Finance Trends Letter

Welcome to our new readers across the globe. Be sure to check out our popular posts section, filled with market insights and valuable lessons for traders and investors of all levels! Great starting point for new readers and traders: a selection of our most Popular Posts on Finance Trends . Paul Tudor Jones, photo by Annie Leibovitz via Audobon.org. You'll find a newly expanded list of some of our favorite posts, with insights into emerging market trends. Plus, lessons on trading and investing from the masters: Market Wizards such as Paul Tudor Jones, Jesse Livermore, William O'Neil, Victor Sperandeo, Charlie Munger, and Sir John Templeton offer up their hard-earned wisdom.  Equally as important, I hope you'll use our favorite posts to learn from the trading insights offered up by myself and some of the lesser-known (but no less experienced) trading practitioners quoted within.  I have spent years and countless hours researching stocks, scanning charts, speakin...

As we head into a new year and prepare to leave the old one behind, it's natural to reflect on the challenges and opportunities we'll encounter on the road ahead. Looking back on 2015, it was a tough year in the stock market for retail and professional investors. In fact, hedge fund returns were so poor that many funds have simply shut down or converted to family offices . So who did well in this challenging market environment? As the Journal points out, " A Bold Few Traders Earned Billions Flouting Rivals ", and conventional wisdom. By steering clear of consensus bets on oil, energy stocks, junk bonds, Apple shares, and currencies, a few skilled hedge fund managers were able to structure their own winning trades and prosper as their rivals faltered.  Which brings us to our lesson on trading and the ever-changing nature of capital markets. Here's what S&P futures trader and "Market Wizard", Marty Schwartz told aspiring traders at Amherst Colle...

In our follow up to last week's post, Marty Schwartz ("Pit Bull") speaks at Amherst College , today we bring you something old and new.  From Jack Schwager's original Market Wizards (1989) comes an interview with Marty Schwartz , "Champion Trader". We'll provide you with some quotes and insights from Schwartz's interview, but I also encourage you to get a copy of the book and read it cover to cover, if you haven't already.  On to the good stuff. Here is an excerpt from Jack Schwager's intro to the discussion:  "I interviewed Marty Schwartz at his office after trading hours. I found him to be very opinionated and intense about the subject of trading. This intensity occasionally spills over into anger when a raw nerve is hit (such as program trading). In fact, Schwartz readily admits that he finds anger a useful trait in trading. None of this "going with the market flow" philosophy for Schwartz. In his view, the marketpla...

Trader and Pit Bull author, Marty Schwartz speaks at Amherst College and shares lessons on markets and life in a rare, hour-long video session (Hat Tip: Tischendorf Letter ).  You may also know Schwartz from his interview in Jack Schwager's Market Wizards , a chapter which I will revisit in a follow-up post.  For now, let's absorb some of the wisdom and life lessons he imparts to the students at Amherst. Those of us who are students of trading and life may find a few pearls in the highlights below:  Marty Schwartz begins his talk by relating some of his experiences as an Amherst student back in the 1960s (a technological "stone age" by comparison to today). He was decked early on with some pretty poor grades, but he fought to get back on track and completed his studies successfully. One recurring theme from the early portion of his talk is, "it didn't kill me so it made me stronger." . Schwartz tells students, "I'm here to tell yo...