Hey you know the nasdaq building in Times Square where they film Fast Money? What else is in the building? Is it correct to assume that none of it is open to the public, just like the NYSE? Obviously the Nasdaq is run by computers but I just wonder what else is in the building.
years ago, i went on a "tour" of it. complete waste of time. i remember part of it was a simulation game to buy stocks and see how you'd do, but it wasn't working well. they also had a short film on why the nasdaq was so good and the cutting edge companies that were listed on the naz.
thanks for the info. Do you think I can do some good networking by talking to the people at the CME or CBOE booths? I want to meet some good contacts there. Or is the exhibition already closed today?
They were really all about the products that the vendors wanted to sell. Not saying it was a bad thing (at least the few that I attended could tell an uptrend from a downtrend), but that's just the nature of the beast. It wasn't like it was last year when they had trade-offs where John Netto and Daniel Gramza (a couple of class acts) basically kicked their opponents asses.
Read the second page, I stated the same without even having to show up. When it started, the Expo was actually not bad at all. I went like 5 years ago, to look for a new prop firm. It was cool, the snakeoil factor was not as high back then. I went again for kicks a couple years later cause I was in the area. I was drunk & high, did not last long there. Was close to getting kicked out. Seriously, that event is a total joke now. If you show up sober, there is something wrong with you. Someone should start a new event.
I too thought that the Expo was a bit slower this year, but not by much. Having it this weekend, away from Presidents' Day, must have worked against them (Monday off should be a plus for attendance.) One of my unscientific metrics, handouts like t-shirts, pens, toys, etc, was a little off this year too, probably due to cutbacks. I thought that the big players (eg, TradeStation, TOS, Ninja, Fidelity, Schwab, several Forex outfits) did a better job this year staffing their booths with knowledgeable people. I actually got some good answers, which doesn't happen often. Also, most of the old faithfuls (presenters like LBR, Elder, Capra, et al) did their usual good job as I deduced from attending some of the events and chating with people about others. For the first time I attended a presentation by Carolyn Boroden and found it quite interesting - I'll take a further look at her work. I particularly liked Oliver and his VCM Trading story - he's a real trailblazer and a very entertaining speaker. Only thing, he's constantly pulling statistics out of thin air (eg, 82% of breakouts work, if...) And we all know, 79.4% of statistics people throw at you are made up on the spot
It seems that attendance was up a bit compared to last fall's Vegas show, which was good -- overall I was pleased to see that the vendors didn't seem to be overselling; it was a bit subdued, which was good. The quality of most of the speakers was good, I liked seeing both familiar faces and new folks presenting. The quality of the questions that traders are asking is more sophisticated overall, which is positive, meaning many of the "survivors" seem to be asking better technical questions and are working hard to learn trading. I think it's good that there's a venue where traders can meet up and talk, as well as learn from different people, and each other - that's the biggest plus for me at least, is talking with other traders as well as colleagues to pick up new insights.... trading is isolating, so having others to talk with is a big plus. And the Intershow folks run a superb show, everything worked great (all the a/v, registrations, booths etc), very professional. It seems that with so much negative sentiment out there, at least there's still strength in numbers, and meeting with other traders in person can be a positive experience, vs all the whining/negativity on forums and the media, from the weak. Overall I found it well worth attending, and will continue attending these, at least once a year or so. I've found that to be successful, having strong character and learning from others with networking events like this is a big plus. Had great conversations with two guys from the NASDAQ (it was neat to be able to see it from my 39th-floor view window at the Marriott), and colleagues and traders. Even did an all-day tour of NYC - it was sobering to see "ground zero", and interesting to see all the sights of Manhattan - it's an exciting place to visit. -Ken