The anomaly of randomness:

- a random event is independent of anything that precedes or follows it;
- however, if we fire off a number of random events, and record the outcomes 
over time, collectively they conform to at least two Univeral Laws 
(mathematically universal?) ... the Law Of Averages and Sample Error;
- looked at from one perspective (over time) the independent events form a 
pattern i.e. they draw a straight line (a two dimensional pattern);

How can an independent event conform to a generalized Law?

Somehow this seems congruent with my observations that the constituents of the 
S&P are random, from one perspective, and non-random from another (Yahoo EOD - 
10 years, eSignal RT 6 months various timeframes).




--- In [email protected], "brian_z111" <brian_z...@...> wrote:
>
> Mandelbrot is a math prof from NY ... his progressive ideas are opposed by 
> some in the scientific community.
> 
> I read him for the first time when I stumbled over his Scientific American 
> article recently (decided immediately that I liked him).
> 
> I had already decided that the RandomModel, as the NullHypothesis, was, or 
> would be, the source of a lot of trouble for financial modelers because I 
> tentatively thought that many are taking it (randomness) as absolute when it 
> is only a relative construct ... models based on it are approximations, which 
> is OK if the applications aren't critical (or highly leveraged, in which case 
> small +- errors are magnified).
> 
> So, Mandelbrot is confirmation for me that the random model needs to be 
> rejected for some analysis (he had to reject it, what else could he do?)
> 
> In hindsight there seems to have been a good deal of synchronous discussion 
> in the forum recently.
> 
> --- In [email protected], "brian_z111" <brian_z111@> wrote:
> >
> > Very interesting topic.
> > 
> > Mandelbrot is on my short list of fun reading.... obviously at some point I 
> > might have a look at the real code used by others to produce random data 
> > etc, including Mandelbrot's, and bring it into AB if it has not already 
> > been done (at the moment it is more of a trading hobby than a pursuit of 
> > applications) ... Howard is busy on his third book (advanced stuff) and 
> > other things so he might publish something interesting to stimulate us 
> > further on this subject ... perhaps some tools will appear (I am always 
> > confident that the AB community can surpass what is already out there, at 
> > least for non-academics). 
> > 
> > I also got fascinated by the idea of absolute randomness and started to 
> > question if it really exists or is it just a useful model?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- In [email protected], i cs <ics4mer@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Brian,
> > > 
> > > Interesting topic.
> > > 
> > > Mandelbrot (seen one fractal, seen em all) has some excellent discussion 
> > > on synthetic data in his book "The (Mis)Behaviour of markets". He uses
> > > a multifractal approach to producing simulated markets. The price
> > > behaviour produced by his approach looks identical to real price data and
> > > is not "psuedo random" in the ordinary sense.
> > > 
> > > I think you'd like the book, it's very approachable, and all the maths
> > > is hidden away in the back.
> > > 
> > > Z
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > ________________________________
> > > From: brian_z111 <brian_z111@>
> > > To: [email protected]
> > > Sent: Thursday, 18 June, 2009 3:46:20 PM
> > > Subject: [amibroker] Re: Benchmarking
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Fixup
> > > 
> > > /*P_RandomPriceSeri es*/
> > > 
> > > //Use as a Scan to create PseudoRandomPriceSe ries
> > > //Select Current symbol and All quotations in AA, select basetimeframe in 
> > > AA Settings
> > > //It will also create the series if used as an indicator (add the 
> > > appropriate flag to ATC)
> > > // but this is NOT recommended as it will recalculate them on every 
> > > refresh.
> > > //Indicator mode is good for viewing recalculated curves (click in 
> > > whitespace)
> > > //Do not have the indicator code uncommented while running the scan
> > > //CommentOut the Scan code before using the indicator code.
> > > 
> > > N = 100;//manually input desired Number - used in Scan AND Indicator mode
> > > 
> > > ///SCAN///// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// 
> > > ////////
> > > 
> > > Buy=Sell=0;
> > > 
> > > for( i = 1; i < N; i++ ) 
> > > 
> > > { 
> > > 
> > > VarSet( "D"+i, 100 * exp( Cum(log(1 + (Random() - 0.5)/100)) ) ); 
> > > AddToComposite( VarGet( "D"+i ),"~Random" + i,"X",1|2|128) ;
> > > //Plot( VarGet( "D"+i ), "D"+i, 1,1 ); 
> > > //PlotForeign( "~Random" + i,"Random" + 1,1,1);
> > > } 
> > > 
> > > /*
> > > ////PLOT//// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ////
> > > 
> > > //use the same period setting as for the Scan
> > > 
> > > for( i = 1; i < N; i++ ) 
> > > 
> > > { 
> > > 
> > > PlotForeign( "~Random" + i,"Random" + i,1,1);
> > > 
> > > } 
> > > 
> > > */
> > > 
> > > ////OPTIMIZE/ ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// 
> > > ////
> > > 
> > > //use the filter to run on Group253 OR add ~Random + i PseudoTickers to a 
> > > Watchlist and define by AA filter
> > > 
> > > //fast = Optimize( "MA Fast", 1, 1, 10, 1 ); 
> > > //slow = Optimize("MA Slow", 4, 4, 20, 1 ); 
> > > 
> > > //PositionSize = -100/P;
> > > //Buy = Cross(MA(C,fast) ,MA(C,slow) );
> > > //Sell = Cross(MA(C,slow) ,MA(C,fast) );
> > > 
> > > //Short = Sell;
> > > //Cover = Buy;
> > > 
> > > --- In amibro...@yahoogrou ps.com, "brian_z111" <brian_z111@ ...> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Following recent discussions on benchmarking and using rule based 
> > > > systems to engineer returns to meet 'clients' profiles i.e.Samantha' s 
> > > > MA(C,10) example, I did some follow up R&D with the intent of expanding 
> > > > the examination a little further via a zboard post.
> > > > 
> > > > I may, or may not, get around to that so in the meantime I decided I 
> > > > would share a couple of things while they are still topical.
> > > > 
> > > > I made up some quick and dirty randomly generated eq curves so that I 
> > > > could optimise MA(C,10) on them (out of curiosity).
> > > > 
> > > > Also, out of curiosity, I decided to see how the example signal/filter 
> > > > code that I made up, as the study piece for Yofas topic on 
> > > > benchmarking, would actually perform.
> > > > 
> > > > Buy = Ref(ROC(MA(C, 1),1),-1) < 0 AND ROC(MA(C,1), 1) > 0 AND 
> > > > ROC(MA(C,10) ,1) > 0;
> > > > Sell = Cross(MA(C,10) ,C);//no thought went into this exit and I 
> > > > haven't tried any optimization of the entry or the exit
> > > > 
> > > > By chance I noticed that it outperformed on one or two of the 
> > > > constituents of the ^DJI (Yahoo data ... 2005 to 2009) and to the naked 
> > > > eye the constituents all seem to be correlated to a fair extent over 
> > > > that time range.
> > > > 
> > > > Also, to the naked eye, it outperforms on randomly generated stock 
> > > > prices around 50% of the time and the outperformnce doesn't appear to 
> > > > be correlated to the underlying(I haven't attempted to find an 
> > > > explanation for this).
> > > > 
> > > > Here is the code I used to make up some randomly generated 'stocks'.
> > > > 
> > > > As we would expect it produces, say, 100 price series with a 
> > > > concatenated mean of around zero (W/L = 1 and PayoffRatio == 1) etc.
> > > > When plotted at the same time ... individual price series are dispersed 
> > > > around the mean in a 'probability cone' ... in this case it is a 
> > > > relatively tight cone because the method doesn't introduce a lot of 
> > > > volatility to the series.
> > > > 
> > > > /*P_RandomEquity* /
> > > > 
> > > > //Use as a Scan to create PseudoRandom Equity curves
> > > > //Current symbol, All quotations in AA, select basetimeframe in AA 
> > > > Settings
> > > > //It will also create the curves if used as an indicator (add the 
> > > > appropriate flag to ATC)
> > > > // but this is NOT recommended as it will recalculate them on every 
> > > > refresh.
> > > > //Indicator mode is good for viewing recalculated curves (click in 
> > > > whitespace)
> > > > //CommentOut the Scan code before using the indicator code.
> > > > //Don't use a very large N or it will freeze up indicator scrolling etc
> > > > 
> > > > n = 100;//manually input desired number - used in Scan AND Indicator 
> > > > mode
> > > > 
> > > > ///SCAN///// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// 
> > > > ///////// ////////
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Buy=Sell=0;
> > > > 
> > > > for( i = 1; i < n; i++ ) 
> > > > 
> > > > { 
> > > > 
> > > > VarSet( "D"+i, 100 * exp( Cum(log(1 + (Random() - 0.5)/100)) ) ); 
> > > > AddToComposite( VarGet( "D"+i ),"~Random" + i,"X",1|2|128) ;
> > > > //Plot( VarGet( "D"+i ), "D"+i, 1,1 ); 
> > > > //PlotForeign( "~Random" + i,"Random" + 1,1,1);
> > > > } 
> > > > 
> > > > /*
> > > > ////PLOT//// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ////
> > > > 
> > > > //use the same number setting as for the Scan
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > for( i = 1; i < n; i++ ) 
> > > > 
> > > > { 
> > > > 
> > > > PlotForeign( "~Random" + i,"Random" + i,1,1);
> > > > 
> > > > } 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ////OPTIMIZE/ ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// 
> > > > ///////// ////
> > > > 
> > > > //use the filter to run on Group253 OR add ~Random + i PseudoTickers to 
> > > > a Watchlist and define by AA filter
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > //fast = Optimize( "MA Fast", 1, 1, 10, 1 ); 
> > > > //slow = Optimize("MA Slow", 4, 4, 20, 1 ); 
> > > > 
> > > > //PositionSize = -100/P;
> > > > //Buy = Cross(MA(C,fast) ,MA(C,slow) );
> > > > //Sell = Cross(MA(C,slow) ,MA(C,fast) );
> > > > 
> > > > //Short = Sell;
> > > > //Cover = Buy;
> > > > 
> > > > I also stumbled on this, which seems to have some relevance:
> > > > 
> > > > http://www.scribd. com/doc/6737301/ Trading-eBookCan -Technical- 
> > > > Analysis- Still-Beat- Random-Systems
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > It contains a link to a site that has a free download of some RNG 
> > > > produced datasets.
> > > > 
> > > > There hasn't been much discussion on using synthetic data in the forum 
> > > > ... Patrick recommended it for testing? OR benchmarking? ... Fred is 
> > > > against using it ("If we knew enough about the characteristics of the 
> > > > data, in the first place, to be able to create synthetic data then we 
> > > > would know enough to design trading systems to exploit the data's 
> > > > profile anyway", OR something like that).
> > > > 
> > > > I was titillated enough by my first excursion into benchmarking with 
> > > > synthetic data to bring me back for some more.
> > > >
> > > 
> > > 
> > >    
> > > 
> > > 
> > >       Access Yahoo!7 Mail on your mobile. Anytime. Anywhere.
> > > Show me how: http://au.mobile.yahoo.com/mail
> > >
> >
>


Reply via email to