One of the many paradoxes of trading in markets is that - for a given period of time - strategies that are ‘right’ in the broader time context can be absolutely catastrophic in other times. Indeed, careers of one or two currently lauded by FinTwit and the wider financial media

were made by doing exactly the wrong thing at the right time for just long enough before the cycle changed back again.

* The market constantly changes its reward structure (i.e. what approaches it rewards)
* It can be relied upon that the variance exhibited in the future on
data that does not yet exist will exceed that which is observed on historical or contemporary data.

With these two points in mind, it is no wonder that the overwhelming majority of the ‘turtles’ do not make it to the sea from their hatching places. (To take from the great
Dennis/Eckhart experiment of the early /mid 1980’s)

The ‘turtles’ I refer to are new entrants to markets with outrageously good technical qualifications.

I believe that as a member of rare club of quant traders who have traded in three consecutive decades I have earned the
right to say that our education standards for preparing people for markets has shifted way too far towards the ‘edge’ being related to manipulating large amounts of data quickly rather than actual alpha.
This is why 99/100 advertised ‘Quant Trader’ roles - to the extent that
they are actually jobs and not HH garbage- are for HFT or HFT related.

People are not prepared, and therefore do not design, systems that can deal with the two points I noted earlier re: changing rewards and variance.

This is why the failure rate is so high and why said rate is
accelerating. Have a look around your firms, 1-3 people are responsible for the lions share.

I genuinely believe, and am observing day to day - that the quant community’s last Hail Mary is tying themselves to ML - some will find something , 99% won’t.

I do not know how
this generation plans on surviving into the next cycle - I really don’t.
It’s a little easier in some ways dealing with the complexity of shorter term speculation because I trade through different cycles every day.......

Every market this coming week will do some combination
of movements that it has never done before, just as they did last week.

More from Trading

You May Also Like

The chorus of this song uses the shlokas taken from Sundarkand of Ramayana.

It is a series of Sanskrit shlokas recited by Jambavant to Hanuman to remind Him of his true potential.

1. धीवर प्रसार शौर्य भरा: The brave persevering one, your bravery is taking you forward.


2. उतसारा स्थिरा घम्भीरा: The one who is leaping higher and higher, who is firm and stable and seriously determined.

3. ुग्रामा असामा शौर्या भावा: He is strong, and without an equal in the ability/mentality to fight

4. रौद्रमा नवा भीतिर्मा: His anger will cause new fears in his foes.

5.विजिटरीपुरु धीरधारा, कलोथरा शिखरा कठोरा: This is a complex expression seen only in Indic language poetry. The poet is stating that Shivudu is experiencing the intensity of climbing a tough peak, and likening

it to the feeling in a hard battle, when you see your enemy defeated, and blood flowing like a rivulet. This is classical Veera rasa.

6.कुलकु थारथिलीथा गम्भीरा, जाया विराट वीरा: His rough body itself is like a sharp weapon (because he is determined to win). Hail this complete

hero of the world.

7.विलयगागनथाला भिकारा, गरज्जद्धरा गारा: The hero is destructive in the air/sky as well (because he can leap at an enemy from a great height). He can defeat the enemy (simply) with his fearsome roar of war.