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On this episode of the Words of Rizdom podcast, host Riz sits down in Dubai with Dr. Andrew Aziz—a PhD engineer turned day trader, best-selling author, and yes, a Mount Everest summiteer. Andrew talks candidly about getting laid off, catching early “beginner’s luck,” then rebuilding as a serious trader and educator, all while advocating a sustainable, part-time approach to the craft. He matters because he blends real trading chops with a rare life perspective, showing traders how to pursue freedom without burning out.
In this piece, you’ll learn Andrew’s core trader strategy principles: why he trades U.S. stocks only in the first two hours, how a simple playbook (momentum + one counter-trend) beats chasing “secret sauce,” and what a brutal $2M drawdown taught him about leverage, rules, and ego. You’ll also see how accountability, community, and lifestyle constraints (time limits, daily stops, and profit targets) create consistency—especially for beginners who want market exposure without quitting their day jobs.
Andrew Aziz Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core Market Focus & Session Timing
Andrew Aziz zeroes in on the most liquid, directional part of the day and builds his routine around it. He focuses on U.S. equities at the opening bell, when “Stocks in Play” show clean momentum and volume that make execution and risk control straightforward. This tight window helps him avoid chop, decision fatigue, and revenge trading later in the session.
- Trade the Open only: concentrate your A+ setups in the first 60–120 minutes after 9:30 a.m. New York time.
- If you’re not green or conditions look erratic by 10:30–11:00 a.m., stop and protect capital for the next day.
- Keep a hard limit on total trades during the Open (e.g., 3–5) to reduce overtrading and preserve A+ selectivity.
Building the Watchlist: “Stocks in Play”
Before the bell, he narrows a small list of tickers that have real catalysts, abnormal volume, and clean premarket levels. The goal is to trade fewer names, know the levels cold, and execute fast with predefined triggers.
- Pre-market scan by ~9:15 a.m. ET for gappers with news; prefer names with elevated RVOL and clean premarket structure.
- Mark premarket high/low, prior close, yesterday’s high/low, and VWAP; these become your breakout/stop reference points.
- Favor alignment: long ideas above VWAP on gap-ups; short ideas below VWAP on gap-downs.
The Opening Range Breakout (ORB) Entry
Aziz’s signature is the ORB—letting the market print an initial range, then trading the break with momentum confirmation. The key is context: respect VWAP, the gap direction, and overall tape to avoid low-quality breaks.
- Define range from the first 1–5 minutes; trade with the gap (long on gap-up, short on gap-down) when the price is aligned with VWAP.
- Entry: stop order a few cents beyond the range extreme; cancel if price stalls or wicks back inside the range.
- Skip wild, extended first candles; ORBs work best when the opening structure isn’t erratic.
Risk Per Trade, Daily Loss, and R: R
His framework is built on fixed risk and asymmetric outcomes. You predefine risk in dollars, enforce a daily max loss, and require at least 2:1 reward-to-risk so your winners pay for inevitable losers.
- Risk ≤1–2% of account per trade; size shares by technical stop distance (R = dollars at risk).
- Minimum 2:1 reward-to-risk on planned targets; pass on trades that can’t reach 2R realistically.
- Set a hard daily max loss (e.g., ~3R) and stop trading the moment it’s hit—no exceptions.
Stop Placement & Trade Invalidations
Stops go where the trade thesis is objectively wrong, not at round numbers. Using structure-based invalidation lets you hold through noise and cut only when the market proves the idea invalid.
- Place stops just beyond the opposite side of the ORB range/VWAP/obvious swing level that anchors your thesis.
- Avoid ultra-tight stops on fast opens; ensure the stop sits outside normal opening volatility.
- If the level breaks with momentum and volume against you, honor the stop—don’t average down.
Managing Winners: Partials and Break-even Moves
Aziz often scales out into strength to lock risk and let the rest trend when the tape is clean. The process is mechanical: pay yourself early, reduce stress, and give the remaining shares a chance to capture 2R+.
- Take a first partial near 1R; then move the stop to break-even once price holds above the breakout (or below for shorts).
- Trail stops under 5-minute higher lows (longs) / over lower highs (shorts) to let trend do the heavy lifting.
- If momentum fades at VWAP or a prior key level, exit remaining shares—don’t give back a good open.
A+ Setup Filters to Avoid FOMO
Quality over quantity is the theme. He filters hard for alignment between catalyst, RVOL, VWAP, and clean levels, passing on anything that looks messy or crowded.
- Trade with the gap and VWAP alignment; skip countertrend breaks unless you have a clear, tested playbook for them.
- Require strong RVOL and readable tape; avoid overlapping levels and choppy premarket action.
- If a ticker becomes “wild” (huge wicks, halts, erratic prints), stand down and preserve mental capital.
Process: From Pre-Market to Shut-Down
His day is a checklist: prep, trade the plan, and shut it down when the edge decays. This reduces cognitive load and keeps emotions from running the show.
- Pre-market (around 9:15 a.m.): finalize 3–6 tickers, draw levels, set alerts, and define R and targets.
- During the Open: execute only pre-planned triggers; log entries/exits immediately with reason codes.
- After 11 a.m.: review trades, tag mistakes, and stop for the day to avoid low-quality afternoon churn.
Psychology Rules You Can Use Today
Risk rules are also psychology rules—guardrails that save you from yourself. By capping losses and forcing asymmetric payoffs, you make consistency possible even with a modest win rate.
- Set daily profit/loser thresholds before the bell and stick to them (e.g., daily target, daily max loss, max loss per trade).
- When emotions spike (after a big win/loss), take a mandatory timeout; resume only if you can follow rules.
- Journal the “why” behind each trade to reinforce playbook adherence and cut impulsive behavior over time.
Size Risk First: Fixed R, Max Daily Loss, Never Average Down
Andrew Aziz keeps it simple: protect capital first, chase profits second. He defines a fixed dollar “R” before the bell, sizes every position to that risk, and refuses to move stops once the trade is live. This puts emotion in a box—Andrew doesn’t “feel” risk, he numbers it—so one bad decision can’t spiral into a terrible day.
In practice, that means setting R (e.g., $200) and a hard daily max loss (e.g., 3R) that ends the session the instant it’s hit. Shares are sized by the technical stop distance, not by comfort or hunches, and if the thesis breaks, he exits without debate. He never averages down on losers; he would rather re-enter on a fresh signal than compound a mistake. After a large win or loss, he takes a timeout to reset, because discipline is part of the edge.
Trade the Open: Two-Hour Window, ORB With VWAP Confirmation
Andrew Aziz treats the first two hours as prime hunting time—high liquidity, clean momentum, and fewer fakeouts. He lets the opening candles define a tight range, then looks for an Opening Range Breakout that aligns with VWAP and the gap direction. If the price is above VWAP on a gap-up, he wants the break long; if it’s below on a gap-down, he hunts the short. This simple alignment filter helps Andrew avoid random wiggles and focus on moves with real participation.
Once in, Andrew Aziz manages with clear guardrails: stop just beyond the range or VWAP, first partial near 1R, and then a break-even stop to protect gains. If the tape turns messy—wicks, halts, or heavy whips—he stands down and saves mental capital for tomorrow. He limits the number of trades during the open so he’s choosing only A+ setups, not chasing noise. By 11 a.m., if the edge fades, he’s done—discipline over action.
Let Mechanics Beat Opinions: Rules, Checklists, Premarket Levels, Automatic Stops
Andrew Aziz doesn’t trust hot takes—he trusts repeatable mechanics. Before the bell, he builds a tiny playbook for each ticker: catalyst, premarket high/low, VWAP bias, entry trigger, stop level, and partial targets. If any element is missing or fuzzy, he passes. This checklist keeps Andrew from “feeling” his way into trades and locks him into a process he can grade later.
Once the market opens, Andrew Aziz lets rules do the heavy lifting: he executes only if price, volume, and VWAP alignment confirm the plan. Stops are placed automatically at invalidation—no moving them to “give it room”—and first partials come off near 1R to reduce stress. He logs the reason code for every entry and exit, so the review isn’t storytelling, it’s data. By replacing opinions with mechanics, he gets consistency even when the market mood swings.
Diversify Your Edge: Momentum Plus One Countertrend, Multiple Time Durations
Andrew Aziz keeps his playbook focused but diversified where it counts. His core is momentum at the open, yet he pairs it with one vetted countertrend setup, so he isn’t a one-note trader when conditions flip. He also varies duration—quick ORB scalps when volatility is hot, and slightly longer holds when trend, VWAP, and higher-timeframe levels line up. That mix lets Andrew participate across regimes without diluting standards or bloating the watchlist.
In practice, Andrew Aziz filters for “Stocks in Play” for the momentum leg and reserves the countertrend slot for a specific pattern with tight invalidation (e.g., exhaustion at a key level with VWAP rejection). He sizes the countertrend smaller and demands cleaner confirmation, recognizing it’s lower base rate than momentum. He won’t stack similar trades on the same ticker; instead, he diversifies by underlying, so correlated losers don’t cluster. By keeping one momentum path, one countertrend path, and flexible holding times—each with its own rules—he spreads opportunity while keeping execution simple.
Manage Winners Like A Pro: 1R Partial, Trail Stops, Protect Gains.
Andrew Aziz treats winning trades like inventory—move some early, keep the best on the shelf. He usually takes a first partial near 1R to pay himself and cut the emotional weight of the position. With risk off, he bumps the stop to break-even so a reversal can’t turn a green trade red. From there, Andrew lets the chart do the talking instead of his feelings.
When momentum persists, Andrew Aziz trails under 5-minute higher lows for longs (or over lower highs for shorts) to stay with the move without micromanaging. If price stalls at VWAP or a prior key level, he lightens up quickly rather than “hoping” for a second wind. He avoids round-tripping by locking in progress at logical checkpoints, then giving the last piece room to capture 2R+. The result is a rhythm: secure gains early, defend them mechanically, and let the market decide how big the winner gets.
In the end, Andrew Aziz’s message is simple and earned: protect capital, earn consistency, and let the market come to you. The $2 million drawdown he shared isn’t a horror story—it’s a blueprint for guardrails: fixed R per trade, a hard daily max loss, no averaging down, and a fast cut when the thesis breaks. Pair that with a focused two-hour window at the open and you’ve got a routine that limits decision fatigue while concentrating firepower where liquidity and momentum are cleanest.
His execution playbook is equally straightforward: build a tiny list of “Stocks in Play,” anchor decisions to VWAP and premarket levels, and favor Opening Range Breakouts only when alignment is there. Enter with stops already in place, take a first partial near 1R to pay yourself, then trail to let winners stretch toward 2R+. Keep one vetted countertrend setup for when the tape flips, diversify by underlying and duration (not random tickers), and journal each trade with reason codes so improvement is data-driven, not storytelling. Above all, Andrew emphasizes lifestyle discipline—time-boxing the session, stepping away after big emotional swings, and treating trading like a process you can repeat tomorrow.
