NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a lively debate on "Machine vs. Human" at the Third Annual Battle of the Quants in New York City on February 5, 2009, Denise Shull, M.A., President of Trader Psyches, said that the ultimate trading tool is not the one on your computer, but the one in your head that is pressing the panic button.
"Markets fall, models fail and people do panic," said Shull. "In fear-driven markets," she said, "the advantage goes to those who look for ways to employ both their models and their brains." Shull says that instead of following the herd, the traders and investors who ride out market storms know how to make informed decisions, which means using all the tools at their disposal -- including feelings -- to adjust assumptions and create going-forward scenarios.
"If you ignore your feelings, you are throwing away the asset that sets us apart from machines -- your intuition -- with which humans come pre-packaged to keep us out of harm's way," says Shull. "The good thing is, we already know markets are not constant -- and if you use your internal tuning fork, you can learn to trade better in any market," she said.
"The superior skill in trading, day in and day out, is to know what everyone else will do -- which first means knowing what you will do," says Shull. In her work, Shull helps her clients perfect that skill.
In addition to featuring in the Battle's "Machine vs. Human" session, Shull moderated her own panel about how to make smart decisions when intellect and trading models collide with reality. Shull says that addressing your emotional assets -- using what she terms Emotion Analytics -- leads to superior decision-making ability. "Think of it as risk management and behavioral finance from the inside out," says Shull.
The Battle of the Quants is a full-day event that draws the leading minds in quantitative analysis to debate the influence and integration of quantitative tools into today's global hedge fund sector.
Trader Psyches was established by Ms. Shull in 2003 to offer consulting to traders and investors, including one-on-one coaching, live workshops, and the popular self-coaching workshop.
For further information on Trader Psyches, or to schedule an interview with Denise Shull, contact Debra Douglas 646-530-8377 (ext.2), or go to info@traderpsyches.com.