i think you are asking too much...it's not believable you did it for research. ...and for a bunch of reasons.
Using linear logic, it would be easier to doubt those that post consistent $500-$2,000 days, with an infrequent loosing day, day in and out across all market conditions assuming increase in capital, volitility, leverage and experience. Success leaves clues that are obvious to those who seek them on a number of good threads, including the p/l on et. Get past your own ego, envy, doubt, and limiting beliefs and you may find a nugget or two of profound knowledge. I would guess most of those posting actual, astonishing results now realized and did the same thing at one point in their trading career.
Hey friend, whats the problem with me trading 20000 shares a day and making $499 and you trading 400,000 shares a day to make $5,000?
I'm glad to have had a positive effect on many of you. See, our experience is very different. I'm assuming you never worked in a big office of a major prop firm? I started off in the Schonfeld Chicago office, with full access to Dmitry's P/L numbers. Therefore, right at the start of my career I already knew that 7-figure results were certainly obtainable.
OK so here is my 2 cents worth. Do i benefit from posting on the P/L thread. Absolutely I do!!!! Is it a chore to post everyday - most definately. Will i continue to post - of course, here is the reason why? I have been trading for about three years or there abouts. I would still consider myself a novice at this point and have a lot to learn. Back when I first came across the P/L thread I was in a funk, was I making money - yes about $500 per day. Not a bad living I suppose but at that point it wasnt about money - more about just getting better as a trader - that was my goal. My aspiration has always to been to become a better trader, in my mind a P/L has ALWAYS been a BY PRODUCT of making good trades and getting better. Back then I thought that I would never get off this plateau that I had reached. The P/L has certainly inspired me thats for sure. Seeing the numbers that some of these guys put up are astounding to me still BUT.........i know in my mind that its just a number and is attainable for anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort and develop the mindset to attain such numbers. Do I make 10K per day - nope!! But I do hope that my consistency and P/L aspires some people to think they maybe they can reach my level just as i aspire to the level of some of my collegues. See the thing about trading is no matter how good you think you are there is always someone better - trading whether you are newbie or a veteren will always be a learning fluid process. Have I become a better trader - yes, my numbers have steadly increased thanks to the likes of Red_Ink, MilMan, Szeven, Reardon etc Have I reached their level - of course not, but my drive is there and more importantly the mental block that such P/L's are possible has evaporated into thin air. Now at this point - do i care if people think that we are all liars and have nothing better to do then to photoshop results - not really. I know what I get out of the P/L thread at the end of the day, what you get out of it is in your own head - NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS!! Cheers!!
Nothing. Its just nice to see traders improve over time. This time last year, I believe at least Tachyon, Red Ink, and Myself were doing considerably 'worse'. When someone came on posting 5k a day (mksumny) he was run off the board. Now people post 5 digit and 6 digit days, and that is awesome to see. When this volatility goes down, I will likely be back to making around 1-2k a day.
The P&L Thread serves as a constant motivator for me. I thought I was doing quite well until I saw the numbers PatrickQ was putting up a few years ago (1k-3k pretty much every day). At that time, his consistency made me revisit every little aspect of what I traded and how I traded. It forced (~motivated) me through a very hard "upgrade" cycle that's paid off many times since. I've since then connected up with a group of very successful traders. I still find it "hard to believe" that many of them put up 30k to 100k days regularly, but I know they do, and I'm blindly focused on getting there, too.
Correct, I have never traded in an office. I trade at the same firm as you, but remote. My only exposure to other people's numbers are what I see here and from other traders I have befriended. Given the growing percentage of remote traders and retail traders I suspect I'm the norm rather than the exception.