What a weekend on Slope. In my four years of participating on Slope, I can not remember the last time nerves were this raw. Personally, I think its a sign of capitulation, and more importantly, a mark of a market reversal. But that is not here nor there. I want to write about what its like to trade as a Pirate.
As Slopers know, my avatar is a pirate skull. Further, many Slopers know that I actually have that exact design tattooed on my arm. Ridiculous? Sure. However, there is deep meaning to the whole Pirate persona. See, my tattoo is on my right wrist. I have to look at it every single time I execute a trade. It simply reminds me to make sure that each trade falls into the Pirates Code of Trading. So you are probably thinking “what the hell is Phantom talking about?!” Simple, Trade Like A Pirate.
I don’t fly under any flag. I don’t hoist the Bull flag, I don’t hoist the Bear flag. I. Am. A. Pirate. This means that I look to steal from the easiest mark every single day. Lately, yes, it has been easier to raid the bear’s ship as the market continues to drift higher. However, the second the wind changes and the markets head down, I will be looking to steal from the bulls. Again, I’m a Pirate And to me, I could care less where I get my money from. It absolutely fascinates me to see both bullish and bearish ideology. Neither make any sense and neither help me add money to my chest.
Pirates love money. There, I admit it. I, as a trader, am in this game for MONEY. I’m not in this trading game to make friends, I’m not in this game to pledge allegiance to the bull or the bear, I’m not here to be popular. I’m here for one thing. MONEY, MONEY, AND MORE MONEY. Period. I love to slit the throats of bulls just as much as I love to slit the throats of bears. And at the end of the day, I could care less which direction paid me because the next day is a new day. And with a new day comes a new opportunity to draw more blood.
Perhaps this post is a bit perverse and a bit esoteric, but to me, its my mantra. Slope appears to be split into two camps. The Bears draw their identity from being smarter than everyone else because “reality” will come sooner rather than later and the bears will be the smart ones that saw it coming when no one else did. Cool. The Bulls just assume that everything will be alright forever and they laugh at the failure of the bears as the market bleeds higher; BTFD. Also, cool.
However, there is a small faction of people who are pure traders. These are Slope’s Pirates. Ever notice how these people will be long one minute and then short the next? And then note how the comments of ridicule fly in from both sides? Believe me, the trader doesn’t care as long as our personal account shows green. Again, trading isn’t a team sport, a popularity contest, or anything else. Its a game that keeps score with a P&L. And the one with the most P and the least L at the end of the day wins.
So I invite every Sloper out there to cast off their allegiance to either the Bull or the Bear. Join the flag of the Jolly Roger. All we look to do each day is rape, plunder, and steal from whoever is giving up their money the easiest. Because that is the name of the game. We Pirates don’t trade to be cool, we don’t trade to be respected, we don’t trade to be proven “right,” we don’t look for adulation and praise. We trade for MONEY. And believe me, flying under one directional flag every single day only hinders the daily quest for plunder. Steal from everyone without discrimination. Trade Like A Pirate.
