Hi pbw, This is your second question along this line...glad to see someone else putting emphasis on this critical aspect of trading. You need to keep in mind that there are traders that are dependent upon some interaction with other traders during the trading day regardless if its a trader sitting next to them or online chat room. Most fall in the above category. The other category (less in comparison to the above) are traders that prefer to be all by themselves...no online chat, not conference calls, no socializing during the trading day in person nor online. Both will experience duration of loneliness even if your sitting next to another trader while trading. Further, if that feeling of loneliness last too long and becomes to consistent...it will have a negative affect on the trading. When I first started trading...I was dependent upon being in the same room with other traders in an office like environment (not prop trading). After a few years of that...I started decreasing my dependency upon that group and begin more trading by myself in my home office. Today...many years later...if I need to interact with other traders...online chat feels that need. If I need more personal socializing (non-trading stuff)...I go upstairs and hang out with the spouse and toddler for awhile. Other than that...I have an independent nature as in not being dependent upon team work to get a task completed which is the main reason why I gradually migrated away from the trading pal office environment. Something else...the word loneliness in the context of trading is different in using the term trading alone. One implies being independent while the other implies an emotion that can develop into something negative. Completely agree. Mark (a.k.a. NihabaAshi) Japanese Candlestick term
Trade with a friend.....that's what I do. But make sure the other person knows what the fuck they are doing before you start trading with them.
I'm lonely right now (of course, the markets are slow this time of year). I think I need to get me one of those hot girlfriends wee man was talking about.
The freedom and loneliness go hand in hand. I think it can be said that generally, an individual trader could not continue long in this profession if he was not at least comfortable with a solitary work environment. I'm sure some of us enjoy it outright and consider solitude one of the major perks of the game. I mean, talk about the ultimate profession for the self-sufficient social agoraphobe -- how else can one make millions anonymously anywhere in the world and not have to see or talk to anyone else in the process?
========= Or it could be seen as someone secure enough to be just plain honest. Enjoy certain amount of solitude, but; wouldnt try to confuse trading with a life. Must be tough on those that dont enjoy solitude; Don Bright warned ''dont be a hermit trader''