He blew up once, the well-publicized 1997 event. In 2001 he started trading customer capital again. 9/11 hurt him badly, just like it did anyone long equities. But as far as I know, he made it through.
Neither he nor Taleb have made many hundreds of millions. As well as I am able to know, Vic has made nine figures at least once, though.
They met when Taleb was facilitating some of Vic's trades... Taleb was a natural buyer of small options then when running a book, and then later with his fund. Vic was and is a seller of them. However, it wasn't as if Taleb was just saying, "Whatever Niederhoffer does I want the opposite."
To wit, when Niederhoffer blew out in 1997, it was from being long and then doubling (and tripling, and...) down in Thai stocks. Taleb wasn't on the other side.
Though it's never talked about, Empirica folded in (I think) 2005. Taleb claims to have grown tired of trading and managing money. That's not impossible, but it's certainly not how that kind of thing normally goes.
Neither he nor Taleb have made many hundreds of millions. As well as I am able to know, Vic has made nine figures at least once, though.
They met when Taleb was facilitating some of Vic's trades... Taleb was a natural buyer of small options then when running a book, and then later with his fund. Vic was and is a seller of them. However, it wasn't as if Taleb was just saying, "Whatever Niederhoffer does I want the opposite."
To wit, when Niederhoffer blew out in 1997, it was from being long and then doubling (and tripling, and...) down in Thai stocks. Taleb wasn't on the other side.
Though it's never talked about, Empirica folded in (I think) 2005. Taleb claims to have grown tired of trading and managing money. That's not impossible, but it's certainly not how that kind of thing normally goes.