Passion For The Markets

We've all read in applications how hedge funds and trading firms want someone who has "passion for the markets". What would you guys say it really means to have passion for the markets? Reading the journal front to back daily? Looking through company’s financial statements? Knowing where the market is at any minute of the day?

Were do you draw the line? What is it that drives your passion for investing ?

11 Comments
 

How do L/S equity teams at large multi-manager hedge funds make investment decisions and come up with ideas? How do they do their research? What is the time frame? Do they try finding companies that will beat earnings before the announcement and then sell them after the call? If so, how do they find companies that they think will beat earnings? Responses will be greatly appreciated.

 
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Passion for the markets? Looking at the futures and how Europe is trading when you first wake up. Finding a new name to look at or running screens never occurs to you, because you often have too many ideas to review. 

Similar to getting ahead in every career, your career becomes your life. 

I would be careful with time allocation. Reading the WSJ front to back may not be value accretive compared to other activities. 

Also, there's a big difference between high level market interest and the details. Listening to a famous investor pitch an idea at some conference / school is great, same w /reading sell side material BUT working on the name from the bottoms up from start to finish is very different.  The devil is is in the details. 

 

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