[koalala]

Algorithmic trader, quantitative researcher, 'retail trader' here. When your strategies are trend-heavy, most of the time you're slowly bleeding out, waiting and doubting your simulations, wondering whether the market has fundamentally changed etc, but a few times a year it's like you're printing money and you finally don't feel like an idiot anymore.

[canada2020]

By “retail trader”, do you mean you do this all by yourself?

[93po]

This is usually a reference to the types of securities he trades in - stuff that's available to the general public. It's normal to focus on certain security types even when working at larger firms/groups.