Monday, June 7, 2010

Clarity

What's the purpose of posts like this one? (referring to my post: EURO 1 minute HLA no losing trades at all today...What are you selling? Yourself? Your system? You mix some really interesting posts with stuff like this...are you trying to establish some credibility with it? - Anonymous
I would like to thank Anonymous for posting this question. First, I would like to suggest that you read my biography...click here. Second, I would like to tie things together.

A most interesting thing has happened repeatedly in my life, and I think it relates to music (if you do not know I am a pianist and composer) and to trading. When you absolutely need to perform, you just absolutely definitely have to perform - you don't. You underperform. When you absolutely need that winning trade your mind is too wound up in getting it to let things go somewhere else than you are looking. For me, hoarding my systems was a past-time. I shared next to nothing and, in my opinion, my work suffered because of the inherent conflicts that self destructive, introverted and selfish behaviour can facilitate. On the other hand, if you follow the markets or a performance where they need to go, they become interesting and take to you new places and opportunities. My expression and openness about my work encompasses that view and goal.  I am not trying to sell - as it is, I have enough interest in the technology I have licensed to hedgefunds and institutions and additionally, I have the MQ38 project that is rapidly building its momentum.

I have consistently found that risking doing the opposite of what you think you REALLY should be doing is an interesting and productive journey at the least and often the exact right thing to do. This attitude has definitely impacted me and definitely for the better.

This brings me to another point, I do have quite a few clients and they want to know what's going on. I do run systems on behalf of these clients and they look at my posts here with a fine tooth comb and check the posted trades vs actual trades in their books or seek to understand new innovations I am working on. I get a lot of feedback from them because of my posts. Additionally, I like the fact that people are checking on me and yes I do I think there is a credibility element that is gained when you do post things that have occurred in peoples trading books and that have to stand up to the light of day type smell test.

Also, publicly displaying this stuff might just be an inspiration or influence on someone who may just need it. When I was struggling to get to this level, I certainly appreciated any bit of inspiration I could get. Perhaps, some of my work is a motivator for others.

Though I am not egocentric about my work, (I tend to believe that I am mostly fortunate to be standing where I am when some good idea happens and fortunate to be a part of it) I am rather proud of my work and am constantly looking for ways to improve and evolve. My blog is an integral part of the expression and evolution of all those things.