The Laws of Trading: A Trader's Guide to Better Decision-Making for Everyone - Hardcover

by Agustin Lebron (Author)

Every decision is a trade. Learn to think about the ones you should do -- and the ones you shouldn't.

Trading books generally break down into two categories: the ones which claim to teach you how to make money trading, and the memoir-style books recounting scandals and bad behavior. But the former don't have profitable trades to teach; if they did they'd keep those trades to themselves. And the latter are frequently entertaining, but they don't leave you with much you can apply in your own life. The Laws of Trading is different.

All of our relationships and decisions involve trading at some level. This is a book about decision-making through the lens of a professional prop trader. For years, behavioral and cognitive scientists have shown us how human decision-making is flawed and biased. But how do you learn to avoid these problems in day-to-day decisions where you have to react in real-time? What are the important things to think about and to act on? The world needs a book by a prop trader who has lived, breathed and taught trading for a living, drawing upon years of insights on the trading floor in real markets, good and bad, whether going sideways, crashing, or bubbling over. If you can master the decision-making skills needed to profitably trade in modern markets, you can master decision-making in all walks of life. This book will teach you exactly those skills.

• Introduces, develops, and applies one law per chapter, making it easy not only to remember useful concepts, but also to have them at the ready in any situation.
• Shows you how to find and think about the "special edge" of your organization, and yourself.
• Teaches you how to handle the interaction of people with artificially intelligent (AI) machines that make decisions, a skill that is rapidly becoming essential in the AI-driven economy of the future.
• Includes a "bonus" digital ancillary, an Excel spreadsheet with various worked examples that expand on the scenarios described in the book.

Do you need to make rational decisions in a competitive environment? Almost everyone does. This book will teach you the tools that let you do your job better.

Front Jacket

There are countless trading books out there. Some are useful, but a disturbingly large number of them are outdated, deceptive, or just plain wrong. Some of them claim to teach you how to make money trading, uncovering the hidden techniques and secret information to get rich in the markets. But if they really had profitable trades to teach, wouldn't they keep it to themselves? Others are memoirs that recount scandals and other sensationalized tales of bad behavior. While sometimes very entertaining, they really don't provide anything that readers can use in their own lives. The Laws of Trading is neither. It's different. It's about making decisions.

Human beings, it turns out, are largely terrible decision-makers. We underestimate small probabilities while overestimating large ones. We place great faith in our own skills and knowledge, even when there is no basis for it. It's human nature, we all do it. Academics have known this for decades, but academic knowledge doesn't necessarily help us in our daily lives: we need practical ideas for becoming better decision-makers. The Laws of Trading will help you:

• Understand, remember, and readily access useful concepts to apply in any situation
• Learn how to identify, develop, and leverage the special edge that sets you apart
• Take advantage of the AI moment that impacts anyone who buys and sells on a daily basis in the global economy
• Explore interesting and complex decision-making situations with bonus digital tools including Excel spreadsheets and various fully-worked examples

This book addresses the common flaws and biases in our decision-making processes and shows us how to think like a trader. The author has lived, breathed, and dreamt trading for much of his adult life, building a successful and profitable career in the process. Through the instructional lens of trading, you will enhance and strengthen your decision-making skills--skills that carry over into all aspects of your life.

Trading is taking over entire industries, from advertising to catching a ride. You need concrete, accurate, and actionable knowledge to thrive in this world. Every decision is a trade. The Laws of Trading provides a valuable set of mental tools that will help you think about the trades you should make--and the trades you should avoid.

Back Jacket

Praise for THE LAWS OF TRADING

"A fun and fascinating guide to the world of trading, ranging effortlessly from the fine details to the broad lessons we can all learn when we think like a trader."
--Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist and Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy

"Do we need another book about how to beat the stock market written by an arrogant trader? I sure don't. But, hey, wait, it turns out this is not about beating the market. Agustin Lebron is applying his experiences to actual real life, helping you with insights into how you can balance risk and reward, how to get to know yourself and your motivations. Entertainingly written as well as insightful."
--Dr. Paul Wilmott, creator of wilmott.com and the Certificate in Quantitative Finance

TRADING IS AT THE CORE OF THE MODERN WORLD, FROM FINANCE TO THE GIG ECONOMY. LEARN FROM A PROFESSIONAL TRADER HOW TO SEE YOUR DECISIONS AS TRADING EXCHANGES--DO MORE OF THE TRADES YOU WANT AND FEWER OF THE ONES YOU DON'T.

Trading is the act of buying and selling. Whenever you buy groceries, you are trading. Purchasing a car, ordering dinner, selling an item on eBay--all trades. Going to work is a trade, exchanging your labor for a wage. Trading is as old as civilization, and it's more ubiquitous today than ever. Unfortunately, accurate, reliable information on trading, particularly in financial markets, is hard to find. It's common for books on trading to try to sell you products and services.

The Laws of Trading is different. Its purpose is to teach specific mental skills that extend far beyond the trading floor to wherever rational decision-making is important.

Science tells us that human decision-making is flawed, biased, and irrational. Learn to avoid these problems in day-to-day decisions. React in real-time with the appropriate decision. Leverage your unique skills and knowledge. Make profitable trades in your personal, professional, and financial life. Think like a trader.

Author Biography

AGUSTIN LEBRON began his career as a trader and researcher at Jane Street Capital, one of the largest market-making firms in the world. Over the years he traded many kinds of securities: equities, futures, commodities, options, and an assortment of other derivatives, and has created, developed and implemented several successful trading strategies. He currently runs the consulting firm Essilen Research, where he is dedicated to helping clients integrate modern decision-making approaches in their business.