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    Distributed power

    Here are some resources I use. The govt sites are good to learn about energy use and policy. Of the second group, I glance at Green Tech and Renewable Energy World most days and I'll probably subscribe to the Roen newsletter (it's not expensive and there's a free trial). You can also search one...
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    Paranoid about selling Options?

    Thank you. This is another reason I would discourage fresh college graduates from plunging right into independent trading - it's hard to pick up the rules of thumb if you're not interacting - in person - with other traders, mentors and risk mgmt staff.
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    Paranoid about selling Options?

    I would like to clarify the calculation and the definition in a couple of posts above. Let's say a person has an account that is 100% options, most of them short options. The net option value today -$100,000 and the aggregate Theta (summing all the capital "T" Theta in IB's Risk Navigator) is...
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    Please interpret this theta plot

    Thanks. I missed that (I think it's the Feb 28 post). There is a follow-up article on March 7 and it contains a link to http://dtr-trading.blogspot.com/, which looks interesting.
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    Please interpret this theta plot

    I assume in the case of the ATM and the OTM graphs, that the underlying and the implied volatility are held constant, but what what about the OTM graph - what percent OTM is it?
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    Two paths from here. Advice?

    The time frame I had in mind wasn't 20 yrs, it was more along the lines of... - get a job now, work hard, save some money, make some contacts, build a good credit history (v. important and much harder to do when you're self-employed). - in two, three, or five years assess your situation. Are...
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    Two paths from here. Advice?

    First, if English is not your native language, you've learned it well. You might feel on top of the world now because you're up a significant percentage in six months, but it's still a very small account. And you may think you've mastered the emotional aspects of the 'game' and perhaps you've...
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    daytrading mini grain futures?

    Other than watching them to figure out if there is sufficient liquidity for your strategy and becoming familiar with different margins and symbols, I don't think they're going to be much different than the full-sized contracts. It seems like all the pertinent information would be on the...
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    Paranoid about selling Options?

    If you're selling naked calls you might use historical takeover premiums as a guide. You can find the research or do your own, but as a starting point, you should be able to handle an immediate 15-25% pop in the underlying. Not all that different from a super-duper positive earnings surprise, at...
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    Are IB's margin requirements for Futures Options higher than TD?

    You need to know if by "initial margin" the broker you are looking at is defining it as SPAN minimum Initial Margin + the value of the premium being sold, or simply SPAN IM. To make up an example, let's say the SPAN IM for a CL put is $1500 and the premium is $300. One firm might have an...
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    Former Goldman trader upset at $8.25m bonus

    Nice arm candy; amazing what money can do for a guy who looks like a young Michael Milken.
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    What Happened With NGLS?

    Darn, I was hoping to read another story about a super-committed E.T. trader who kept a bucket by his desk just for moments like this. Somewhere in an ancient thread there's also a guy who claimed to crap his pants rather than walk away from the screen. Even anonymously, I have no idea why...
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    All your strategies and methods have been stored at NSA, everything.

    Good find, and in light of another thread, it looks like the reason for IB's new (avoiding) exposure fee is to raise money so Peterffy can afford a belt.
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    Vision Financial Markets - New Name, Same Owners

    That's got to hurt if you're an introducing broker and your sole FCM is Vision.
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    Where do you get stock data?

    http://investexcel.net/stock-comparison-spreadsheet/ Take a look at this. You can buy an unlocked version if you want to change the format, add conditional formatting, alter the VBA and so on. If I recall, the market prices are 15 minutes delayed (or whatever the FINVIZ delay is). I'm not sure...
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    Best Retail Options Trading Platform

    First, I don't think OptionVue is the best (I don't use it) but I'm posting the link below because it's the lowest price I've ever seen. They offer a two week trial so you might want to check them out. http://www.optionvue.com/Monthly_Leases.html Personal view: The guts/the engine behind their...
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    IB Exposure Fee

    A word of caution about APEX, at least if your money is there via OptionsHouse or TradeMonster: They don't like OTCBB trades. I had a few buy and hold Canadian companies in my portfolio when I transferred an account to TradeMonster. A month or two later I wanted to sell two of them and they...
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    OptionsHouse and tradeMonster merge

    I think OptionsXpress is fine for the occasional trader, including those just starting out or perhaps as a place to keep retirement funds, i.e. buy and hold type investments. Using their advertised rates, it definitely is not the place for active traders, but neither is Think or Swim. Caveat...
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    Trading Multiple Futures Accounts Simultaneously

    Here's one place to consider. At a glance it doesn't have an AUM limit and compensation is permitted, as long as it doesn't conflict with your state laws. https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=friendsFamilyAccounts&p=more
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    Is Brokerage a zero risk operation?

    It didn't help having a crook (PFG) and an incompetent (MFG) at the top, but many say the demise of those firms was hastened by that profit center drying up.
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