Welcome to Meditations from the Edge!
Thoughts, ideas, and contemplations about markets and life
Welcome to Meditations from the Edge, a space for ideas and conversations that I hope to explore in greater depth than what might be achieved on Twitter (@TendexCapital) or other abbreviated forms of social media. I intend to use this forum to touch upon all matter of topics of interest to me, but some will almost certainly receive greater attention than others simply as a function of my background and experience. On that note, who am I? Professionally speaking, I’m a trader based out of New York City that specializes in index futures trading along with higher periodicity volatility arbitrage strategies. I have had a multifaceted career on Wall Street and have worked for some of the premier institutions in the business.
So, in other words, this is going to be a markets/trading/finance focused spot, right? Not exactly. While I will certainly touch on many things trading or finance related, I’m also hoping to explore other items as well, including science, philosophy, literature, TV, and maybe a dose of social criticism here and there. And I intend to share some original works here as well. I do hope you’ll join me in challenging my thought process and helping to cultivate an all-around intellectually engaging space.
Now, some minor housekeeping items before we proceed. Some of you might be wondering, “what’s your tagline photo all about?” Well, it’s an 1856 illustration of explorer, naturalist, scientist, and all around polymath, Alexander von Humboldt, in his Berlin apartment library. To my mind, Humboldt’s life was an apogee of curiosity (and this painting exudes such a sentiment). It’s a trait that I strive to nurture within my own life, seeking truth and knowledge while trying to keep the worst of our biases at bay. And one would be remiss if they failed to notice the messy bookshelves on any visit to my place.
How about the name Tendex, where does that originate? The word "tendex" derives from the Latin word "tendere" which means to stretch. It was originally co-opted by physicists to describe the lines (tendex lines) that allow one to visualize the path that matter takes through the accretion disc of a black hole. So tendex lines help you visualize and understand difficult forces and patterns in dynamic phenomena, something we frequently try to do in markets and life.
As such, I adopted the name for the dual meaning of stretching one’s abilities (and returns), while also seeking to understand and exploit strategies or concepts that might not be easily grasped at first glance. And those in the loop with some market related lingo might recall the ten-bagger concept, so we have faint shades of that idea as well.
And there you have it, some brief items about myself and what I hope to accomplish here. If you’d like to reach out to me outside of this portal, feel free to follow and/or direct message me at my twitter handle @TendexCapital and I’ll do my very best to get back with you. Until then, let’s keep stretching our minds!
