do you doubt that taleb makes money via trading his own ideas or merely doubt the amount that was claimed in the given article? surf
That was in response to someone assertion that he's a shill who make his buck by going around talking a big game and get paid lots for it. I pointed out that he has had a history of being quite open to do so without fees and doesn't belong to the elk of professional seminar-sellers. Anyway, this thread has long drifted from talking about taleb's "ability to make money". We haven't heard anything from his investors as to being unsatisfied. Taleb doesn't seem to care either way and certainly doesn't hold himself out to be a money making grandmaster. And strategies that he employs have been employed by several funds not run by him to great success. So, at the end of the day, what's the point of talking about whether he "made money"? We are all just basely speculating on something that in itself is pretty meaningless.
interesting. thanks from the Gladwell article: <i>At Empirica, by contrast, every day brings a small but real possibility that they'll make a huge amount of money in a day; no chance that they'll blow up; and a very large possibility that they'll lose a small amount of money. All those dollar, and fifty-cent, and nickel options that Empirica has accumulated, few of which will ever be used, soon begin to add up. By looking at a particular column on the computer screens showing Empirica's positions, anyone at the firm can tell you precisely how much money Empirica has lost or made so far that day. </i>
Actually neither. If he says 20 billions, then 20 billions it is. My understanding is that he also works with a fund of funds and as he said he made half billion for his Black Swan.
The above was from the "Troubled Company Reporter," so I'd have to see the audited returns from Empirica that prove it didn't bleed to death. Hope he made money on his recent venture. He's worked hard to hype himself, and eventually selling OOM puts would have paid off in this market, but his payday may have been a long time coming. Also as an advisor, he may not have participated as much in the upside.
I'm having a hard time finding anything on the "black swan fund" on google. you'd think if it made billions last year there'd be at least a few people talking about it.. maybe it's called something else?
Taleb is qouted in article saying he made 1/2 billion for his blackswan fund and 20 billion for the investors. hedge funds are private partnerships, often with a pact of silence regarding returns for the extremely private ultra HNW investors. surf
Again, this is his hype. What the market needs is a better sense of smell. He did it? He was an advisor to the fund, and the fund's managers may feel they are owed the credit. More than that, if there is a "pact of silence," then why is Taleb blabbing? Like the Madoff fund, no one should take this at face value. The market upturn may have erased at least some of those gains. His earlier claims of trading prowress don't track, as I've pointed out earlier, so I would want to see audited financials before I would believe public boasting. Someone earlier said he wasn't hyping his fund, then what is this? To my earlier point, why is he boasting in public about the returns, if the proof is not made public? Everyone should question PR and hype, and when it is dished out like this, one should say "prove it," along with Taleb's earlier claims, since indicators for his earlier claims point in the opposite direction of his public hype. I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him. The fund is called Universa. Taleb frequently consults with Universaâs traders, but the fund is owned and managed by Mark Spitznagel. He was pit trader on the Chicago Board of Trade. It started with $300 AUM and now has $2 billion AUM. Notice that is AUM, and not the actual total gain. While Taleb may have received a nice payday, it is nothing like the representations you claim he made in that article, and if he did make those claims, then it is just more hype, or rather it seems to be a lie, so why would you trust this person?
I'm confused - did anyone here actually post an article where taleb claimed these returns? Did I miss it at some point?
yes, the article is what started the thread. written by famed writer Will Self appearing in the british edition of GQ. The link is posted earlier. surf