If you think that the trader’s activity is similar to a game, I would like to first say it’s not. For many reasons. What makes to someone the trading activity similar to a game is a misconception of the bet. The novice tends to see a buy of a stock share as a bet, and, well, it somehow is a bet if you know nothing of what you are doing. Because it’s not a game.

But staying with the game analogy, I would prefer, to much adrenaline-driven action games, the more time related Virtual Regatta Offshore, a provider of oceanic regattas simulators in real-time with real conditions, here in the current RORC 2019 where I participate as minushabens. In this case, it is a 16/17 days ride from the Canarias to St. George’s Island. We are about 4 days from the arrival and I’m placed quite well: I was lucky, indeed!

Let me explain: the player have to decide its route considering the present condition of the wind and the future evolution of the wind, based on some known performance of the boat we are racing with (known as the polars of the boat, simply the speed of the boat at different wind speed at all angles). So, the player relies on the weather forecasts to evaluate its alternatives. While in real-world regatta you may apply a wide sort of tactics against your opponents, here you just race against the wind. No need to know the real sailing (it helps), we race against a worldwide huge number of participants. Here, at the RORC 2019, we are 37.000 and counting.

Now, I can guarantee you that my choices are not bets. Sometimes, as it is now, the choice has been more favorable, others are not so exciting, but if you want to appear in the first third of the ranking you cannot trust the simple bet. You must change your mind: you are challenging a force of nature, much bigger than you and good forecasts for 5 or 8 days ahead may easily change in 2 or 3 days, not much certainty around. Is anything sounding familiar? Now, if you substitute the word wind with the word stock market (the S&P 500, in this case), is it clear the analogy of the behavior of the player of the regatta and the position trader on the index?

If you see the game as a be-there-at-that-time-to-be-elsewhere-at-another-time dynamic, it’s not difficult to place yourself in the first 700, possibly between 300 and 500, where I often find myself at the arrival. A bit of luck today is appreciated. Obviously, you bet, there is a number of route calculators available as apps and websites. Every service is based on one of the available forecasts, then provides different best paths, but the game platform has often slightly different conditions and there you are gaming. You must be well placed in the space and time of the game to fully take advantage of the suggestions from the routing software. Here, as well, a bit of luck is largely appreciated. To remain once more in the game analogy, you are requested to dominate space and time, always need to consider the two as a whole. This is a common analogy with adrenaline games.

End of August. r.Virgeel is already positive for two days and gives a projected rv.Target around +3%. Great time to jibe!

The target was then reached at around 3000 in 10 days.

PS. Update – The RORC 2019 finished with me at 787th / 39101