The Opposites, "Dom, Lomp & Famous"

Trader Z didn't "spray" today, but he's getting the song selection anyway, because he led many traders into the green with a solid afternoon call.

The RO Report, "Schadenfreude" Edition

Trading is a cutthroat business. You have guys who wish you well to your face, but behind your back, they only want to see you fail.

Lately, talk in the office has been about how "bossy" I've been and how popular I am on the Internets.

People said things like, "Hey, DT, good going lately!" and, "Wow, your blog is 'neat-o.' I wish I could write like you do!" and shit like that... but I knew, they were waiting, no, hoping for my demise.

The fact that a group of traders made loot today, secretly, scummishly even, without me would hurt more if it wasn't so expected.

I've mentioned that the RO is hiring. But look, you don't want to work with these assholes.

(I'll finish this post later this evening...)

UPDATE: Okay, so I was a little churlish after the close there because the RO completely outperformed me. I forgive them. Plus, I was kidding, naturally... they're just better traders than I am.

Anyway, I think in yesterday's post, someone asked about the volume figures that I quote each night. I use only the trades made on the NYSE, not including ECN trades. It's a pretty reliable indicator about volume in the market, however I think I'm going to start focusing on another volume indicator instead; the total volume traded in the S&P e-minis.

Why? Because this is what I watch intraday to decide whether or not I should be trading actively. If the volume is less than 25k traded over a 5-minute period, that's light. In the office, we call this the "whisper line" after "Trader A" who we also call "Whisp." We call him other things too, but nothing appropriate to mention here. Anyway, total volume in the E-minis today was 2.1 million shares... very light.

The RO had a solid day. Out of 24 traders, 14 were gross positive, or 58%. 9 traders made over $1,000 gross while 5 lost over $1,000 gross. I was #11 of 24, or disappointed with my performance. Still, it beats being "Trader D," who is breaking all kinds of "Chambermaid" records.

The Bosses easily beat out the Manservants today.

"Lucky Pierre" - Trader Z, $12,589 on 43,800 shares traded.

2. Trader C, $8,491 on 134k shares traded.
3. Trader A, $7,075 on 137k shares traded.
4. Trader F, $6,661 on 22,600 shares traded.
5. Trader N, $4,609 on 32,000 shares traded.

"Chambermaid" - Trader D, -$4,454 on 101k shares traded.

2. Trader E, -$1,840 on 61,600 shares traded.
3. Trader M*, -$1,163 on 0 shares traded.
4. Trader 6*, -$1,153 on 0 shares traded.
5. Trader J, -$1,019 on 37,400 shares traded.

Japanese Candle Rape

I'm all about maximizing my reading audience.

I mean, ostensibly, this is a finance blog, and I cater mostly to those who trade stocks. But apparently, I also serve onanists who are into "Japanese Candle Rape."

See below. (h/t "Trader E")

Where Homes Are Worth Less Than They're Worth

Click here for a map that shows just how fucked certain states really are.

Nevada seems to be the most severely screwed, with nearly 50% of homes worth less than their mortgages. Also, two huge states, California and Florida, are near 30%.

No data for Wyoming however. Most likely this is because more than 80% of the state is Dick Cheney's bunker.