Thread: Trading Firms
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Old 10-23-2004, 08:46 PM
mrbaseball mrbaseball is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 384
Default Re: Trading Firms

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I’ve had success in the past day trading

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This is obviously very important. And to get backing arrangements these days you will need documentation to prove it along with a strategy and trading plan that you can communicate to guys who will be able to see through bs.

I have worked for trading firms with backing arrangements for the past 20 years. I started out as an options market maker on the floor at the CBOT. The business has changed a lot over the years. The pits are all but dead now and it's all electronic for the most part although futures options are still primarily floor traded. Over the years I have traded just about every commodity there is along with their options as well as stocks and stock options.

For futures trading your best bet is to sniff around the clearing firms in NY since I see you are from NY in your sig. Knowing someone is obviously good. Pretty much required these days. For stocks I'm not sure? There are a few firms that specialize in the stock market trade and I know a few guys here who have gone to that electronically. But most of them have been having a tough time since the tech crash a few years ago. Before that it was gravy but now they seem to be struggling.

It takes time and good performance to get a good deal. Sometimes they will give you a crappy deal and little latitude to try and prove yourself. If you can break even or better the clearing firm will make money on the juice your trading gives them and with good risk management they have little to no risk.

My advice is to write up a business plan and trading strategy coupled with documented trading success and try to sell yourself to every clearing firm member at every exchange and do the same with the stock market firms that have their own electronic trading platforms and trader arrangements. The backers make their money on the juice and anything you make them on top of it is just the frosting. They just don't want maniacs who will bury them with losses. So the more professional and documented presentaion you can make will greatly increase your chances.

Good luck! If you think tilt can kill you in poker you should see it in trading [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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