Professional traders, unabashed risk-takers, are always looking for the next hot opportunity not only to trade, but to own.
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New England Patriots fans wait in line to pick up their Super Bowl tickets at Gillette Stadium.
Many are entrepreneurs in other businesses outside of investing and financial services — they're in varied fields from sports betting to mobile apps to commercial real estate.
We talk to the pros about the investments they believe in and explore the entrepreneurial endeavors that have them following the money on and off of trading desks.
Global macro trader John Netto trades it all. He covers equities, spot forex, metals, currencies, fixed income, agricultural products and energy contracts, to name a few.
But that's not all Netto is betting on. He's looking ahead to two key events:
Super Bowl, Super Sports, Super Bucks - A CNBC Special Report
The first is the much anticipated U.S. jobs report on Friday. Depending on the outcome of the report, he'll likely short the S&P and manage his position from there. But his strategy will change depending on the number.
"If the number comes out and blows things away, I'll reverse my short position and I'll get long the S&P, long oil, long euro and maybe some of the ags as well," Netto says.
The other big event? The Super Bowl. He's putting his own wagers on the Big Game through models developed by his sports-odds making company, Quantitative Sports Strategies, run out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Netto says trading the jobs number isn't much different than wagering on the outcome of the Big Game. "The same people betting on the nonfarm payrolls are very much betting on the superbowl. The big players love to fly into Las Vegas, they love the action, they love having a stake in the game."
He also adds that it all comes down to "speculation and how well you can process both quantitative and qualitative information so you can generate a positive expected return for your bankroll."
Like most traders, Netto thrives on competition, predicting the outcome of future events, and making the winning trade.
Follow Sharon on Twitter: @sharon_epperson
