What the Spec List Is

日期:2016/10/31 

 Welcome to the Speculators list. We are a group of about 250 who bring various approaches to investing and trading in the markets ranging from quantitative/empirical to highly qualitative. Our group contains individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds including academia (both professors and students), journalism, portfolio management and trading, science, coaching, psychology, medical research, technology, and software development. Some of our members are active in several of the above. We encourage contributions on topics that link almost any field (biology, psychology, or sports to name a few) to speculation in the markets.

We try to foster an ambiance of an extended dinner party and in support of this objective one of our few rules are to refrain from personal attacks on other members (while vigorous debates on the merit of topics are encouraged ) upon punishment of buying a round of drinks to all members (Ben Franklin style ) . In addition, some periodic participation is expected ("lurking" is discouraged and occasionally inactive members are removed ). Along these lines, part of the requirements for new members is to send a brief bio to the list shortly after joining so the members can get to know you (a brief bio being mandatory for participation).



We also ask that members try to keep their posts market related as we find this helps keep our many busy professionals interested and active in the discussions. Members are expected to respect the privacy of others in the group in general, and specifically ask that members do not forward posts by other members to third parties outside the group.

If a member wants to refer other members to an outside source (a web page link for example) they should provide a brief abstract to help others decide if its something that interests them. Original thoughts and analysis of members is generally preferred over news found in the typical sources. For a more complete list of our general content and posting guidelines we ask that you please read the section below labeled "General Spec-List Guidlines".

As part of membership on the spec list you will also be subscribed to a separate list for a wider range of topics (called the Open-SpecList) that would generally be deemed off topic or inappropriate for the spec-list. If after some time you feel that your posts are mainly on markets and speculation, and you would prefer not to receive the open list post, please let us know and you will be unsubscribed. Many members find this list useful for postings on current events, politics, cultural issues, etc.

On the issue of what's significant enough to send to the various lists, one of our stalwart members offers the following:
"Is this post be worth reading a day, week or month from now? If yes, send to Spec-List. Otherwise, is this post worth reading right now? If yes, send to Open-List. If no, send to your email buddies "
Finally, perhaps the list can best be understood by the words of William Haynes, one of our most esteemed members in a letter to Victor and Laurel.
The List.

What is "The List"? It is often a window on the souls of its members. And a window on our own souls is often opened when we read what others write here. It is lessons on life. Chess strategies. Investment in markets, life, family, nation and the future. It can be and often is profound and superficial; deep and shallow and always enlightening, even when a writer may not be. It sends out tendrils seeking answers and finds them, coiled about ideas we would never have found alone. The List lives and throbs with the insights, prejudices, wants and experiences of the members. There is a selection process at work here, as some find an intellectual home … others move in for a while and then move on. Those who remain don't always agree and contention boils up, simmers and fades, sometimes leaving a residue of hostility but never, never boredom. The List is ephemeral. Although there are rumors that somewhere everything ever posted on the web is archived, the sheer quantity of material generated makes that less than credible. So our moving fingers write, and having writ move on, leaving little more than fading memories, but building new ideas and broadening the thinking of we who read, and answer, and ponder, blending what is read into a tapestry that, but for the List would never have been woven. Surely we, the weavers are much the better for it, and must acknowledge the debt each of us owes to each other, and to the two who first spread the warp and the woof.