$100 million possible?

Discussion in 'Trading' started by archimedes, Feb 22, 2006.

  1. FredBloggs

    FredBloggs Guest

    lol


    ive probably spent that in COMMISSION and SOFTWARE FEES over my career!
     
    #11     Feb 22, 2006
  2. Since I am one of those people who indicated that 1% is possible, more than possible, as I have seen it done in about half a dozen cases, with a few million in capital. I don't really consider somebody playing with 10-20k and generating good returns to be notable at all. I figure I should comment.

    Even given my knowledge of some good trading firms (with a few individuals thrown in), I do not directly know anyone that has made $100M for themselves in the market. Yes, I know heads of desks at ibanks that reports 300-400-500M a year P&Ls, but their own bonus is low 8 figures, that's all, far from the 100M figure. I do know a few people that have made 20-50M in the markets, over the course of their careers. These are the people I know directly, not people I have just met once or twice, like Blair Hull, or Thomas Lee, etc.

    Problem is two fold. The first problem is sustainability of market edge, usually the market edge would become less profitable over time, prompting the need for new edges, and the search is not always successful. Second problem is scaling, for someone to make 25M+ in the markets, the entity is typically a professional trading entity, and to pay with at least a $50M capital is a lot different from even playing $2-5M capital, the impact on market is bigger, the slippage factor become more noticable, etc.

    This being said, I know a guy who bought 5,000 shares of Microsoft and 5,000 shares of Apple, both at their respective IPOs, and still have them (after all the splits). The last time I checked, these two stocks only are worth over $80M, but he is not a trader, so he doesn't count.
     
    #12     Feb 22, 2006
  3. I think this is possible with some skill and being in the right place at the right time. To make 100 M you would need to discover a long term secular (10-20 year) trend at the beginning that has powerful fundamentals behind it. The key being that you are convinced enough that the trend is real and that you will not take profits out of the bull market until it is over. You also would have to be faithful enough in your analysis that you would sit through every intermediate term correction and add money to it while everyone is panicking, even leverage yourself at times.

    For Instance, this could have been buying financial assets in the USA in 1982, Japanese stocks when the Nekkie boomed, Real Estate in California last 30 years, and gold into the early 80's. If anyone here had the foresight to keep buying and borrowing money to put into USA stocks all through the 80's and 90's and they doubled down during corrections could probably have made 100M. Jim Rogers began buying commodities in 1998 and has not sold yet, this could be another huge trend in the making. Too bad, we all missed the easy money when Oil was at 12 dollars, gold at 250, sugar at 4.00, copper at 65, Natural gas at 2.00, etc. damn it. I feel sick.
     
    #13     Feb 22, 2006
  4. just21

    just21

    Unforetunately Jim Rogers may be right about commodities but moved all his funds into Refco weeks before it collapsed.
     
    #14     Feb 22, 2006
  5. With no down weeks? Because that is what the poll in the other thread stipulated.
     
    #15     Feb 22, 2006
  6. achilles28

    achilles28

    '


    Why not try currencies? Biggest market in the world.
     
    #16     Feb 22, 2006
  7. Yep, I have seen three systems traded with no down weeks. One for about 3 years (the original strategy just ceased trading afterwards, since the edge had eroded significantly). The other two shorter (since they are currently ongoing), but 8-9 months already.

    Edited: Just to clarify, as per the original thread requirement, all three are high frequency automated trading systems trading as institutions (i.e., exchange members, broker / dealers or funds).

    Edited: More, for all three systems the returns are not just rumors, I have their daily P&L statements in my hands (or screen).
     
    #17     Feb 22, 2006
  8. If you were able to make 100 million , why would you stop there.
    FYI, assuming MSFT is priced at 25 a share, and Gates is worth 50 billion, that means that every time MSFT moves 1/8 of a point Gates makes or loses 250 million. Take that 100 million lifetime and call someone who cares. Myself I'm just trying to make enough to keep the little lady happy (and the ladies at my favorite gentlemens club,, hehe).

    ...Rennick out
     
    #18     Feb 22, 2006
  9. I believe it is possible.

    But I have calculated for 5 million.

    However, I might have time to get 100 million, its just that I hadn't planned on trading that long.

    Michael B.
     
    #19     Feb 22, 2006
  10. However, having an objective offers both a sense of direction, provided that there is a suitable strategy in place to achieve it, and a means of measuring progress against a benchmark.
     
    #20     Feb 22, 2006