Trader Documentary - Paul Tudor Jones (Must See)

Below is a link to the Paul Tudor Jones documentary video that shows him predicting the 1987 Crash (he tripled his money during it). This is a must see for any trader and shows the legendary trader in action before he became a billionaire.

Although the video was shown on public television in November 1987, very few copies exist. Those that do are hoarded by traders who watch the hourlong movie in the hope of gleaning possible trading tips from Jones. On the Internet, bids for the video start at $295. According to Michael Glyn, the video’s director, Jones requested in the 1990s that the documentary be removed from circulation.

Paul tudor jones trader documentary

Here's a brief introduction on Paul Tudor Jones career. The video also features a clip from the film "Trader".

from

Is financial trading an art, science, profession or out-and-out gamble? If you're interested in money and you want to know what it's really like on Wall Street, this is the video you, your family, your colleagues and your friends should own. Filmed before Wall Street's October 1987 crash, TRADER is a riveting one hour documentary of a fascinating man, Paul Tudor Jones II. It delivers a rarely seen view of futures trading and explains the workings of this frantic, highly charged marketplace. It gives viewers an inside look at his estate in Virginia, skiing in Gstaad, his New York apartment. It also examines Jones' prediction that America is nearing the end of a 200-year bull market. If he's right – and he almost always is – this country and the world are about to experience economic changes of unprecedented proportions.

Recommended Reading

78 Comments
 

This is an unbelievable find - the video itself is a hot commodity.

From wikipedia:

"Jones uses a global macro strategy when trading in some of his funds. This strategy can be seen in the 1987 PBS film "TRADER: The Documentary". [6] The film shows Mr. Jones as a young man predicting the 1987 crash using methods similar to market forecaster Robert Prechter.

Although the video was shown on public television in November 1987, very few copies exist. Those that do are hoarded by traders who watch the hourlong movie in the hope of gleaning possible trading tips from Jones. On the Internet, bids for the video start at $295. According to Michael Glyn, the video’s director, Jones requested in the 1990s that the documentary be removed from circulation.

The video surfaced briefly on YouTube at the end of July 2009, before being taken down due to alleged copyright violation.1 Jones' firm currently manages $17.7 billion (as of June 1, 2007). Their investment capabilities are broad and diverse, including global macro trading, fundamental equity investing in the U.S. and Europe, emerging markets, venture capital, commodities, event driven strategies and technical trading systems."

 

Thanks for that. I updated it with your (much more eloquent) description.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 
monty09watched it and is it really that great?

Yes it was that great! Amazing how much simpler markets were back then...he basically spent all day kicking around S&Ps, US interest rates, and a few currency pairs. Today macro funds have many many more products on the radar screen. Also, his analog builder that compared the 1920's to the 1980's was classic...the thing looked like a printing press and was the size of a compact car...today those analogs can be made on bberg in 2 seconds. His tolerence for risk was also massive...he takes a 6% loss in one day!

And just for pure comedy the outfits that his junior trader wore (red suspenders and giant glasses) were hilarious. Also him skiing in Gstaad was a pretty funny 80s cliche.

 

Its amazing to see how they predicted the crash. Also, I thought it was really cool to see one of the greats in action. You read about hedge fund managers and the positions they take, but you never get to watch as they are taking them. Also, look at how candidly and friendly his is with the camera. Its like your in the room with him and you can't tell that he is giving an interview.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

He tried pretty hard to keep this thing away from the public so I'd imagine there's some reason for that

The Macro View http://themacroview.wordpress.com
 

Gotta love the pinky ring.

All joking aside, great topics (ie. Elliot Wave Theory...)--if you haven't seen this before and are all interested in finance, watch away =).

"Salesmen and traders are wild, cunning, aboriginal creatures who advise money managers about deceiving their bosses and finding new strip bars; their favourite phrase is, "Fuck you." IBankers eat fruit. Salesmen and traders eat meat, preferably fried."
 
untiltedi respect the guy a whole lot and have interacted with him before. but the whole overlaying-20's-chart-on-80's-chart is a bit...you know...dubious

maybe this stuff worked all the time in the 80's when technical analysis tools aren't as sophisticated as it is today...

at the same time, he is sort of the warren buffett of technical analysis.

I would have to disagree--TA surely wasn't as "sophisticated" (not as many bullshit indicators..), but math is still math and the correlation is explained well through the charting.

I mean, look at the current period. So far we are trading pretty close to the 1929 pattern with the big drop and reflex rally to 60ish%. Everybody's bullish, analysts are raising estimates, recovery is well on the way...eerily similar. There was a great chart somewhere on zerohedge but I can't seem to find it.

"Salesmen and traders are wild, cunning, aboriginal creatures who advise money managers about deceiving their bosses and finding new strip bars; their favourite phrase is, "Fuck you." IBankers eat fruit. Salesmen and traders eat meat, preferably fried."
 
untiltedi respect the guy a whole lot and have interacted with him before. but the whole overlaying-20's-chart-on-80's-chart is a bit...you know...dubious

maybe this stuff worked all the time in the 80's when technical analysis tools aren't as sophisticated as it is today...

at the same time, he is sort of the warren buffett of technical analysis.

These analogs are commonly used today...not as strictly as he was using them like "today is January 3rd, 1929" but analogs are pretty standard tools for macro traders and i believe they can be very helpful...in order to have an opinion about what will happen in the future its very important to understand how prices have reacted in situations that were similar in the past.

 
Bondarb
untiltedi respect the guy a whole lot and have interacted with him before. but the whole overlaying-20's-chart-on-80's-chart is a bit...you know...dubious

maybe this stuff worked all the time in the 80's when technical analysis tools aren't as sophisticated as it is today...

at the same time, he is sort of the warren buffett of technical analysis.

These analogs are commonly used today...not as strictly as he was using them like "today is January 3rd, 1929" but analogs are pretty standard tools for macro traders and i believe they can be very helpful...in order to have an opinion about what will happen in the future its very important to understand how prices have reacted in situations that were similar in the past.

true true. history does often repeat itself.

 

Hey Guys,

There is so much traffic that the video is much slower than before. If you want to download it and watch it on your computer whenever you want you may need to download the proper codecs which can be found in the DivX codec pack. Note: that actually downloading onto your computer takes 40-60 minutes.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Watched it last night and it was so fast it might as well have been streaming. That being said, yeah, I'm pretty sure that was a Budweiser at 4 am.

------------------------------------------------------------------ "I just want to be a monkey of average intelligence who wears a suit. I'll go to business school!"
 

If you know what to look for, this video is extremely, extremely informative. PTJ definitely does not spell it out, but there are subtle things he says which reveal a great deal about how to trade successfully. I highly encourage everyone who aspires to be a trader to watch this, as PTJ is definitely one of the greatest macro traders of our time.

ardenthis guy's an idiot. elliott wave analysis? really? just goes to show how far luck can take you in life

... and you, sir, are the idiot. Just because YOU can't find success in trading (and, probably, the financial services industry in general), doesn't mean its not possible through skill. I know that you consider yourself a "highly qualified" individual, but until you run one of the largest multi-strategy macro funds on the planet, measure your net worth with at least 9 zeros, and have only ONE losing year over the past 2+ decades, please keep it to yourself.

 

He used Elliot Wave analysis to predict the crash. That does not mean he uses it with all his investments. The guy has had 20% returns for 20 years straight. Not to mention the fact that you saw him trade several times (oil, D-marks). How can you call it luck?

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

I am pretty sure that 95% of the people on this site know who he is; the 5% that don't know are probably trolls.

 

the argument is pointless because we'll never know whether its luck or whether its technique.

personally I believe in trading ESP ("gut feelings"). Soros once said he gets physically ill when disaster is about strike.

 

This is a great post. I have watched this video several times over in the past few days.

It would be interesting to hear his reactions on this video some 20 plus years after.

 

raw, compelling and energetic. PTJ reminds me of why i became a trader in the first place. i think im a bit nostalgic right now! sht. someone get me a bloomberg terminal, a turret and a couple hundred milliy. quick!

 

The original posting I had up was from zshare and they let you download it off your computer. zshare took it down and I had to replace it with the current link. The video is not as rare as I once thought and you should be able to find it on a torrent site or just some proactive google searching. Glad you enjoyed it.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

anyone has a clue where I could find this video ? I just saw on business insider that the video had "resurfaced" but it's already gone arrrrg. SB for any usable link.

 

my great uncle worked with him at bankers trust...both made a fuck ton of money, but apparently Tudor Jones was a savant....

 

Architecto magnam est nobis eveniet quas. Vero quis dicta quo magni. Quia optio voluptas quibusdam ratione odio tempora. Incidunt est itaque laboriosam.

Et debitis atque enim consectetur eveniet. Unde voluptas non et et delectus sint ex corrupti. Veritatis nobis provident quaerat vel. Reiciendis ut eos modi. Et culpa qui possimus iure quis harum. Non aut laboriosam neque fugit quasi porro similique rerum. Praesentium voluptatem ducimus dolores aut laborum dolores cupiditate id. Doloremque nemo repellat molestiae omnis rerum aperiam quia.

Ut a quaerat sed est minus. Et sed omnis mollitia molestias velit et. Dolorem autem repudiandae libero vel recusandae delectus. Non adipisci et sed iste ducimus quam omnis. Sit odit magni in. Quidem laborum voluptas similique.

 

Dignissimos sunt fuga commodi molestiae asperiores. Quibusdam illo doloribus saepe pariatur nisi sit vero tempora. Aliquid aperiam sunt ducimus perspiciatis ea autem architecto. Non sint exercitationem tempore ut mollitia. Est omnis voluptate dicta ut nisi accusantium porro.

Aut excepturi saepe est ut molestiae qui quia animi. Amet repellat exercitationem illum consequatur ullam et. Ullam sapiente consectetur accusantium minus. Dolorem aspernatur impedit quis occaecati quia assumenda. Consequatur maxime esse qui animi et provident quo. Fugit sit mollitia cupiditate repellendus distinctio vero corrupti. Necessitatibus dolor sunt molestiae.

Sunt quia ea vel et quo sunt sint dicta. Qui illo temporibus reprehenderit debitis. Consequuntur sapiente ut nihil necessitatibus magnam velit veritatis. Suscipit deserunt quam iusto atque officiis minima.

 

Ratione repudiandae iste nihil laboriosam aut ut molestias. Possimus dolor ea voluptatum voluptatum occaecati et alias ipsa. Neque quas eligendi maiores aspernatur. Quas non dignissimos fugiat velit iure aut velit. Voluptas voluptate placeat asperiores incidunt. Et porro voluptate ut facilis.

Voluptatem reiciendis voluptatem eum voluptatum ut optio. Libero esse aut quibusdam et fugiat incidunt. Repellat vitae aliquam aut.

Magnam suscipit dolor molestias molestiae quisquam. Et assumenda modi est ducimus sunt. Id dolores quis praesentium qui quo quod aut in. Ipsam id quia autem reiciendis rerum enim nulla laudantium.

Voluptatum quidem tempore id nam occaecati veritatis ea. Eos consequatur dicta sapiente doloremque tenetur non. Consequatur ducimus qui adipisci fugiat quia. Amet necessitatibus veritatis non voluptates laboriosam ut exercitationem.

 

Dignissimos aliquid nesciunt et laudantium. Sit ad perspiciatis non et dolor.

Rerum id neque repellendus consequatur tempora. Voluptas vitae qui voluptatibus dignissimos quasi enim corporis. Iste animi nesciunt aperiam corporis est at et. Et illum vero quo aut hic. Consequatur eaque voluptas nemo aliquid.

Nulla possimus nihil consequuntur et. Autem sunt recusandae qui nihil quis voluptatum et consequatur. Ad explicabo delectus cupiditate rem ut est.

Magnam quisquam voluptates magni veniam. Nam quos et illo mollitia quos. Qui culpa non eum est et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”