Trading Options in Turbulent Markets: Master Uncertainty through Active Volatility Management, 2nd Edition

Chapter 11

Preparing for Trading Using Volatility Strategies

The writing and re-reading of this chapter reminds me of Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (First Anchor Books Edition, May 1998), in which the author recounts a disastrous attempt to climb Mt. Everest. The weather at the summit tends to get violent and thus very dangerous in the early afternoon. The mix of profound emotion, physical strain, and especially low oxygen levels can derail even the best of climbers.

Krakauer wrote that at the summit of Mt. Everest, you no longer pay attention to your emotions or your brain; rather, you solely rely on your clock. At 2:00 P.M. you get out of there! If a member of a climbing group has not reached ...