From Wall Street to Cho Oyu: Trading, TEDx, and a Halloween Deadline

Dear Traders

The week back after Labor Day is terrible for stocks — Wake me up when September ends, it’s a common sentiment among investors and seems apparently justified by the post-Labor Day trading so far.

This week has been truly dreadful for stocks. September is historically the worst month for the US stock market, although that has much to do with the fact that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy both happened in this month.

There’s an old British superstition that you need to say “White rabbits, white rabbits please bring me good luck” on the first morning of the month to ward off evil spirits. This was the second straight month to get off to a terrible start.

I’m recovering from Burning Man and getting ready to head to Tibet to climb Cho Oyu, the 6th highest peak in the world. I’ll be offline for a few weeks, but I plan to come back to Vancouver quickly to get work done.

Crede and I are aiming to publish our book together by November 18, so I need to send it to the editor no later than October 31. Being the procrastinator I am, this deadline feels like a scary Halloween one!

We’re working hard to secure speakers for our next TEDx event on March 29, 2025, and it’s turning out to be much harder than I expected! I used to think, “I’m rich, I can offer a five-star hotel, and we’ve got TED on our side, so people will come.” But I quickly realized that’s not how it works. It’s not about the money, and even having a TEDx license isn’t enough. What really matters is how you approach the speakers and how you get them to share their stories.

Securing a solid roster of TEDx speakers has become a challenge I’m excited to take on. TED has decommodified the brand, meaning you can’t just pay people to come speak. You have to find people with great stories who can engage the audience. I love that challenge, and I’m reaching out to all team members and our community to help us lock in some amazing speakers.

In addition to TEDx prep, we’ve been busy with our live YouTube sessions after trading. Today, we had Avi on, and it was a really fun, laid-back conversation. You can catch the recording on YouTube. We keep things conversational and relaxed, unlike CNBC or Bloomberg. Our YouTube channel is about showing a different side of traders—the so-called “degenerate traders” who might be seen as dumb money but have found a way to thrive in the markets.

I’ve thought about becoming more like the professional prop firms, but I’ve realized I’d rather stay true to who I am—an entrepreneur and trader who enjoys the climb. It’s fun, informal, and more authentic to me. I’ve never wanted to be the corporate Wall Street type, and I’m okay with that.

On the bootcamp front, we’re off to a great start this year. We’ve got four captains leading the charge, plus several guest speakers. It’s shaping up to be an amazing experience for anyone looking to level up their trading.
If you’re still interested, there’s time to sign up. And remember, our bootcamp comes with access to $50,000 funded training accounts.

All the best, and I’ll see you in the chat!

Andrew Aziz