How do you rank as a trader?

Discussion in 'Trading' started by Palindrome, Aug 13, 2017.

  1. lx008

    lx008

    Want to see the best returns ?

    There're many trading competitions in China,

    so check it out by yourself

    http://qhsz.qhrb.com.cn/Data2/

    http://ds.cctvfcn.com/
     
    #31     Aug 14, 2017
  2. Simples

    Simples

    What I want is some form of risk-adjusted returns. Huge fast returns are much more subject to wild swings. It's just that if you swing below -50% or more, every successful or breakeven trader know it's much harder to regain those percentages, which is why they think in percentages and not absolute currency numbers. Ie. if you lose 50% (half), you need to win 100% (double) to breakeven, from a much lower account size than before, which makes it that much harder. If you go to 0 or anywhere near 0, you're OUT, as that account cannot be traded anymore. So I want a system that can scale up and down, but also has a safety net to avoid unmanagable drawdowns.

    Many focus on currency numbers, but meaningful growth is really measured in compounded interest. Then year-to-year the numbers are likely to range +40% and lower, +40% being in the upper, more unsustainable end. Not talking about pre-IPO here, which can outperform or go bust quicker. Higher compounded percentage wins than that tends to lead to big drawdowns, high swings and associated risks could be not worth it. Indeed, +40% wins may tend to return to mean towards 10-20% range over longer time (20+ years).

    Return on initial capital will provide much higher percentages, and can be used too. It's just a different perspective, not accounting previous year's wins as additional capital, so figures become more linear and higher. This draws focus away from risk and scalability though, so may provide more theoretical returns, than actual capital growth, which is what I'd prefer to keep track of continually. Ie. ~+27.10% anually compounded for 10 years is equal to +100% average return on initial investment for 10 years. The compounded returns tend to vary a lot less, so is probably less exciting for those that seek that part of trading.

    So maybe I'm not a trader thinking like this, or thinking of the longer-term business? However, this is what suits my personality and aspirations, though it's just unknown how it'll work out, or how the "highest ranked traders" will perform or wether they'll still trade after 3-5 years.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2017
    #32     Aug 14, 2017
  3. I`d rank #1 those who started making money right off the gate and didn`t waste their time on all possible kind of bollox.As it happens, i didn`t fall into that category.
     
    #33     Aug 14, 2017
    Simples likes this.
  4. Humpy

    Humpy

    According to the maths pro, at 7% gain per year doubles your money in...........guess how many years.






    10 years

    Now if you a smarty make that 7% a week and well the sky is the limit.
     
    #34     Aug 14, 2017
  5. qxr1011

    qxr1011

    if by the term traders you assume people who make a living only by trading their own money then i doubt such data exists

    size of the account definitely will matter, but so are the number of trades and average profit per trade

    but all this does not matter much as long as the trader makes a living that meets his standards

    unfortunately most (not 95%, but 99.99%) of the people in trading for a living are corpses working in the dark... so effectively what matters is to live long enough to see the light of the day
     
    #35     Aug 14, 2017
  6. Years ago when I was doing well in the markets and aspiring to manage money for others, I did some research on "money manager performance". The only criteria were that the results be for 10 years and be independently audited.

    The result of that search showed less than 1/10th of 1% of professional managers.... regardless of market vehicle(s)... stocks, bonds, futures, mutual funds, whatever, leveraged or not... averaged 30%/yr. And those were during strong bull market times.

    Seems today's results would fall very much short of those in the past.

    Of course money managers often have "size" constraints that a little guy with his small poke doesn't experience. Than again, it's a thousand times more likely that small money traded on leverage is going to get wiped out rather than being turned into a fortune.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2017
    #36     Aug 14, 2017
    Handle123 likes this.
  7. Visaria

    Visaria

    For a small acct (let's say less than a million)...you should be striving to make 100% or more in a year. You might not do it or you might lose money...but that should be the aim. Yes, zdreg, risk management all comes into it...but at the end of the day, traders are here to make decent amounts of money. If a situation demands that you bet the ranch, you have to do so (or at least half the ranch). Life is too short to grind forever.
     
    #37     Aug 14, 2017
  8. I earn 2-10 million playing video black jack everytime. Does that make me a profitable gambler...
     
    #38     Aug 14, 2017
  9. Visaria

    Visaria

    Not sure what video blackjack is, but if it gambling with real money, then, yes, on a historic basis, you were a profitable gambler.
     
    #39     Aug 14, 2017
  10. I like this statement, as it personally reflects back to a long period of isolation and misery I was entangled into. As gloomy as it sounds, a corpse working in the dark is the reality. You get to a point where you sell your soul with no guarantee of seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. The questions should then become:

    Am I wasting my time?

    What should I do next?

    The uncertainty has led many near the brink, or into insanity, and in many cases suicide. You see the light when you embrace the fact, through trial and error, that you're one of the most well informed traders in this business.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2017
    #40     Aug 15, 2017