"Prediction Company" http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16510&highlight=prediction+company "The Predictors, page 105: Quant is short for quantitative analyst. This computerized mix of mathematics and statistics is also known as rocket science." When applying rocket science, probably we would be better than pure quants.
Well We are all employees. We work for ourselves, our families, our wives, our girlfriends, someone else. The idea that a quant is a spectacled introverted dork who cannot handle stress is crap. Look, there are people of all kinds doing a variety of jobs in this world, some are quantitative analysts, some are traders, some are back office managers, some brokers, and on and on. In my experience, people with quantitative backgrounds have a real problem, but it is not the one described in the post above. Instead the problem is that most folks are math challenged, and some problems or concepts are difficult to explain to people who couldn't even get past intermediate algebra. If you want to get some benefit from the work a quantitative analyst does, you have to meet him/her half way. Come on.... Its a profession, that all. If it were so easy to understand, and there were so many out there, or here on ET for that matter, we would all know it. For any who doubt, simply head on over to www.wilmott.com and read some of the posts. See how many of them you understand. I won't hold my breath. Steve
Hey Oz I am starting to feel better about not being a quant. At least I am not a friggin ballet dancing, interior decorating, flower arranging, mincing, prancing pansy.
Bottom lýne ýn thýs busýness. You have to make money. You can do that by runnýng numbers, wrýtýng code or massagýng the head traders balls. Whatever turns you on.
Given the alternatives I will stick with the numbers thanks and in answer to your question, I almost never sleep, and that is because I spend so much time at night running tests.
Steve. By an Island buýld a harem hýre 100s of mýdgets as your servants and relax. That's what I would be doýng ýf I was retýred. Optýon number two (If I had your knowledge) would be to take over the world. Optýon number three post on ET fulltýme. Just kýddýng.
Ozzy: I hope you are doing well my friend. I am content to make consistent money several days a week on my tiny little account. I pay my bills, and I mow my lawn (actually I watch the gardener mow my lawn) I drive my cars (while I can still afford gasoline) I barbeque and I try to maintain a low profile. Although the idea of world domination appealed to me as a younger man, I have resigned myself to owning a small portion of the western hemisphere. Good luck in the markets Steve
46. Hello again. As to there being no quants here, there is at least one. Me. Arithmetic. Geometry. Solid geometry. Al-Jabr (fucking A-Rabs!). Boolean al-Jabr. Simultaneous linear equations. Calculust. Deferential equations. Impartial differential equations. Nonlinear differential equations. Integration in the complex plane. Quantum dynamics. Nonlinear analysis. Numerical analysis. Improbability and sadistics. Sampled data theory. Information theory. Binary decision theory. Optimal estimation. Chaos theory. I could go on but it is giving me a headache remembering how much of that I learned. You know what I do with all that? Read the tape.
Hypo, that list is just not complete without Copulas (don't you love that word). Perhaps they are better known to your very close friend J Merchant - wait for the book - "Pricing CDO Tranches and Market Copulation using Copula Functions - for Dummies"
Steve are ya not a kwant? Ya must then either be a loser or otherwise a winner using methods other than quantitative. Tell us please about how ya do this. Wet finger methods, astrology? Even perhaps Jack's method or methods? By your certification, nono even would be quant. Glad I see you make the distinction between a "quant" and a "quant working on Wall Street". The latter ones must be the ones stuffing those departments getting fired wholesale by some most reputable WS bosses (as reported by ET several times). You obviously can't have spent much time yarself in one of them "10 top schools", this going by your weird gobbledygook cocktail of disciplines: "math, computer science, physics or similar discipline". Is this perhaps a symptom of the imaginary nature of the kwant, with or without PhD.? nononsense, PhD.