【原創(chuàng)】沈良專(zhuān)訪Michael Patak：交易員必須無(wú)條件自信
Michael Patak：Patak交易伙伴公司首席執(zhí)行官、TopStepTrader創(chuàng)辦人
Michael Patak在芝加哥商品交易所成為場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易員已經(jīng)有超過(guò)10年，也是TopStepTrader的創(chuàng)辦人。他在2003年成我芝加哥商品交易所會(huì)員，也是NFA（國(guó)家期貨協(xié)會(huì)）注冊(cè)會(huì)員。在創(chuàng)辦TopStepTrader之前，他在道指期貨交易池場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易交易8年。他是道指交易池協(xié)會(huì)會(huì)員，也是道池交易池交易量最大的交易員之一。
Michael Patak畢業(yè)于愛(ài)荷華州立大學(xué)，經(jīng)濟(jì)和農(nóng)業(yè)商業(yè)專(zhuān)業(yè)，專(zhuān)攻商品定價(jià)和分析，也是大學(xué)美式橄欖球隊(duì)員。在大學(xué)里，他開(kāi)始關(guān)注市場(chǎng)并從事交易。在他20歲到22歲的幾年里他因?yàn)榻灰滋潛p了9萬(wàn)美元。這個(gè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)給了他很大的教訓(xùn)，也使他認(rèn)識(shí)到有一個(gè)像Combine一樣的系統(tǒng)的重要性。
大學(xué)畢業(yè)后，Patak決心成為一名期貨交易員。他開(kāi)始為CBOT的Kottke結(jié)算公司工作。在公司工作時(shí)，他必須在非常嚴(yán)格的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)控制參數(shù)下進(jìn)行交易。這種訓(xùn)練為他成為一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明，穩(wěn)定贏利的交易員打下了堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。八個(gè)月后，他成功的賺取了足夠的資金，在CBOT買(mǎi)了席位，開(kāi)始自己交易道指期貨。
訪談精彩語(yǔ)錄：
當(dāng)我16歲時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)大部分人的工作時(shí)間與報(bào)酬并不成正比，我就想我應(yīng)該成為一名期貨交易員。
我喜歡成為我個(gè)人命運(yùn)的主宰。
失敗會(huì)讓你變得謙虛，會(huì)讓你放棄過(guò)分的自我。
從我的經(jīng)歷中我認(rèn)識(shí)到“必須無(wú)條件的相信自己”，這會(huì)讓我對(duì)任何市場(chǎng)條件都有所準(zhǔn)備。
作為一個(gè)期貨交易員他/她每天都必須充滿熱情，因?yàn)橹挥羞@樣他/她才能忍受這個(gè)行業(yè)永無(wú)停息的上下沉浮。
他們的成功靠的是把他們的注意力集中在一個(gè)市場(chǎng)，而且不會(huì)對(duì)每一筆交易想太多。
最好的交易員都是那些對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情、紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)有足夠的耐心的人。
大家應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到做期貨交易就像人生旅程，你不需要與其他人進(jìn)行比較。
你是與你自己競(jìng)爭(zhēng)并逐步成為最好的期貨交易員。
在過(guò)去的8年里，我在期貨交易池的“最高臺(tái)階”（Topstep）交易。只有最好的期貨交易員才有資格在“最高臺(tái)階”交易。
老實(shí)說(shuō)，我從來(lái)沒(méi)對(duì)自己的期貨交易成績(jī)滿意過(guò)。
期貨市場(chǎng)在不斷進(jìn)化，所以我必須不斷改善我的技術(shù)來(lái)適應(yīng)期貨市場(chǎng)的變化。
期貨交易作為一個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合每一個(gè)人。這是一個(gè)非常難做的行業(yè)，它不僅挑戰(zhàn)期貨交易員的智商也對(duì)他/她的情商有非常高的要求。
期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)就是“以獵物為生”，這是不可改變的事實(shí)。
我覺(jué)得一個(gè)人必須無(wú)條件的自信，才能始終從大的方向著眼，在期貨市場(chǎng)中學(xué)習(xí)進(jìn)步，而不會(huì)因?yàn)橐淮谓灰资《鴨适判摹?br />
對(duì)期貨交易上癮是很容易發(fā)生的一件事。
如果你不能操作5萬(wàn)美元的賬戶，那你也不能操作一個(gè)5千萬(wàn)美元的賬戶。
我們并不注重賬戶的總贏利，我們更看重交易員在各方面的表現(xiàn)。
不論地域，所有贏利的交易員都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何管理和控制損失才能充分發(fā)揮他們的能力。
我們會(huì)對(duì)成績(jī)優(yōu)秀的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)（到美國(guó)交易）。
期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)更像是一個(gè)馬拉松比賽而不是一個(gè)短跑比賽。你可以有贏利的日子，也會(huì)有虧損的日子，但你必須學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，讓贏利奔跑。
有些交易員很有天賦，但不管怎樣，你都必須不斷努力，跟上市場(chǎng)的步伐，與其他交易者競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。
紀(jì)律性是成為一名好的交易員的基礎(chǔ)。如果你還沒(méi)準(zhǔn)備好做一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明的交易員，或不能為此付出努力，那么你不應(yīng)該進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)。
對(duì)交易員來(lái)說(shuō)，市場(chǎng)情況是不斷變化的，紀(jì)律性能使你承受任何市場(chǎng)的變化情況。
我應(yīng)對(duì)市場(chǎng)突發(fā)情況是通過(guò)充分的準(zhǔn)備和踩準(zhǔn)市場(chǎng)的節(jié)奏，并且認(rèn)識(shí)到這樣的事件在任何時(shí)候都能發(fā)生。這樣，我就能在機(jī)會(huì)出現(xiàn)時(shí)牢牢抓住它。
程序交易一般是由交易員設(shè)計(jì)，并在程序員的幫助下完成的。因此，你首先必須是一名期貨交易員才能理解你想用程序?qū)嵤┑牟呗浴?br />
我相信在中國(guó)有巨大的機(jī)會(huì)，也有很多沒(méi)有被發(fā)現(xiàn)的人才。我們TopstepTrader的目標(biāo)就是發(fā)掘人才并給他們實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶操作。
我非常的興奮地期盼有機(jī)會(huì)能訪問(wèn)你們美麗的國(guó)家，并與中國(guó)的頂尖交易員見(jiàn)面，討論，和互相交流學(xué)習(xí)。
相關(guān)鏈接：美國(guó)Patak交易伙伴公司-TopstepTrader頂級(jí)交易員招募
關(guān)于Michael Patak、關(guān)于交易員
期貨中國(guó)1、Michael Patak先生您好，感謝您在百忙之中接受期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)的專(zhuān)訪。您做場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易員已經(jīng)超過(guò)10年，您為什么選擇期貨交易員這個(gè)職業(yè)？您覺(jué)得“做一名期貨交易員”最大的魅力是什么？
Michael Patak：我在內(nèi)布拉斯加長(zhǎng)大。那里大部分人都是按小時(shí)獲得報(bào)酬。人們判斷一個(gè)人是否成功是看他每小時(shí)的工資是多少。但是，當(dāng)我16歲時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)大部分人的工作時(shí)間與報(bào)酬并不成正比。從那時(shí)開(kāi)始我就想我應(yīng)該成為一名期貨交易員。其次，我認(rèn)為一個(gè)人的成功應(yīng)完全取決于這個(gè)人的判斷和決定而不是工作時(shí)間的長(zhǎng)短。我喜歡成為我個(gè)人命運(yùn)的主宰。這也是為什么期貨交易作為職業(yè)選擇和生活方式強(qiáng)烈吸引我的原因之一。
期貨中國(guó)2、您在上大學(xué)時(shí)就開(kāi)始進(jìn)行期貨交易了，不過(guò)您受到了挫折，虧了9萬(wàn)美元，當(dāng)時(shí)您有沒(méi)有否定過(guò)自己、懷疑過(guò)自己？那一次挫折教會(huì)了您哪些東西？
Michael Patak：失敗會(huì)讓你變得謙虛，會(huì)讓你放棄過(guò)分的自我，這是我從這段經(jīng)歷中得到的最大的收獲。當(dāng)我受到挫折時(shí)，我是懷疑過(guò)自己。但是從我的經(jīng)歷中我認(rèn)識(shí)到“必須無(wú)條件的相信自己”，這會(huì)讓我對(duì)任何市場(chǎng)條件都有所準(zhǔn)備。我并不以每一筆交易的成敗來(lái)判斷自己是否成功，而是從一個(gè)大的方向來(lái)幫助自己學(xué)習(xí)成長(zhǎng)。
正是因?yàn)槲以趧傞_(kāi)始做期貨交易員的時(shí)候虧損了很多錢(qián)，使我認(rèn)識(shí)到期貨交易新手需要一個(gè)像Combine一樣的培訓(xùn)。這種培訓(xùn)可以讓期貨交易新手訓(xùn)練自己的紀(jì)律性和穩(wěn)定贏利的能力，從而不至于在實(shí)盤(pán)交易時(shí)虧損大量金錢(qián)。
期貨中國(guó)3、您是否在尋找和您一樣對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情的期貨交易員？
Michael Patak：任何一個(gè)期貨交易員都必須對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情，只有這樣他/她才能獲得成功。如果一個(gè)期貨交易員對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)沒(méi)有熱情，那么期貨交易這份工作會(huì)給他/她帶來(lái)沉重的壓力，使他/她失去活力。因此，作為一個(gè)期貨交易員他/她每天都必須充滿熱情，因?yàn)橹挥羞@樣他/她才能忍受這個(gè)行業(yè)永無(wú)停息的上下沉浮。
期貨中國(guó)4、您的身邊有沒(méi)有來(lái)自中國(guó)的交易員，如果有，您覺(jué)得他們的表現(xiàn)如何？
Michael Patak：在交易池和場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易臺(tái)都有一些來(lái)自中國(guó)的交易員。我有幸認(rèn)識(shí)他們中的一些人并與他們成為了朋友。他們的成功靠的是把他們的注意力集中在一個(gè)市場(chǎng)，而且不會(huì)對(duì)每一筆交易想太多。這也是我一再?gòu)?qiáng)調(diào)的成為一個(gè)好的交易員的關(guān)鍵。
期貨中國(guó)5、在您的心目中世界上最偉大的交易員是哪一個(gè)或哪幾個(gè)？您為什么欣賞他（他們）？
Michael Patak：最好的交易員都是那些對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情、紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)有足夠的耐心的人。他們能夠預(yù)測(cè)和抓住期貨市場(chǎng)的機(jī)會(huì)。我仰慕他們激情和他們的交易方法。這對(duì)我早期的發(fā)展很有幫助。
期貨中國(guó)6、您覺(jué)得就您目前的交易水平，在美國(guó)的所有交易員中能排在什么位置？
Michael Patak：大家應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到做期貨交易就像人生旅程，你不需要與其他人進(jìn)行比較。我始終專(zhuān)注于自己的歷程以及如何使自己成為最好的期貨交易員，而不是與其他人比較。這也是我對(duì)Combine的學(xué)員一直強(qiáng)調(diào)的，你是與你自己競(jìng)爭(zhēng)并逐步成為最好的期貨交易員。當(dāng)然，我在期貨交易所的時(shí)間已經(jīng)超過(guò)10年了。在過(guò)去的8年里，我在期貨交易池的“最高臺(tái)階”（Topstep）交易。只有最好的期貨交易員才有資格在“最高臺(tái)階”交易。
期貨中國(guó)7、您對(duì)自己的交易能力是否滿意？您的交易水平還有沒(méi)有提高的空間？
Michael Patak：老實(shí)說(shuō)，我從來(lái)沒(méi)對(duì)自己的期貨交易成績(jī)滿意過(guò)。我總是覺(jué)得我還可以改進(jìn)提高。在我學(xué)到的知識(shí)中，有一點(diǎn)我認(rèn)為是很重要的：期貨市場(chǎng)在不斷進(jìn)化，所以我必須不斷改善我的技術(shù)來(lái)適應(yīng)期貨市場(chǎng)的變化，以期達(dá)到自己最好的水平。沒(méi)有人是完美的期貨交易員。每個(gè)人都必須不斷努力工作，提高他們的知識(shí)水平和期貨交易能力。
期貨中國(guó)8、期貨交易員是一個(gè)淘汰率很高的職業(yè)，您生存下來(lái)了，并且有了很好的事業(yè)，但很多人都倒下了，被市場(chǎng)洗出局了。對(duì)哪些被市場(chǎng)淘汰的人，請(qǐng)您說(shuō)幾句？
Michael Patak：我想對(duì)他們說(shuō)的是期貨交易作為一個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合每一個(gè)人。這是一個(gè)非常難做的行業(yè)，它不僅挑戰(zhàn)期貨交易員的智商也對(duì)他/她的情商有非常高的要求。如果一個(gè)期貨交易員聽(tīng)任期貨市場(chǎng)的擺布，那它就會(huì)把這個(gè)期貨交易員的活力從他/她身上吸走。我能夠在這個(gè)行業(yè)中生存下來(lái)的一個(gè)動(dòng)力是我對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，我有強(qiáng)烈的欲望想要使自己做得更好。另外我還想對(duì)這些人說(shuō)，請(qǐng)他們問(wèn)問(wèn)自己這些問(wèn)題：“你為什么想成為一個(gè)期貨交易員，你愿意為此付出努力嗎？”如果他們不能很自信的回答這些問(wèn)題，那么這個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合他們。
期貨中國(guó)9、您的座右銘是“我們以我們的獵物為生。”（We eat what we kill），請(qǐng)問(wèn)您的獵物是什么？您是期貨市場(chǎng)中的“狼”嗎？
Michael Patak：期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)就是“以獵物為生”，這是不可改變的事實(shí)。我的另外一個(gè)座佑銘是“無(wú)條件自信”。我覺(jué)得一個(gè)人必須無(wú)條件的自信，才能始終從大的方向著眼，在期貨市場(chǎng)中學(xué)習(xí)進(jìn)步，而不會(huì)因?yàn)橐淮谓灰资《鴨适判摹Ｌ潛p在期貨交易中是正常的事，也是必須的。我自己就是通過(guò)經(jīng)驗(yàn)的積累才有能力無(wú)條件自信的。
期貨中國(guó)10、有些交易員會(huì)沉迷于交易，除了交易沒(méi)有其他任何愛(ài)好，您是否如此？您有沒(méi)有其它的興趣愛(ài)好？
Michael Patak：對(duì)期貨交易上癮是很容易發(fā)生的一件事。但你必須有另外一些興趣愛(ài)好，這樣你就可以停下來(lái)享受生活中其它的樂(lè)趣。否則期貨交易會(huì)讓你消耗太快。我喜歡健身，跑步，閱讀，放松，和朋友家人在一起。
關(guān)于Patak交易伙伴公司、關(guān)于TopStepTrader
期貨中國(guó)11、Patak交易伙伴公司從全球選拔交易員，給予嚴(yán)格的培訓(xùn)，并給勝出者提供實(shí)盤(pán)資金和盈利分成。你們做這一件事情的主要目的是什么？
Michael Patak：我們創(chuàng)造Combine的目的是想看看誰(shuí)能在當(dāng)今的期貨市場(chǎng)進(jìn)行交易。因?yàn)槠谪浭袌?chǎng)是不斷演變的。我們的招聘方式可以讓我們看到誰(shuí)最能適應(yīng)這個(gè)市場(chǎng)，并且遵守紀(jì)律，穩(wěn)定贏利。我們的Combine計(jì)劃可以讓我們找到有這樣技能的期貨交易員，我們會(huì)為他們提供實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶并讓他們進(jìn)行實(shí)盤(pán)期貨交易。
期貨中國(guó)12、在全球有成千上萬(wàn)的人向往成為頂級(jí)的交易員，TopStepTrader的參與者很多，請(qǐng)問(wèn)到目前為止共有多少人報(bào)名TopStepTrader？前后共有多少人通過(guò)了培訓(xùn)和篩選，并與你們成功達(dá)成合作？
Michael Patak：我們有許多學(xué)員接受Combine訓(xùn)練，學(xué)習(xí)，發(fā)展，并成為實(shí)盤(pán)交易員。最近一段時(shí)間，我們每周至少選2個(gè)交易員開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)交易。參加Combine的人越來(lái)越多，我們的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員也會(huì)越來(lái)越多。
期貨中國(guó)13、到目前為止，你們給選拔出來(lái)的交易員單個(gè)賬戶最大的資金規(guī)模是多少？
Michael Patak：所有實(shí)盤(pán)交易員都從5萬(wàn)美元賬戶開(kāi)始操作。交易員可以選擇讓他們的賬戶資金不斷增長(zhǎng)而不是馬上抽取提成。隨著他們的賬戶資金的增長(zhǎng)，我們會(huì)給他們更高的每日止損限額，并允許他們持有更多頭寸。這是成為大交易員的循序漸進(jìn)的過(guò)程。在不久的將來(lái)，我們將會(huì)增加10萬(wàn)和15萬(wàn)美元的Combine和實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶。當(dāng)然，如果你不能操作5萬(wàn)美元的賬戶，那你也不能操作一個(gè)5千萬(wàn)美元的賬戶。紀(jì)律和耐心對(duì)不同層次的交易員都非常重要。
期貨中國(guó)14、到目前為止，選拔出來(lái)的交易員，單個(gè)賬戶盈利最多的累計(jì)到多少了？
Michael Patak：在期貨交易中，我們并不注重賬戶的總贏利，我們更看重交易員在各方面的表現(xiàn)。 因?yàn)槠谪浗灰资歉叨雀軛U化的，所以賬戶贏利百分比并不相關(guān)。有人可能在一周或一個(gè)月內(nèi)賺到很多錢(qián)，但如果他們不能控制負(fù)面風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，不能穩(wěn)定贏利，也沒(méi)有紀(jì)律性，那這只能算是一次偶然，因?yàn)樗麄兲潛p的日子會(huì)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)他們贏利的日子。
期貨中國(guó)15、TopStepTrader的學(xué)員來(lái)自世界五大洲，據(jù)你們內(nèi)部評(píng)估來(lái)看，來(lái)自哪個(gè)區(qū)域的交易員最優(yōu)秀？
Michael Patak：我還沒(méi)有注意到哪個(gè)地區(qū)的交易員特別的優(yōu)秀。不同的文化，個(gè)人在市場(chǎng)中表現(xiàn)各異。我們目前對(duì)俄國(guó)和中國(guó)開(kāi)放，我們已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)不少很有潛力的交易員。不論地域，所有贏利的交易員都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何管理和控制損失才能充分發(fā)揮他們的能力。
期貨中國(guó)16、實(shí)盤(pán)操作非常優(yōu)秀的交易員，有沒(méi)有機(jī)會(huì)到美國(guó)和您一起工作？
Michael Patak：是的。我們會(huì)對(duì)成績(jī)優(yōu)秀的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)。如果實(shí)盤(pán)交易員有興趣，他們可以轉(zhuǎn)到芝加哥，在CME交易所交易。對(duì)于優(yōu)秀的期貨交易員，我們會(huì)盡我們的力量來(lái)滿足他們的要求，因?yàn)槲覀円呀?jīng)與優(yōu)秀的期貨交易員建立了“雙贏”的關(guān)系。當(dāng)然期貨交易員也完全可以進(jìn)行遠(yuǎn)程交易。
期貨中國(guó)17、COMBINE訓(xùn)練每天的賬戶止損為1000美元，加速COMBINE訓(xùn)練每天的賬戶止損為500美元，實(shí)盤(pán)一開(kāi)始每天的賬戶止損也為500美元。設(shè)計(jì)這么嚴(yán)格的止損，主要是鍛煉交易員哪些方面的能力？
Michael Patak：我們的實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶單日止損限額是根據(jù)期貨交易員參加的Combine類(lèi)型（四周或加速）設(shè)在1000美元或500美元而定的。我們目前正在考慮推出新的賬戶金額更高的Combine，單日止損限額也相應(yīng)的提高到（2000到3000美金）。
之所以設(shè)定500和1000美金的單日止損限額，我們是希望我們的期貨交易員能夠控制和管理風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。所有的期貨交易員都需要有止損限額。這可以幫助期貨交易員生存下來(lái)并接著戰(zhàn)斗。期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)更像是一個(gè)馬拉松比賽而不是一個(gè)短跑比賽。你可以有贏利的日子，也會(huì)有虧損的日子，但你必須學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，讓贏利奔跑。我們的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)控制參數(shù)的設(shè)定就是為了訓(xùn)練交易員學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，特別是在他們對(duì)市場(chǎng)看不清的時(shí)候，應(yīng)該停止交易。這樣他們就可以在對(duì)市場(chǎng)把握好的時(shí)候充分利用機(jī)會(huì)。
期貨中國(guó)18、你們的訓(xùn)練要求和實(shí)盤(pán)要求都是偏短線的，你們是否只需要具備短線交易能力的交易員？而忽視了具有波段交易能力和中長(zhǎng)線交易能力的交易員？
Michael Patak：我們非常重視風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理。電子盤(pán)23小時(shí)開(kāi)放。我們希望期貨交易員在每天市場(chǎng)收盤(pán)的1小時(shí)里沒(méi)有倉(cāng)位。原因是如果世界上發(fā)生了什么影響市場(chǎng)的事件，期貨交易員可能對(duì)他們的倉(cāng)位完全無(wú)法控制。我們認(rèn)為在收盤(pán)時(shí)仍持有倉(cāng)位是一種冒不必要風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的做法。當(dāng)然，如果一個(gè)期貨交易員已經(jīng)證明他的能力，同時(shí)他/她的帳戶資金增長(zhǎng)到一定程度后，我們也允許這個(gè)期貨交易員做波段交易或持有倉(cāng)位。但當(dāng)一個(gè)新的期貨交易員剛開(kāi)始操作實(shí)盤(pán)時(shí)，我們會(huì)格外小心，以確保期貨交易員能夠控制他/她的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。因此，在Combine或新的實(shí)盤(pán)交易時(shí)，期貨交易員在每日市場(chǎng)收盤(pán)時(shí)必須平倉(cāng)。
期貨中國(guó)19、在模擬盤(pán)培訓(xùn)的過(guò)程中，Patak交易伙伴公司會(huì)給到交易員哪些方面的支持？
Michael Patak：我們提供一系列的教練指導(dǎo)服務(wù)來(lái)幫助交易員更好的理解期貨市場(chǎng)、期貨交易員自己和期貨交易員的交易風(fēng)格來(lái)最大限度的發(fā)揮他們的交易能力，以期縮短學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間。除了教練指導(dǎo)外，我們每周會(huì)有一次交易心理專(zhuān)家的“Market Therapy”（市場(chǎng)診療）講座。我們的TsT實(shí)況廣播和互動(dòng)交易員聊天室對(duì)交易員也會(huì)有非常大的幫助。實(shí)況廣播可以讓交易員了解CME交易所正在發(fā)生的情況。聊天室有來(lái)自世界各地的，不同水平的交易員。所以每天在聊天室討論的信息和教育材料對(duì)期貨交易學(xué)員來(lái)說(shuō)是相當(dāng)有益的。
這些工具能幫助新的期貨交易員成為紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、穩(wěn)定贏利的期貨交易員。新的期貨交易員必須耐心的通過(guò)Combine，讓自己在這個(gè)過(guò)程中不斷成長(zhǎng)，從而發(fā)揮出他們最大的潛力，然后開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)交易。
期貨中國(guó)20、在實(shí)盤(pán)操作的過(guò)程中，Patak交易伙伴公司會(huì)給到交易員哪些方面的支持？
Michael Patak：在交易員開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)操作時(shí)，我們的高級(jí)交易員會(huì)和他們保持接觸，幫助他們學(xué)習(xí)，發(fā)展，持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)賬戶資金。我們也會(huì)從分享交易贏利中獲利。
關(guān)于交易能力、交易素質(zhì)
期貨中國(guó)21、一般來(lái)說(shuō)，能夠在TopStepTrader培訓(xùn)中勝出，拿到實(shí)盤(pán)資金的交易員，有哪些方面共同的特征或素質(zhì)？
Michael Patak：所有的交易員都對(duì)市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，對(duì)個(gè)人成長(zhǎng)，耐心，強(qiáng)烈的自我意識(shí)充滿激情。 最重要的是對(duì)自己的行為負(fù)責(zé)，每一天都不斷學(xué)習(xí)。
期貨中國(guó)22、要成為最頂級(jí)的交易員，您覺(jué)得主要是靠天賦還是靠努力？
Michael Patak：我認(rèn)為兩者皆有。有些交易員很有天賦，但不管怎樣，你都必須不斷努力，跟上市場(chǎng)的步伐，與其他交易者競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。這是我們所有期貨交易員每天都要接受的挑戰(zhàn)。
期貨中國(guó)23、請(qǐng)您談一談紀(jì)律在交易中的重要性？
Michael Patak：紀(jì)律性是成為一名好的交易員的基礎(chǔ)。如果你還沒(méi)準(zhǔn)備好做一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明的交易員，或不能為此付出努力，那么你不應(yīng)該進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)。紀(jì)律性讓期貨交易員能接受虧損，或充分利用機(jī)會(huì)，并且在表現(xiàn)好和不好的日子里，他/她都能從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)。對(duì)交易員來(lái)說(shuō)，市場(chǎng)情況是不斷變化的，紀(jì)律性能使你承受任何市場(chǎng)的變化情況。專(zhuān)注于紀(jì)律，不要讓你的情緒控制你，應(yīng)學(xué)會(huì)預(yù)測(cè)市場(chǎng)行為和走向，而不是在市場(chǎng)的噪音中失去方向，這樣你才能在交易游戲中勝出。
期貨中國(guó)24、如今的金融市場(chǎng)，行情波動(dòng)會(huì)被各種信息干擾，請(qǐng)問(wèn)您如何應(yīng)對(duì)突發(fā)事件？
Michael Patak：我應(yīng)對(duì)市場(chǎng)突發(fā)情況是通過(guò)充分的準(zhǔn)備和踩準(zhǔn)市場(chǎng)的節(jié)奏，并且認(rèn)識(shí)到這樣的事件在任何時(shí)候都能發(fā)生。這樣，我就能在機(jī)會(huì)出現(xiàn)時(shí)牢牢抓住它。
期貨中國(guó)25、現(xiàn)在不管是在美國(guó)還是在中國(guó)，使用電腦自動(dòng)化交易（程序化自動(dòng)交易）的人越來(lái)越多，您覺(jué)得電腦自動(dòng)化交易和交易員手工交易哪一個(gè)更有優(yōu)勢(shì)？為什么？
Michael Patak：程序交易一般是由交易員設(shè)計(jì)，并在程序員的幫助下完成的。因此，你首先必須是一名期貨交易員才能理解你想用程序?qū)嵤┑牟呗浴Ｎ艺J(rèn)為在今天以及將來(lái)的市場(chǎng)，交易員需要學(xué)會(huì)與電腦共存。你必須首先是一名交易員才能設(shè)計(jì)出程序化交易策略或者直接交易策略，這樣才能在市場(chǎng)中存活。
關(guān)于中國(guó)
期貨中國(guó)26、在您的印象中，中國(guó)是一個(gè)怎樣的國(guó)家？
Michael Patak：我相信在中國(guó)有巨大的機(jī)會(huì)，也有很多沒(méi)有被發(fā)現(xiàn)的人才。我們TopstepTrader的目標(biāo)就是發(fā)掘人才并給他們實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶操作。我相信中國(guó)交易員對(duì)市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，也有牢固的職業(yè)操守。這兩點(diǎn)是成為成功交易員所必須的特征。TopstepTrader非常希望能看到中國(guó)交易員能夠展現(xiàn)他們的才能。
期貨中國(guó)27、您是否歡迎中國(guó)的交易員到美國(guó)向您學(xué)習(xí)、與您溝通？
Michael Patak：毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)。我從來(lái)都對(duì)其他的觀念保持開(kāi)放的態(tài)度。我對(duì)交易充滿熱情，我也愿意與他人交流，從而使我的交易水平不斷提高。
期貨中國(guó)28、您是否期待到中國(guó)來(lái)，和中國(guó)的優(yōu)秀交易員溝通、碰撞？
Michael Patak：我去過(guò)離中國(guó)最近的地方是泰國(guó)，越南，和柬埔寨。我非常的興奮地期盼有機(jī)會(huì)能訪問(wèn)你們美麗的國(guó)家，并與中國(guó)的頂尖交易員見(jiàn)面，討論，和互相交流學(xué)習(xí)。我希望這樣的機(jī)會(huì)很快會(huì)來(lái)到。
七禾網(wǎng)-期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)誠(chéng)摯感謝Michael Patak的精彩回答、牛茵女士的精彩翻譯
www.7hcn.com七禾網(wǎng)-期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)
沈良提問(wèn)、牛茵翻譯
2011-9-30
以下是英文問(wèn)答原文
Michael Patak：Patak Trading Partners CEO, TopStepTrader Founder
Michael Patak has been a floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade for over ten years, and is the founder and owner of TopstepTrader. Patak has been a member of Chicago Board of Trade since 2003, and is a registered member of the National Futures Association (NFA). Prior to founding TopstepTrader, Patak traded in the Dow Jones Futures pit for eight of his ten years on the floor, was a member of the Dow Jones pit committee, and was one of the highest-volume traders in the Dow Jones pit.
Michael Patak is a graduate of the Iowa State, where he majored in Economics and Agriculture Business, with an emphasis on Commodity Pricing and Analysis and was a collegiate football player. Throughout college, Patak was an avid follower of the markets and began trading while still in school. From the age of twenty to twenty-two he lost ,000 of his own money. That experience taught him the importance of having a system like the Combine.
Upon his graduation, determined to become a futures trader, Patak began trading for Kottke Clearing firm at the CBOT. At the firm, Patak traded under very strict risk-parameters, which helped him hone his skills as a profitable, disciplined, and consistent trader. Through those principles, eight months later, he was successful enough to back himself; he bought a seat on CBOT trading floor, and began trading Dow Jones Futures.
About Michael Patak and Traders in general
: Dear Mr. Michael Patak, thank you for taking your time to accept the exclusive interview with China Futures. You have been a floor trader for more than 10 years. Why did you choose to become a trader? What do you think the biggest attraction of this profession is?
Michael Patak：I wanted to be a trader since I was 16 years old when I found out that time was irrelevant on how much money you can make in the markets. Growing up in Nebraska the majority of people work by the hour and people judge other's success based on how much they make per hour. My initial lure to the markets was the fact that time was irrelevant and that personal success is based solely on your decisions. I enjoy being the master of my own destiny and think that is a strong appeal of futures trading as career and lifestyle.
: You started trading in college and lost 90k of your own money. Have you ever doubted about yourself? What did you learn from that experience?
Michael Patak：Losing humbles you and it helped to drop my ego; that was the greatest thing I learned from my experience. Yes I have doubted myself, but through experience I have learned to have unconditional confidence, and that prepares me for any market condition. This is something necessary for me to be successful, versus looking at each individual trade, I look at the big perspective to help learn and move forward.
Also, because I lost so much money when I first started, it taught me the vital importance of having a program like the Combine to help traders learn to be consistently profitable while trading with discipline without having to risk tens of thousands of dollars in the live markets.
: Are you looking for traders who are the same passionate about trading as you are?
Michael Patak：All traders have to be passionate to succeed in trading. If you don't have passion the market will weigh you down and suck the life out of you. Each day you have to be passionate about the markets and about trading to handle the ups and downs this business consistently throws at you.
: Do you know any Chinese traders around you? How are they doing?
Michael Patak：In the pit and at trading desks around the floor there are Chinese traders that I know and am friends with who are very successful at what they do. They have found this success by limiting themselves to one market, they are very disciplined and they do not over think each trade which as I stress is crucial to being a great trader.
: Who do you think is/are the best trader(s)? Why do you admire him (them)?
Michael Patak：The best traders are those who have passion for trading, discipline, and a great level of patience for the market. They anticipate and respond to the opportunity the market presents. I admire them and their methodology of trading as it helped me early in my career to understand the foundations of a consistent, profitable and disciplined trader and what it takes to be successful in this business.
: What do you think of your standing among all traders in America at your current level?
Michael Patak：What people need to understand is that trading is a personal journey. You should never judge your performance or your standing amongst others. That being said, I've been a trader on the floor for over 10 years and the last 8 of those years I traded on the “topstep” of the pit which is reserved for the best traders. I have consistently focused on my own journey and how I can become the best trader for myself, rather than focusing on others. That is what I stress to those in the Combine, you are competing with yourself to become the best trader possible.
: Are you satisfied with your trading skills? How do you think you can improve your skills further?
Michael Patak：Honestly, I am never satisfied with my trading performance; I always feel that I can improve and perform at a higher level. The thing I've learned is that the market is always evolving, so I am constantly focusing on improving my skills to adapt and maximize my performance. No one is a perfect trader, everyone must always work to continue to improve their knowledge, awareness, and trading aptitude.
：The Trader profession has very high attrition rate. You survived and flourished. But many people have failed and are washed out by the market. What do you want to say these people?
Michael Patak：What I would say to these people is trading is not meant for everybody; it is a very difficult business and it will challenge you emotionally and mentally, and it will suck the life out of you if you allow it. One thing that has pushed me through and has allowed me to survive in this business is having a passion for the markets and the drive to always better myself. Additionally, I would say to these people, ask yourself the question, “why do you want to be a trader and are you willing to put in the hard work?” Because if someone cannot confidently answer these questions this is likely not business or profession that is best suited for them.
：Your motto is “We eat what we kill”. Who are your prey? Are you the “wolf” in the market?
Michael Patak：Trading is a business where you eat what you kill, that is just fact of the trading world. My personal motto is “unconditionally confident.” I feel someone must be unconditionally confident to be able to consistently look at the big picture, and to continue to learn and grow with the market rather than allow their confidence to be hindered by each losing trade. Losing trades are an ordinary and necessary part of the business and getting past those experiences has helped me to become unconditionally confident in my abilities.
0：Some traders are so addicted to trading that they have no other interest other than trading. Do you have any hobbies and interests?
Michael Patak：It is very easy to become addicted to this market. You have to have hobbies and interests to be able “clock out” to enjoy other areas of your life or trading will consume you. My hobbies and interests are working out, running, reading, relaxing, and enjoying time with friends and family.
About Patak Trading Partner, TopStepTrader
1：TopstepTrader scouts for the best trading talent globally, give them rigorous training and provide recruits with live accounts and attractive profit sharing plan. What is your purpose of doing this?
Michael Patak：Our purpose of creating the Combine is to see who can trade TODAY'S market. As the market is always evolving this recruiting format allows us to see who is most in-tune with the market and who is consistently profitable while trading with discipline. Our Combine program allows us to find the traders who possess these skills and provide them with fully-funded live trading account.
2：There are thousands of people who want to become the top traders in the world. TopStepTrader has many recruits. How many people have participated so far? How many live traders have you selected from the Combine program?
Michael Patak：We have many recruits that come into the Combine program whether to learn, develop or become a live trader. Recently we have selected at least two recruits a week to start trading on a live trading account. As our Combine pool increases so will the amount of traders we select to trade live.
3：What is the largest live account you have offered to the live traders?
Michael Patak：All live traders start with a ,000 futures trading account. It is up to that trader to build that account and as they build the account we give them more daily risk capital and allow them to trade larger size. This is the stair step or process to becoming a big trader. In the near future we are going to be adding the option to trade a 0,000 and 0,000 account both in the Combine and as a live trader. That being said though, if you can't trade a ,000 account then you can't trade a million account. Discipline and patience need to be apparent at all levels.
4：What percentage of gain has your best performing live account had among all the live traders you have selected?
Michael Patak：With futures we do not look at percentage gain of the account, rather we look at over all performance of the trader. As futures are highly leveraged the percentage gain of your account is irrelevant. Someone may make a lot of money one week or one month, but if they cannot control their downside and do not exhibit consistency and discipline, that is going to be the exception to the norm for them because likely their losing weeks or months are going to greatly outweigh their profitable ones.
5：TopStepTrader’s recruits coming from all over the world. Which area has the better traders based on your internal evaluation?
Michael Patak：I have not noticed one area that has more exceptional traders than other areas, as each different culture and individual performs different in the market and trades at different degrees. We are just now opening ourselves up to recruits out of Russia and China and are seeing a lot of promise in these areas with recruits who are showing strong profits. Regardless of location, traders who make money still need to learn how to manage and control their losses to maximize their ability.
6：For traders who have excelled in the live account trading, will they be able to coming to America to work with you?
Michael Patak：Yes, we offer the opportunity to live traders that are performing well. If a live trader is interested, they can be transferred to Chicago to begin trading from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading floor. We are always willing to accommodate a successful live trader because we have established a “win-win” relationship we want maintain. Otherwise, a trader can trade remotely from home for the entire length of his or her employment.
7：COMBINE program daily stop loss limit is set at 00. Accelerated Combine daily stop loss limit is set at 0. Live account daily stop loss limit is also set at 0 in the beginning. Why do you set such restrict daily stop loss limit? What skills can the recruits learn from this training?
Michael Patak：Our live accounts start at either ,000 daily loss limit or 0 daily loss limit depending on the which Combine (four week or accelerated) the trader was in when he or she successfully met the objective. Also, as previously mentioned, we are in the process of creating custom Combines, which will allow recruits to trade a larger account with a bigger loss limit (,000 and ,000), these options will be available on the website shortly.
As for the 0 and ,000 daily loss limit, we set these risk parameters to see how recruits manage their risk. All traders need loss limits; loss limits help a trader live to fight another day. This business is a marathon it is not a race. You will have winning days and you will have losing days. The idea is to cut your losses and let your winners ride. Our risk parameters allow just that, it allows our traders to cut their losses or to stop trading for the day when they are not seeing the market clearly and on days when they are trading well it allows them to maximize their opportunities.
8: Your training and live account requirements are all short-term oriented? Are you only interested in day-trader? Do you think these requirements may exclude traders who are better at swing trading and medium to long term trading?
Michael Patak：We try to stress managing risk. The electronic markets are open almost 23 hours a day. We want traders to be flat the one hour of the day, because traders have no control over their position or risk if something in the world was to affect the market. We view trading into the close as unnecessary risk. That being said, we do allow traders to swing trade and hold positions once they are proven as a live trader and have built a cushion in his or her trading account. When first trading with us we are extra cautious to ensure the trader has control over his or her risk. Therefore, in the Combine or as a new live trader, the trader must be flat or 'net position zero' when the market is closed.
9:In the simulation training program, what type of support will TopStepTrader offer to recruits?
Michael Patak：We offer a variety of live coaching services to help recruits gain a better understanding of the markets, themselves, and their trading style to maximize their trading ability and shorten their learning curve.
In addition to the coaching, we provide weekly Market Therapy sessions with professional trading psychologists. Also, the TsT Live Squawk Radio and interactive trader chat room is also an incredibly beneficial tool for traders; the broadcast provide insight as to what is happening directly on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and in the chat room there are traders from all over the world and of all experience levels, so the insight and educational material passed through the room on a daily basis is phenomenal.
These tools assist recruits into becoming a consistent, profitable and disciplined trader. Traders must be patient with the Combine process and allow for a personal journey and growth while in the program to reach their full potential, and be selected to go live.
0: In the simulation training program, what type of support will TopStepTrader offer to live traders?
Michael Patak：When a trader begins trading live, he or she is in constant contact with senior level traders, who help them learn, develop and continually grow his or her trading account. Our interests lie in keeping a trader live and benefiting from shared profits, therefore our senior level traders will work with these individuals to ensure they do just that.
About trading aptitude, quality
1: Generally speaking，what type of common traits or qualities the live trades who have successfully completed the combine program share?
Michael Patak：The traders all share a deep passion for the markets, deep passion for personal growth, patience and extreme self-awareness. Most importantly being accountable of their actions and learning from them each and every day.
2: In order to become the top trader, do you think it depends on one’s talent or hard-working?
Michael Patak：It is a combination of both, some traders are naturally gifted, but regardless it takes consistent hard-work to stay in-tune with the market and compete with other traders in the market place. This is something that all top traders know is a day to day challenge.
3: Can you please elaborate on the importance of discipline in trading?
Michael Patak：Disciple is the foundation of a good trader. If you are not already a disciplined trader, and are not willing to put in the hard work required to become disciplined in the market place, then this is not the business you want to enter. Discipline allows a trader to accept losses, maximize opportunities and learn from good and bad days. Discipline allows you to weather any market condition and as a trader conditions are always changing. Focusing on your discipline, not letting emotion take control, and learning how to anticipate market behavior rather than getting lost in the noise, will keep you in the trading game.
4: In today’s financial markets, all kinds of information could cause market volatility? How do you handle unexpected events?
Michael Patak：I handle unexpected events by being prepared and in-tune with the market, and recognizing that these events can happen at any time. If I am in-tune with the market that I am trading and adequately prepared for any type of event I will be able to maximize the opportunity as it presents itself.
5: Nowadays, more and more people switched to program-trading whether in US or in China. Which one do you think is more advantageous, program-trading or discretionary trading? Why?
Michael Patak：Program trading is usually designed by traders with the help of programmers. You must first be a trader to understand a strategy you want to implement into a program. I believe that traders need to co-exist with the computer in today's market and going forward. But in the end you must be a trader to design a strategy for computer based trading or implement your own discretionary trading to survive in this market.
About China
6: What is your impression on China?
Michael Patak：I believe there are huge amounts of opportunity and untapped talent in China. It is TopstepTrader's goal to mine for trading talent and place them on a live trading account. I believe that Chinese traders have a large amount of passion for the markets and I also believe they have an extremely solid work ethic. Both of these characteristics are keys to becoming a successful trader. TopstepTrader is excited to see the level of talent that will surface from China.
7: Do you welcome Chinese traders to come to US to exchange ideas and learn from you?
Michael Patak：Without a doubt, I'm always open to learning from others on their view of the market. Since I am passionate about trading I am always open to learning from others and exchanging ideas to better my trading as well as theirs.
8: Are you looking forward to coming to China to meet with Chinese top traders?
Michael Patak：Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are the closest I have come to China. I am extremely excited and look forward to having the opportunity to visit your beautiful country to meet, discuss, and learn more from the top Chinese traders. I hope this opportunity comes sooner rather than later.
www.7hcn.com Futures China
Questions by Liang Shen, Translated by Yin Niu
2011-9-30
Michael Patak在芝加哥商品交易所成為場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易員已經(jīng)有超過(guò)10年，也是TopStepTrader的創(chuàng)辦人。他在2003年成我芝加哥商品交易所會(huì)員，也是NFA（國(guó)家期貨協(xié)會(huì)）注冊(cè)會(huì)員。在創(chuàng)辦TopStepTrader之前，他在道指期貨交易池場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易交易8年。他是道指交易池協(xié)會(huì)會(huì)員，也是道池交易池交易量最大的交易員之一。
Michael Patak畢業(yè)于愛(ài)荷華州立大學(xué)，經(jīng)濟(jì)和農(nóng)業(yè)商業(yè)專(zhuān)業(yè)，專(zhuān)攻商品定價(jià)和分析，也是大學(xué)美式橄欖球隊(duì)員。在大學(xué)里，他開(kāi)始關(guān)注市場(chǎng)并從事交易。在他20歲到22歲的幾年里他因?yàn)榻灰滋潛p了9萬(wàn)美元。這個(gè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)給了他很大的教訓(xùn)，也使他認(rèn)識(shí)到有一個(gè)像Combine一樣的系統(tǒng)的重要性。
大學(xué)畢業(yè)后，Patak決心成為一名期貨交易員。他開(kāi)始為CBOT的Kottke結(jié)算公司工作。在公司工作時(shí)，他必須在非常嚴(yán)格的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)控制參數(shù)下進(jìn)行交易。這種訓(xùn)練為他成為一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明，穩(wěn)定贏利的交易員打下了堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。八個(gè)月后，他成功的賺取了足夠的資金，在CBOT買(mǎi)了席位，開(kāi)始自己交易道指期貨。
訪談精彩語(yǔ)錄：
當(dāng)我16歲時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)大部分人的工作時(shí)間與報(bào)酬并不成正比，我就想我應(yīng)該成為一名期貨交易員。
我喜歡成為我個(gè)人命運(yùn)的主宰。
失敗會(huì)讓你變得謙虛，會(huì)讓你放棄過(guò)分的自我。
從我的經(jīng)歷中我認(rèn)識(shí)到“必須無(wú)條件的相信自己”，這會(huì)讓我對(duì)任何市場(chǎng)條件都有所準(zhǔn)備。
作為一個(gè)期貨交易員他/她每天都必須充滿熱情，因?yàn)橹挥羞@樣他/她才能忍受這個(gè)行業(yè)永無(wú)停息的上下沉浮。
他們的成功靠的是把他們的注意力集中在一個(gè)市場(chǎng)，而且不會(huì)對(duì)每一筆交易想太多。
最好的交易員都是那些對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情、紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)有足夠的耐心的人。
大家應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到做期貨交易就像人生旅程，你不需要與其他人進(jìn)行比較。
你是與你自己競(jìng)爭(zhēng)并逐步成為最好的期貨交易員。
在過(guò)去的8年里，我在期貨交易池的“最高臺(tái)階”（Topstep）交易。只有最好的期貨交易員才有資格在“最高臺(tái)階”交易。
老實(shí)說(shuō)，我從來(lái)沒(méi)對(duì)自己的期貨交易成績(jī)滿意過(guò)。
期貨市場(chǎng)在不斷進(jìn)化，所以我必須不斷改善我的技術(shù)來(lái)適應(yīng)期貨市場(chǎng)的變化。
期貨交易作為一個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合每一個(gè)人。這是一個(gè)非常難做的行業(yè)，它不僅挑戰(zhàn)期貨交易員的智商也對(duì)他/她的情商有非常高的要求。
期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)就是“以獵物為生”，這是不可改變的事實(shí)。
我覺(jué)得一個(gè)人必須無(wú)條件的自信，才能始終從大的方向著眼，在期貨市場(chǎng)中學(xué)習(xí)進(jìn)步，而不會(huì)因?yàn)橐淮谓灰资《鴨适判摹?br />
對(duì)期貨交易上癮是很容易發(fā)生的一件事。
如果你不能操作5萬(wàn)美元的賬戶，那你也不能操作一個(gè)5千萬(wàn)美元的賬戶。
我們并不注重賬戶的總贏利，我們更看重交易員在各方面的表現(xiàn)。
不論地域，所有贏利的交易員都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何管理和控制損失才能充分發(fā)揮他們的能力。
我們會(huì)對(duì)成績(jī)優(yōu)秀的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)（到美國(guó)交易）。
期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)更像是一個(gè)馬拉松比賽而不是一個(gè)短跑比賽。你可以有贏利的日子，也會(huì)有虧損的日子，但你必須學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，讓贏利奔跑。
有些交易員很有天賦，但不管怎樣，你都必須不斷努力，跟上市場(chǎng)的步伐，與其他交易者競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。
紀(jì)律性是成為一名好的交易員的基礎(chǔ)。如果你還沒(méi)準(zhǔn)備好做一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明的交易員，或不能為此付出努力，那么你不應(yīng)該進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)。
對(duì)交易員來(lái)說(shuō)，市場(chǎng)情況是不斷變化的，紀(jì)律性能使你承受任何市場(chǎng)的變化情況。
我應(yīng)對(duì)市場(chǎng)突發(fā)情況是通過(guò)充分的準(zhǔn)備和踩準(zhǔn)市場(chǎng)的節(jié)奏，并且認(rèn)識(shí)到這樣的事件在任何時(shí)候都能發(fā)生。這樣，我就能在機(jī)會(huì)出現(xiàn)時(shí)牢牢抓住它。
程序交易一般是由交易員設(shè)計(jì)，并在程序員的幫助下完成的。因此，你首先必須是一名期貨交易員才能理解你想用程序?qū)嵤┑牟呗浴?br />
我相信在中國(guó)有巨大的機(jī)會(huì)，也有很多沒(méi)有被發(fā)現(xiàn)的人才。我們TopstepTrader的目標(biāo)就是發(fā)掘人才并給他們實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶操作。
我非常的興奮地期盼有機(jī)會(huì)能訪問(wèn)你們美麗的國(guó)家，并與中國(guó)的頂尖交易員見(jiàn)面，討論，和互相交流學(xué)習(xí)。
相關(guān)鏈接：美國(guó)Patak交易伙伴公司-TopstepTrader頂級(jí)交易員招募
關(guān)于Michael Patak、關(guān)于交易員
期貨中國(guó)1、Michael Patak先生您好，感謝您在百忙之中接受期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)的專(zhuān)訪。您做場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易員已經(jīng)超過(guò)10年，您為什么選擇期貨交易員這個(gè)職業(yè)？您覺(jué)得“做一名期貨交易員”最大的魅力是什么？
Michael Patak：我在內(nèi)布拉斯加長(zhǎng)大。那里大部分人都是按小時(shí)獲得報(bào)酬。人們判斷一個(gè)人是否成功是看他每小時(shí)的工資是多少。但是，當(dāng)我16歲時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)大部分人的工作時(shí)間與報(bào)酬并不成正比。從那時(shí)開(kāi)始我就想我應(yīng)該成為一名期貨交易員。其次，我認(rèn)為一個(gè)人的成功應(yīng)完全取決于這個(gè)人的判斷和決定而不是工作時(shí)間的長(zhǎng)短。我喜歡成為我個(gè)人命運(yùn)的主宰。這也是為什么期貨交易作為職業(yè)選擇和生活方式強(qiáng)烈吸引我的原因之一。
期貨中國(guó)2、您在上大學(xué)時(shí)就開(kāi)始進(jìn)行期貨交易了，不過(guò)您受到了挫折，虧了9萬(wàn)美元，當(dāng)時(shí)您有沒(méi)有否定過(guò)自己、懷疑過(guò)自己？那一次挫折教會(huì)了您哪些東西？
Michael Patak：失敗會(huì)讓你變得謙虛，會(huì)讓你放棄過(guò)分的自我，這是我從這段經(jīng)歷中得到的最大的收獲。當(dāng)我受到挫折時(shí)，我是懷疑過(guò)自己。但是從我的經(jīng)歷中我認(rèn)識(shí)到“必須無(wú)條件的相信自己”，這會(huì)讓我對(duì)任何市場(chǎng)條件都有所準(zhǔn)備。我并不以每一筆交易的成敗來(lái)判斷自己是否成功，而是從一個(gè)大的方向來(lái)幫助自己學(xué)習(xí)成長(zhǎng)。
正是因?yàn)槲以趧傞_(kāi)始做期貨交易員的時(shí)候虧損了很多錢(qián)，使我認(rèn)識(shí)到期貨交易新手需要一個(gè)像Combine一樣的培訓(xùn)。這種培訓(xùn)可以讓期貨交易新手訓(xùn)練自己的紀(jì)律性和穩(wěn)定贏利的能力，從而不至于在實(shí)盤(pán)交易時(shí)虧損大量金錢(qián)。
期貨中國(guó)3、您是否在尋找和您一樣對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情的期貨交易員？
Michael Patak：任何一個(gè)期貨交易員都必須對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情，只有這樣他/她才能獲得成功。如果一個(gè)期貨交易員對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)沒(méi)有熱情，那么期貨交易這份工作會(huì)給他/她帶來(lái)沉重的壓力，使他/她失去活力。因此，作為一個(gè)期貨交易員他/她每天都必須充滿熱情，因?yàn)橹挥羞@樣他/她才能忍受這個(gè)行業(yè)永無(wú)停息的上下沉浮。
期貨中國(guó)4、您的身邊有沒(méi)有來(lái)自中國(guó)的交易員，如果有，您覺(jué)得他們的表現(xiàn)如何？
Michael Patak：在交易池和場(chǎng)內(nèi)交易臺(tái)都有一些來(lái)自中國(guó)的交易員。我有幸認(rèn)識(shí)他們中的一些人并與他們成為了朋友。他們的成功靠的是把他們的注意力集中在一個(gè)市場(chǎng)，而且不會(huì)對(duì)每一筆交易想太多。這也是我一再?gòu)?qiáng)調(diào)的成為一個(gè)好的交易員的關(guān)鍵。
期貨中國(guó)5、在您的心目中世界上最偉大的交易員是哪一個(gè)或哪幾個(gè)？您為什么欣賞他（他們）？
Michael Patak：最好的交易員都是那些對(duì)期貨交易充滿激情、紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)有足夠的耐心的人。他們能夠預(yù)測(cè)和抓住期貨市場(chǎng)的機(jī)會(huì)。我仰慕他們激情和他們的交易方法。這對(duì)我早期的發(fā)展很有幫助。
期貨中國(guó)6、您覺(jué)得就您目前的交易水平，在美國(guó)的所有交易員中能排在什么位置？
Michael Patak：大家應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到做期貨交易就像人生旅程，你不需要與其他人進(jìn)行比較。我始終專(zhuān)注于自己的歷程以及如何使自己成為最好的期貨交易員，而不是與其他人比較。這也是我對(duì)Combine的學(xué)員一直強(qiáng)調(diào)的，你是與你自己競(jìng)爭(zhēng)并逐步成為最好的期貨交易員。當(dāng)然，我在期貨交易所的時(shí)間已經(jīng)超過(guò)10年了。在過(guò)去的8年里，我在期貨交易池的“最高臺(tái)階”（Topstep）交易。只有最好的期貨交易員才有資格在“最高臺(tái)階”交易。
期貨中國(guó)7、您對(duì)自己的交易能力是否滿意？您的交易水平還有沒(méi)有提高的空間？
Michael Patak：老實(shí)說(shuō)，我從來(lái)沒(méi)對(duì)自己的期貨交易成績(jī)滿意過(guò)。我總是覺(jué)得我還可以改進(jìn)提高。在我學(xué)到的知識(shí)中，有一點(diǎn)我認(rèn)為是很重要的：期貨市場(chǎng)在不斷進(jìn)化，所以我必須不斷改善我的技術(shù)來(lái)適應(yīng)期貨市場(chǎng)的變化，以期達(dá)到自己最好的水平。沒(méi)有人是完美的期貨交易員。每個(gè)人都必須不斷努力工作，提高他們的知識(shí)水平和期貨交易能力。
期貨中國(guó)8、期貨交易員是一個(gè)淘汰率很高的職業(yè)，您生存下來(lái)了，并且有了很好的事業(yè)，但很多人都倒下了，被市場(chǎng)洗出局了。對(duì)哪些被市場(chǎng)淘汰的人，請(qǐng)您說(shuō)幾句？
Michael Patak：我想對(duì)他們說(shuō)的是期貨交易作為一個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合每一個(gè)人。這是一個(gè)非常難做的行業(yè)，它不僅挑戰(zhàn)期貨交易員的智商也對(duì)他/她的情商有非常高的要求。如果一個(gè)期貨交易員聽(tīng)任期貨市場(chǎng)的擺布，那它就會(huì)把這個(gè)期貨交易員的活力從他/她身上吸走。我能夠在這個(gè)行業(yè)中生存下來(lái)的一個(gè)動(dòng)力是我對(duì)期貨市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，我有強(qiáng)烈的欲望想要使自己做得更好。另外我還想對(duì)這些人說(shuō)，請(qǐng)他們問(wèn)問(wèn)自己這些問(wèn)題：“你為什么想成為一個(gè)期貨交易員，你愿意為此付出努力嗎？”如果他們不能很自信的回答這些問(wèn)題，那么這個(gè)職業(yè)并不適合他們。
期貨中國(guó)9、您的座右銘是“我們以我們的獵物為生。”（We eat what we kill），請(qǐng)問(wèn)您的獵物是什么？您是期貨市場(chǎng)中的“狼”嗎？
Michael Patak：期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)就是“以獵物為生”，這是不可改變的事實(shí)。我的另外一個(gè)座佑銘是“無(wú)條件自信”。我覺(jué)得一個(gè)人必須無(wú)條件的自信，才能始終從大的方向著眼，在期貨市場(chǎng)中學(xué)習(xí)進(jìn)步，而不會(huì)因?yàn)橐淮谓灰资《鴨适判摹Ｌ潛p在期貨交易中是正常的事，也是必須的。我自己就是通過(guò)經(jīng)驗(yàn)的積累才有能力無(wú)條件自信的。
期貨中國(guó)10、有些交易員會(huì)沉迷于交易，除了交易沒(méi)有其他任何愛(ài)好，您是否如此？您有沒(méi)有其它的興趣愛(ài)好？
Michael Patak：對(duì)期貨交易上癮是很容易發(fā)生的一件事。但你必須有另外一些興趣愛(ài)好，這樣你就可以停下來(lái)享受生活中其它的樂(lè)趣。否則期貨交易會(huì)讓你消耗太快。我喜歡健身，跑步，閱讀，放松，和朋友家人在一起。
關(guān)于Patak交易伙伴公司、關(guān)于TopStepTrader
期貨中國(guó)11、Patak交易伙伴公司從全球選拔交易員，給予嚴(yán)格的培訓(xùn)，并給勝出者提供實(shí)盤(pán)資金和盈利分成。你們做這一件事情的主要目的是什么？
Michael Patak：我們創(chuàng)造Combine的目的是想看看誰(shuí)能在當(dāng)今的期貨市場(chǎng)進(jìn)行交易。因?yàn)槠谪浭袌?chǎng)是不斷演變的。我們的招聘方式可以讓我們看到誰(shuí)最能適應(yīng)這個(gè)市場(chǎng)，并且遵守紀(jì)律，穩(wěn)定贏利。我們的Combine計(jì)劃可以讓我們找到有這樣技能的期貨交易員，我們會(huì)為他們提供實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶并讓他們進(jìn)行實(shí)盤(pán)期貨交易。
期貨中國(guó)12、在全球有成千上萬(wàn)的人向往成為頂級(jí)的交易員，TopStepTrader的參與者很多，請(qǐng)問(wèn)到目前為止共有多少人報(bào)名TopStepTrader？前后共有多少人通過(guò)了培訓(xùn)和篩選，并與你們成功達(dá)成合作？
Michael Patak：我們有許多學(xué)員接受Combine訓(xùn)練，學(xué)習(xí)，發(fā)展，并成為實(shí)盤(pán)交易員。最近一段時(shí)間，我們每周至少選2個(gè)交易員開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)交易。參加Combine的人越來(lái)越多，我們的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員也會(huì)越來(lái)越多。
期貨中國(guó)13、到目前為止，你們給選拔出來(lái)的交易員單個(gè)賬戶最大的資金規(guī)模是多少？
Michael Patak：所有實(shí)盤(pán)交易員都從5萬(wàn)美元賬戶開(kāi)始操作。交易員可以選擇讓他們的賬戶資金不斷增長(zhǎng)而不是馬上抽取提成。隨著他們的賬戶資金的增長(zhǎng)，我們會(huì)給他們更高的每日止損限額，并允許他們持有更多頭寸。這是成為大交易員的循序漸進(jìn)的過(guò)程。在不久的將來(lái)，我們將會(huì)增加10萬(wàn)和15萬(wàn)美元的Combine和實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶。當(dāng)然，如果你不能操作5萬(wàn)美元的賬戶，那你也不能操作一個(gè)5千萬(wàn)美元的賬戶。紀(jì)律和耐心對(duì)不同層次的交易員都非常重要。
期貨中國(guó)14、到目前為止，選拔出來(lái)的交易員，單個(gè)賬戶盈利最多的累計(jì)到多少了？
Michael Patak：在期貨交易中，我們并不注重賬戶的總贏利，我們更看重交易員在各方面的表現(xiàn)。 因?yàn)槠谪浗灰资歉叨雀軛U化的，所以賬戶贏利百分比并不相關(guān)。有人可能在一周或一個(gè)月內(nèi)賺到很多錢(qián)，但如果他們不能控制負(fù)面風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，不能穩(wěn)定贏利，也沒(méi)有紀(jì)律性，那這只能算是一次偶然，因?yàn)樗麄兲潛p的日子會(huì)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)他們贏利的日子。
期貨中國(guó)15、TopStepTrader的學(xué)員來(lái)自世界五大洲，據(jù)你們內(nèi)部評(píng)估來(lái)看，來(lái)自哪個(gè)區(qū)域的交易員最優(yōu)秀？
Michael Patak：我還沒(méi)有注意到哪個(gè)地區(qū)的交易員特別的優(yōu)秀。不同的文化，個(gè)人在市場(chǎng)中表現(xiàn)各異。我們目前對(duì)俄國(guó)和中國(guó)開(kāi)放，我們已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)不少很有潛力的交易員。不論地域，所有贏利的交易員都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何管理和控制損失才能充分發(fā)揮他們的能力。
期貨中國(guó)16、實(shí)盤(pán)操作非常優(yōu)秀的交易員，有沒(méi)有機(jī)會(huì)到美國(guó)和您一起工作？
Michael Patak：是的。我們會(huì)對(duì)成績(jī)優(yōu)秀的實(shí)盤(pán)交易員提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)。如果實(shí)盤(pán)交易員有興趣，他們可以轉(zhuǎn)到芝加哥，在CME交易所交易。對(duì)于優(yōu)秀的期貨交易員，我們會(huì)盡我們的力量來(lái)滿足他們的要求，因?yàn)槲覀円呀?jīng)與優(yōu)秀的期貨交易員建立了“雙贏”的關(guān)系。當(dāng)然期貨交易員也完全可以進(jìn)行遠(yuǎn)程交易。
期貨中國(guó)17、COMBINE訓(xùn)練每天的賬戶止損為1000美元，加速COMBINE訓(xùn)練每天的賬戶止損為500美元，實(shí)盤(pán)一開(kāi)始每天的賬戶止損也為500美元。設(shè)計(jì)這么嚴(yán)格的止損，主要是鍛煉交易員哪些方面的能力？
Michael Patak：我們的實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶單日止損限額是根據(jù)期貨交易員參加的Combine類(lèi)型（四周或加速）設(shè)在1000美元或500美元而定的。我們目前正在考慮推出新的賬戶金額更高的Combine，單日止損限額也相應(yīng)的提高到（2000到3000美金）。
之所以設(shè)定500和1000美金的單日止損限額，我們是希望我們的期貨交易員能夠控制和管理風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。所有的期貨交易員都需要有止損限額。這可以幫助期貨交易員生存下來(lái)并接著戰(zhàn)斗。期貨交易這個(gè)行業(yè)更像是一個(gè)馬拉松比賽而不是一個(gè)短跑比賽。你可以有贏利的日子，也會(huì)有虧損的日子，但你必須學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，讓贏利奔跑。我們的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)控制參數(shù)的設(shè)定就是為了訓(xùn)練交易員學(xué)會(huì)及時(shí)止損，特別是在他們對(duì)市場(chǎng)看不清的時(shí)候，應(yīng)該停止交易。這樣他們就可以在對(duì)市場(chǎng)把握好的時(shí)候充分利用機(jī)會(huì)。
期貨中國(guó)18、你們的訓(xùn)練要求和實(shí)盤(pán)要求都是偏短線的，你們是否只需要具備短線交易能力的交易員？而忽視了具有波段交易能力和中長(zhǎng)線交易能力的交易員？
Michael Patak：我們非常重視風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理。電子盤(pán)23小時(shí)開(kāi)放。我們希望期貨交易員在每天市場(chǎng)收盤(pán)的1小時(shí)里沒(méi)有倉(cāng)位。原因是如果世界上發(fā)生了什么影響市場(chǎng)的事件，期貨交易員可能對(duì)他們的倉(cāng)位完全無(wú)法控制。我們認(rèn)為在收盤(pán)時(shí)仍持有倉(cāng)位是一種冒不必要風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的做法。當(dāng)然，如果一個(gè)期貨交易員已經(jīng)證明他的能力，同時(shí)他/她的帳戶資金增長(zhǎng)到一定程度后，我們也允許這個(gè)期貨交易員做波段交易或持有倉(cāng)位。但當(dāng)一個(gè)新的期貨交易員剛開(kāi)始操作實(shí)盤(pán)時(shí)，我們會(huì)格外小心，以確保期貨交易員能夠控制他/她的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。因此，在Combine或新的實(shí)盤(pán)交易時(shí)，期貨交易員在每日市場(chǎng)收盤(pán)時(shí)必須平倉(cāng)。
期貨中國(guó)19、在模擬盤(pán)培訓(xùn)的過(guò)程中，Patak交易伙伴公司會(huì)給到交易員哪些方面的支持？
Michael Patak：我們提供一系列的教練指導(dǎo)服務(wù)來(lái)幫助交易員更好的理解期貨市場(chǎng)、期貨交易員自己和期貨交易員的交易風(fēng)格來(lái)最大限度的發(fā)揮他們的交易能力，以期縮短學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間。除了教練指導(dǎo)外，我們每周會(huì)有一次交易心理專(zhuān)家的“Market Therapy”（市場(chǎng)診療）講座。我們的TsT實(shí)況廣播和互動(dòng)交易員聊天室對(duì)交易員也會(huì)有非常大的幫助。實(shí)況廣播可以讓交易員了解CME交易所正在發(fā)生的情況。聊天室有來(lái)自世界各地的，不同水平的交易員。所以每天在聊天室討論的信息和教育材料對(duì)期貨交易學(xué)員來(lái)說(shuō)是相當(dāng)有益的。
這些工具能幫助新的期貨交易員成為紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明、穩(wěn)定贏利的期貨交易員。新的期貨交易員必須耐心的通過(guò)Combine，讓自己在這個(gè)過(guò)程中不斷成長(zhǎng)，從而發(fā)揮出他們最大的潛力，然后開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)交易。
期貨中國(guó)20、在實(shí)盤(pán)操作的過(guò)程中，Patak交易伙伴公司會(huì)給到交易員哪些方面的支持？
Michael Patak：在交易員開(kāi)始實(shí)盤(pán)操作時(shí)，我們的高級(jí)交易員會(huì)和他們保持接觸，幫助他們學(xué)習(xí)，發(fā)展，持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)賬戶資金。我們也會(huì)從分享交易贏利中獲利。
關(guān)于交易能力、交易素質(zhì)
期貨中國(guó)21、一般來(lái)說(shuō)，能夠在TopStepTrader培訓(xùn)中勝出，拿到實(shí)盤(pán)資金的交易員，有哪些方面共同的特征或素質(zhì)？
Michael Patak：所有的交易員都對(duì)市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，對(duì)個(gè)人成長(zhǎng)，耐心，強(qiáng)烈的自我意識(shí)充滿激情。 最重要的是對(duì)自己的行為負(fù)責(zé)，每一天都不斷學(xué)習(xí)。
期貨中國(guó)22、要成為最頂級(jí)的交易員，您覺(jué)得主要是靠天賦還是靠努力？
Michael Patak：我認(rèn)為兩者皆有。有些交易員很有天賦，但不管怎樣，你都必須不斷努力，跟上市場(chǎng)的步伐，與其他交易者競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。這是我們所有期貨交易員每天都要接受的挑戰(zhàn)。
期貨中國(guó)23、請(qǐng)您談一談紀(jì)律在交易中的重要性？
Michael Patak：紀(jì)律性是成為一名好的交易員的基礎(chǔ)。如果你還沒(méi)準(zhǔn)備好做一個(gè)紀(jì)律嚴(yán)明的交易員，或不能為此付出努力，那么你不應(yīng)該進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)。紀(jì)律性讓期貨交易員能接受虧損，或充分利用機(jī)會(huì)，并且在表現(xiàn)好和不好的日子里，他/她都能從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)。對(duì)交易員來(lái)說(shuō)，市場(chǎng)情況是不斷變化的，紀(jì)律性能使你承受任何市場(chǎng)的變化情況。專(zhuān)注于紀(jì)律，不要讓你的情緒控制你，應(yīng)學(xué)會(huì)預(yù)測(cè)市場(chǎng)行為和走向，而不是在市場(chǎng)的噪音中失去方向，這樣你才能在交易游戲中勝出。
期貨中國(guó)24、如今的金融市場(chǎng)，行情波動(dòng)會(huì)被各種信息干擾，請(qǐng)問(wèn)您如何應(yīng)對(duì)突發(fā)事件？
Michael Patak：我應(yīng)對(duì)市場(chǎng)突發(fā)情況是通過(guò)充分的準(zhǔn)備和踩準(zhǔn)市場(chǎng)的節(jié)奏，并且認(rèn)識(shí)到這樣的事件在任何時(shí)候都能發(fā)生。這樣，我就能在機(jī)會(huì)出現(xiàn)時(shí)牢牢抓住它。
期貨中國(guó)25、現(xiàn)在不管是在美國(guó)還是在中國(guó)，使用電腦自動(dòng)化交易（程序化自動(dòng)交易）的人越來(lái)越多，您覺(jué)得電腦自動(dòng)化交易和交易員手工交易哪一個(gè)更有優(yōu)勢(shì)？為什么？
Michael Patak：程序交易一般是由交易員設(shè)計(jì)，并在程序員的幫助下完成的。因此，你首先必須是一名期貨交易員才能理解你想用程序?qū)嵤┑牟呗浴Ｎ艺J(rèn)為在今天以及將來(lái)的市場(chǎng)，交易員需要學(xué)會(huì)與電腦共存。你必須首先是一名交易員才能設(shè)計(jì)出程序化交易策略或者直接交易策略，這樣才能在市場(chǎng)中存活。
關(guān)于中國(guó)
期貨中國(guó)26、在您的印象中，中國(guó)是一個(gè)怎樣的國(guó)家？
Michael Patak：我相信在中國(guó)有巨大的機(jī)會(huì)，也有很多沒(méi)有被發(fā)現(xiàn)的人才。我們TopstepTrader的目標(biāo)就是發(fā)掘人才并給他們實(shí)盤(pán)賬戶操作。我相信中國(guó)交易員對(duì)市場(chǎng)充滿熱情，也有牢固的職業(yè)操守。這兩點(diǎn)是成為成功交易員所必須的特征。TopstepTrader非常希望能看到中國(guó)交易員能夠展現(xiàn)他們的才能。
期貨中國(guó)27、您是否歡迎中國(guó)的交易員到美國(guó)向您學(xué)習(xí)、與您溝通？
Michael Patak：毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)。我從來(lái)都對(duì)其他的觀念保持開(kāi)放的態(tài)度。我對(duì)交易充滿熱情，我也愿意與他人交流，從而使我的交易水平不斷提高。
期貨中國(guó)28、您是否期待到中國(guó)來(lái)，和中國(guó)的優(yōu)秀交易員溝通、碰撞？
Michael Patak：我去過(guò)離中國(guó)最近的地方是泰國(guó)，越南，和柬埔寨。我非常的興奮地期盼有機(jī)會(huì)能訪問(wèn)你們美麗的國(guó)家，并與中國(guó)的頂尖交易員見(jiàn)面，討論，和互相交流學(xué)習(xí)。我希望這樣的機(jī)會(huì)很快會(huì)來(lái)到。
七禾網(wǎng)-期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)誠(chéng)摯感謝Michael Patak的精彩回答、牛茵女士的精彩翻譯
www.7hcn.com七禾網(wǎng)-期貨中國(guó)網(wǎng)
沈良提問(wèn)、牛茵翻譯
2011-9-30
以下是英文問(wèn)答原文
Michael Patak：Patak Trading Partners CEO, TopStepTrader Founder
Michael Patak has been a floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade for over ten years, and is the founder and owner of TopstepTrader. Patak has been a member of Chicago Board of Trade since 2003, and is a registered member of the National Futures Association (NFA). Prior to founding TopstepTrader, Patak traded in the Dow Jones Futures pit for eight of his ten years on the floor, was a member of the Dow Jones pit committee, and was one of the highest-volume traders in the Dow Jones pit.
Michael Patak is a graduate of the Iowa State, where he majored in Economics and Agriculture Business, with an emphasis on Commodity Pricing and Analysis and was a collegiate football player. Throughout college, Patak was an avid follower of the markets and began trading while still in school. From the age of twenty to twenty-two he lost ,000 of his own money. That experience taught him the importance of having a system like the Combine.
Upon his graduation, determined to become a futures trader, Patak began trading for Kottke Clearing firm at the CBOT. At the firm, Patak traded under very strict risk-parameters, which helped him hone his skills as a profitable, disciplined, and consistent trader. Through those principles, eight months later, he was successful enough to back himself; he bought a seat on CBOT trading floor, and began trading Dow Jones Futures.
About Michael Patak and Traders in general
: Dear Mr. Michael Patak, thank you for taking your time to accept the exclusive interview with China Futures. You have been a floor trader for more than 10 years. Why did you choose to become a trader? What do you think the biggest attraction of this profession is?
Michael Patak：I wanted to be a trader since I was 16 years old when I found out that time was irrelevant on how much money you can make in the markets. Growing up in Nebraska the majority of people work by the hour and people judge other's success based on how much they make per hour. My initial lure to the markets was the fact that time was irrelevant and that personal success is based solely on your decisions. I enjoy being the master of my own destiny and think that is a strong appeal of futures trading as career and lifestyle.
: You started trading in college and lost 90k of your own money. Have you ever doubted about yourself? What did you learn from that experience?
Michael Patak：Losing humbles you and it helped to drop my ego; that was the greatest thing I learned from my experience. Yes I have doubted myself, but through experience I have learned to have unconditional confidence, and that prepares me for any market condition. This is something necessary for me to be successful, versus looking at each individual trade, I look at the big perspective to help learn and move forward.
Also, because I lost so much money when I first started, it taught me the vital importance of having a program like the Combine to help traders learn to be consistently profitable while trading with discipline without having to risk tens of thousands of dollars in the live markets.
: Are you looking for traders who are the same passionate about trading as you are?
Michael Patak：All traders have to be passionate to succeed in trading. If you don't have passion the market will weigh you down and suck the life out of you. Each day you have to be passionate about the markets and about trading to handle the ups and downs this business consistently throws at you.
: Do you know any Chinese traders around you? How are they doing?
Michael Patak：In the pit and at trading desks around the floor there are Chinese traders that I know and am friends with who are very successful at what they do. They have found this success by limiting themselves to one market, they are very disciplined and they do not over think each trade which as I stress is crucial to being a great trader.
: Who do you think is/are the best trader(s)? Why do you admire him (them)?
Michael Patak：The best traders are those who have passion for trading, discipline, and a great level of patience for the market. They anticipate and respond to the opportunity the market presents. I admire them and their methodology of trading as it helped me early in my career to understand the foundations of a consistent, profitable and disciplined trader and what it takes to be successful in this business.
: What do you think of your standing among all traders in America at your current level?
Michael Patak：What people need to understand is that trading is a personal journey. You should never judge your performance or your standing amongst others. That being said, I've been a trader on the floor for over 10 years and the last 8 of those years I traded on the “topstep” of the pit which is reserved for the best traders. I have consistently focused on my own journey and how I can become the best trader for myself, rather than focusing on others. That is what I stress to those in the Combine, you are competing with yourself to become the best trader possible.
: Are you satisfied with your trading skills? How do you think you can improve your skills further?
Michael Patak：Honestly, I am never satisfied with my trading performance; I always feel that I can improve and perform at a higher level. The thing I've learned is that the market is always evolving, so I am constantly focusing on improving my skills to adapt and maximize my performance. No one is a perfect trader, everyone must always work to continue to improve their knowledge, awareness, and trading aptitude.
：The Trader profession has very high attrition rate. You survived and flourished. But many people have failed and are washed out by the market. What do you want to say these people?
Michael Patak：What I would say to these people is trading is not meant for everybody; it is a very difficult business and it will challenge you emotionally and mentally, and it will suck the life out of you if you allow it. One thing that has pushed me through and has allowed me to survive in this business is having a passion for the markets and the drive to always better myself. Additionally, I would say to these people, ask yourself the question, “why do you want to be a trader and are you willing to put in the hard work?” Because if someone cannot confidently answer these questions this is likely not business or profession that is best suited for them.
：Your motto is “We eat what we kill”. Who are your prey? Are you the “wolf” in the market?
Michael Patak：Trading is a business where you eat what you kill, that is just fact of the trading world. My personal motto is “unconditionally confident.” I feel someone must be unconditionally confident to be able to consistently look at the big picture, and to continue to learn and grow with the market rather than allow their confidence to be hindered by each losing trade. Losing trades are an ordinary and necessary part of the business and getting past those experiences has helped me to become unconditionally confident in my abilities.
0：Some traders are so addicted to trading that they have no other interest other than trading. Do you have any hobbies and interests?
Michael Patak：It is very easy to become addicted to this market. You have to have hobbies and interests to be able “clock out” to enjoy other areas of your life or trading will consume you. My hobbies and interests are working out, running, reading, relaxing, and enjoying time with friends and family.
About Patak Trading Partner, TopStepTrader
1：TopstepTrader scouts for the best trading talent globally, give them rigorous training and provide recruits with live accounts and attractive profit sharing plan. What is your purpose of doing this?
Michael Patak：Our purpose of creating the Combine is to see who can trade TODAY'S market. As the market is always evolving this recruiting format allows us to see who is most in-tune with the market and who is consistently profitable while trading with discipline. Our Combine program allows us to find the traders who possess these skills and provide them with fully-funded live trading account.
2：There are thousands of people who want to become the top traders in the world. TopStepTrader has many recruits. How many people have participated so far? How many live traders have you selected from the Combine program?
Michael Patak：We have many recruits that come into the Combine program whether to learn, develop or become a live trader. Recently we have selected at least two recruits a week to start trading on a live trading account. As our Combine pool increases so will the amount of traders we select to trade live.
3：What is the largest live account you have offered to the live traders?
Michael Patak：All live traders start with a ,000 futures trading account. It is up to that trader to build that account and as they build the account we give them more daily risk capital and allow them to trade larger size. This is the stair step or process to becoming a big trader. In the near future we are going to be adding the option to trade a 0,000 and 0,000 account both in the Combine and as a live trader. That being said though, if you can't trade a ,000 account then you can't trade a million account. Discipline and patience need to be apparent at all levels.
4：What percentage of gain has your best performing live account had among all the live traders you have selected?
Michael Patak：With futures we do not look at percentage gain of the account, rather we look at over all performance of the trader. As futures are highly leveraged the percentage gain of your account is irrelevant. Someone may make a lot of money one week or one month, but if they cannot control their downside and do not exhibit consistency and discipline, that is going to be the exception to the norm for them because likely their losing weeks or months are going to greatly outweigh their profitable ones.
5：TopStepTrader’s recruits coming from all over the world. Which area has the better traders based on your internal evaluation?
Michael Patak：I have not noticed one area that has more exceptional traders than other areas, as each different culture and individual performs different in the market and trades at different degrees. We are just now opening ourselves up to recruits out of Russia and China and are seeing a lot of promise in these areas with recruits who are showing strong profits. Regardless of location, traders who make money still need to learn how to manage and control their losses to maximize their ability.
6：For traders who have excelled in the live account trading, will they be able to coming to America to work with you?
Michael Patak：Yes, we offer the opportunity to live traders that are performing well. If a live trader is interested, they can be transferred to Chicago to begin trading from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading floor. We are always willing to accommodate a successful live trader because we have established a “win-win” relationship we want maintain. Otherwise, a trader can trade remotely from home for the entire length of his or her employment.
7：COMBINE program daily stop loss limit is set at 00. Accelerated Combine daily stop loss limit is set at 0. Live account daily stop loss limit is also set at 0 in the beginning. Why do you set such restrict daily stop loss limit? What skills can the recruits learn from this training?
Michael Patak：Our live accounts start at either ,000 daily loss limit or 0 daily loss limit depending on the which Combine (four week or accelerated) the trader was in when he or she successfully met the objective. Also, as previously mentioned, we are in the process of creating custom Combines, which will allow recruits to trade a larger account with a bigger loss limit (,000 and ,000), these options will be available on the website shortly.
As for the 0 and ,000 daily loss limit, we set these risk parameters to see how recruits manage their risk. All traders need loss limits; loss limits help a trader live to fight another day. This business is a marathon it is not a race. You will have winning days and you will have losing days. The idea is to cut your losses and let your winners ride. Our risk parameters allow just that, it allows our traders to cut their losses or to stop trading for the day when they are not seeing the market clearly and on days when they are trading well it allows them to maximize their opportunities.
8: Your training and live account requirements are all short-term oriented? Are you only interested in day-trader? Do you think these requirements may exclude traders who are better at swing trading and medium to long term trading?
Michael Patak：We try to stress managing risk. The electronic markets are open almost 23 hours a day. We want traders to be flat the one hour of the day, because traders have no control over their position or risk if something in the world was to affect the market. We view trading into the close as unnecessary risk. That being said, we do allow traders to swing trade and hold positions once they are proven as a live trader and have built a cushion in his or her trading account. When first trading with us we are extra cautious to ensure the trader has control over his or her risk. Therefore, in the Combine or as a new live trader, the trader must be flat or 'net position zero' when the market is closed.
9:In the simulation training program, what type of support will TopStepTrader offer to recruits?
Michael Patak：We offer a variety of live coaching services to help recruits gain a better understanding of the markets, themselves, and their trading style to maximize their trading ability and shorten their learning curve.
In addition to the coaching, we provide weekly Market Therapy sessions with professional trading psychologists. Also, the TsT Live Squawk Radio and interactive trader chat room is also an incredibly beneficial tool for traders; the broadcast provide insight as to what is happening directly on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and in the chat room there are traders from all over the world and of all experience levels, so the insight and educational material passed through the room on a daily basis is phenomenal.
These tools assist recruits into becoming a consistent, profitable and disciplined trader. Traders must be patient with the Combine process and allow for a personal journey and growth while in the program to reach their full potential, and be selected to go live.
0: In the simulation training program, what type of support will TopStepTrader offer to live traders?
Michael Patak：When a trader begins trading live, he or she is in constant contact with senior level traders, who help them learn, develop and continually grow his or her trading account. Our interests lie in keeping a trader live and benefiting from shared profits, therefore our senior level traders will work with these individuals to ensure they do just that.
About trading aptitude, quality
1: Generally speaking，what type of common traits or qualities the live trades who have successfully completed the combine program share?
Michael Patak：The traders all share a deep passion for the markets, deep passion for personal growth, patience and extreme self-awareness. Most importantly being accountable of their actions and learning from them each and every day.
2: In order to become the top trader, do you think it depends on one’s talent or hard-working?
Michael Patak：It is a combination of both, some traders are naturally gifted, but regardless it takes consistent hard-work to stay in-tune with the market and compete with other traders in the market place. This is something that all top traders know is a day to day challenge.
3: Can you please elaborate on the importance of discipline in trading?
Michael Patak：Disciple is the foundation of a good trader. If you are not already a disciplined trader, and are not willing to put in the hard work required to become disciplined in the market place, then this is not the business you want to enter. Discipline allows a trader to accept losses, maximize opportunities and learn from good and bad days. Discipline allows you to weather any market condition and as a trader conditions are always changing. Focusing on your discipline, not letting emotion take control, and learning how to anticipate market behavior rather than getting lost in the noise, will keep you in the trading game.
4: In today’s financial markets, all kinds of information could cause market volatility? How do you handle unexpected events?
Michael Patak：I handle unexpected events by being prepared and in-tune with the market, and recognizing that these events can happen at any time. If I am in-tune with the market that I am trading and adequately prepared for any type of event I will be able to maximize the opportunity as it presents itself.
5: Nowadays, more and more people switched to program-trading whether in US or in China. Which one do you think is more advantageous, program-trading or discretionary trading? Why?
Michael Patak：Program trading is usually designed by traders with the help of programmers. You must first be a trader to understand a strategy you want to implement into a program. I believe that traders need to co-exist with the computer in today's market and going forward. But in the end you must be a trader to design a strategy for computer based trading or implement your own discretionary trading to survive in this market.
About China
6: What is your impression on China?
Michael Patak：I believe there are huge amounts of opportunity and untapped talent in China. It is TopstepTrader's goal to mine for trading talent and place them on a live trading account. I believe that Chinese traders have a large amount of passion for the markets and I also believe they have an extremely solid work ethic. Both of these characteristics are keys to becoming a successful trader. TopstepTrader is excited to see the level of talent that will surface from China.
7: Do you welcome Chinese traders to come to US to exchange ideas and learn from you?
Michael Patak：Without a doubt, I'm always open to learning from others on their view of the market. Since I am passionate about trading I am always open to learning from others and exchanging ideas to better my trading as well as theirs.
8: Are you looking forward to coming to China to meet with Chinese top traders?
Michael Patak：Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are the closest I have come to China. I am extremely excited and look forward to having the opportunity to visit your beautiful country to meet, discuss, and learn more from the top Chinese traders. I hope this opportunity comes sooner rather than later.
www.7hcn.com Futures China
Questions by Liang Shen, Translated by Yin Niu
2011-9-30
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