While little is known about how the visual and locomotor systems work together to support movement, it's cool to watch (and appreciate) what happens and what we can do.
It's almost mind-boggling how quickly our brain can process complex geometric decisions to ensure we don't slip off the terrain. The speed and precision of the eye movements performed in a task like this are absurd.
What's even crazier is that, despite performing "calculations" that computers struggle with, these calculations happen far below our conscious awareness.
For all that complexity - in gaze and gait, in copying humans and innovating past them - robotics has advanced very far.
We now have robots that walk with relatively human gaits, and we have Boston Dynamics creating humanoid and quadrupedal robots that challenge what we thought was possible.
Staying Home (tendency to invest in things that are familiar)
Negativity Bias (tendency to overemphasize negative experiences)
In other words, the biggest threat to your trading profits is your own brain. Humans are wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure ... and those tendencies just aren't conducive to smart trading.
It's getting harder to find an edge, let alone maintain one.
If you don't know what your edge is, you don't have one.
The reality is, over 90% of trades are electronic, and over 70% are algorithmic.
Do you think those numbers are going to increase or decrease?
Firms are using faster computers and smarter algorithms. On top of that, high-frequency traders are skimming alpha on the executi0n.
Here's one thing you can predict ... It is getting harder for humans to trade against the machines.
Momentum is building ... but, it already happened. The new world of trading is quantitative.
The best way to avoid fear, greed, and discretionary mistakes is to avoid them.
In trading, the holding period (or "time in trade") is shrinking. Consequently, there is less focus on predicting markets ... and more focus on determining which techniques are making money most predictably.
Markets are not the same as the economy ... and on a macro scale, it is possible to understand and predict the major forces shaping our global economy.
Jeff Desjardins, of the Visual Capitalist, recently highlighted some of the major forces that are changing our global economy. Here is a summary.
The Tech Invasion ... and its Accelerating Progress
If you were to look at the biggest companies globally - almost all of them are in tech. Fifty years ago, the largest companies were in commodities (like oil, steel, etc.). Even 5 years ago, the biggest companies were widely "goods" centric.
But it's more than just the biggest companies. We're experiencing a technological revolution in many subspaces - AI, 3D printing, gene editing, quantum computing, etc.
Yet, for all the change and disruption we've experienced until today - understand that it is going to get faster, and more pronounced, in the future.
And, it isn't just the tech that is new. The pace of its adoption across industries is a game-changer as well.
We are at a point where new technology often gets released before the previous iteration can fully take hold and mature.
It is not just trading that is getting faster, product cycles are compressing, and foundational technologies are disrupted and replaced (or made obsolete) faster than ever as well.
Even global adoption cycles have become viral and near instantaneous. Think about how fast Pokemon Go (AR) got adopted, or new Smartphones became mainstream.
The Evolution of Money, a Changing Wealth Landscape, ... and China
Money's definition is changing. Cash is becoming less common (with the increasing use of credit cards, electronic payments, and payment services like Paypal, Venmo, and ApplePay). In addition, the public has maintained its interest in cryptocurrencies.
Ultimately, our perception of money may radically change how global economies work.
On top of that, money is changing hands, the ultra-wealthy are from different industries than before, and the wealthiest countries & companies widely influence politics.
Consider the economic rise of China. Even though we've been watching China grow for decades, the scope of its population and economic impact can still be difficult to understand. China has over 100 cities with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants. Even scarier, perhaps, is that China now has more honor students than we have students.
Conclusion
Obviously, the global economy is changing. To see more about the eight forces shaping it, read this.
I've recently been spending more time with economists, while we're not always on the same page when it comes to the interplay with trading, I still find economics interesting.
Trump's impact on global trade and politics will also be interesting to quantify.
Take a look at the world economy divided by region (Mexico is part of Latin America for the sake of this graphic).
Russia probably has the biggest disparity between GDP and land mass.
This doesn't tell us anything about economic growth, would be interesting to compare this five years ago, and five years from now.
Global GDP isn't zero-sum, so this circle can theoretically grow.
Top 3 economies were the U.S., China, and then Japan (with a large drop between each economy).
The top 4 countries account for over 50% of GDP.
It will be interesting to see the way Trump's tariffs will affect the world. There are potentially hundreds of billions in annual revenue that would be affected.
Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - November 25th, 2018
I remember when they told me that eating meat was bad for my health ...
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.
Lighter Links
Posted at 07:14 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Gadgets, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Personal Development, Science, Trading, Trading Tools, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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