The Big Picture - Macro Perspective on the Capital Markets, Economy, Technology, and Digital Media

6 Responses to “Apart From the Crowd”

1. impermanence Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm

   I can’t really see how this is “Apart from the Crowd.” Just another person trying to figure out how to get ’something for nothing,’ our national obsession.

2. SINGER Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm

   @impermanence…

   I am actually a practising lawyer and currently I don’t sell this research or hold any trading or investment positions. which ironically allows me to just go with what I see…

   The “crowd’ reference is taken from the later 19th Century work of Gustav LeBon, in which he describes aspects of crowd formation and behavior, which I find applicable to trading as well as other arenas such as jury trials and politics.

   Thankfully, neither of us are real and none of this is actually happening… Perhaps our lack of permanence is responsible for the misapprehension!

3. impermanence Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm

   “Thankfully, neither of us are real and none of this is actually happening… Perhaps our lack of permanence is responsible for the misapprehension!”

   Actually, it is the illusion of ‘permanence’ that is responsible for all confusion. But, that’s another story.

   The imbalance present in our system is so extreme that it has engendered the exponential growth of professionals solely preoccupied with manipulation, attempting to rig the system in order to separate as much labor-value from as many people as is possible. This has pretty much destroyed the middle class, put a few dollars in their pockets, and greatly enriched the few.

   Over all, it the insatiable desire to get ’something for nothing’ is the basis of just about everything that goes wrong.

4. Simon Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 1:04 am

   Great analysis David. I got interested in technical analysis back in late 2007. It was and continues to be a very exciting time to be learning about politics the economy and the markets. I recall noticing the giant head and shoulders pattern in the SP500 around March 08. I sketched out a diagram and sent it to Brian at Alpha Trends who was quite complacent about the possible target of around 900 that I had estimated. It was his daily videos and the links on his blog that led me here, where I continue to dwell and absorb.

   http://www.alphatrends.net/

5. dza Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 am

   Well, if he ends up getting “something.” it would be for his analytical skills, time put in to study, and using the self control and discipline it actually takes to make a profitable trade. So, technically, that’s not something for nothing. If he identifies a method for more clearly understanding an assets value, gives it away for free on the internet, and I read it, use it, and therefore have a tool to more efficiently discover price with…I am now better prepared to deal with the tsunami of misinformation coming my way, inevitably. So, by giving his intellectual capital away for free without any investment position himself, he’s actually given something for nothing. Slight difference.

   The middle class hasn’t been destroyed, and the poorest people on my block still live better than almost anyone else in the world.

6. SINGER Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 4:16 pm

   @impermanence

   point taken… actually once I was asked to descibe my religious views I responded “temporary dissolution of permanence”, but I guess that is just a matter of perspective anyway…