"I'm surprised that you didn't put my Contrary Opinion Forum writeup on your site this year like you did last year -- especially since you had the "keeper line" again this year -- and am wondering if the writeup may have gotten lost in the two-week backlog you faced when you returned from the States. Just in case, I'm sending it again."

David Fuller's view Many thanks for resending your review. I had been looking out for your comments on the Forum, and hoping to see them, but they appear to have become lost in transit.

Here are Walter Deemer's opening comments on Barry Ritholtz who was keynote speaker:

For those (seemingly-very few) people who don't know him: Barry manages a hedge fund in New York but is best-known for his widely-followed blog, The Big Picture (which may be found at http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/). As the name implies, he focuses on long-term trends, which is very refreshing in these days of minute-by-minute analysis, and The Big Picture is one of the few blogs I read every day.

Barry started by telling us he's very data-driven (or, as I'm fond of saying, he watches their feet, not their mouths). He noted the tendency of investors to get caught up in herding and groupthink and their attraction to "expert" forecasting as opposed to ambiguous uncertainty. Specific bold definitive predictions tend to engender confidence, but the more cocksure and self-confident the forecasts are the less likely they are to be right. This, in turn, makes investors tend to believe "experts" who are wrong more often than they are right.

Barry Ritholtz's presentation was the first of several that I enjoyed during the Forum.

I was very pleased to hear about the forthcoming book, "Deemer on Technical Analysis", the best title, I suspect, despite his reservations and we had some fun around a dinner table with Walter, his "OW" Bobbie, and other friends, who all suggested alternative titles.

Having heard him discuss the book, and having enjoyed a draft chapter, I can say that it will combine his considerable experience, wisdom and humour.