I've never understood the obsession with macro data releases. The vast majority of people commenting on employment numbers, inflation data, or Fed announcements have no business weighing in on these topics (myself included!) because this information adds nothing meaningful to their actual strategies. They can't effectively integrate these data points into better decision-making processes, yet they continue to amplify the noise around every economic release. I suspect most people share these numbers because they believe it demonstrates sophistication or it gives them an analytical edge in their positioning. The reality is quite different. These macro events rarely translate into actionable insights, particularly for those of us who lack deep expertise. I applaud the 10 traders out there who can actually convert macro releases into meaningful discretionary decisions. This is why I've chosen to ignore macro data entirely. I recognize my limitations in this area, and rather than pretending otherwise, I focus on stuff where I could actually develop a genuine advantage.

Variance is the great equalizer in the short run and the great separator in the long run.

Most people fundamentally misunderstand what creates lasting competitive advantage when they ask about your strategy. They’re seeking something concrete and replicable. What they’re really asking for is yesterday’s insight, not tomorrow’s breakthrough. But strategies become commoditized, advantages get arbitraged away, and what once provided differentiation becomes table stakes. People want the finished product of thinking rather than developing their own capacity to generate original insights consistently. It creates a trap where you end up living on borrowed wisdom instead of cultivating your own intellectual sovereignty. When you focus on copying someone else’s current edge, you’re always playing catch-up to their past thinking rather than developing your own generative capabilities. The question isn’t ‘what’s your edge?’ but ‘how do you keep creating new ones?’.