Some articles just strike a nerve. My article on optimism seems to be one of those. Interestingly, after pro and con responses to my thinking, a reader found a third way to respond.
Fine article, however aren’t you missing the point of looking at a glass of water? I am a total realist, and it has borne me well thru many a storm, of reality, such as hurricanes, wars [in Nam], and financial storms. I find that, as you say and are alluding to, there are opportunities in all things good and evil. But, regarding the metaphor of the glass of water, one should always realize that when it is half full, it is also half empty, so the answer to the age old question is simple – it is both. So, if you are thirsty, drink hearty, and if not, save it for when you are. But let’s all realize reality and not bury our heads in the sands of wishful thinking. Good luck and happy hoarding (I am a gold bug) and never let ’em see you sweat.
In a sense, the reader found a middle way to the address the conundrum. True, the glass is half full and half empty simultaneously, and true, value exists in either reality (drink or save), and true, his view of the glass of water is the most realistic. I find it difficult to quibble with his view, and I congratulate him on sound thinking. I also agree that we should all face reality all the time, and that wishful thinking is just a place to bury our heads, to not see the world as it is.
I would also like to take a serious moment and thank him for his service in the U.S. military. One can agree or disagree with our military policies. That is a right. What one cannot do is forget that dedicated men and women are “out there” enforcing those policies.
On another serious note … Where oh where do we go from here in the market? No one seems to have a clue. I am hearing, however, more discussion about high-frequency trading and the damage it causes on a daily basis – mini flash crashes every day now.
Yes, yes, I know many a professional defends this practice. This is the now, they say. Computers and software are tools that can give an advantage, and so we have the right to use them to our advantage they say. Yes, I have heard the arguments but it seems to me, computers using artificial intelligence to search out buy/sell opportunities at light speed, and then executing those trades, millions of them, in fractions of seconds is, well, an “unnatural” advantage. The traders who utilize these high-end computers rely on programming code that directs the computer to seek out and act. The rest of us have to use our brains, do our work, and define our opportunities. Call me unrealistic, but I think something needs to be done about these robotic sharks swimming about at light speed indiscriminately taking millions of bites from here and there, all the while causing confusion about what is real and not real in the price action.
And so I have given my rant for today …
Good luck out there …
Trade in the day – Invest in your life …
