I have a copy of an interview that Williams gave in which he talks about the $10k to $1.1 million. His objective was to build market presence (get noticed), and he has used that presence to good effect. He was absolutely clear that he does not trade that way all the time, nor does he recommend that anyone else do. I heard a talk given by a trader in my area in which he showed actual statements. He took $25k to $4 million in slightly over one year, then retired from trading. I don't see how any mere mortal could stand that kind of volatility. These cases make great storytelling, but for those of us trying to make a living (vs. a legend), there's not a lot of relevance.
how much capital was allocated to the trade ? massive amounts for sure. william's documented 10k to 1 mill is probably a massive percentage increase over the pound trade. surfer
That's a hard comparison to make (and I hope I didn't give the impression that I was making it). It all depends on the volatility of the underlying and access to leverage. Return on capital employed is going to be wildly different for a tech stock vs. eurodollar futures vs. currencies...and how are you counting capital employed...margin or total value of the position? Furthermore, running $10k to $1MM vs. trying to manage a few billion is a whole different ball game. I just don't think that the comparison is meaningful...apples to oranges.
Yeah, who else would try and sell 5,000 S&P's at "the market" on an opening in which there was half the normal the pit population in attendance? Who else . . . G. Soros.