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The other noteworthy point is that nearly all of the calendar spread combinations, including flys and condors, can involve exchange-supported implied spreads - which are one of the best inventions in the futures arena in the past decade. Revolutionary. Point being, those bid/ask spreads...

I have never met a serious, professional trader ( a person actually making a living from it for an extended period of time ) who did not have anxiety. It is a natural response to the business of taking risk. If your anxiety is debilitating from a functional standpoint, then generally...

Yep. For the purposes of accurate paper trading ( P&L, drawdowns, etc. ), make sure that you mark each leg at the exact same time.

Not sure I follow, other than geopolitical volatility - parallels, how ? The human interaction is indeed a romantic quality. Except now, the bid/ask spread is improved and the volumes are greater. Alot of commercial metals traders will tell you that at least now you can butcher the...

What markets are you trading ? What is your sizing relative to your account size, and what is your typical holding period timeframe ? BTW, I second iceman's comment regarding the use of the term 'guarantee' in the same sentence with the profession of trading - if you really need to deal in...

Arch, I take your point. Cannot argue with that logic, quite frankly. We're more like 60 for 89, but you do make a convincing arguement.

Advantage is very good, so is Crossland, RJ O'Brien, Rosenthal Collins Group, Dorman, Cunningham, Kottke, etc. - there are about a dozen really good Chicago firms. Some of these firms will lease you TT or CTS on a per trade basis with a monthly cap, which is a smoking hot deal. Park a...

Most traders have a tremendous amount of passion and vision - those characteristics alone do not translate into positive P&L. Honestly, you can have an extraordinary amount of passion and vision about an absolute horseshit irrational trading strategy that is doomed from the start. Wishing and...

Trading is the ultimate accountability game. The sooner you stop bullshitting yourself and quit this self-sabotage repeating tape loop in your head - then you will make some progress. Your posts pretty much crystallize the issue IMO. Your logic is destructive and not rational.

I actually got long ZW H2-N2 in early August, and then got out of it for a modest loss four weeks later when it didn't follow through and perform. When I took that loss in September, I shorted ZC Z1-Z2 which of course performed. In terms of ZW H2-N2, the July and October lows were quickly...

Corzine fancied himself a trader and placed a huge bet just months into his tenure. Bypassed all of the risk controls and fiduciary procedures - and proceeded to time a market that was severely and dramatically trending against him. Corzine chose sovereign debt as the instrument of destruction...

shorty, maybe the conclusion is that you have been an exceptional trader and your friends know and appreciate that fact. It's not about 'crappy' friends, it's about human nature. Looking at the responses on this thread and others in the past, your situation would appear to be somewhat...

The obvious thing to do is park a T-Bill in your account that is registered in your name. Let the FCM margin against it, and then wire money as needed. Just make sure the T-Bill is issued in your name. In other words, the Fed wires the coupon to you. The FCM cannot take that instrument...

Absolutely, positively not true. That conclusion is horseshit. Selection is everything.

Get into a car, drive to the nearest police station located within proximity of their physical address, and file a police report complaining about theft. Lay down a marker, and that one is simple and quick and effective in getting one's attention. Insist that the police officer taking the...

Successful traders come in all flavors and stripes. There is no 'holy grail' or singular 'best' strategy. I have worked with some very successful traders over the years who made ridiculous amounts of money trading, and they could not, and they would not, profer any particular opinion or...

Hopefully the relationship isn't terribly important, or that there might be some inheritance link. Seriously.

I think that the OP is getting some valuable feedback for his posting - even if there is no definitive direction for him at the moment. Lots to consider, both on the familial relationships level and the legal / fiduciary levels.

I find it telling and fascinating that wealthy, entrepeneurial Chinese are absolutely terrified that the money they've made can be confiscated by the government unilaterally and without due process. ( and worse in terms of personal jeopardy )