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This interview features Andrew Aziz—Vancouver-based stock day trader—sharing how he built a professional routine around trading U.S. equities and why that structure matters. Recorded on the Desire To Trade podcast, Andrew talks about getting laid off early in his career, discovering day trading, and designing a lifestyle where he’s done within the first hour after the open. He explains his premarket prep, the importance of direct-access tools and hotkeys, and why he treats trading like a high-performance sport—complete with early wake-ups, exercise, and tight schedules.
You’ll learn Andrew Aziz’s practical approach to building a repeatable edge: scan for gappers, form a focused watchlist, map levels, and execute only when the odds tilt in your favor. He walks through why simulators come first, how to size up slowly, and the setups he actually trades (think VWAP plays, bull flags/ABCDs, and clean breaks). Expect clear rules around daily goals and max loss, a strong stance against revenge trading, and a reminder that physical condition directly impacts decision speed. If you want a blueprint for trading like a pro without sitting at the screens all day, this is it.
Andrew Aziz Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Premarket Routine: Body, Mind, Screens
Before the bell, Andrew Aziz treats himself like an athlete—quick workout, clean nutrition, and a short mindfulness block to steady focus. Then he sits down to prep with intention, not noise, so the open feels like execution, not discovery.
- Wake up early and complete a 15–30 minute workout to sharpen reaction time.
- Do a 3–5 minute breathing or mindfulness drill to lower impulse trades at the open.
- Sit at the desk at least 60 minutes before the bell with all platforms tested (data, audio, hotkeys).
- Open one checklist and run it top to bottom—never improvise steps on busy mornings.
- If energy or focus is off, reduce size by 50% or trade sim; never “fight” a bad state.
Gappers & Watchlist Construction
Aziz builds a tight watchlist—quality over quantity—so he’s not chasing every squiggle. The goal is to find clean catalysts and liquidity that will actually move when the bell rings.
- Scan for U.S. equities gapping ±2% or more with premarket volume >100k shares.
- Prioritize single, clear catalysts (earnings, guidance, FDA, major analyst moves).
- Favor stocks with ATR ≥ average of last 14 days and relative volume ≥ 1.5.
- Exclude tickers with thick, choppy daily ranges or low float with erratic spreads.
- Cap the watchlist at 4–6 tickers; move extras to a “secondary” list for later.
Key Levels & Game Plan
He maps levels so the open becomes a rules-based play, not a hope. The plan tells him exactly where he’s wrong and where he’ll take profits—no decisions mid-fight.
- Mark premarket high/low, previous day high/low, prior close, and overnight VWAP.
- Draw daily/weekly levels from the last 3–6 months; start the ones with multiple touches.
- Write a one-sentence hypothesis per ticker: “If it holds X and reclaims Y, I’ll trade long.”
- Define invalidation in price terms (not feelings): “Below Z = thesis is wrong—out.”
- Pre-set targets at nearby liquidity pools (pre-highs, whole/half dollars, daily pivots).
Opening Hour Playbook
The first 60 minutes are his edge: speed, structure, and discipline. He takes 1–3 A+ trades, scales out methodically, and powers down when the edge decays.
- Trade only planned setups from the watchlist—no FOMO adds after 9:45 unless planned.
- If the first two trades are both losers, stop trading live for the day (switch to sim).
- Limit to a maximum of 3 live trades in the first hour unless P&L and context are exceptional.
- If spreads or fills are sloppy, cut size immediately or skip the symbol entirely.
- After 10:30, reduce size or stop; his edge declines as the market gets rotational.
Opening Range Breakout (ORB)
Aziz uses ORB when a stock shows clean momentum out of the gate. He wants alignment: gap + catalyst + strong tape + break of the opening range with volume confirmation.
- Wait for the 1–5 minute opening range to form; trade the break, not the wiggle.
- Entry triggers only on range break with volume > opening bar volume average.
- Stop goes below the opening range low (long) or above the range high (short).
- First take-profit at 1R; move stop to breakeven after partial.
- Add only if price re-tests and holds the breakout level on lower volume.
VWAP Trend/ Reversal
VWAP is his intraday anchor to judge whether institutions are net paying up or not. He looks for trend pulls to VWAP for continuation—or failed reclaim/rejects for flips.
- Long continuation: trend up, pull to VWAP on lighter volume, higher low forms.
- Short continuation: trend down, pop to VWAP on lighter volume, lower high forms.
- Hard rule: if VWAP reclaims against your position with strong volume, cut quickly.
- Targets: prior intraday highs/lows, premarket extremes, whole/half-dollar magnets.
- If VWAP is flat and whippy, skip; wait for r clearer slope or another setup.
ABCD / Flag Continuation
He favors clean consolidations that resolve with a squeeze through obvious levels. The goal is to enter risk-tight just before momentum releases.
- Identify A (impulse), B (pullback), C (higher low), and D (breakout).
- Entry at C-to-D transition; stop under C (tight) or under B (looser).
- Require shrinking pullback volume and expanding breakout volume.
- Scale 25–50% at 1R, trail remainder below the 9/20 EMA or last higher low.
- If the consolidation loses structure (lower lows), cancel the setup—no “hope holds.”
Risk, Sizing & Daily Guardrails
His superpower is hard stops and max-loss rules that protect capital and mindset. The idea is to survive the bad days so compounding can do its job.
- Fixed daily max loss: hit it and stop live trading—no exceptions.
- Per-trade risk (R) is set before the open; size = R ÷ (entry – stop).
- Reduce R by 50% on high-volatility days or after a poor night’s sleep.
- No averaging down outside a planned add zone with a tighter second stop.
- If slippage > 0.5R on two trades in a row, cut size in half for the rest of the day.
Execution, Hotkeys & Order Routing
Aziz keeps execution simple and fast so he can focus on reading the tape. Hotkeys remove hesitation and keep risk precise.
- Pre-program hotkeys for: entry at marketable limit, stop order at defined price, and 25%/50% partials.
- Use marketable limit orders on liquid names; avoid pure market orders on news spikes.
- Always place the stop immediately after entry—don’t “do it in a second.”
- If spread > 0.15% of price, reduce size or skip the trade.
- Confirm route reliability at the open; if fills are laggy, switch to the backup route.
Trade Management & Exits
He scales out into liquidity and lets winners breathe with a ratcheting stop. The plan reduces emotional decisions mid-trade.
- First partial at 1R or first obvious liquidity shelf; second partial near premarket extremes.
- Move stop to breakeven after the first partial unless the trend context argues for a wider stop.
- Trail the remainder behind the 9/20 EMA or structure pivots; never widen a stop.
- If a candle closes back inside your breakout level, exit the remainder—setup failed.
- End-of-trade note: “What did I see early that justified the hold—or the exit?”
Journaling & Stat Tracking
He reviews numbers, screenshots, and emotions to tighten the loop. The objective is to know exactly which setups and times pay him.
- Journal every trade with entry, stop, R planned, R realized, and two screenshots (entry/exit).
- Tag setups (ORB, VWAP, ABCD), time-of-day, market regime, and A/B/C quality.
- Weekly: sort by tag and time to find the top 10% edges; cut the bottom 20% next week.
- Track slippage and spread by ticker to adjust size and order type rules.
- Add a short “state” note (sleep, mood, distractions) to correlate performance with readiness.
Psychology & Session Rules
Aziz treats discipline as a skill trained daily. He builds guardrails so one emotional moment can’t wreck a week.
- Pre-open commitment: “I’ll take only A and B setups; C setups go to sim.”
- If two consecutive impulsive trades occur, step away for 10 minutes—no screen staring.
- Never chase a missed move; next trade must be from the written plan, or you’re done.
- Protect the first win: after a green 1R start, reduce risk on the next trade to avoid a flip.
- End the day at a set time (e.g., 10:30) unless a pre-planned news catalyst is imminent.
Swing/After-Hours Rules (Optional Extension)
While primarily a first-hour day trader, he may hold small, planned swings when daily structure is clean. Rules keep these from turning into accidental bags.
- Only take swings that align with the daily/weekly trend and hold above/below key MAs.
- Risk ≤ 0.5R per swing unless it’s your top A+ idea with broad-market alignment.
- Place initial stop on the daily structure; no intraday “hope” adjustments.
- Scale out into daily targets; roll the remainder with a daily close stop.
- If earnings are within a week and not part of the thesis, skip the swing entirely.
Build a Focused Watchlist: Trade Clean Gappers with Real Catalysts
Andrew Aziz keeps his list tight so decision-making stays sharp at the open. He hunts for stocks gapping with a clear reason—earnings, guidance, FDA news, or a credible analyst call—so momentum isn’t just noise. Liquidity matters, so he wants solid premarket volume and tight spreads that let him get in and out without drama. Relative volume and the ATR filter out sleepy names, leaving only tickers that can actually move.
He caps the primary list to a handful of symbols to avoid flipping charts when seconds count. If a stock looks choppy on the daily or trades erratically in premarket, Andrew Aziz pushes it to a secondary list and saves his attention for the best. Key levels—premarket high/low, yesterday’s range, and obvious whole numbers—are mapped before the bell to predefine triggers and exits. With a clean, catalyst-driven watchlist, he shows up ready to execute, not search.
Size by Risk, Not Hope: Fixed R and Hard Daily Max
Andrew Aziz sizes every trade from the stop up, not from a gut feel. He defines a fixed dollar risk per trade (R), calculates share size as R divided by the distance to the stop, and places the stop immediately. A hard daily max loss locks the door on revenge trading; once it’s hit, he’s done for the day. If volatility is higher than usual or he’s not 100%, he halves R before the bell.
Andrew Aziz never averages down outside a preplanned add zone because it breaks the math. First partial profits come off near 1R to de-risk, then he trails the rest, so losers stay small and winners can stretch. Two consecutive losses trigger a size cut or a switch to sim to protect the mindset. The goal is simple: consistent risk per trade, consistent daily guardrails, and no “hope” anywhere in the process.
Let Mechanics Lead: ORB, VWAP, and ABCD Over Predictions
For Andrew Aziz, the mechanics of the trade—such as the Opening Range Breakout (ORB), VWAP pullbacks, and ABCD pattern—are far more reliable than trying to predict where a stock will go. He focuses on price action and volume confirmation rather than guessing which way the market will break. By sticking to his key setups, Aziz ensures that his trades are based on a repeatable process, not on emotional reactions to the market’s mood.
Rather than chasing unpredictable movements, Andrew Aziz waits for these mechanical patterns to form and confirms them with volume before entering. The ORB strategy is one of his go-to tools, where he waits for the first 5-10 minutes to define a range and then trades the breakout. If price holds the breakout level with volume, he enters with clear risk and target points. He also loves trading the VWAP for trend continuation and reversal setups, relying on it as his primary anchor for intraday price action. The idea is simple: let the chart tell the story and only trade when the mechanics align.
Adjust Size to Volatility: Trade Smaller on Wild, Larger on Calm
Andrew Aziz understands that volatility can make or break a trade. When markets are choppy and price action is wild, he scales down his position size to reduce exposure and minimize risk. On quieter, more controlled days, he increases his size to capitalize on the stability. This approach ensures that his trades stay within his risk tolerance, no matter what the market throws at him. Volatility is a key factor in determining how much to risk on each trade, and Aziz uses it to guide his sizing decisions.
By adjusting his size based on market conditions, Andrew Aziz keeps his risk profile consistent while still allowing for larger rewards when the market is calm. He keeps a close eye on intraday volatility and checks whether a stock’s range is out of the ordinary. This strategy not only helps preserve capital during unpredictable swings but also allows him to take advantage of cleaner price movements when the market is more stable. His focus on volatility-based sizing is an important element of his long-term trading discipline and risk management strategy.
Protect the Mindset: Stop After Two Losses, Journal and Review
For Andrew Aziz, protecting the trader’s mindset is just as important as protecting capital. He has a strict rule: if he experiences two consecutive losses, he stops trading for the day. This rule prevents emotional decisions and helps avoid the common trap of trying to “make back” losses. By cutting himself off early, Aziz ensures he doesn’t chase the market in a bad mental state, which could lead to bigger mistakes. This mental reset is a crucial part of his disciplined approach, allowing him to come back fresh the next day.
In addition to stopping after losses, Andrew Aziz emphasizes the importance of journaling each trade. He writes down why he entered, what went well, what went wrong, and how he felt during the trade. This reflection process helps him learn from every trade, turning both wins and losses into opportunities for growth. Regular reviews of his trades give him deeper insights into his own behavior and trading patterns, allowing him to refine his strategies over time. By focusing on mindset management and continual improvement, Aziz ensures he stays sharp, disciplined, and consistently profitable.
Andrew Aziz’s trading approach is built on a foundation of discipline, clear rules, and risk management. His key strategies—focused on a structured premarket routine, tight watchlists, and mechanical setups—help him navigate the markets with confidence and consistency. By prioritizing price action and using strategies like ORB, VWAP, and ABCD, he ensures his trades are grounded in clear mechanics rather than speculative predictions. This allows him to maintain a repeatable process, minimizing emotional decision-making and improving execution.
Aziz’s emphasis on sizing based on volatility and defining clear risk per trade are crucial elements of his strategy. He understands that size should be adjusted based on market conditions to protect his capital during periods of high volatility and take advantage of calm market conditions. His firm daily max loss rule and the practice of journaling and reviewing each trade further support his disciplined approach, ensuring that he learns from every trade, whether a win or a loss. By incorporating these lessons into his routine, Aziz not only protects his capital but also keeps his mindset sharp, ultimately leading to consistent long-term success.
