Lewis Borsellino

Reading books about the stock market and watching films on the subject, you notice the incredible progress of the stock exchange itself. Previously, no one could have imagined that years later, trading would be possible from the comfort of an office or home, using a computer.

Previously, there were so-called "Pits," where large numbers of traders would gather and actively trade in a noisy, crowded space. To execute a trade, you needed not only a loud and powerful voice, but also the physical ability to push through the crowd and achieve your goals. 

Not everyone liked this kind of fuss, so, as a rule, no one could stay in the Pit for more than two years.

Lewis Borsellino managed to survive 18 years in the so-called "Pit" of the Chicago Stock Exchange, and his success as a trader was simply phenomenal. According to CNBC, he was recognized as one of the best traders in the world.

A trader's success story.

Lewis Borsellino was born in 1957 in the world-famous city of Chicago, USA. Looking back at his family tree, it turns out his roots are in sunny Sicily, as both his grandfather and father were Italian. Incidentally, a look at Chicago's history during this period reveals that the criminal underworld flourished as never before, making it extremely difficult to survive and achieve any success.

Speaking of his parents, his father probably taught him the greatest lesson in life. He worked as a truck driver and had to steal from his employers a little to survive. His Sicilian roots led to mafia connections, for which he paid the price.

When Lewis and his brother were still young, their father was imprisoned for mob ties and the theft of a million-dollar shipment of silver. At that moment, Lewis learned a crucial lesson: power lies with those who have money. 

In his book, Lewis Borsellino also says that his father taught him to take a punch and stand firm in any situation, and that a pistol with a note from his father asking him to start earning money for the family and take care of his mother completely changed the boys' world.

However, Lewis Borsellino didn't follow in his father's footsteps. Instead, as a law-abiding citizen, he graduated from college and encountered the world of stock trading for the first time. At the age of 22, he first set foot on the trading floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange, working as a common messenger.

Initially, he served as a liaison between clients and traders, relaying their wishes and requests. However, after some time, he began receiving individual requests himself. In 1982, he decided to become an independent player and purchased a broker's license for $3,000.

Independent traders, especially those who could execute precise market orders, were highly sought after by large companies. From 1986 to 1990, he carried out orders for such major financial giants as Merrill Lynch, Prudential, Salomon Brothers, and others.

World fame

When Lewis Borsellino turned 30, his luck truly turned. In 1987, in just a couple of trades lasting less than five minutes, he managed to earn $1.3 million. In his books, he vividly describes this moment, saying he was sickened by the thought of how much he'd managed to earn. 

However, the euphoria was followed by the realization that he could have lost everything at that moment if he had bought instead of sold. In his books, you'll repeatedly come across the expression: "Trading takes you to the greatest heights and plunges you to the lowest depths like no other profession.". 

Lewis Borsellino preferred to work with futures , but he was one of the first traders who very quickly began to master the S&P index and sell various information products on it.

In 1998, Lewis's luck changed for the second time. That year marked the beginning of the Russian crisis, preceded by the devaluation of the ruble and many other economic factors. Of course, a crisis in such a large country was bound to affect other countries and stock exchanges.

Lewis seized this moment, predicting the fall of the S&P index, took short positions and managed to earn more than $2 million. 

Having amassed a sufficient amount of wealth, Lewis Borsellino retired from active trading and began appearing on various financial television channels and programs, as well as teaching at prestigious universities around the world. Lewis also tried his hand at business, selling real estate and opening restaurants and car washes.

However, this experience was extremely unsuccessful for him, so in his books he confidently says that you need to do what you do best, and in the case of Lewis Borsellino, this was trading.