated in. I have learned so much from his class of students. Thank you Ryan. SMB’s weekly review is so helpful. I wish I I had Steve Spencer’s brain.

[@enlighten_me1912]

Thanks for this video. Really enjoyed it.

[@andrzejandrzejos6674]

Your podcast is a goldmine

[@BuildYourTomorrow]

Great interview, thanks!

[@gaberoyalll]

Awesome Ryan is my favorite. Im Very excited to whatch this one 🙌

[@eze6246]

Spectacular interview. You guys both are really going places in your field. Consistently one of the best interviewers. And this guy is one of the brightest young stock guys out there its easy to tell. Kudos

[@sixtybillion2663]

your channel is a huge help for all level traders indeed,🙏 you for your effort 🙂

[@emptyempty30]

Fantastic interview, need more like him.

[@hendogoodie]

Very insightful

[@gbsavc]

Awesome interview, half way in and I've been doing the same things he did when losing.

[@khodler5551]

Great interview, can totally relate to everything! 👍🏻

[@philippesails4973]

so nice to be be so candid!

[@wakalmercedesreyes1865]

Thank all you guys God Bless you all

[@MobtacticsBruh]

Love this interviewer

[@ginamiguel2518]

wow thanks for this awesome video sir 😊

[@jm-mf1ng]

Excellent 🙏

[@missretailer]

really like this channel ❤️❤️❤️

[@user-dv5gm2gc3u]

Would be interesting to have another interview with Ryan, why he quit trading professionally and what were the biggest lessons

[@prolaxbro4474]

Love Ryan. He is the man.

[@andyatmosphere]

Ryan is probably one of my favorite interviews. He realizes his weakness and appreciates his strength. He’s undoubtedly on the right track to success. Let’s gooooo!! 💵💵💵

[@ariescaisip5498]

I heard he has quit trading

[@andyatmosphere]

@@ariescaisip5498 seriously! Ohhhh 😲

[@SamKling]

Hey Aaron this was a dope episode, I listened to it earlier on Apple podcasts. I feel like this was a cool look into prop trading and I really resonate with some of the struggles Ryan spoke on during his first year

[@ariescaisip5498]

that equity curve is like a chart, consolidating for one year and then a massive breakout to a new all time high..

[@Monkey.Trades.Futures]

Good stuffff

[@sawyersweetman2145]

Ive seen this guy quite a few times on SMB, super hyped, gonna save this one for trading tomorrow.

[@sawyersweetman2145]

Ryan speaks super well on the beginning stuggle / stupidity. nail on the head, ill take 10% of his stock forsure.

[@Sebastian-qx3fu]

So nice😎

[@schrodingerscat3912]

USC! SC represent

[@aabhisshake]

Bring these podcasts on Spotify

[@home22roam]

It is and they are

[@heteshjoosery8542]

Hey where is the show notes that refers to the example of the opening brealout off the pre market?

[@mladenm1]

When you will record interview with Steve Ruffley ? We want him!

[@simplebeautiful7923]

nice

[@hamisintunzwenimana8083]

Good General 1. Learning Process / Tharp Think

[@VicDamoneJr82]

Selectivity is everything you can make a weeks salary with one trade a week

[@quirk1559]

1 million percent Ryan was trading tsla today on the drop lol good stuff

[@yankos_]

Chat With Traders Hi CWTs, Can you confirm for us the books mentioned at 13:16. 1. Trading in the Zone. Is this the book by Mark Douglas? 2. The Playbook. Is this the book by Mike Bellafiore? Thanks in advance, Bill, Sydney Australia

[@MrVinnyable1]

yes, that's right

[@stumbras2000]

What charting softwares are used in Prop firms?

[@WoodstockTBL]

What was the playbook Tom suggested to him?

[@juanortiz7461]

“Be more selective all the time “ for the good trades and focus at the begging in which ones are hurting me. Thanks

[@thecaptain3068]

Hi, what is the program used for recording trades ? Teamviewer ?

[@coop1247]

TraderVue

[@jays3526]

That equity curve concerns me a bit. Ha...I just realized that he no longer trades with SMB - that didn't last long - apparently, per Tom Canfield's twitter account, he's a digital horse analytics King! ;)

[@ChristianHada]

41:30 i need to take notes.

[@UWParksideArtisan]

It wasn't that long ago that you could get the Playbook. Now you have to pay hundreds of dollars. Crazy.

[@ThoughtfulAl]

This is great. I wonder what Ryan thinks of Chicken Genius's strategy (80% Tsla holding)

[@jambear7862]

Anyone know what his twitter handle is can’t seem to find it? Cheers

[@shaun9286]

It took me 10 years to discover the secret in trading. I specialise in forex and there is a correlation between price and news data

[@icyboy771z]

not rly

[@shaun9286]

@@icyboy771z i have manual backtested from 1999 to now. It is proven that price will correct itself no matter what events happening outside of data

[@shaun9286]

I have excel data research to prove this

[@blacklightentertainment758]

i also i agree

[@antonulybin389]

Next thing you know Next thing you know Next thing you know

[@selespeed3]

did he say how much he made in a year?

[@prolaxbro4474]

I just feel I don’t have enough confidence in my abilities to be a day trader. It’s so much fun to listen to though.

[@xxxxxxl8693]

You dont feel emotional when driving, why? Because your good at! Your're comfortable with it because you possess the skills to carryout that task. Trading is no different, if you have psychological problems with your trading then you dont have the right information and skills to not be bothered by losses, or wins either. I treat trading as a job, a position I call an Intraday Technician.. My system is designed in a way to which trading is about as emotional as flipping burgers at Wendy's. Its all about finding the order of the market. Most trading education is ineffective, but at the same time the average Joe can't wrap their head around the right information that can give the 90% succes rate that I have.

[@johnschenck8497]

1:01:00

[@Alanevo88]

Didn't catch the other book mentioned Trading in the zone and...? Thanks

[@yankos_]

+Chat With Traders Hi CWTs, Can you confirm for us the books mentioned at 13:16. 1. Trading in the Zone. Is this the book by Mark Douglas? 2. The Playbook. Is this the book by Mike Bellafiore? Thanks in advance, Bill, Sydney Australia

[@jesseliverless9811]

@@yankos_ Yes it's the Playbook by Bella

[@ChristianHada]

Does this guy still trade? His twitter is all about NFT's and horse racing now.

[@runthomas]

where are the bloody time stamps.... cant just sit here for ages.

[@gatovadio9572]

What a great, well-scripted infomercial! Too bad the guest actor wasn't up for the job.

[@JamesB9782]

Aaron, it looks like you did not do any due diligence. Did you verify anything?

[@smiles_per_gallon]

This guy is a professional trader for a firm 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@joycelistings6879]

When I consider all I’ve been able to accumulate from my investments with Payden, and the amount of flexibility I have achieved in my portfolio, and my trading pattern, I see reasons to continue to grow my investments with him.

[@hansyasini9411]

He has earned my top spot for the second year running with the well-rounded features of investing tools and excellent order executions.

[@Roymysterio]

What does he offer, and where can I get his financial report and other information?

[@joycelistings6879]

Oh that’s quite easy. Reach him on ... *Alecpayden (a) g ma il. Com...* for further inquiries.

[@douglasjefferson8533]

For me it’s all about making decisions and taking actions. Those who understand the basic concept of trading will appreciate his good works.

[@Pattier05]

It’s always been my retirement goal to put my money into assets that may grow faster than, and use them for my kids. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@VicDamoneJr82]

if he's good why doesn't he start his own business

[@WDE1121]

Because the firm he works for gives him access to way more capital than he has.

[@svetoslavchilingirov3858]

omg, why talking in points?! use %

[@luketerpstra1525]

Why don't you/they ever talk actual dollars?

[@reversemoustachecat8127]

Way too much of a back story, would've loved if the focus on trading was more.

[@trade5149]

This dude's gotta stop saying 'wiggles'

[@joshocean1856]

i dunno y u had this kid on tobe honest

[@ck1981ish]

Lots of inconsistencies in his stories.

[@zizzyballuba4373]

as a pure algo guy, i cringe everytime psychology of trading is discussed

[@Ye7l]

And I cringe when you draw down in consolidation

[@gbsavc]

Well look at you mr fancy pants algo guy.

[@ajk2382]

algo trading is really just for those guys that don’t understand the auction and themselves .

[@openhighlowclose9385]

More FOREX

[@keistor4105]

After a succession of payouts from Alec payden, its safe to say that this fellow is legitimate. I don't have any doubts moving forward, he even turned down my gift token and asked me to give it to charity saying 'God has given me all that i need, be his vessel and help those who are less fortunate.

[@keistor4105]

Alecpayden (a) gma il com

[@keistor4105]

I invite newbies and regular traders to try something real and leave fictions out.

[@graceboyd1956]

its been a great pleasure working with Mr Payden for me as well. He's ever consistent.

[@emmyoregon1983]

I appreciate your guide but how do I communicate with him directly.

[@rosariadesantos5116]

thanks for the recommendation.

[@skyyywarppp428]

Dude, get verified broker statements from the people you interview! This guy is clearly a liar.

[@UWParksideArtisan]

I'm interested to know why you say that...?

[@blacklightentertainment758]

it sounds like he is making some of the stuff up, and no you don't just go straight up and believe everything someone says.

[@Brow953]

@@blacklightentertainment758 how did you know he’s just making stuff up? Do you have any evidence? I saw this kid in one of SMBs classes and Bella was there too. I think he is doing a great job .

[@blacklightentertainment758]

@@Brow953 ohh thats great. You know him personally.Good for you.I never said it was facts though ,I was just having doubts but hey its great news if its all true.

[@smiles_per_gallon]

The guy is a professional trader for a firm 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@mml1224]

what did this guy make begining and in his prime at smb net, not sure y its so taboo to ask, we need2know if its worth it?