iTulip Community Credits

[Tet]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

OIC -- Oh, I see, thanks. I'm hanging with RYSBX (SB = strong buck) moves +2X US$ index, partly because of this http://www.buythebottom.com/cot_charts/usd.html (sorry can't get image to import).

partly because there is such a large short position in the bonar, and partly because I believe Ka- has not arrived.

I'm in agreement, I might play that one myself.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Hey Fred,

Gosh, I wish I were not compulsive when it comes to dealing with numbers on my spreadsheet, but, what the hell, I am.

I am trying to figure (compute) how to display my portfolio in a manner that will accurately reflect the percentages of my holdings. In order to do that, one necessary capability of your system would be that it allows one to enter fractional shares when entering a "BUY" and it seems that capability doesn't exist. If one enters a fractional number of shares, the system drops the fraction.

Is it possible that you can modify the system so that it will accept fractional share purchases and sales out to three decimal places--just like at a real brokerage? I would think this capability would aid all who may enter mutual fund purchases, and it would certainly aid me in trying to enter stock shares that have been modified so as to reflect my percentages--in a portfolio that I have calculated to total $500,000 whenever I first can post it.

Another problem I encountered in just fooling around with your system. I have some cash in Schwab in a money market fund, SWVXX, if a quote is put in for that symbol, the returned value is the simple yield 4.93%, and when I attempt to put in a BUY for example of 1000 shares, it says "you have entered an invalid stock symbol or stock that is not traded in the US"

To work around that, is it possible that you can create and publish somewhere here a symbol that would be generic for all money market funds whose NAV is $1.00?

And then there is the problem I mentioned earlier, and to which you insufficiently responded. RYSBX. If I use that symbol to enter a BUY, your system returns the error message: You cannot buy this stock.

Portfolio display. For reference let's use yours as posted where dollars are displayed in the table. For one to gain meaning from looking at a list of positions for a given poster, it would be beneficial if on the last row of the table, currently showing Total Portfolio Value, it showed the total Cost Basis, total Mkt Value, total Gain, total Gain %.

Are any of these issues ones that you can resolve--hopefully to my satisfaction--which I will be swell-headed and suggest to the usefulness of us all. I think these modifications, if they can implemented, really would be useful if the system is to have meaning, and I am not intending to be hypercritical of your efforts so far.

Thank you very much.


Edit: The value of the second table where the portfolio value is shown in "Forum Currency" is beyond my comprehension. Why have the second table at all?

[lb]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

BUG: it accepts late trades, i.e. you can cheat the same way people were doing in the CNBC challenge.

[Andreuccio]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Thing is, for every ten posters there are 1,000 lurkers. How to draw them out?

In my opinion, you're in a bit of a Catch-22 here. From what I've seen, you actually have about 10 regular high quality posters, another 10 who pop in from time to time, and a few neophytes like me who are either bold enough or stupid enough to jump into the discussion even though they only have a limited knowledge of the subject matter. Probably 99% of the lurkers are at the neophyte level.

The high level of commentary draws readers in, but it serves as a strong disinsentive to post. Although you're very patient here, nobody wants to look like an idiot, and most people also don't want to waste your time with a bunch of elementary questions. You also might want to think about if you really want all those 1000 lurkers posting. I'm always concerned that my posts, for example, dilute the discourse and are a distraction rather than an addition. And do you really want 1000 people asking for definitions of "currency depreciation based reflation efforts"?

In thinking about this, though, an idea occurs to me that might make the site more accessible: make the glossary interactive. Would it be possible to have the glossary words linked in the text, like those links to Amazon books a couple of weeks back. If you scrolled your mouse over any words that were in the glossary, a box would open with the definition. (Of course, this time, I would suggest linking to the definition of the same word, rather than a random word like with the Amazon titles. ) And you could provide a "sandbox" area where people could ask the basic questions, and then add those items to the glossary, too. I don't know if this would just be a distraction rather than being useful, but it would have made things easier for me in the beginning.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

In my opinion, you're in a bit of a Catch-22 here. From what I've seen, you actually have about 10 regular high quality posters, another 10 who pop in from time to time, and a few neophytes like me who are either bold enough or stupid enough to jump into the discussion even though they only have a limited knowledge of the subject matter. Probably 99% of the lurkers are at the neophyte level.

The high level of commentary draws readers in, but it serves as a strong disinsentive to post. Although you're very patient here, nobody wants to look like an idiot, and most people also don't want to waste your time with a bunch of elementary questions. You also might want to think about if you really want all those 1000 lurkers posting. I'm always concerned that my posts, for example, dilute the discourse and are a distraction rather than an addition. And do you really want 1000 people asking for definitions of "currency depreciation based reflation efforts"?

In thinking about this, though, an idea occurs to me that might make the site more accessible: make the glossary interactive. Would it be possible to have the glossary words linked in the text, like those links to Amazon books a couple of weeks back. If you scrolled your mouse over any words that were in the glossary, a box would open with the definition. (Of course, this time, I would suggest linking to the definition of the same word, rather than a random word like with the Amazon titles. ) And you could provide a "sandbox" area where people could ask the basic questions, and then add those items to the glossary, too. I don't know if this would just be a distraction rather than being useful, but it would have made things easier for me in the beginning.

Don't ever feel stupid for asking questions. Somebody may answer them or not, probably depending upon what things are going on it their own lives or portfolios.

[lobodelmar]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Great suggestions...hope those can be implemented. I think there is a post somewhere that started aggregating iTulip specific glossary terms but can't remember where it was...but yes, it would be helpful for all of us neophytic, chartophobic, benthic gastropods lurking in the background...

[EJ]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

In my opinion, you're in a bit of a Catch-22 here. From what I've seen, you actually have about 10 regular high quality posters, another 10 who pop in from time to time, and a few neophytes like me who are either bold enough or stupid enough to jump into the discussion even though they only have a limited knowledge of the subject matter. Probably 99% of the lurkers are at the neophyte level.

The high level of commentary draws readers in, but it serves as a strong disinsentive to post. Although you're very patient here, nobody wants to look like an idiot, and most people also don't want to waste your time with a bunch of elementary questions. You also might want to think about if you really want all those 1000 lurkers posting. I'm always concerned that my posts, for example, dilute the discourse and are a distraction rather than an addition. And do you really want 1000 people asking for definitions of "currency depreciation based reflation efforts"?

In thinking about this, though, an idea occurs to me that might make the site more accessible: make the glossary interactive. Would it be possible to have the glossary words linked in the text, like those links to Amazon books a couple of weeks back. If you scrolled your mouse over any words that were in the glossary, a box would open with the definition. (Of course, this time, I would suggest linking to the definition of the same word, rather than a random word like with the Amazon titles. ) And you could provide a "sandbox" area where people could ask the basic questions, and then add those items to the glossary, too. I don't know if this would just be a distraction rather than being useful, but it would have made things easier for me in the beginning.

This is exactly what we're working on. We are building an iTulip Wiki (you may have noticed an alpha version we tried for a while) that the forums will link to so you don't have to go to WikiPedia, whose definitions are going to be as reliable as ours anyway. At the same time, we'll get rid of the Amazon links that no one likes.

[EJ]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Don't ever feel stupid for asking questions. Somebody may answer them or not, probably depending upon what things are going on it their own lives or portfolios.

Here, here. The wise man of the iTulip Forums, Jim's both our most prolific poster and most patient explainer.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Here, here. The wise man of the iTulip Forums, Jim's both our most prolific poster and most patient explainer.

If wise is as wise does, I ain't. jk is most prolific and along with a few others is always worth reading. As long as people are not putting up bullshit posts, or which there certainly are some as I see them, then usually someone likely will get around to answering them (bullshit is to be differentiated from humor). Don't play stupid it you aren't. No one I know likes sycophancy, at least not that I know personally, or even here, and there is some of that here from time to time.

If I had been thrown into something like iTulip 20 years ago, I cannot imagine what would have been my reaction. I was "thrown" into iTulip about 16 months ago, and I was immediately made aware of how much I did not know. After 16 months I have learned a bit more thanks to any number of individuals' willingness to explain a lot or to refer me to answers.

No one do I know that has real expertise got it overnight, and all people with expertise continue to build upon their knowledge.

There is a lot to be learned about investing and some of it can be from iTulip.

[Andreuccio]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Great suggestions...hope those can be implemented. I think there is a post somewhere that started aggregating iTulip specific glossary terms but can't remember where it was...but yes, it would be helpful for all of us neophytic, chartophobic, benthic gastropods lurking in the background...

Thanks.

I was thinking not only of iTulip specific terms but also general economic terms. For example, I had never heard of the "Discount Window" until I saw it on a post here a couple of days ago and looked it up in Wikipedia.

[lb]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Regarding the investing/stock picking, is there a user guide? I want to buy on the TSX (Toronto), but I can't get a quote to come up.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Regarding the investing/stock picking, is there a user guide? I want to buy on the TSX (Toronto), but I can't get a quote to come up.

lb,

1. If I had to start over, I don't know where I would begin to try to formally learn about investing. I expect someone here can refer you to a good starter book.

2. If I had money in an IRA, 401, and I knew nothing--which was my case for many years--my advice right now is I would go to cash until I knew enough to invest it.

3. Move to Canada, or ask your broker whether or not you can buy the stock through him? If you are interested in Canada for the sake of diversification, one could begin by looking at etfconnect.com for funds that invest in Canada.

4. Someone above asked about learning charting. I am on vacation and were I not, I would give you the title and author of a good book from which I have learned a good bit. If no one directs you, contact me after 21 Sept by email or PM (that would be Private Messaging vs. -Precious Metals), and I'll get you the book's name shortly. Sorry I can't do better than that.

I thought someone said iTulip did away with the Amazon links, but precious metals as I wrote above links to Amazon. Put a dash in front of whatever it is that links and it'll stop the link.

[lb]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Jim, I appreciate your help, especially while on vacation. However, I was talking about the credit game.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

Jim, I appreciate your help, especially while on vacation. However, I was talking about the credit game.

Sorry not to have been of help. Let' see, where did I overlook "credit" or "credit game" in your post below, or did I miss it somewhere else?

Good luck.

Regarding the investing/stock picking, is there a user guide? I want to buy on the TSX (Toronto), but I can't get a quote to come up.

[jk]

Re: iTulip Community Credits

lb, i don't think you'll find a book to tell you what's going on in the credit markets- it moves too fast. the problems reside in credit products that are new: cdo's, clo's, siv's, conduits, abcp, cdo-squareds.... you just need to read everything you come across and follow links to read more. e.g. when i first heard the interview with jim finkel, i think it was in january, i didn't know what alt-a was. now "alt-a" seems basic and almost quaint compared to some of the newer terms. [for starters, i posted a good article on siv's, conduits and abcp in another thread with that title.]