Floor trading and fintwit share an overlapping dynamic

"cooperative competition"

It'll be fun to lay out some basics of the floor trading ecosystem and you will spot analogies.

First an fyi.

The floor gave traders what was known as "time/place advantage". It was the first place an order became public if it was not an electronic order.

Let's classify the traders on the floor:

"Locals" and prop firms
"Locals" are independent traders.

They trade their own money and secure the right to trade on the floor by owning or leasing one of the limited seats which represented an ownership stake by the exchange's "members" (this was before demutualization)
You know prop shops.

Names like Group One, Timber Hill (IBKR), Jane Street, CTC, DRW, Cooper Neff, O'Connor, Cutler, Wolverine, and my alma mater SIG.

Traders representing these firms usually have a salary and bonus (discretionary, formulaic, or hybrid)
A little digression. There's a 3rd class of trader which is a "backed" trader which blurs local and firm.

These firms were usually tied to clearing firms and offered economies of scale in risk management, software, data, clearing rates.

I left SIG in 2008 to get backed...
From 2009-2012, I put up escrow with a firm whose business was to bankroll traders. In my case I got 70% of my p/l, and i could sleep knowing i couldn't lose more than escrow. Giving up 30% was worth it to me.
My backers were well-capitalized and allowed us to trade as big as firm traders (but our escrows ranged from 6 to 7 figures). We answered to risk managers as well. But for the most part we were left to build teams and businesses as we saw fit.
Now that we know the players, some dynamics.

Locals, since they are not as well funded, trade smaller and focus on extremely high Sharpes (although they wouldn't use this lingo), low capacity opportunities.
Locals tend to be seasoned and run tight risk. Many were very independent minded, more likely to be misfits who are allergic to jobs and W2s.

Firm traders tend to be more pedigreed, younger and less autonomous. They are well-resourced, well-capitalized, and can trade big.
The floor is competitive. If a broker lifts the pit's offer for 500 contracts, mm'ers fight for "recognition". Everyone wants an allocation. Politics, justice, and game dynamics is worth a thread of its own. The main point is that folks are fighting and scraping for market share.
But the floor is also cooperative. It's an emergent trust system since you are moving large sums of money by the sound of your voice.

Even a den of thieves has a code of ethics. Word is bond. Welch on a broker and she's not trading with you again.
This trust system is further reinforced by incentives. You are competing with each other, but the broker flow is the ultimate source of compensation. Everyone on your exchange wants the flow to keep coming.
There's an informal favor system or quid pro quo that ultimately serves the broker's clients not having errors.

Nobody, not the exchange, traders or brokers wants clients taking their ball and going home.
Finally, you cannot help but make friends with many of the people you stand shoulder to shoulder with all day. After all, you share common interests. You want to know each other's comp deals. (I joined my backer bc of such a friend)

There's more...
Every day is an interview. You are watching each other, sizing each other up, looking to hire or maybe get hired.

The info barter game: what can I share that isn't valuable but sounded valuable.

Constant sandbagging about what pits had edge.
"it sucks in here, nobody makes $"
How bout sniffing out disgruntled mm'ers at competing firms...a young trader upset with their bonus who would trade info for acceptance. They are dreaming you'd hire them (somehow oblivious that a willingness to divulge secrets is not a quality you advertise to future employers)
So the social dynamics in a competitive cooperation setting are a cartoon.

Sure you might get in a nose-to-nose screaming match for an allocation to the big order that came thru the pit in the am. But later you'd grab a beer at Suspenders.

Sam Sheepdog & coyote punching the ⏱️
Then there's the meta learning that comes from seeing what your competitors are doing.

For example, just noticing that your competitor is talking on a headset all day to their screen or Clearport trader then does something in the pit is good info.

Plus you now want a "hoot".
If you know that SIG sees global flow in real-time then when they are the best offer in vol in your pit you can adjust your opinions/models.

If Susq was a seller of BBH vol you might ping your mm camped in the DNA crowd to see if Susq was legging correlation.
Timber Hill had a model that removed discretion from their traders. So they were not using negotiation tactics to maximize individual fills but were optimizing for more holistic edge/risk targets.

They had a "box" with a model populated by all their tentacles of intel.
So every other mm'er in the pit came to see Timber's undisguised behavior as valuable market intel to calibrate against their own opinions. You could lean on their markets & "free roll" on their transparency
Learning from watching your competitors is common in business esp public businesses. The proximity to them is more similar to sports though. The way you learn from a coach you consider smart who does something unconventional like go for it on 4th and medium on the 50 yd line.
Or watching how baseball managers might shift their defense based on the batter. Or an NFL coach letting a RB walk in for a TD when the only chance to win is to receive another kickoff.

Everyone learns from this strategy that can't be hidden.
Anyway, Twitter feels like a cooperative competition. You can spend parts of your day shooting the bull with people tied together by the same callings of opportunity and learning.

Being on an upstairs desk can feel more like a library than a bazaar. And wfh doesn't help...
Twitter fills a void for me.

It's fun being on Twitter and I couldn't help noticing some similarities to the floor. Thanks for making the days more fun and floor-like.

More from Trading

12 TRADING SETUPS used by professional traders:🧵

Collaborated with @niki_poojary

Here's what you'll learn in this thread:

1. Capture Overnight Theta Decay
2. Trading Opening Range Breakouts
3. Reversal Trading Setups
4. Selling strangles and straddles in Bank Nifty
6. NR4 + IB
7. NR 21-Vwap Strategy

Let's dive in ↓

1/ STBT option Selling (Positional Setup):

The setup uses price action to sell options for overnight theta decay.

Check Bank Nifty at 3:15 everyday.

Sell directional credit spreads with capped


@jigspatel1988 2/ Selling Strangles in Bank Nifty based on Open Interest Data

Don't trade till 9:45 Am.

Identify the highest OI on puts and calls.

Check combined premium and put a stop on individual


@jigspatel1988 3/ Open Drive (Intraday)

This is an opening range breakout setup with a few conditions.

To be used when the market opens above yesterday's day high

or Below yesterday's day's
Fake chats claiming to be from the Irish African community are being disseminated by the far right in order to suggest that violence is imminent from #BLM supporters. This is straight out of the QAnon and Proud Boys playbook. Spread the word. Protest safely. #georgenkencho


There is co-ordination across the far right in Ireland now to stir both left and right in the hopes of creating a race war. Think critically! Fascists see the tragic killing of #georgenkencho, the grief of his community and pending investigation as a flashpoint for action.


Across Telegram, Twitter and Facebook disinformation is being peddled on the back of these tragic events. From false photographs to the tactics ofwhite supremacy, the far right is clumsily trying to drive hate against minority groups and figureheads.


Declan Ganley’s Burkean group and the incel wing of National Party (Gearóid Murphy, Mick O’Keeffe & Co.) as well as all the usuals are concerted in their efforts to demonstrate their white supremacist cred. The quiet parts are today being said out loud.


The best thing you can do is challenge disinformation and report posts where engagement isn’t appropriate. Many of these are blatantly racist posts designed to drive recruitment to NP and other Nationalist groups. By all means protest but stay safe.

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🌿𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 : 𝑫𝒉𝒓𝒖𝒗𝒂 & 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒏𝒖

Once upon a time there was a Raja named Uttānapāda born of Svayambhuva Manu,1st man on earth.He had 2 beautiful wives - Suniti & Suruchi & two sons were born of them Dhruva & Uttama respectively.
#talesofkrishna https://t.co/E85MTPkF9W


Now Suniti was the daughter of a tribal chief while Suruchi was the daughter of a rich king. Hence Suruchi was always favored the most by Raja while Suniti was ignored. But while Suniti was gentle & kind hearted by nature Suruchi was venomous inside.
#KrishnaLeela


The story is of a time when ideally the eldest son of the king becomes the heir to the throne. Hence the sinhasan of the Raja belonged to Dhruva.This is why Suruchi who was the 2nd wife nourished poison in her heart for Dhruva as she knew her son will never get the throne.


One day when Dhruva was just 5 years old he went on to sit on his father's lap. Suruchi, the jealous queen, got enraged and shoved him away from Raja as she never wanted Raja to shower Dhruva with his fatherly affection.


Dhruva protested questioning his step mother "why can't i sit on my own father's lap?" A furious Suruchi berated him saying "only God can allow him that privilege. Go ask him"
#ज्योतिष_विज्ञान #मंत्र_विज्ञान

ज्योतिषाचार्य अक्सर ग्रहों के दुष्प्रभाव के समाधान के लिए मंत्र जप, अनुष्ठान इत्यादि बताते हैं।

व्यक्ति के जन्म के समय ग्रहों की स्थिति ही उसकी कुंडली बन जाती है जैसे कि फ़ोटो खींच लिया हो और एडिट करना सम्भव नही है। इसे ही "लग्न" कुंडली कहते हैं।


लग्न के समय ग्रहों की इस स्थिति से ही जीवन भर आपको किस ग्रह की ऊर्जा कैसे प्रभावित करेगी का निर्धारिण होता है। साथ साथ दशाएँ, गोचर इत्यादि चलते हैं पर लग्न कुंडली का रोल सबसे महत्वपूर्ण है।


पृथ्वी से अरबों खरबों दूर ये ग्रह अपनी ऊर्जा से पृथ्वी/व्यक्ति को प्रभावित करते हैं जैसे हमारे सबसे निकट ग्रह चंद्रमा जोकि जल का कारक है पृथ्वी और शरीर के जलतत्व पर पूर्ण प्रभाव रखता है।
पूर्णिमा में उछाल मारता समुद्र का जल इसकी ऊर्जा के प्रभाव को दिखाता है।


अमावस्या में ऊर्जा का स्तर कम होने पर वही समुद्र शांत होकर पीछे चला जाता है। जिसे ज्वार-भाटा कहते हैं। इसी तरह अन्य ग्रहों की ऊर्जा के प्रभाव होते हैं जिन्हें यहां समझाना संभव नहीं।
चंद्रमा की ये ऊर्जा शरीर को (अगर खराब है) water retention, बैचेनी, नींद न आना आदि लक्षण दिखाती है


मंत्र क्या हैं-
मंत्र इन ऊर्जाओं के सटीक प्रयोग करने के पासवर्ड हैं। जिनके जप से संबंधित ग्रह की ऊर्जा को जातक की ऊर्जा से कनेक्ट करके उन ग्रहों के दुष्प्रभाव को कम किया और शुभ प्रभाव को बढ़ाया जाता है।
THREAD: 12 Things Everyone Should Know About IQ

1. IQ is one of the most heritable psychological traits – that is, individual differences in IQ are strongly associated with individual differences in genes (at least in fairly typical modern environments). https://t.co/3XxzW9bxLE


2. The heritability of IQ *increases* from childhood to adulthood. Meanwhile, the effect of the shared environment largely fades away. In other words, when it comes to IQ, nature becomes more important as we get older, nurture less.
https://t.co/UqtS1lpw3n


3. IQ scores have been increasing for the last century or so, a phenomenon known as the Flynn effect. https://t.co/sCZvCst3hw (N ≈ 4 million)

(Note that the Flynn effect shows that IQ isn't 100% genetic; it doesn't show that it's 100% environmental.)


4. IQ predicts many important real world outcomes.

For example, though far from perfect, IQ is the single-best predictor of job performance we have – much better than Emotional Intelligence, the Big Five, Grit, etc. https://t.co/rKUgKDAAVx https://t.co/DWbVI8QSU3


5. Higher IQ is associated with a lower risk of death from most causes, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, most forms of cancer, homicide, suicide, and accident. https://t.co/PJjGNyeQRA (N = 728,160)