Back on Day 5, I compared investing to playing guitar — specifically tuning. But music isn’t just about tuning; it’s also about timing. You can play the exact same notes as Hendrix, but if your tempo’s off? Forget it. You’re just a guy with an out-of-sync Strat.
Markets work the same way. You can study fundamentals, chart patterns, or narrative arcs all day long, but if your entry and exit timing are off, you’ll look like an amateur even if your thesis was right. That’s because rhythm matters.
🎸 In jazz, musicians talk about “swing” — that tiny delay or acceleration that makes the groove feel alive. In markets, that swing shows up as microstructure: liquidity flows, volatility clusters, the invisible rhythm section of price.
I’ve learned (the hard way) that you can’t brute-force tempo. You have to practice with the band — meaning, sit with the market, trade small, and feel how it moves before you solo. If you just storm in like an overcaffeinated drummer, you’re gonna get thrown out of the set.
Here’s the beauty: once you’ve got rhythm, you don’t need to hit every note. A well-timed chord change will carry you further than a hundred sloppy scales.
👉 Today’s takeaway: Theory is necessary, but rhythm is money. Learn to listen before you play. And when you find the groove? That’s when trades start to sing.
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