I appreciate all the insights and help.

Upshot. Simple is difficult; and difficult is simple. To feel in-sync with the market is the greatest feeling; the difficulty of making money suddenly becomes simple. All can turn in a flash via the poor execution of a robot trade. The simple, being on the side of the market with the robot, becomes exceedingly difficult. The smallest inaccuracies produce compounding failures.

I'm back to square one. Lucky for me, it is only January. I will now add patience to a list of virtues I can practice.

I can't recall feeling so confused as I have while learning this craft.