Do you have groupies Dave? FF, I could not find a specific question in your post... Not sure what to tell you.
let's not quibble about numbers or definitions but I believe you are wrong about neiderhoffer. you have been spending too much time in FL.
I understand. I guess I don't have a specific question. I'm just trying to put the two side by side to see what we can learn from them. The best I can come up with, and I've alluded to this before, is that neither extreme approach to risk appears to be ideal. So it follows that there is a better perch somewhere along the continuum between the two polar opposites.
I'm not even sure if anyone knows exactly what these sides are. A lot of people misinterpret what they say. Taleb sells ATM premium as he explained, while I bet many think he only buys OTM puts.
I was under the impression that he only bought OTM puts and calls, as reported by Gladwell. I only read Taleb's Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan, neither of which went into any specifics about his trading, so I really don't know. The article is dated so I suppose his trading has changed since then. I guess I'm mistaken.
I hear ya. It's kind of funny how VN's name gets brought up still today. He hasn't really been relevant for years. At one point sure he had some success. But that was a long long time ago. Since his 2nd blow up it's kind of like "Who cares" ? Funny though how someone called him one of the world's greatest futures traders ever. That's a hoot. I guess since it wasn't futures that obliterated him he's one of the best. Hilarious. When I think of great futures traders of the past I think of PTJ, Schwartz,Dunn, John Henry, Kovner.......you know....guys who actually made money in the long run. Also guys like Tom Baldwin......Paul Rotter......different kinds of traders but very successful. As far as Taleb, I really haven't paid much attention to him over the years. He's always saying the end of the world is coming so I do look out my window once in a while to see if a giant asteroid is about to hit my house, but otherwise don't really follow the guy.
Yes, VN comes up in discussion here at ET with some regularity. It was only when someone who praises him unabashedly, ET member MrN, had recently criticized Malcolm Gladwell in another thread that I wondered why that might me. And it then occurred to me it might be because of the 2002 article he wrote about VN and Taleb. And, as I mentioned in the opening post, that's what got me thinking about the distinct disparity between the two men. As to relevance, I don't know if that necessarily ever goes away. I think we can always learn something, or reinforce something we already know, from those who came before us, one way or another. P.S. We're expecting a thunderstorm here. No word on asteroids. Yet.
Both of their performance is significantly worse than their egos and marketing savvy would have you believe. Both have shut down multiple funds due to poor performance.
Why don't you list the "multiple" funds VN has shut down due to poor performance. Right, i didn't think you could-- you really should print a retraction to your ignorance. surf