That comment has been backed up over recent years by a plentiful supply of data & research confirming just how difficult this game is & you only need cast a casual eye across a typical forum as a quick example, to witness any number the key reasons manifesting themselves.
Unrealistic expectations are clearly a major stumbling block, add into that operating via shoestring budgets, flaky/erratic discipline & temperament, a lack of proper direction & ignorance, & any one of those, let alone a combination, probably see off the vast majority.
Even if the typical punter had access to similar data sets, information streams & contacts they wouldn’t know what to do with most of it or how to get the best out of it anyway without close direction & personal interaction from those who do.
It’s not an amount per se, rather the story & personality behind the numbers that’s the important bit. The ones who stand out from the crowd tend to exhibit very similar character traits, certainly in our experience anyway.
They’re obviously confident, emotionally stable individuals (especially under pressure), possessing the ability to problem solve quickly, work equally efficiently in isolation or as part of a team requiring minimal supervision, bring strong math & programming skills to the table & generally think & act outside the box even when adopting, applying & undertaking basic rudimentary tasks, which is why they produce impressive track records, consistently outperforming their competitors in this type of environment.
They even share similar characteristics when generating a presence in these places. You’ll rarely see them wasting time & energy. Their whole demeanour is different.
He currently works at a tier 1 brokerage alongside 2 of the guys who occasionally post on the thread. When he worked with us he was office based in London working european indices + a small basket of UK & US stocks. He then spent a short 9 month spell in Sydney trading Aussie & Kiwi spot & futures as part of a diversified portfolio for an asian client.
The majority of the execution processes were/are automated, but as that is his forte it wasn’t an especially difficult transition. When he was working his own accounts from home he was using the same framework templates you see presented & recorded/evidenced a consistently strong track record.
The common elements most of them have presented & evidenced via their broker stats when punting this type of approach are the ability to identify & filter their stronger performing opportunities & when they do, follow rules with an iron discipline. It’s not as though there are a lot involved in this template, but the former is crucial to ensuring you offer yourself the best odds possible when stepping into the fray.