Bilow, regarding age (topic 1) and Day Trading Expo (topic 2):
Regarding age, I've met many that were my age and above that were complete bozos. And, the same for people my age and below. What bothers me are the stereotypes.
Age brings a certain amount of perspective. Whether this equates to wisdom depends on the individual. Youth provides a certain amount of energy, enthusiasm and speed. Again, whether this equates to advantage depends on the individual.
We need to be careful in trying to "peg" someone. Take each person as they come, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, etc. This attitude keeps mind clear to perceive the person as they *are*, not based on their externals. It allows us to learn for the other person. A person's abilities or lack thereof will come through quickly. This is NOT a fluffy moral statement; it is a hard-nosed belief that allows me to succeed better and faster than the other guy (or gal).
Regarding the Expo, it was a very interesting show. Some comments:
- Regarding the age of attendees, it was an interesting mix. Ages ranged from the 20s to the 70s. Didn't notice any "skew" to the curve. Seemed to be as many people who where in their 20s as in their 60s. Although people may have partied at night, at the show virtually all (regardless of age) seemed singularly intent on understanding the trading art. Intense crowd. Frankly, I didn't see one high-five in the entire show. ;-)
- One comment on the people manning the booths. TraderAlan mentioned the young "babes" manning some of the booths. I think he was referring to a few instances of *girls* in tight pants or dresses who had a great smile but little information. That bothered me - in the context of the show, it's a waste of my time talking to someone who hasn't a clue about the art of trading. On the other hand, several booths were staffed by young ladies (curiously clad in less revealing attire) whose sex was irrelevant.
- Content of the seminars - Several of the seminars provided real substance. Speakers including Oliver Valez (Pristine), Gibbons Burke (Quote.com), Michael Smith (Big Easy Investor) gave us some real meat. Others were horrible. Particularly bad where the sessions on Candle Sticks, and the ones by Lawrence Black and Harvey Houtkin. Poorly organized and rambling.
- Products - Most of the mainstays were there including: Townsand Analytics, Quote.com, CyberCorp, MBTrading, ABWatley, Omega Research, Equuis, Mtrader and Pristine. One new company that has a great product is Big Easy Investor (www.bigeasyinvestor.com). It is a research tool that provides very fast research on EOD data. Price for the software (Windows-based NOT browser-based software) and EOD data was great too - FREE! Check out their site.
- Training companies - Only one that impressed me was Pristine. Others may have been good also, but mostly they seemed to be pushing hype. I thought Alan had a booth there for the HardRightEdge (my favorite training site), but I didn't see it.
- Direct-entry Brokers - Although there were decent crowds around the ABWatley, MBTrading and other RealTick III-based brokers, the CyberCorp booth was a madhouse most of the time. They were showing the new CyberTrader V2.0. Nice product. They probably signed up 200 new customers at the show. :-) The next year should be interesting in the brokerage space.
- On-line brokers (web-based) - NONE!!! Yes, none! Not a one. You would have thought that ETrade or Datek would be there. Hmmm!
At one point, I looked around looked at the crowd of people and thought, "What is the media going to make of this?" People were upbeat, but not wildly boisterous. Most were serious and focused. Wide group of ages. Blacks, whites, hispanics and asians. Men and women. From US and several other countries. Very low bozon count! I wonder how the media can keep slamming Daytraders when these attendees where just like attendees at any other business conference? Oh well, here's hoping...
Regards,
Dan. |
