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Assuming he compounded all of his returns he'd be the richest person in the world. Making 100% on 100k is demonstratively easier than making 100% on 100m and is

by lrm242 17y ago

Assuming he compounded all of his returns he'd be the richest person in the world. Making 100% on 100k is demonstratively easier than making 100% on 100m and is not unheard of. So why doesn't this guy manage other people's money? No where in this article does it mention his account volatility or average draw down. This guy might be making 100% return with a peak to valley draw down of 75%. Don't assume they are charlatans just because you don't understand what they're doing.

borism 17y ago
exactly, they're probably spending most of the returns. what they do is highly dubious, but they're not charlatans because they mostly account only to themselves.
cynicalkane 17y ago
The reason I find it dubious is because $100k is not very much. You need to make very large trades--risking thousands of dollars at a time--or else you'll be eaten by fees and commissions. I don't know anything about day trading, but I used to play poker (profitably), and know sports betters. $100k is simply not enough to be risking thousands of dollars on single bets, unless the bets have an enormous edge--an edge that is economically impossible in the algo-dominated, limited-information world of day trading. You will go bust. I could produce math for you, but I'm lazy. But I've seen so many poker players go bust taking risks like this, and poker is a game where it's unbelievable how many morons are willing to throw money at you. Not like day trading.
- lrm242 17y ago
  There are a lot of subtleties with trading. To make money you need positive expectancy and you need 'inventory', or tradeable markets. They don't have to make large trades to make money. You have to consider transaction costs, rebates, avg win size, avg lose size, holding period, and a number of other criteria before you can judge these traders. I don't claim they won't go bust, but I do take issue that simply because they make out-sized returns they are labeled charlatans.

by lrm242 17y ago

borism 17y ago

exactly, they're probably spending most of the returns. what they do is highly dubious, but they're not charlatans because they mostly account only to themselves.

cynicalkane 17y ago

The reason I find it dubious is because $100k is not very much. You need to make very large trades--risking thousands of dollars at a time--or else you'll be eaten by fees and commissions. I don't know anything about day trading, but I used to play poker (profitably), and know sports betters. $100k is simply not enough to be risking thousands of dollars on single bets, unless the bets have an enormous edge--an edge that is economically impossible in the algo-dominated, limited-information world of day trading. You will go bust. I could produce math for you, but I'm lazy. But I've seen so many poker players go bust taking risks like this, and poker is a game where it's unbelievable how many morons are willing to throw money at you. Not like day trading.

lrm242 17y ago
There are a lot of subtleties with trading. To make money you need positive expectancy and you need 'inventory', or tradeable markets. They don't have to make large trades to make money. You have to consider transaction costs, rebates, avg win size, avg lose size, holding period, and a number of other criteria before you can judge these traders. I don't claim they won't go bust, but I do take issue that simply because they make out-sized returns they are labeled charlatans.