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Don Quixote of the blog DataViews
Don Quixote of the blog DataViews believes that while Strategy Lab Open is a great contest, the real competition is the market itself. This long term investor recognizes that while the SLO may be more geared toward short term investors, there is still a lot to learn and plenty of trading to do. With a penchant for numbers, Don Quixote has created an open source stock market program. To learn more about this veteran participant and delve deeper into this theories on investing, look no further than this week's Blogger Spotlight.
How did you discover Strategy Lab Open and what motivated you to participate?
I've been a Marketocracy participant for about 5 years now; like a lot of contest participants I couldn't resist the MSN contest challenge.
What is your general investment philosophy?
The stock market itself is a contest: Differences of opinion form the two sides of every trade.
How do you apply that philosophy to managing your portfolio in the lab?
Although the stock market exhibits a history of ups and downs, the long term trend is upward stock price movement as the world economy expands. I look for public panic which tends to cause people to sell off at abnormally lower prices, and I define good investment opportunity as seeing improved future prospects for such price depressed stocks.
What was your best performing position during round 1 of the open?
My stock selections are based upon long term investment opportunity. The short term nature of this contest tends to favor more speculative, shorter term trading, id est: My investment style did not produce any "lucky lottery tickets" in round 1. Risk versus reward investment theory explains that the most speculative bets tend to produce to the most impressive, statistically abnormal results.
What was your worst performing position during round 1 of the open and why did it fail?
I speculated on NYNY - Empire Resorts. Governor Elliot Spitzer approved their Native American casino for the economically depressed Catskills region of New York State. I did not foresee the federal government placing a moratorium on new Native American Casinos.
Do you follow any other bloggers on the site?
I recall the winner of Round 1's selection of MGI - MoneyGram International in October 2007. I offered my opinion of that company in my October 31, 2007 blog: "Market Characterized by Uncertainty". This sarcastic comment is a rather flimsy attempt to vindicate my own Round 1 selection of NYNY.
What professional advisers, if any, do you admire and why?
Like a lot of market participants, I'm aware of Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham.
How long have you been blogging?
I've been active on the internet since around 1996.
What is your profession and educational background?
Although I've earned about 140 college credits in: Engineering Science, Business Administration, and Banking Finance and Investments... I'm not professionally employed.
Do you have any favorite books on investing?
Being that I am rather mathematically oriented, I'm somewhat familiar with the concepts of the basic technical analysis books as well as Japanese Candlesticks (Steve Nison).
Steve Nison offers an interesting history of Candlestick charting evolution from its origins in rice trading during the Japanese Shogun dynasties.
How do you find your favorite investment ideas and themes?
I maintain my own private database, and write my own Java programs. My open source stock market software project is: DataVisualizer.org. I look for improving forward looking prospects when evaluating stocks.
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