What is the use explaining religion to an atheist? or evolution to a creationist? Seems to me it will be as meaningful as a dog barking at the sun!
What do you mean? Momentum profits (trendfollowing) has been studied in academic studies for decades and has been found to return favorable risk adjusted profits over the last 100 years across all liquid markets, not just stocks. What is momentum trading inferior to exactly?
I think Niederhoffer is very smart and knows a lot about the market, he blows up because he believes himself too much, always seek for very high % gain and too confidence that no need to even have a cut lose plan.
That's the symptoms of a compulsive gambler. Niederhoffer viewed the markets as a giant casino, and he used statistical edges that allowed him to outplay the dealer. Or so he thought.
The fact that he blow up twice proves that he is not smart at all. In the period that he made and lost all his previous profits (35% a year), i was more profitable than he. In fact everybody who did not lose money in that period was a smarter trader than Niederhoffer. Performance is the proof of being smart. Daytrader are always accused of not being consistently profitable, well Niederhoffer was not being consistently profitable too.
I have been trading full time for over 20 years. I only trade stocks. All my trading is based on mechanical strategies. So far I have not traded one strategy I would call "trend following". Perhaps it's something wrong with me, but I believe tradeable trends are very hard to find in stocks. But I'm not saying others might have good "trend" strategies (I guess depending defining trends or not). (And no, I have never "blown up".)
Is he ever? He just blurts out statements full of arrogance and self appointed authority. Who is Ms in the end of the day?