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TRADE WITH INSIGHT●
Small Account Challenge#3

$10K to $100K.

One account. One trade at a time.

The goal: grow $10,000 to $100,000 by Christmas 2026. Follow Spacemonkey's scalps, trade management, and the decisions behind each move.

Follow for free Read the playbook

The target is a goal, not a guaranteed result.

AT THE DESKSpacemonkey
Read the announcement
THE RECORD

Follow the account.

Updated Oct 14, 2026, 7:20 AM PT

Reconstructed from the posted entries, exits, and corrections, before commissions and fees. 2 trade days have unresolved fills and are excluded from finalized P/L and the balance. Review the fills ↓

Finalized P/L+$65
Return from finalized days+0.7%
Active days4
Green days / finalized1 / 2
Balance from finalized days only, before fees. Pending days omitted.
$9,750$9,888$10,027$10,165Start2026-10-09
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Day-by-day results
DateTrades / commentaryP/LFinalized-days balance
Oct 8, 2026MSFT 10/9 535C, DELL 10/9 600C-$150$9,850
Oct 9, 2026SNOW 10/9 352.50C, TSLA 10/9 387.50C+$215$10,065
Oct 12, 2026MSFT 10/12 542.50CFill check pendingPending
Oct 14, 2026GOOGL 10/14 357.50CFill check pendingPending
ENTRY. SCALE. EXIT.

Every trade, including the corrections.

6 reported positions

Expand a trade to see its exits and management notes. Prices include the follow-up corrections. P/L uses the reported contract counts and a 100-share multiplier, before fees.

Oct 8, 2026 · Small

MSFT 10/9 535C

5 contracts at $1.70 · 7:47 AM PT

$0Realized P/L before fees

Initial stop $1.50. The premarket-high push failed, so the position was closed flat before the stop to preserve cash.

Exits for MSFT 10/9 535C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
5$1.70$0
Oct 8, 2026 · B grade

DELL 10/9 600C

5 contracts at $2.60 · 7:56 AM PT

-$150Realized P/L before fees

The posted contract is 600C. Initial stop $2.30, with $150 planned risk. Relative volume was appearing, but the market remained weak and the stop was hit.

Exits for DELL 10/9 600C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
5$2.30-$150
Oct 9, 2026 · Small

SNOW 10/9 352.50C

5 contracts at $2.63 · 6:53 AM PT

+$160Realized P/L before fees

Three contracts were sold first, then the remaining two were stopped. The later $10.57 quote was a hypothetical hold, not a challenge exit.

Exits for SNOW 10/9 352.50C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
3$3.25+$186
2$2.50-$26
  • 6:55 AM PTCorrected to $3.25 in the 6:56 AM comment. The original alert said $3.08.
  • 7:01 AM PTCorrected to $2.50 in the 7:01 AM comment. The original alert said $2.35.
Oct 9, 2026 · B grade

TSLA 10/9 387.50C

10 contracts at $1.52 · 7:37 AM PT

+$55Realized P/L before fees

Initial stop was $1.25. The final posted exit was $1.22. The later review noted that the move failed to hold.

Exits for TSLA 10/9 387.50C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
5$1.93+$205
5$1.22-$150
  • 7:50 AM PTCorrected to $1.93 in the 7:51 AM comment. The original alert said $1.81.
Oct 12, 2026 · Small

MSFT 10/12 542.50C

10 contracts at $0.66 · 7:47 AM PT

Fill check pendingExcluded from finalized totals

Intraday high-of-day setup. The first eight exits realize $512. The final quantity must be reconciled before publishing a full trade result.

Exits for MSFT 10/12 542.50C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
8$1.30+$512
Pending$0.38Pending
  • 9:37 AM PTQuantity needs confirmation: the entry was 10 and the first sale was 8, leaving 2. The final alert says 3 sold. No extra contract has been assumed.
Oct 14, 2026 · B grade

GOOGL 10/14 357.50C

10 contracts at $1.75 · 6:38 AM PT

Fill check pendingExcluded from finalized totals

The first nine exits realize $315. The last price must be confirmed before publishing the full trade result.

Exits for GOOGL 10/14 357.50C
Time (PT)Contracts soldExit priceRealized P/L
5$2.20+$225
3$1.75$0
1$2.65+$90
1PendingPending
  • 6:48 AM PTThe alert says ALL OUT but also says one sold and one still held. The explicit quantities are used.
  • 6:53 AM PTOne contract remains after the preceding sales. Its final alert title says $1.54; the body says $1.67. The final price needs confirmation.
FROM THE ROOM

The decisions behind the alerts.

Oct 2, 2026 to Oct 14, 2026

Spacemonkey's commentary, in order within each day. Watches, other-account trades, and hypothetical holds stay outside the challenge P/L. All posted times are Pacific.

Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026

4 notes
  1. Management

    GOOGL had been trimmed because it looked like a failure, but it was coming back. The comment said two contracts were being held before the next posted sale.

  2. Watchlist

    COST 980C was on watch as a lotto above the prior-day high and the 200-day level. No small-account entry or exit was posted for this idea.

  3. Market context

    A 20-point short move was attributed to monkeyBOT Indicator v3.0. This indicator commentary does not supply a small-account trade fill.

  4. Market context

    Take what the market offers and sit on your hands when there is nothing. Spacemonkey described this as a difficult market in which to start a small-account challenge.

Monday, Oct 12, 2026

2 notes
  1. Management

    MSFT was an inexpensive intraday setup for the high of day.

  2. Management

    MSFT was described as "almost" before the first scale-out. A chart was shared.

Friday, Oct 9, 2026

9 notes
  1. Correction

    SNOW first sale corrected from $3.08 to $3.25. The stop on the two remaining contracts was $2.50. Data was due shortly; the stated +1AT target was $356.88.

  2. Correction

    SNOW final sale corrected from $2.35 to $2.50. The setup still looked good, but the stop was taken. The approach was deliberately conservative while building the account.

  3. Other account

    NVDA was described as very weak, with 230P worth watching. Spacemonkey said he was already in puts in a separate account, not the small account.

  4. Post-exit review

    SNOW was moving after the stop. The copied post says "moving to 257"; this is commentary after the exit, not another fill.

  5. Correction

    TSLA first sale corrected from $1.81 to $1.93.

  6. Post-exit review

    TSLA failed to hold the move. The review described the cut as a good exit.

  7. Post-exit review

    SNOW was later quoted at $10.57 versus the $2.63 entry, described as +302% "if we had held." This was a hypothetical outcome after the position had already closed. The message said the next opportunity would come.

  8. Watchlist

    DELL was setting up, MSFT looked good, and software names were on watch.

  9. Other account

    A normal-account 230C end-of-day trade was shared at $0.40 and described as sized to zero. The copied text does not identify its ticker. It is outside the small-account challenge.

Thursday, Oct 8, 2026

5 notes
  1. Watchlist

    PLTR was on watch for the high of day. MSFT was being watched long.

  2. Management

    MSFT was a smaller position with a tight stop. It needed to push; a failure at the premarket high would prompt an exit before the stop.

  3. Management

    MSFT failed the premarket-high push. The position was closed flat to preserve cash while waiting for the next setup. DELL moved onto the watchlist.

  4. Management

    DELL had $150 planned risk against a hoped-for $600-plus upside. Relative volume was starting to appear, but the entry might be early. A break and fast exit could potentially return two to three times the planned risk. The market was not helping.

  5. Management

    DELL hit the stop in a weak market. The position was fully closed and left on watch for another time.

Saturday, Oct 3, 2026

1 note
  1. Research

    Weekly market research shared for the next week: names, levels, and setups in a selective market. The copied X preview was timestamped 8:22 AM and noted indices holding up and QQQ breaking higher.

    Read the linked post ↗

Friday, Oct 2, 2026

1 note
  1. Market context

    mBOT sequence alerts near the lows looked good, with help from the SPX bounce. NVDA was on watch for a return to the high of day above $236.70. No small-account entry or exit was posted here.

BEFORE THE FIRST TRADE

The playbook.

A note from Spacemonkey.

Fast trades need clear expectations. Read how I approach sizing, alerts, exits, and the pace of this challenge before following along.

  1. 01

    Know the pace.

    I am a scalper. Entries and exits can move quickly. Follow only if that pace fits the way you trade, and be ready to manage your own position.

  2. 02

    Allow for alert delays.

    I post alerts as quickly as I can, but there can be delays. Your entry or exit may differ from mine.

  3. 03

    Start with a 15% maximum position.

    The initial maximum position size is 15% of the account. Sizing will change as the account grows.

  4. 04

    Stops depend on the setup.

    There is no single stop for every trade. I will do my best to communicate my thinking and management as the trade develops.

  5. 05

    Watch for sizing commentary.

    If I size a position to zero, I will communicate that in an alert or commentary. Pay attention to those updates as well as the entry.

  6. 06

    Expect losing trades.

    I am not a 100% win rate trader. I have grown multiple accounts through how I manage trades. The focus is on the process and the full series of decisions.

  7. 07

    Keep the room constructive.

    I am doing this to help people improve. Stay focused on learning and execution. When a trade does not work, we accept it and move on.

  8. 08

    0DTE is part of the playbook.

    I will trade options that expire the same day. These positions can move fast and need active attention.

  9. 09

    Take profits and manage.

    I take profits quickly, often around 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% gains. Those are reference points, not a fixed formula. If you enter a trade, you are responsible for managing it.

  10. 10

    Fewer contracts, earlier exits.

    Early on, we will have fewer contracts. I expect to exit most on the first move, then let one or two run with the stop at breakeven when the position allows.

  11. 11

    Give the account room to develop.

    The beginning is usually slower. Position management can evolve as the account grows. There is no need to force the pace.

  12. 12

    Trade when the setup is there.

    Some days I will not trade. Other days I may take several trades. The opportunity determines the activity.

  13. 13

    Aim for $100K by Christmas.

    The goal is to grow a $10,000 account to $100,000, targeting Christmas 2026. It is an ambitious goal, not a promised outcome.

THE ARCHIVE

Every chapter stays on record.

Explore previous challenges with their original results, trade logs, and account history.

CHALLENGE 01 · COMPLETED

$5,000 → $15,051

February 9 to May 26, 2026

+201%41 active trading days
View full results
PREPARE. PARTICIPATE. MANAGE.

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