CL: The Chemist Turned Crypto Trader - [Web3 Breakdowns, EP.77]
Making Markets
The Importance of Being a Psychopath
Young people ask this question all the time. People that ended up in finance were usually one of three categories. There was a group of psychopaths just really loved markets and loved trading. If you weren't trading bonds or stocks, you'd be trading ticktacks or chickens or apes.
This is Eric Golden and my guest today is CL207, also known as CL or Cat, one of the most popular anonymous accounts on crypto Twitter. I have followed him since I got into crypto and, like many, have always wanted to learn more about the person behind the account. CL is academically trained in chemistry and had no finance background before he began trading crypto. He made no money for 2 years but over time has evolved into an extremely thoughtful and intelligent trader.
We start this conversation with one of the weirdest and most fun back stories we've ever had on the show. We then dive deep into CL's trading journey and bring this process to life with examples. We end the conversation on a variety of topics like fashion, anonymity, virtual reality and more. Cat is a highly original and interesting thinker. Talking to him was an absolute blast.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
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Show Notes
(00:02:23) - (First question) - Who Cat was before he started trading crypto and where his avatar came from
(00:06:48) - Where his convictions came from to stick out trading crypto with no experience
(00:10:21) - Finding an edge using intuition and mentally quantitative processes
(00:12:53) - Putting together behavior and patterns to find market opportunities
(00:14:49) - Where he would start to get a sense of the market if he stepped away for a while
(00:16:25) - His average holding period and whether or not he trades based on news
(00:18:13) - What his trading day looked like today
(00:19:23) - His trading track record and how what he’s learned as changed his relationship with risk
(00:22:07) - Never working a job and being risk averse after becoming successful
(00:24:22) - Digging deep until you find an edge in the market
(00:26:13) - Sources of information and where the most alpha is amongst them
(00:28:02) - Whether or not narratives and chats have influenced his trading
(00:29:17) - How his focus has changed as he’s accumulated wealth
(00:31:33) - Having a passion for fashion and what captivates him about it
(00:33:41) - Thoughts on anonymity and the pros and cons of it in the digital age
(00:37:10) - Engaging with an avatar that has expressive emotions
(00:39:21) - Becoming Twitter famous and befriending Edward Snowden
(00:41:59) - Whether or not he misses being a chemist
(00:45:07) - Giving your kid money to trade online hoping they get rugged
(00:47:35) - The Vision Pro and being incredibly bullish on virtual reality
(00:55:24) - The crossover of meeting someone in a virtual world that you’re interested in
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