Chat With Traders · Conversations With Talented Tradersin Stocks, Futures, Options, Forex And Crypto Markets.

Sam Gaer’s career spans several major shifts in market structure — from the open-outcry pits of COMEX to high-frequency trading and now crypto derivatives. Sam began his career as a teenage runner on the COMEX floor during the gold boom of the early 1980s before becoming a copper pit trader himself. While most traders relied purely on instinct, Sam was already experimenting with technology — building early pricing tools that helped identify inefficiencies in spread markets. His path eventually led beyond the trading floor into exchange technology and market infrastructure, including building trading software that was later acquired by the New York Mercantile Exchange. In recent years, Sam has focused on crypto markets, where he applies traditional derivatives frameworks to volatility, options, and digital asset trading. In this episode, Sam shares insights from decades of experience across multiple market regimes and discusses how trading edge evolves as markets and technology continue to change. In this