Neural Nets and Genetic Algorithms?

Discussion in 'Technical Analysis' started by AsaFce, Sep 11, 2003.

  1. AsaFce

    AsaFce

    Is anyone on here successfully using neural nets or genetic algorithms for their analysis? I was looking around and saw that there are some Excel plug-ins and stuff, but I'm not sure how trustworthy they are.

    I have heard that some of the large firms like Fidelity and Bears Stearns and the like have used them with much success since something like 1995.

    Do they only have in house programs, or do they also use known programs out there that we can buy too?

    Do the packages have updates? I am not sure I want to pay some of these big rates and then just have to upgrade soon.

    Another option I found with a lot of poking around was a web based interface. There is Trendax (www.trendax.com), but that doesn't have any real functionality yet as far as I can tell, just a pretty cool looking interface.
    I am a bit hesistant about that website since it is supposedly run by Kim Schmitz, and he is notorious for scamming things - starting up fake companies and getting investors and even clients, and then bailing out (he was even arrested for it).

    That said, there is another site that also looks like it does the same thing - the interface there is different, but still not bad I guess. Stensland Systems (www.stenslandsystems.com) - I have no idea if that guy has been in prison or not, but it seems to have a bit more real information instead of glitz.
    Again, I don't think that one is up - on it he says they are still waiting for bank processing or something. I signed up there just in case since there is some discount you can get if you do that and then later promotions stuff.

    I've seen downloadable programs as well, but now that I have seen the web interface things, I'm kind of interested if they are any good.

    Any ideas? Sorry about my long post - I've lurked here a bit and just want to finally get to posting.

    Thanks
     
  2. Try NeuroShell.
     
  3. AsaFce

    AsaFce

  4. AsaFce

    AsaFce

    Aren't those the guys that had to stop talking about what they were doing once they were bought out by the Swiss firm? Presumably the Swiss firm didn't want them talking about it I guess.

    I wonder if anyone involved in that is part of something new - it sounds like the sort of thing that the neural net software does.
    Maybe they are involved in something else now?

    I thought I had heard about their contract with the Swiss group ending - but I can't recall where, so that might not be at all true.
     
  5. Yeah, they are still around, out in Los ALamos. I spoke briefly with on of the math-wiz founders, J. Doyne Farmer. He told me it was still up and running, and last I checked they were still hiring programmers.
    I believe that in the contract with Swiss Bank, they had to keep a lot of things quiet.
     
  6. AsaFce

    AsaFce

    So they likely aren't involved with either of those web pages I mentioned, or any of the standalone programs that were also mentioned?
     
  7. That was an interesting albeit odd book. It struck me that they were very arrogant and wasted huge amounts of time and money because none of them seemed to know much about trading. From the book it appeared all their high-powered math basically was useless, and they ended up trading some neural nets that someone else had developed. The book was kind of disorganized as well, so it was hard to tell exactly what they were doing.

    The one thing I took from the book is if you are going to be a socialist intellectual who sneers at everyone with a job, it helps to have a rich wife.
     
  8. I believe they were bought by UBS for about $300 million
     
    #10     Sep 11, 2003