[Mark1808]

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Damn, edit time expired.

i just reread my post and i implied that all those places have 20 yr track records w/ short positions beating the market in risk adjusted returns. in fact, only the prop desks at lehman and goldman (though different people were running them) and bridgewater have that much consistent market beating experience.

Barron

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The leap is thinking that I or any other mere mortal can do it. Furthermore the caveat was you had to be only short stocks for 20 years, and I think that it would have been tough to beat the market being only short stocks the last 20 years. There are lots of ways well capitalized investors with informational advantages can beat the markets both on the long and short side. I had a client who used to arbitrage the small price discrepancies between the off the run Treasuries and current long bond. These things are all possible but I see a whole board full of good poker players who think beating the financial markets is something they can do in their spare time with $100,000. I think they are ill advised to think they can trade the markets actively with any sort of edge.