Don I would say there are more then a "few" good ones and the ultra large hedge funds got that way because they beat the average returns of the market. The mutual funds serve a purpose in the market too. I would say that the majority of people in the US use mutual funds because they dont know enough about investing or has the time and desire to learn. They dont have the amount of capital it takes to get into the hedge fund world. They may own a couple individual issues but not many. Its easy to dismiss one or more areas open for investing because its not right for you but think of the masses out there who it is right for.
xFlat, I don't get a kick out of going on a forum and spreading lies about other peoples' trading styles or performance, so please keep your sarcasm to yourself. The thread starter asked a question and I have answered to the best of my knowlege and experience. You can choose not to believe, but there are many people out there who use simple strategies and make a good living from it, both on the institutional and private side. -Neo PS. There is no magic to trading, just hard work and finding out what works with your psychology and current market environment.
Who said anyone lies here? or lied in this thread? easy there fella, I apologized for the incorrect assumption. I am sure all people make a fortune, I just dont ever see the point in posting it since no ones opening up anyone elses books, thats all.
I am not looking for magic, just ideas, views, angles that others might have, and who better to try to emulate than the big guys. Somebody out there is putting 500 to 2K contracts per order, and it would be nice what he is using as a justification. That's all. If it s MA crossovers (for example) than that is all i want to hear,no need to tellme the mechanics behind it. Hope this clears things a bit.
FWIW this s from friend of mine who is a pit trader: Well, as pit traders, we do have a huge edge. Without that edge, I'm not sure I could make any money trading, but with it, I do very well. On the other hand, 50 or 60 guys have come and gone from the floor since I've been a member, and they can all attest to the fact that it is very difficult to make money even as a pit trader. I would say that industry-wide, 5-10% of people who come to the floor are successful. At least that gives you a fighting chance. For off-floor traders, I would say it's more like .005-.010%, and I'm being dead serious.
Just so that we're on the same page, that means that only 1 or 2 out of 20,000 are successful. I'm curious to know how your pit trader friend arrived at such a conclusion.