332. Trading Nut

332. Ex-HFT Programmer Reveals How The Market Is Actually Manipulated w/ Jamar James

Jamar James

30 mins

Jamar James isn’t your typical trader. Before becoming a full-time market professional, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, studied computer science, programmed trading algorithms for institutional firms, and witnessed firsthand how professional traders and high-frequency firms operate behind the scenes.

In this episode, Jamar shares how those experiences shaped his momentum-based trading strategy, why he believes market manipulation is simply part of trading, and how understanding institutional behavior gives traders an edge. He also dives deep into psychology, explaining why professional traders focus on making good decisions—not being right—and why protecting capital matters more than having a high win rate.

The conversation also explores the future of AI in trading, how to properly use it without becoming dependent on it, and the mindset shifts that separate profitable traders from those who continually blow their accounts.

Podcast Interview

Listen to the audio

Jamar James

0:00—:—

Strategy Breakdown

Key Lessons

[13:17] "No matter what you trade—options, futures, crypto—they all have volume, price, and order flow."
[17:30] "You have to be uncomfortable with not knowing 100% which direction the market is going."
[18:25] "The biggest problem for people that don't trade is the expectations."
[20:05] "It is really risk management. You can be a 30% trader with a 200% gain in a week."
[21:10] "For a professional trader, we're trying to make the right decision. Even if the right decision is to cut and take the loss early, it's the right decision."
[21:31] "It's okay to take small losses. It's okay to be wrong."
[22:25] "Look at the net profitable, your weekly goals, your monthly goals. Don't look at one trade."
[23:20] "You should be able to show everybody what trade you take. It keeps them accountable. If you don't want to share the trade, then you're doing something wrong."
[24:12] "To be a good trader, you have to be adaptable. You have to learn how to adapt on the fly."
[28:05] The best investment you can make is in your understanding. Always try to gain clarity."
[28:18] Never say that you're new. Say that you're a professional. Be a student of any profession you join."