Fractals and the market - OT

    Posted by deberah on 7th of Mar 2010 at 08:37 pm

    I will confess upfront that since my daughter's second grade math is more than I can handle :^)  I probably have no business venturing into this topic. But it's still the weekend...and I'm posting OT, I'm interested if any long-time traders have any comments about this.

    I've been doing a lot of reading about fractals (yes, way beyond 2nd grade)  One theory is that if you do the math using 1929 as a starting point, March 2010 is the the next mathematical, cyclical repeat date (possibility - not guaranteed) for the 1929 economic collapse. 

    Allegedly this is the 4th cycle since 1929. The first being in October, 1979, the second - July 1999, and the third March 2007.  I don't have enough trading history to know if there's any validity to this......anyone have any comment?

    Fractals

    Posted by panaspor on 7th of Mar 2010 at 10:35 pm

    Predictions, such as long repetetive cycles, are interesting, but that's all they are, is interesting.  Wouldn't the cycle and actions taken have to be exactly the same for cycles to repeat exactly the same? 

    You're a hero if you're right and a bum if you're not. The only facts we have now, is that this is not 1929 and that the trend is up or down until it is not.  

    Who know, perhaps even cycles evolve.  

    Just an opion.

    Just to clarify terms, "fractal"

    Posted by algyros on 7th of Mar 2010 at 10:21 pm

    Just to clarify terms, "fractal" is often used incorrectly.  The term is often used to designate a repeating pattern, but that is not accurate.  A fractal is actually a pattern that is "self-similar" at different scales, as when the pattern of an entire tree branch is repeated at the scale of a sub-branch, etc.

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