Rotter is a Czech, I think he grew up in Germany. he now lives in Switzerland. he used to work here in Dublin. he started off as a clerk on DTB (now Eurex) for a German bank, then he lost a lot of money trading options on his own account. he got a job at a Jap bank (forget which one) where he learnt all his skills from some Japanese guy. he came to Dublin at the turn of the millenium and opened a small prop firm down the road from us with a mate of his, they made ****loads of money (back then derivs traders in Ireland paid no tax). when the tax law changed he went off to Switzerland. when he was in Ireland he didn't flip (it was 5 or 6 years ago) he used point and figure and took huge positions in bund, bobl and schatz. then when he moved to Switz he had enough cash to flip and started doing it, with the aid of a few other traders he employs - presumably why bund and bobl flip simultaneously (as no one person could flip both at once).