Interview  |  MAR 1999

Interview: Tales From The Front: Robert Zellner by Thom Hartle

Tales From The Front: Robert Zellner Robert Zellner, whose career has ranged from academic to institutional trader to business manager before settling on full-time private trader, started off with his sights aimed on academia, despite a grandfather who was a speculator in the 1920s and 1930s. But it wasn’t long before the family genes came into play and Zellner stepped into the trading arena. He has worked for Cook Industries; Drexel Burnham Lambert; and Citibank Futures, among other financial firms. STOCKS & COMMODITIES Editor Thom Hartle met Zellner when their careers overlapped at Drexel back in the 1980s. Hartle interviewed Zellner via telephone on December 22, 1998, asking him about his work, past and present, his views on the markets, and his philosophies about trading. When you have a model that works well, it is very easy to just use it and not pay any attention to the market. There are lots of things wrong with using computer models, but that is probably the single worst thing about using them. It makes you lazy. It prevents you from developing judgment. Computers can prevent you from paying attention. — Robert Zellner

by Thom Hartle