This time of year can be quite a challenge. Many traders are gone for holiday leaving a low volume choppy market for the die hards. The S&P 500 behaves in uncharacteristic ways which can offer far less opportunities than normal. There is a temptation to change personal trading rules to fit the market, but it often leads to losses. Additionally discipline requires holding fast to method, even at the expense of less trades. Or you can look at it as unrealized losses. The chart below shows the 1-2-3 pattern completed by the purple lines that would trigger a trade. Notice the 3 point has not been made in the price channel, thus no setup as of yet.