On the Job

>>Futures and options trader Norm Winski left the commotion-filled floor of the Chicago Board of Trade more than 20 years ago, eventually relocating to the quieter environs of Southwest Florida in the early 1990s. He continues to trade from the relative peace of his Naples office, handling transactions via the Internet, guiding clients and prospective clients through the challenging—and risk-filled—world of futures and options.

What do your clients trade in the futures market?
You have your financial instruments, including stock indexes. You have debt instruments, interest rates, currencies. Plus you have your traditional commodities like crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, and foods like grains, corn, oats, soy beans and wheat.

What’s the market like for futures and options investors?
It’s kind of hard to say because right now we’re in a difficult time. People are hanging onto their money.

On what do you base your advice to clients?
I go back and look at history and see if there are cycles to various markets. You find in many of these markets that there are bubbles in various commodities and financial markets. A lot of people were surprised when the Internet bubble burst in 2000. Anyone who is a student of market history would know that this is a periodic phenomenon.

On your Web site, you warn about risks in futures and options. How do you convince people who are careful with their money to trade?
If you have enough capital to have an investment portfolio, this is a good way to balance and complement your portfolio. You have to select carefully and do your research, which is one of the things I do for my clients.