I was thinking the other day how lucky I am to have all the things line up that enable me to trade. From the software, to the wife that works, to the crazy piece of me that thinks I can do this trading thing. thankful for all my co-humans, current and gone before, that have made this world work as well as it does. Thankful for my fellow traders for allowing me to take some of their money. Thanks guys! We're all pretty fortunate aren't we.
As I sit here in a small rural town and punch my keys to instantly transmit my intentions and thoughts around the world while watching the latest news via satellite I have to agree. Techology is wonderful.
I think of this almost every day and I just thought I would post this for the benefit of newer traders. I started trading in the late sixties. We had to call our broker for prices. Living in NYC I would go to the newsstand at 10:30pm to get the next day's New York Times to update my charts and to get a jump on things. Commissions may have been like $35/lot . I got drafted into the Army but, because I was from a communist country they would not send me to Viet Nam, so I had a chance to trade. My pocket was full of quarters to call my broker. (The smuck did not let me know I could call him collect) There was a major article in Playboy on commodities trading and I got interested in commodities. When I got out of the Army I visited the Cocoa Exchange in NY and asked them for historical price info and they led me to a leather-bound ledger where they have marked the prices. I soon became a commodities broker and my buddy and I bought the first personal (non main-frame) computer in the early seventies which was a WANG. 64K memory, it was literally a desk, cost $25K. Entered hourly info on punchcards. Compared to that we today have: liquid markets access to worldwide markets instant inexpensive or free info cheap commissions and computing ability to trade globally from the same account listed options and all kinds of new trading vehicles wealth of information on how to get started and wonderful communities like Elite Trader I almost do not believe it that literally every wish concerning the trading environment has come true. WE CAN FOCUS ON IMPROVING OURSELVES This is why I think ET and places like it are great.
I forgot to say that in the old days one had to buy one's own exchange seat for cold cash. Now you can lease one.
Great story. Some perspective from the past can be very illuminating on the fact of how good we have it now. We take too much for granted.
Right on bro! I also stopped punching a clock to pay someone else's mortgage and now trade full time. I love knowing that I am now 100% in control of my career. I am grateful for the support and encouragement coming from my wife and my immediate relatives. May we both find much success and satisfaction with our new livelihoods! Good luck!
Great comment, I barely remember the days before semi-electronic markets. Technology and access has certainly leveled the playing field a great deal, now a trader sitting in his living room can have access to the same information, the same historical data, same speed of execution, as a big institutional player. It is great, and I am thankful for that. If anything, this has made the game a lot less prone to the wall street slime.
Hearing these stories really puts things in perspective. I just started trading full time. It sure does seem like I take one step forward and two steps back, but I'm committed,and thanks to the tools and technology hope to be successful.
Whats with this obsession on ET that any winnings made by ETers comes from losses made by other ETers? Let there be some sense. If there are any winnings by ETers they likely are chipped off big players and institutions who do not give a horsesh*t as to what independent individuals are doing in their trading!