Arthur Deco Mentors ET Noobs

[Optionpro007]

Quote from Arthur Deco:

And I still struggle with destructive impulses every day.

Dr. Deco because I know you have studied psychology I wonder if you have an answer to this question.

Regarding you statement above, do you believe that this is something that happens to traders because of the nature of this business, the stress etc.., because perhaps as humans we all tend to self-destruct in an abstract environment or is it that this business in itself attracts people with natural self-destruct tendencies?

 

[Arthur Deco]

Quote from Samsara:

Ah, I see. That's the kind of insight I was hoping you would not deliver. The pain that came with a decaying edge when I was reading the tape and specialist behavior was difficult. Market "themes", (trending, chop, etc.) are usually clear after the fact of course, but they're fixed tendencies for the most part. What I have works quite well to capture imbalanced moves (perfectly for days like today) although identifying chop is difficult for me systematically and requires discretion. But it's the realization that changing the entry by one 3 minute bar drops the win ratio by 20% that unnerves me. The razor thin margin reminds me of how easily that difficulty can return.

I unequivocally identify with the daily destructive impulses unfortunately.

You and I may be looking at different manifestations of the same thing. The market definitely does decide to make a move in a minute, and not just on obvious things like news or closing the gap or breaking out of a morning range. Other more subtle things are at work.

 

[Arthur Deco]

Quote from Runningbear:

Arthur, is it true that you invented gonzo journalism and Hunter S Thompson stole your writing style while you were out shooting with him one day?

Runningbear

Funny you should mention that. Thompson was one of my strongest influences. The other was Professor Irwin Corey.

 

[Arthur Deco]

Quote from Optionpro007:

Dr. Deco because I know you have studied psychology I wonder if you have an answer to this question.

Regarding you statement above, do you believe that this is something that happens to traders because of the nature of this business, the stress etc.., because perhaps as humans we all tend to self-destruct in an abstract environment or is it that this business in itself attracts people with natural self-destruct tendencies?

That is indeed a penetrating question. I had a friend once who cut through the bar scene bullshit by just asking women "How would you like to fuck?"

I some sense I am a Jungian. My favorite quote of his is "All psychology is autobiography." Years ago I perverted it here as "All trading is autobiography."

I believe that the simple answer is that we are not wired to act statistically. In the world "red of fang and claw" behaving statistically will quickly select you out of the gene pool. The statistical savage says "This wolf doesn't look so mean!" when the right reaction is "Kill the fucking wolf!" So it is hard to make yourself a binary decision engine emulating the statistical processes you used to create a system.

In my case, you have to understand that I am off-the-scale brilliant. I don't care what my system says to do. I am so insightful, verging on omniscient, that I know what is going to happen next with a certainty. Tell me YOU never feel that way.

 

[Arthur Deco]

Let me add just one more thing, and I am crawling under the covers, as it is 14 here and dropping fast.

Many have been the times that I looked at what my system said to do, and laughed out loud "Any fucking idiot can see that's the wrong thing to do!" If the great preponderance of traders must be made to be wrong, then wrong must be made to look right on the chart.

 

[trefoil]

Quote from Arthur Deco:

Let me add just one more thing, and I am crawling under the covers, as it is 14 here and dropping fast.

Many have been the times that I looked at what my system said to do, and laughed out loud "Any fucking idiot can see that's the wrong thing to do!" If the great preponderance of traders must be made to be wrong, then wrong must be made to look right on the chart.

Chart reading and successful trading are polar opposites. Absolutely correct.

 

[Roark]

Quote from Arthur Deco:

That is indeed a penetrating question. I had a friend once who cut through the bar scene bullshit by just asking women "How would you like to fuck?"

Not the right question. Men and women have different mating strategies. The question for a woman is finding a guy with enough money that can support a family without it being a major struggle and the guy is not psycho, cruel, or likely to walk out on her. The question for a man is finding a woman where his implanted seed will grow to fruition.

Quote from Arthur Deco:

In the world "red of fang and claw" behaving statistically will quickly select you out of the gene pool.

That is why "would you like to fuck" is not the right question. It will select you out of the gene pool by failing to successfully propagate your genetic material into the next generation.

Quote from Arthur Deco:
The statistical savage says "This wolf doesn't look so mean!" when the right reaction is "Kill the fucking wolf!" So it is hard to make yourself a binary decision engine emulating the statistical processes you used to create a system.

I like the analogy.

Quote from Arthur Deco: I am so insightful, verging on omniscient, that I know what is going to happen next with a certainty. Tell me YOU never feel that way.

No, never. But then I have never snorted cocaine or been diagnosed as sociopathic.

 

[LEAPup]

Quote from Arthur Deco:

You bastard! You sent me to the dictionary on winebibberous and proficuous! Both delightful words! But should you ever be tempted to coin a word, never do so without the gold to back up your currency. As to my own bibbering, I am a Southerner born and ill-bred. We have a tradition we call "just sippin'!" which in today's parlance means to keep a buzz on.

You are an interesting character Arthur!

I was an English minor as an under grad a... Well, a few years ago. I observed several pages ago, discussion about English teaching. Lol! Couldn't help that one!

forse si dovrebbe avere un paio di drink con la cena, invece di tanti drink tutto il giorno?

 

[Arthur Deco]

Quote from LEAPup:

You are an interesting character Arthur!

I was an English minor as an under grad a... Well, a few years ago. I observed several pages ago, discussion about English teaching. Lol! Couldn't help that one!

forse si dovrebbe avere un paio di drink con la cena, invece di tanti drink tutto il giorno?

Before I checked Babelfish I translated this as:

"Force yourself to dribble over the patio if you drink against sanity, or invest in a drink for your aunt if she toots on a trip."

I spent a lot of my life teaching American-born engineers to speak and write English.

 

[sosueme]

Quote from Arthur Deco:



I spent a lot of my life teaching American-born engineers to speak and write English.

Does this mean that the world is populated with little mini-me Art Decos.

The mind boggles at the mere thought.