There was a big story in the WSJ about one of Nassim Taleb-affiliated fund Universa Investments LP (he's merely an advisor, but he takes credit when it does well and it's run based on his long-Black Swan theory). Supposedly, they made a big trade around 2 pm EST on Thursday, just before the market tanked.
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Anyway, lets look at the tape. Here's an S&P 115 June Put option from Thursday. Around 2 PM EST, it was price about $4.30. It went to about $8 (one bizarre print at $14), and is now about $2.50. Whatever he bought is probably down 50%.
I would bet that his Universa Fund will go exactly like his Empirica fund: first year, up big in year 1, then slightly negative for the next five, when it is 5 times as large. Net net, it loses dollars, and like Emprica will have a Sharpe below the Hedge Fund Mendoza line of 0.5.
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Gee, someone should write a book about blow-hard traders who misrepresent their track records and take excessive risk with other-people's money, all due to cognitive biases they are too shallow to notice in themselves. Oh yeah, Taleb has done that! I guess his insider status gives him better insight.
Originally from the pit at Tradesports(TM) (RIP 2008) ... on trading, risk, economics, politics, policy, sports, culture, entertainment, and whatever else might increase awareness, interest and liquidity of prediction markets
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Eric Falkenstein spanks Nassim Taleb silly
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It was a great jeremiad. Too bad people are still calling NT "a heavy hitter in the markets" http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2012/08/15/nassim-taleb-stay-out-of-the-investment-industry/
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