Year-End Futures Strategy Review: What Worked, What Didn't, and Planning Ahead

As the year winds down, it’s a natural time to pause and take stock of your trading. Whether you’ve had a strong year or faced a few setbacks in 2025, reviewing your performance can help you reset with purpose. Think of it as a chance to clear the slate, carry forward what’s working, and leave behind what’s not. 

Here’s a look at how to reflect on your trading year—honestly and constructively—so you can start 2026 with a fresh mindset and a stronger game plan. 

Look back: What worked in 2025? 

Let’s start with the wins. ven in a volatile year, traders who stuck to a plan and made thoughtful adjustments could potentially from steady progress. Here are common practices some traders use when reviewing their trading process: 

• Staying flexible when the market moved fast: When news hit or volatility picked up, traders who stayed calm and adjusted on the fly often found new setups worth taking. 
• Keeping a solid routine: Having a consistent daily structure, from pre-market chart review to post-trade journaling, helped build discipline and reduce decision fatigue. 
• Managing risk on every trade: Using stop-loss orders, setting clear profit targets, and adjusting position sizes to match account size helped protect capital through the ups and downs. 
• Reviewing setups regularly: Traders who took time to revisit their favorite strategies and refine entry and exit rules often stayed more consistent throughout the year. 

Even smaller habits—like writing quick notes after a trade or taking screenshots to review later—played a big role in reinforcing good trading behaviors. 

Recognize what didn’t work 

No trading year is perfect. If you’re honest about where things slipped, you can use those moments as learning opportunities instead of just frustration. Here are a few common sticking points from 2025: 

• Overtrading in tough conditions: Some traders found themselves entering low-quality setups during slow sessions or uncertain markets, usually out of boredom or impatience. 
• Letting emotions override plans: Ignoring risk limits or chasing losses led to a few big hits that wiped out hard-earned gains. 
• Skipping post-trade reviews: Without regular check-ins, it’s tough to spot repeating mistakes or build on what’s working. 

It’s not about beating yourself up. It’s about noticing the patterns and making small but meaningful shifts to tighten things up heading into the new year. 

Review the metrics that matter 

Gut feelings can only take you so far. Your numbers, no matter how you feel about them, tell the real story. If you want to grow as a trader in the new year, make it a habit to review these key metrics: 

• Win rate: What percentage of your trades ended green? How do your winners compare to your losers in size? 
• Average return per trade: Are your trades producing enough reward for the risk you’re taking? 
• Max drawdown: How much did your account dip during your worst stretch? Does that line up with your risk tolerance? 
• Trade frequency: Are you trading too often, or are you missing setups by waiting too long? 

If you’ve been journaling or logging your trades, now’s the time to dig into that data. If not, it’s never too late to start—just a few notes per trade can go a long way to help you spot trends and improve your strategy. 

Reset your goals and game plan for 2026 

Once you’ve reviewed what happened in 2025, it’s time to look ahead to 2026. This doesn’t mean setting huge, vague goals; instead, set realistic, measurable ones that support your process. For example, you might aim to: 

• Focus only on A+ setups and skip anything that doesn’t meet all your criteria. 
• Limit your max drawdown per week or month to protect your capital. 
• Complete a weekly trade review every Friday to stay on track. 

You can also revisit your playbook. Are your strategies still performing? Do you need to tweak your setups based on current market conditions? If so, testing them in a sim environment before going live can help you build more confidence. 

Keep a growth mindset 

Markets change. Strategies evolve. What worked six months ago might not work now, and that’s okay. Futures trading isn’t about having it all figured out; it’s about being ready to adapt, learn, and grow with every session. 

The traders who keep moving forward aren’t always the ones with the highest win rate or biggest P&L. They’re the ones who stay focused on the bigger picture. They understand that setbacks are part of the journey, and they use every trade (win or lose) as a chance to learn something new. 

Here’s what that growth mindset often looks like: 

• Staying calm under pressure: When market conditions shift, they don’t panic—they reassess and adapt. 
• Embracing the long game: Instead of chasing daily results, they stay focused on building long-term consistency. 
• Showing up consistently: Even after a losing streak or missed opportunity, they reset, refocus, and get back to the process. 

Growth doesn’t come from being perfect. It comes from sticking with it: reviewing your trades, refining your strategy, and being open to change. Focus on what you can control: your preparation, your execution, and your mindset. 

And remember, every trader is always learning. Stay curious, stay disciplined, and keep building your edge one day at a time.