Full documentation of my streak of 44 consecutive profitable trades of 15% or better

Quote from gms:

One boring day recently, much like today, I created a chronological documentation of mr.m's 53 trades over the past two years (wins and losses) to get a better likely idea of the performance (see http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=370421#post370421 ).

I think we all saw that, at best, it averaged a 12.6% return per trade over an average trade duration of 4 months. The trades lasted anywhere up to almost two years' hold. We also noted that there were, at best, 14 times mr.m had to bring in new capital for the opportunities as they arose (because his capital was tied up in holding losses in every case save one). We could tell nothing of his position sizing except to deduce that it appeared to be either papertrading or very small positions, due to this consistent capital infusion need.

mr.m was asked to clarify a few points that came up in that analysis, among them, the exact sequence of trades, in order to form a more accurate picture, but as of this writing there has been no such trade sequence forthcoming. Just a rehash of the same old, same old.

When shown an example of how a technical method (not technical analysis) could be applied to his trades to eliminate the capital infusion need, to reap profits without the long holding times, in effect, to better its performance, mr.m seems unwilling to explore those options.

His many and constant ploys and manuevers in answering questions notwithstanding, one has to then begin to ascertain why he continues to be steadfastly proud about his mediocre performance, why he is reluctant to answer specific questions, and why he answers some of the questions in the manner he does. Some of you are way ahead of me on this, but I think, and forgive me if I'm wrong but this is the opinion I've formed after reviewing his material and considering his answers and non-answers, that there's something either very wrong with this gentleman or that he's a kid pretending to be someone else by posting on this site, and/or that he was one of the worst students in his class.

So the big issue appears to be what his overall portfolio return would be? Since we don't know the size of his account, we can't really calculate that. Note that when you and Jack say that he had to add funds, you must be assuming that he was 100% invested at some point. You really can't assume that, unless I have missed something along the line. As MM pointed out, his method produces less candidates in a bear market, so it is entirely plausible that he would not have been fully invested in 2002 for example.

I don't think eating 30% drawdowns is a good idea, but if each position is only, say, 5% of the total portfolio equity, even a 30% pullback is only a 1.5% equity hit. That is within the accepted money management parameters of most professional investors.

I also note that quite a few of MM's picks are very thinly traded. His habit of holding through pullbacks produces a return that is more consistent with what a big investor would receive, since an institutional holder could not just dump several days supply without crushing the stock. Such big holders are more or less forced to ride out pullbacks and exit into runups, much as MM does.

Call me crazy but I don't think a 12.6% average return on a four month holding time is too shabby.
 
Quote from Scientist:

Nice bit of work, mrmuscle. So - Did you actually make any money, too?
Since it's almost a year of trading, I hope you got at least a few hundred K out of those deals...
Otherwise - wouldn't exactly be huge, would it? :)

Best,
Scientist.

I don't think discussing one's personal net worth is really appropriate but I thank you for your kind words.
 
Quote from bebe:

I checked the details and the chart of your last trade on the list (44 AMHC 7/14/2003 11/28/2003 41.00 47.96 17%) and I have a question.
You bought AMHC right at the top, after a 5-week runup ($41.00). Only 5 days later the price dropped to $29.35 and it stayed below your purchase price for the next 10 weeks or so (the first time you broke even was 09/23/2003). Then it got hammered two more times and you just stayed long. Finally after waiting for 15 weeks or so you sold it today into today's runup.
Question: it never bothered you that just one week after your purchase, you were down 30%? And that you were under the water for the next 10 weeks? What kind of money management do you apply in your trading?
Thank you!

It didn't bother me at all. I knew that this was a great company that would outperform the market and I was right. I am not fearful of the market. By holding my position, I outperformed the market. The analytical skills I learned at Wharton enable me to assess a company's business model to determine the likelihood of its continued success.

AMHC sold off on bad news....so what? Let some of the cowards buy high and sell low, not $$$MR. MARKET$$$. I am HUGE!!
 
Quote from mrmarket:



The analytical skills I learned at Wharton enable me to assess a company's business model to determine the likelihood of its continued success.

Mr. Market,

While I don't question your results or the robustness of your approach, I find something a bit troubling about much of your commentary. In particular, your incessant references to your purported "Wharton MBA" raises a rather serious red flag that must lead me to question some of your assertions.

Without meaning to sound obnoxious, I too have an MBA from a top tier B-school and additionally have a J.D. from another. But, as the esteemed poet would say, BIG FREAKIN' DEAL! Honestly, the market could care less about the degrees any of us have earned or what schools may be on our diplomas. And let's be honest. There are thousands of us with MBA's from top 10 schools. And yet, in my experience, a vast majority couldn't earn a nickel in the market. So again, who cares.

But beyond that, the constant trumpeting of the Wharton thing is beyond embarassing. It raises serious doubts about who you really are. Like many on this board, I've worked with and remain friends with tons of MBA's. And yet, I don't know a single one who ever talks about B-school anymore. I know I certainly don't. I mean, even my mother stopped caring about where I went to school years ago.

And if I recall correctly from another thread, you claim to be about 40 with a wife and three kids. Is that really correct? If so, then I have one word for your behavior -- "wowza" (I'm sure there's a clinical term for it, but that's not my area of expertise).

Perhaps this is all part of an elaborate joke that admittedly escapes me. If so, you got me and I apologize. But if not, I will be adding a new name to my ignore list.

Best of luck in your future endevours.

Regards,

HD
 
Quote from Hello_Dollars:



Mr. Market,

While I don't question your results or the robustness of your approach, I find something a bit troubling about much of your commentary. In particular, your incessant references to your purported "Wharton MBA" raises a rather serious red flag that must lead me to question some of your assertions.

Without meaning to sound obnoxious, I too have an MBA from a top tier B-school and additionally have a J.D. from another. But, as the esteemed poet would say, BIG FREAKIN' DEAL! Honestly, the market could care less about the degrees any of us have earned or what schools may be on our diplomas. And let's be honest. There are thousands of us with MBA's from top 10 schools. And yet, in my experience, a vast majority couldn't earn a nickel in the market. So again, who cares.

But beyond that, the constant trumpeting of the Wharton thing is beyond embarassing. It raises serious doubts about who you really are. Like many on this board, I've worked with and remain friends with tons of MBA's. And yet, I don't know a single one who ever talks about B-school anymore. I know I certainly don't. I mean, even my mother stopped caring about where I went to school years ago.

And if I recall correctly from another thread, you claim to be about 40 with a wife and three kids. Is that really correct? If so, then I have one word for your behavior -- "wowza" (I'm sure there's a clinical term for it, but that's not my area of expertise).

Perhaps this is all part of an elaborate joke that admittedly escapes me. If so, you got me and I apologize. But if not, I will be adding a new name to my ignore list.

Best of luck in your future endevours.

Regards,

HD

Congrats on your excellent education. If education wasn't so important, why do so many parents fret over where their kids go to college? As long as our society continues to rate universities, some schools are going to be rated at the top and people are going to want to go to these schools.

To answer the second part of your statement. People can have a good time, be happy most of the time and STILL make money investing/trading. Don't forget to laugh! Life is a joke, most people don't get it.
 
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

So the big issue appears to be what his overall portfolio return would be?
Nope. That's not a big issue. That's a done deal. That's been determined.

Since we don't know the size of his account, we can't really calculate that.
You don't have to know how much was invested to know the % return if you have the entry/exit (or current) prices, which mm has provided.

Note that when you and Jack say that he had to add funds, you must be assuming that he was 100% invested at some point. You really can't assume that
That's a good point. MM's own dates, when best scenarios sequence them out, as I did in the excel worksheet, depict that it's taken parts of almost 2 years to fully invest 14 parts of his equity - if he's segmenting his capital as you suggest he may be and not all at once. You decide if that's an efficient use of investment capital or not.

But now consider this second clue: though MM hasn't ever talked about capping each investment at a small portion of his total equity, he's boasted that he makes "a lot of money" with his investments. If he makes a lot of money, by what most people would think is a lot of money, that would argue to large sizes more so than small sizes. The question becomes, How do we correlate the idea that mm invests only a small division of his total equity per investment, and then, each investment gets tied up until it caps its profit as 15% however long it takes (averaging 4 months) or is held while at a loss (however big that may become), but a good many parts of these capital segments are not even invested for anywhere up to two years (if he's not investing it all at the same time), as being able to yield in aggregate what an MBA would consider to be "a lot of money"?

I don't think eating 30% drawdowns is a good idea
You may be right about that.

but if each position is only, say, 5% of the total portfolio equity, even a 30% pullback is only a 1.5% equity hit. That is within the accepted money management parameters of most professional investors.
Would these be the same money managers mm speaks of performing much better than? If he's better than those guys, why would we consider their parameters as acceptable for mm? Anyway, you're making the assumption that mm caps each investment at 5% of total equity and that may not be the case. He's been mute on that money management point, which suggests he may not have an answer for it. And if he doesn't have an answer for it, then that may be because he either doesn't really trade, or he doesn't practice that aspect of management, or he doesn't want to answer the question. But what happens in this event if we follow your scenario: all or a significant portion of his positions could fall 30% (or parts of), and that would put him in danger of having the total equity loss turn into 30% (or some significant drawdown), wouldn't it? Does that appear to you as a sound top MBA type practice?
 
i don't think your 'system' is tradeable, although i believe there are kernels of which to build a tradeable 'system' or strategy. i don't think anybody here cares about having 100% winning trades. they care about consistent profits, and short days between new equity highs, and low drawdowns. characteristics your system does not meet, hence the reason it is untradeable.

you should keep your stock characteristics and try to refine your entries and exits..

i could see a money manager doing something similar, one who does not depend on results, but rather a % under management doing something similar, with very small per position (as someone mentioned). they are not dependent on consistent returns for their income. but then, you wouldn't have extraordinary returns because your position size is forced to be so low. bottom line is that you would have to have some other source of monthly income to invest (not trade) this way.

i would guess that there are hedge funds trading high RS stocks, but just doing it better. (again, no one cares that you have 100% winners).

there is a trader, who i believe is the biggest at our firm, and one of his screens is for high RS stocks. i guarantee you he does not hold through 40% drawdowns. i wish i knew more about his strategy, but do not. regardless, there is merit to the principle of buying high RS stocks at certain points, as there is to having good entry, stop loss, and profit taking rules.
 
Quote from dafugginman:

i don't think your 'system' is tradeable, although i believe there are kernels of which to build a tradeable 'system' or strategy. i don't think anybody here cares about having 100% winning trades. they care about consistent profits, and short days between new equity highs, and low drawdowns. characteristics your system does not meet, hence the reason it is untradeable.

you should keep your stock characteristics and try to refine your entries and exits..

i could see a money manager doing something similar, one who does not depend on results, but rather a % under management doing something similar, with very small per position (as someone mentioned). they are not dependent on consistent returns for their income. but then, you wouldn't have extraordinary returns because your position size is forced to be so low. bottom line is that you would have to have some other source of monthly income to invest (not trade) this way.

i would guess that there are hedge funds trading high RS stocks, but just doing it better. (again, no one cares that you have 100% winners).

there is a trader, who i believe is the biggest at our firm, and one of his screens is for high RS stocks. i guarantee you he does not hold through 40% drawdowns. i wish i knew more about his strategy, but do not. regardless, there is merit to the principle of buying high RS stocks at certain points, as there is to having good entry, stop loss, and profit taking rules.



Thanks for your insightful post. You seem like a pretty smart guy and I really like your screenname!
 
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