IMO there is more opportunity now than ever for relative value/spread traders due to electronic access 24 hours a day linking anyone with an inexpensive computer and a modest ECN to hundreds of markets and thousands of products in regulated exchanges across the globe. The spread combinations number in the tens of thousands, and sound strategies negate any advantage that MMs or HFTs might have. It seems like every few months the relative value universe gets larger and the costs get a bit cheaper. The world is an arbitrage, and the glass is 'half full'. Electronic trading is the best thing that ever happened to me.
If you dont account for salary youre deceiving yourself. It's bad accounting. If your profit is calculated as salary it means you dont make money of your money, just salary. You can throw away any dream of compounding winnings. Even if this salary you use part of it to add to your trading account. this just means your using salary subconciously. Then by saying you made 50% a year on your capital it is deceiving any newbie wanting to get in the trading business. What company expenses do you mean, like a car? That is hardly a company expense.
you are trying to agrue with guy, who called himself as failed_trad3r failed_trad3r! why i have to pay myself a salary? sorry, but i just don't get it... we are been talking about same thing over and over again..you missing one thing-anyone, who succeed in this business and been profitable for 10 years or more probably have enough to retire. you also missing another important point-at the very beginning i tried to think about trading as a business and that was my biggest mistake...you must have goals,certain objectives and so on..this put a lot of pressure on person..i threat my trading as a hobby....hobby..get it? no pressure,no boss,no certain time frame to finish the job. i can just trade for days, i can go to the beach, i can program my ideas while i trade or at the beach..my commute time to my hobby shop = two steps... you nailed it DHOHHI..sometimes i was driving my MB around the town on middle of the day to the liqueur store or barbershop,when everyone is at work, or just jogging around my empty neighborhood and was thinking about exactly same thing-there is no price tag for this kind of hobby.. why all of sudden it have to be threaded as job? salary? 1 good day is more than enough for me to cover all food and bills for month. interest alone on money,that not in trading acconts is also enough to cover those expences.. why i have to put more pressure on myself? i have no idea what are you talking about here..salary..nonsense..you get what you deserve here...need a salary? go get some gvt job..
There are many professions where compensation is not fixed from year to year. Anyone in sales knows that. Same with a business owner. Same with a real estate agent. They make what they make -- depending on many factors, including how hard they work. Same with trading. As far as expenses --- when you commute to a job you have those expenses, you have lunches out with peers or the boss, you have clothing/attire, you have the implicit 'cost' of sitting in traffic during the commute (that time is not yours to do with as you please). Sorry, I've worked in the corporate world and traded (the past 15 years) and my expenses have declined considerably as a trader. I think your ID says a lot "failed_trad3r" -- trust me, there are many traders making good $$$ who don't get caught up in gibberish about a 'salary'. Mind you, the profits made trading spend every bit as well as any paycheck that represents a salary.
Bob111 -- Thank you --- some one who 'gets it'!! I fail to comprehend why some here (failed_trad3r) want to argue about irrelevant facets related to trading. I guess to legitimize myself I should write myself a check every 2 weeks and denote it as 'Salary'. I think those who fail have anger, resentment and other negative energy that they are compelled to release on those who are successful.