Changes

On this less than happy trading day (whipsaws are never happy occasions, except for swing traders) I unfortunately have to make a sad announcement. Due to personal reasons Berk has decided to take a step back from posting on EvilSpeculator. His brilliant insights and top notch forecasts will be sorely missed and offhand I cannot think of anyone capable of filling his shoes. No worries, he’s still around and I’m sure he’ll chime into the comment section here and there.

Please join me in thanking Berk for his contributions to EvilSpeculator and to you personally – let’s hope he will be back one day to enlighten us with his brilliance. You will be missed.

On a personal note I also have to make a statement: I myself have gotten a bit burned out on the blogging end lately. It seems to me that the quality of the comment stream has been rapidly diminishing as of late. I see a lot of back and forth but very little substance. Compared with some of the discourse on the Slope I see almost no sharing of high quality trading tips, symbols, analysis, charts, etc. I have often jokingly called you guys ‘leeches’, but lately it really feels like the majority of visitors are here only to get a free forecast and some trading tips from a handful of senior people (you know who you are and I thank you for your contributions). Maybe that’s my fault and I have somehow failed to stimulate intelligent discussions due to my particular style of blogging. Or maybe it’s typical growing pains and it’s what every blog has to go through once it reaches critical mass.

The other issue I’m battling with is the Zero feed. I have been quieting things down on that end in my postings as various folks were complaining that I was overdoing it and that they wanted their old blog back. However, despite a visibly stellar performance in the past few weeks I keep seeing a lot more critical comments than supportive ones. Either few people care or an uncongenial minority is the most verbal. I have no idea how many people are actually successfully trading this thing, which is a mystery to me. Because just looking at the current chart it’s clear that this indicator has a lot going for it. The only time I hear from folks is when the feed goes down – very disappointing. I’m giving this a bit more time but would encourage you to share your experience.

Due to the above I have become a bit disenchanted with the entire process. I’m not saying that I’m going to pull the plug but I might reduce my exposure as the input at this point vastly outweighs the output I’m receiving. I have been working day & night to maintain a high standard here and it’s starting to take a toll on a personal and trading level. So far my account has been doing extremely well but I also know that I cannot continue putting in 12 hour days – plus my lovely wife would love to get to see me more often.

My hope was to attract a growing group of senior traders willing to share, educate, and improve everyone’s game. On that end I have to say that I have seen very few trades being posted in the past month that I would be willing to take. Don’t get me wrong – I can deal with a healthy amount of noobs and idle chatter, but the way it’s going this seems to be turning into a one-way street.

The ball is in your court, steel rats. Help me make this place a better one, otherwise I might have to follow Berk into the sunset.

On a personal note: I am also looking for a trading partner – if you are interested please send an email to mmehrle at yahoo. My requirements are this:

• You need to have traded options successfully for a minimum of 3 years.
• You need to have your own proven option trading system and have produced profits over 50% during 2008.
• You need to have gone through a > 25% drawdown in the past and not given up.
• You need to have a basic understanding of Elliott Wave Theory, however it’s not necessary that it’s an active part of your trading system.
• You need to have a profound understanding of technical chart analysis. This means charting patterns, indicators, and other pertinent technical analysis.
• You need to have a basic understanding of what trend trading is all about.
• You cannot be a daytrader or swingtrader. I have nothing against them and occasionally daytrade myself, but the majority of what I do is longer term.
• You need to be present during all NYSE trading hours (5 x 6.5) – no exceptions.
• You need to be accessible for at least 2 hours over the weekend to prepare for the week.
• You need to be available to chat via skype for at least one hour each trading day.
• You need to enjoy a mutual exchange of trading tips via your favorite chat client (e.g. Gmail, AIM, Yahoo, etc).
• You need to have an open mind (that’ll cut down on 90% of the candidates – LOL – no worries nothing kinky).
• If any of the points above don’t apply to you, please don’t send me an email as I have my hands full and it will probably just be ignored.

Cheers!