Many corporate traders are transferred into trading with absolutely
no prior experience. Most begin managing millions of dollars of commodity
exposure without even a rudimentary knowledge of technical
analysis. They view in-house trading positions as temporary
assignments on the way up the corporate ladder and often rely on
outside professional advisors for weekly strategies and analyses.
Some traders face information overload and feel they cannot
deal with one more piece of data as they seek to trade a commodit)i
buy and sell the commodity to “balance the system,” meet with customers,
negotiate term contracts, and attend to a multitude of administrative
responsibilities. Thus, any simplification and
automation of the trading process is an enormous benefit to them.
It should be noted that I am not speaking of “black-box” systems
(automated trading systems are generally considered tccboo and
distrusted in corporate environs), but rather an improvement and
partial automation of the tools traders use to move towards their
goals. The fastest sportscar won’t get you where you want to go if
you are wearing a blindfold. However, given equivalent drivers, the
one with a well-planned route, some on-line directions, and a bet,-
ter car, will win. One need not know all the mechanics of engines
and transmissions to operate a vehicle. One must only know how
to drive!