Introduction
My name is Vincent Desiano, and I’m sharing my journey from early trading struggles to generating over $500,000 in profits in 2024 using a simple break and retest trading strategy. What stood out in January 2025 alone was $320,000 in profits—more than half of my entire 2024 earnings. This wasn’t luck. It stemmed from 12 years of refining a focused approach that works because it’s built on market psychology, not complexity. In this case study, I’ll share my exact journey, strategies, and the critical mindset shifts that transformed me from a loss-making beginner to a consistent six-figure monthly trader using the break and retest trading strategy.
Trader Talks QnA
What’s the one thing that really stands out to you that has allowed you to achieve your trading results?
Making sure every day coming into the markets with the same idea, the same strategy, looking for the exact same thing every day. I think one of the biggest problems that a lot of traders have is they’re walking into the markets every day and they just don’t know exactly when that bell rings what are they going to be looking for. Making sure that every single day, I’m looking for the exact same things. I’m not chasing shiny objects because as we know today and in the future, there’s going to be a lot of shiny objects. Stick to what you know, what you’ve built, the foundation has really helped me stay on this path of profitability.
Would you say you’re a more mechanical trader?
Fully technical, 100% technical. I ignore every noise out there. I will always stick to the technical level. If FOMC is approaching or some major macroeconomic event is approaching, I will maybe derisk. But some kind of small noise out there in the markets, it’s not something that’s going to affect me trading my technical system.
Were you someone who before getting to that strategy were looking for that complex thing?
Absolutely. I started trading in 2013. I went into penny stocks, tried trading shares on leverage, went into even trading forex. Tried everything, right? That experimental phase was definitely from 2013 when I was 18 to around graduating college. Throughout that period, I was trying to find what worked for me. What fits your personality is very important. I’m a much more patient person, so the quick scalping movements is a little bit against what I found myself to be enjoying.
How did you go about finding that edge and strategy?
Starting after COVID which was 2019 into 2020. I vividly remember the day that I opened my mind to staying true to one thing and not strategy flopping. Nick Shawn is a Forex guy on YouTube who trades break and retest off major supply levels. I remember watching him trade that and I said, ‘Let me go ahead and see if this can be applied to the equity markets.’ And from that day, I vividly remember solely looking for that one thing and just sort of have been tweaking it ever since.
What did that process of building confidence behind the strategy look like?
Confidence is probably the number one thing. I think it’s the most important thing. You have to trust the levels, which is a big saying of mine. You have to trust that history that’s happened in the past is going to happen again. Why are you the person that thinks this time is going to be different? If Apple has rejected $200 over the last four months every time and it’s back at 200, trade the $200 short. Why is it any different this time?
Were you collecting data as part of building trust in your strategy?
I did not collect data for a long period of my trading. I realized that I need to start looking back at my trades. After about 3 years of doing that I could consistently say that it was a winning thing to look for. I had a higher than 50% average on the win rate, which is all you need. If you’re taking positive risk-reward trades, right? If you’re sticking to a strategy that gives you at least one to one or more, then all you need is 50%.
Vincent Desiano Trade Statistics
I’ve transformed from a loss-making beginner to consistently generating significant profits through disciplined implementation of my break and retest trading strategy. Below are my actual trading statistics that demonstrate how this approach has worked in practice:
- 2024 Profit: $500,000 with a large portion coming from a single perfect setup trade
- January 2025 Profit: $320,000 in just 22 trading days
- Trade Hold Time: Approximately 3 days before taking first profits
- 2023 Results: Made about $70,000 through pure scalping but worked “too hard” for that amount
| Year | Profit Generated | Key Development |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $70,000 | Pure scalping approach |
| 2024 | $500,000 | Break and retest strategy implementation |
| Jan 2025 | $320,000 | Perfecting approach for larger positions |
Key Trading Insights from Vincent Desiano
These are the most valuable lessons I’ve learned through my 12-year trading journey that you can apply immediately to improve your performance:
- Focus on 4-hour and daily chart levels rather than intraday noise for higher probability setups
- Trade break and retest patterns at confluence points (like where moving averages meet previous rejection zones)
- Never chase breakouts – wait for the market to retest support/resistance before entering
- Always consider broader market context (S&P 500 and NASDAQ futures levels) when making individual stock decisions
Vincent Desiano Trading Strategy
My break and retest trading strategy focuses on patience and precision rather than constant trading. It’s not about finding complex indicators but recognizing where institutional traders are likely to place their orders based on historical price behavior. What makes this strategy work consistently is its foundation in market structure rather than arbitrary entry points.
Break and Retest Core Principles
I look primarily at 4-hour and daily chart levels. I also use daily moving averages – the 20, 50, 100, and 200 daily moving averages. These are daily moving averages only, which are very influential levels. For example, with Costco, we moved down to the 100-day moving average, which is a level it has bounced off four times over the last year. On top of that moving average was also a major daily chart rejection point from a few months back. So we broke above that level and came back down to retest it. I don’t trade the breakout – I wait for the retest when the market has shaken out the weak hands who chased the initial move.
Risk Management System
My risk management involves scaling out of positions as the trade moves in my favor. If I’m in a $100,000 position, I’ll cut it to $50,000, then $20,000, then $10,000, taking profits along the way while allowing the full move to develop. Every trade ends with a red day where I give back some profits, but this approach ensures I’m not fully exposed at the end of the move. I use the static level as my risk point – I know exactly where my trade is invalidated.
Vincent Desiano Tools
To execute my break and retest trading strategy effectively, I use a combination of professional tools that help me identify key levels and manage risk properly:
- Live streaming platform for daily market analysis (builds accountability)
- Professional charting software for identifying key levels on multiple timeframes
- Options trading platform with capacity for longer-dated, in-the-money contracts
- Closed community for sharing setups and reinforcing discipline
Common Trading Mistakes to Avoid
Through my own painful experiences and watching countless traders in my community, these are the most costly mistakes you should avoid at all costs:
- Micromanaging daily chart setups on one-minute timeframes (creates unnecessary panic)
- Not respecting stop losses (I’ve made this mistake many times when I extended trades past my risk point)
- Ignoring broader market context when trading individual stocks
- Using short-dated options contracts for daily chart strategies (leads to excessive slippage)
Conclusion
My trading journey proves that simplicity beats complexity every time. The break and retest trading strategy has taken me from losing money in penny stocks to generating six-figure months consistently, not through complex indicators but through disciplined execution of a simple concept. If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to aspiring traders: focus on building trust in your strategy through consistent application, not chasing the newest trading method. I challenge you to pick one simple approach, master it completely, and stick to it through thick and thin. For more insights on my break and retest methodology, follow me on Twitter at @desi_trade where I share daily setups.