Jim DiMaria
James DiMaria was a Turtle. His company is JPD.
The origins of the Turtle nickname are as obscure as the selection process, though DiMaria advances the notion that the moniker means over the long run, we're going to win. In 3 1/2 years as a Turtle, DiMaria's trading results proceeded in fits and starts, and over the long run he came out ahead.
Jim DiMaria learned an important trading principle in the less lucrative arena of baseball statistics: The players who score the most runs are home run hitters, not those with consistent batting records.
It's the same with trading, DiMaria says. Consistency is something to strive for, but it's not always optimal. Trading is a waiting game. You sit and wait and make a lot of money all at once. The profits tend to come in bunches. The secret is to go sideways between the home runs, not lose too much between them.
James DiMaria has worked in the futures and securities industries since 1976. He began trading commodities futures in August 1982 on the floor of the Mid-America Commodities Exchange in Chicago. In April 1983, he left the floor and worked as an analyst for Mid-Am Options, a firm which specialized in options trading. In January 1985, Mr. DiMaria began trading commodities for Richard J. Dennis, Jr., a speculative trader of futures and options. In June 1986, he again became an independent, self-employed trader.
