STA Monthly Meeting January 2006
Implied volatility and put-call ratios are the only exact measure for sentiment that everyone can access. Making simple assumptions on how market-makers and the crowd (retail and institutional) behave, it is possible to derive from implied volatility an excellent gauge of fear and greed. Combined with price analysis, it increases the probability of spotting medium term trend reversals. It also appears that implied volatility obeys Dow theory, and can be analyzed as an asset of its own, therefore calling for trend reversals in volatility.
Valérie will provide recent examples and will share her experience of the methodology’s strengths and weaknesses.
Valérie Gastaldy graduated from ESSEC in 1985 to join immediately France’s largest broker at the time, Meeschaert-Rousselle, where she launched the first OTC index option in 1986, before being a market-maker on MONEP and then a prop ‘trader. Technical analysis appeared more adequate than fundamentals to answer her needs for short-term risk management.
Next STA Meeting
STA Monthly Meeting – May 2025
Behavioural Finance and Trading Psychology
Why do traders make irrational decisions — even when they know better?
In this eye-opening online Masterclass, Kim Cramer Larsson, a seasoned Technical Analyst with over 25 years of experience, explores the powerful psychological forces that influence financial decision-making. Drawing on his deep expertise in both market behaviour and trading psychology, Kim offers a compelling look at why traders and investors often fall into the same traps — and how to avoid them.
The talk begins with a look at the trader sentiment roadmap, illustrating how collective emotion shapes market direction. From there, Kim delves into the fundamentals of trading psychology, exploring how emotions, the illusion of control, and our natural aversion to loss impact trading performance. He’ll also examine the subtle but critical role that positioning plays in shaping both perception and risk.
One of the central themes is “Pain & Gain – and an Inconvenient Truth,” where Kim explains why discipline in trading is so difficult to master, even for experienced professionals. The session wraps up with a thought-provoking look at the psychology behind market bubbles — from euphoria to collapse — and what these cycles reveal about investor behaviour
Why do traders make irrational decisions — even when they know better?
In this eye-opening online Masterclass, Kim Cramer Larsson, a seasoned Technical Analyst with over 25 years of experience, explores the powerful psychological forces that influence financial decision-making. Drawing on his deep expertise in both market behaviour and trading psychology, Kim offers a compelling look at why traders and investors often fall into the same traps — and how to avoid them.
The talk begins with a look at the trader sentiment roadmap, illustrating how collective emotion shapes market direction. From there, Kim delves into the fundamentals of trading psychology, exploring how emotions, the illusion of control, and our natural aversion to loss impact trading performance. He’ll also examine the subtle but critical role that positioning plays in shaping both perception and risk.
One of the central themes is “Pain & Gain – and an Inconvenient Truth,” where Kim explains why discipline in trading is so difficult to master, even for experienced professionals. The session wraps up with a thought-provoking look at the psychology behind market bubbles — from euphoria to collapse — and what these cycles reveal about investor behaviour
Future STA Meetings
STA Monthly Meeting – June 2025
Joint Panel Debate with the ACI UK, The Broker Club and The Commodity Trading Club
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