If you have been trading during these past few weeks with all the uncertainty of the debt ceiling and the S&P downgrade, you have probably witnessed great levels of volatility in the markets. It has been a total rollercoaster. You could truly feel the emotional reaction to the latest news minute by minute. The level of uncertainty was very palpable and reflected in the violent swings of the market.
This volatility created a lot of headaches for a lot of traders. A lot of computers were freezing up trying to keep up with the influx of data. Numbers were changing really fast and a lot computers were struggling to keep up with the tape! We have proven that trading at these levels requires traders to be equipped with a fast and reliable trading computer. I am sure by now you realized that 95% if not more of trading is computerized. It is all about the machine. In fact a big percentage of the volatility we experienced recently was created by all the robots out there. So watch out for IRobot! (the movie) to actually become a reality. As sarcastic as it sounds, we are controlled by machines. You couldn’t trade if you did not have a trading computer, actually you could not even read this article if you did not have some time of computer. To be able to function in this society, you need some type of device that allows you to connect to rest of the world.
If you are a trader this becomes even more crucial. You cannot be behind technology or you will be eaten alive in this fast paced environment. Having a good trading computer is a priority if you want to be part of the trading world. Having the best components and the best system will allow you to keep up with everybody else. Speed is the name of the game and it is the aim for newer technology. There is so much data traveling out there that communication companies are struggling to upgrade their infrastructure to be able to keep up with it. We not only have computers now, we have cell phones, laptops, pads, etc. These are not only new gadgets, they are smart machines. So don’t let the smart machine fool you. You need to step up and be smarter. The challenge between man and machine is on. Don’t let your trading computer having a mood swing and freeze up on you. Be smarter and get a machine that will not fail on you.
The race is on and you cannot get off the tracks. It is too late to go back so moving forward if the key. Do not let it scare you and find out more about what you really need to know.