So they’ve hired 100 PHDs and 200 other people to do just this? Don’t some single-person hedge funds do this? Though he is talking mainly about trading stocks and futures. Didn’t mention options, though did mention them in the past. I’m actually wondering how much of their business is based on trading options.
Have you ever heard the guy talk? They are the largest vol-trader on the planet by an order of mag. I don't mean it in terms of edge but in the sense that it's just an overlay in absurd size. The firm had a giant overlay/short reversal on that had hurt them in 2019 and early 2020 that paid off in March.
If he really knows what direction the market is going more often than not, makes sense to sell some Calls/Puts for optimization. I understand that Buffets does the same thing on underlyings he want to own.
BTW, he's lying. They have fewer than 20 PMs and less than 40 PhDs overall. Perhaps the number peaked at 100 at some point. They have something around 200 ppl overall and obv the majority in back office roles.
Yeah, that's pointless as they get flat-vol the third Friday before the end of the quarter in listed-vol.