Hedge Fund Book

Quote from TimothySykes:

Of course, my upcoming book may have had something to do with it

I read the book (thanks again for the comp!) on the plane back from Chicago last night , and here's my back-of-the envelope: I liked the book better than I'd expected. It's a fast and breezy read, and had a pleasantly candid and enthusiastic tone. Mr Sikes comes across as an eager, hard-working, observant market participant with good hondling sensibilities. Several of his trading ideas, though typically not original/unique to him, are well presented and explained. ItThe one negative is the long digression about a private-equity situation that didn't pan out. It distracts from the main narrative flow. But I guess those are the facts of the case. Anyway, I give it a thumbs up. For a market veteran, it's best read with an empty mind, without preconceptions such as 'what the heck does a 20 year old know?', and can be enjoyed as such.
 
Quote from SiSePuede!:

Tim, the fact that you go from some spiel about turning $X into $Y in a certain amount of time as a selling point to being a "trader" or whatever you want to call yourself to being a person with much humility is beguiling to anyone with rationale.

Editing on a show can make someone seem a certain way that they're not; no doubt. But that's difficult to do and I somehow doubt that the editors of WSW really went all out to make you look like a putz...but you sort of did. I'm not saying that it was all you, but to state that people have no right to perceive you a certain way while you also use the show as a springboard is hypocritical to say the least. You continue the putz-like escapades by doing such things as bringing "models" on CNBC which doesn't help aide you in trying to stave off people's assumptions that you're a bit of a schmuck. It's similar to the way that until now, especially with rumors circling that your fund is deep in the red for the year, that you seem to be this defensive person who is trying to save face by purporting that your book will tell all.

By the very fact that you're writing the book you're in the driver's seat to make yourself out to be whatever you're trying to purport instead of a more balanced and non-biased source like another party documenting you. Another hypocritical thing about you...that's like Castro calling Western media slanderers and then saying that reading his auto-biography will clear his name.

You even brag about turning down $35k advance which is a teensy sum. Why you seem to have to throw this figure out is just another sticking point in making you look like someone who is only writing a book because your abilities to trade aren't working out....your focus is clearly still on bragging(?!) about money such as "while turning his $12,415 Bar Mitzvah Gift money into a fully audited pre-tax sum of $1.65 million from 1999 to 2002."

If anyone here thinks that you're writing this book purely out of interest and not because other avenues have closed off for you they're drinking the kool-aid. I'm not judging your book as it may very well be good. I have a lot of experience in microcaps and am curious to see what your knowledge of the field is as I know some (what I consider) sages in the field...but your actions on tv, on this forum, and my general deductions based on your emphatic bragging about pre-tax gains to rejected $35k offers leads me, and apparently others, to conclude that you're only writing the book because your fund is not doing well and you have no other choice but to play the "I want to share my experience and knowledge" card. I have no doubt that if your fund was doing well and you were up even 30% on your $1.6M you'd not be bragging about turning down $35k advance which is really a paltry sum to most anyone, and instead trying to make more money.

Hopefully you'll prove me wrong, but the more you post, the more I sense that those who nay-say the likelihood of you being someone who just wants to share their experience and journey baloney are correct.


SiSePuede!

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t really care what Tim does or how he does it, I’ve never watched his show, haven’t read his book and don’t plan on doing either (well <i>maybe</i> I’ll check out the book). However, turning 12k of bar mitzvah money into 1.65M at his age is quite impressive and not every “shmuck” or “putz” can do that. Wiley publishing your book is also noteworthy, they don’t just publish anything. You don’t need to like, love or respect him, but I don’t think you should be taking away from and undermining his achievements - jealousy is one ugly trait.
 
Quote from TimothySykes:

1. I talk about my great past success for credibility-sake, not to brag. If industry regulations permitted, I'd talk about my recent performance, too.


MAR/II and Barclay post performance figs on thousands of funds. What specific regs are you referring to?
 
Quote from annaland:

SiSePuede!

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t really care what Tim does or how he does it, I’ve never watched his show, haven’t read his book and don’t plan on doing either (well <i>maybe</i> I’ll check out the book). However, turning 12k of bar mitzvah money into 1.65M at his age is quite impressive and not every “shmuck” or “putz” can do that. Wiley publishing your book is also noteworthy, they don’t just publish anything. You don’t need to like, love or respect him, but I don’t think you should be taking away from and undermining his achievements - jealousy is one ugly trait.

I understand that it's not easy to do. But using what you did 5 years ago, which in my opinion was likely a fluke, to sell yourself now is silly. Tim comes across as a putz through his actions, not through his trades.

I'm not jealous in the least, I've accomplished actions similar to Tim's and am slightly younger than he is I think...$50k to over $2M in less than 3 or 4 years...there's nothing amazing about it really in the micrcap market. I know quite a few people who have done so...but Tim apparently hasn't done anything in the last 5 years, or his rhetorical jibe about his gains would be updated don't you think?

Seriously, who is congratulatory of people who made a ton of money in the tech bubble? Tim is pretty much using a statistic half a decade old to promote now...it really doesn't say much for his recent performance.

I've had large draw-downs and challenges. In the first year I invested I went from $50k to $2M on paper and back down to $300k. Then I've built from there as I've learned....Tim seems to be using one event which, while it may have been great, is also old and if he had continued making such great gains now, he wouldn't be writing a book and bragging about $35k advance offers...it's inane to think so.

Tim likes to say that he can't scale which is ridiculous. In the micro/small caps, you can scale to $10M easily, maybe not all in one position, without hurting yourself IF YOU'RE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO. If you're not good you'll say something like you can't scale which is bullshit.

His book might be good...who knows. But for him to claim that he's going to "teach" when he hasn't really experienced anything outside of his own little world seems silly and childish to me.

:D
 
Quote from TimothySykes:

went to a sweet fundraiser at Stevie Cohen's house last night

Which reminds me: In the book, you describe visiting SAC but don't name the firm. Gives the manuscript a bit of an (over)lawyered tone.
 
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