Convincing Ourselves

This post is based on a thought I had after listening to Bilal Hafeez on his last appearance on Bloomberg, talking about the impact of the coronavirus on the markets. I am not an expert in finance by any means and Bilal is essentially a veteran of the industry. He discussed what many others before him have spoken about as well. Algorithmic trading is now a massive part of global financial markets and trading. The thinking goes that because machines are doing a lot of trading, it is possible that they will make irrational mistakes and make the market crash eg during the recent Coronavirus incident. Modern Algos: Algorithmic trading is essentially now mainstream. The biggest and most successful of fund of them all is the legendary Madallion fund run by Renaissance Technologies. The fund uses leverage but is capped and not open to outside investors. It is arguably the most successful fund of its size. However, RenTech and its many funds are not the only players. Citadel is als...

Stress and Anxiety can put us in the extreme state of ‘fight or flight’ which prepares our body for short bursts of high intensity. However, the body undergoes considerable stress and therefore requires a counter state to balance and heal the body and the mind.   According to the book ‘Relaxation Response’ by the Harvard physician Herbert Benson, we can help our body relax and take it into a ‘rest and digest’ state. This helps the body and the mind manage stress. This essentially is the principal of most forms of meditation as well as prayer. One of the simplest ways to initiate a ‘Relaxation Response’ is simply to focus on one's breath for a prolonged period of time. As the mind wanders, one brings it back. For me, I can categorically feel when my body’s relaxation response is triggered. Regularly triggering a relaxation response can help overcome most of the scars caused by day to day stress and therefore help us become happier and more productive. Umair Usman ...

The Mind Game of Health Is losing weight and/or being healthy really that difficult? Well, everyone knows how to lose weight or/and be healthy, its not rocket science, yet very few it seems tend to reach their goals. Here,  I will discuss here the mindset that is required to be healthy and/or lose weight. Remind yourself why  It is important that you remind yourself all the time why it is important to be healthy. Whenever you have low motivation, or whenever you might be having doubts, remind yourself why its important to be healthy, be strong, have good mood, and be around for the people you love. Remind yourself how the benefits of health go beyond just cosmetics, and can actually help you achieve all your dreams! The benefits in terms of energy,  positivism and the learning one can experience from the health journey itself, will make you a much stronger person. All this will ensure you keep health a priority. Convince yourself that its possible Most people ha...