My new app Trader Trivia was mentioned in Barron’s this weekend.
IF ANTHROPOLOGISTS DESCENDED on Wall Street, they would find a culture both distinct and exotic. The Street has its own way of thinking, its own social hierarchy and rituals, and an arcane language indecipherable to many outsiders.
Michael Martin, a trader, is part of this culture. He also has an outsider’s eye. He wrote a book (The Inner Voice of Trading), created a blog (MartinKronicle), and now has designed a game (Trader Trivia), just released on Apple’s iTunes store for iPhones and iPads.
“If you’re out socializing with traders, they are engaged in conversations that include movie quotes, heroic trades, historic moves, and market data. All of that is part of our culture as investment pros,” Martin says.
Those seeking to tap into that culture can do so by downloading Martin’s game. They can test their knowledge on questions such as, What is the benefit of owning a call? And, who wrote Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds?
Martin filled his game with what he says is the stuff of daily dialogue about trading that can’t be turned into actionable investment ideas. He sells himself short on that point. All good investors know to look to the past to better understand the present and the future. Martin’s game provides an amusing assist.