I was doing that the last two weeks by selling spy puts. Had to take some stop losses along the way and ended up scratching on it overall for the month. It's mentally tough for me to take any sizable position in something like that if it's not a strategy I've put a lot of time into developing. I know it would essentially be a hedge, but I would still have to have a concrete plan I've spent time refining and trading before I could stick to it through any serious pain. If anyone has some ideas though, I'm all ears.
Do nothing. The great moderation is over, volatility is here to stay even if it goes away sometimes. Thats my view, and dont bitch when its temporarily low because anyone living in the developed world making hundreds of thousands a year doesnt have the right to bitch about the current state of the world
What? That makes no sense. People do have a right to bitch, with or without money - that's irrelevant. I don't even think lescor was "bitching", he just made a simple comment on vol. Give me a break... os
There is no perfect HEDGE. A married man that has a girlfriend as a backup usually loses both of them after he refuses to dump the wife for the girlfriend and the girlfriend drops a dime on his ass. Susie Saladmaker hedges her security by skimming money and has an account with the bank that is stamped "SEND NO MAIL, PAY NO INTEREST" and last but not last has a couple jockers to even the score if only on suspicion alone. I have a slogan for everyday life.............. Just play your game, the small stuff will take care of itself. My newest hero did not sweat the small stuff, mustered the courage and went for it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJS9k6EXZMY
Speaking of hedging, may I encourage you to share your insight further at the following thread: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=200099 Thanks.
Lescor, Have you tried stops & reverses, instead of hedging with SPY, and achieved success? thanks, Walter
If your earning power depends on volatility, as most intraday traders do, then a great hedge is a conservative diversified investment portfolio e.g. 40% equities 40% Treasuries 20% gold. In down markets you won't lose a fortune and your trading earnings will soar, and in low/falling volatility bull markets you will make nice returns to offset the lower trading income.
Nothing interesting to report this week. My volume dropped off quite a bit and there wasn't much that caught my attention. The oil drillers provided some good opps, but I was not involved that much. +2500 gross for the week, 392,000 shares traded. Daily pl was +4, +3, -.5, -4. Was long some ES coming into today for a continued rally beyond 1100, but that didn't really work out and cost me most of the meager green I had this week.
See what happens when there are no BIG wins or BIG losses, no one responds. Maybe a picture of a hottie is needed. Great work Lescor, traders just do the best with the cards they are dealt. I was sitting in a TIM HORTONS other day having a coffee and a Boston cream donut and watching a sparrow for 5 minutes chasing around a moth, moth in, moth out, moth flops away, bird chases and catches, moth gets away, the chase continues, bird recatches moth, this went on until finally the bird won out and had dinner. Life is good!!!!!