Travel & Lifestyle, Singapore Stocks and Shares, Forex Strategies

In October, I embarked on a 2-week trip with my sister to Ireland, Iceland and the UK, and it was an amazing trip! 😀

In 2 days, I will be going for another 2-week trip, this time covering Dubai, South Africa and Lesotho. (Yes, this is a country!)

Of course, I will continue trading as I travel, and continue supporting my students and traders. Stay tuned for my market updates!

To see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Here are some photos from my last trip:

Once again, to see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Enjoy! 😀

Spencer is an avid globetrotter who achieved financial freedom in his 20s, while trading & teaching across 70+ countries. As a former professional trader in private equity and proprietary funds, he has over 15 years of market experience, and has been featured on more than 20 occasions in the media.

Living Your Best Life, Travel & Lifestyle

Spencer Turns 30 and Synapse Trading Turns 3!

Last Sunday, I finally concluded my 20s and ventured into the big 3-0. 😀

And just one month ago, Synapse Trading turned 3! #achievementunlocked

To celebrate this joyous occasion, I took a little boat trip with my friends and some of my students.

Thanks everyone for this surprise! ? #30isthenew20 #mynewboat

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 9, 2016 at 8:32pm PDT

I love the caption and the synapsetrading logo! ? Thanks for the cake! #matcha #bakersbrewstudio #synapsetrading

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 10, 2016 at 1:06am PDT

Double birthday celebrations! What are the odds haha. ??? #sameday #boatparty #sentosa

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 10, 2016 at 6:21am PDT

Why do all my friends think that I’m an alcoholic? ????? A big thanks to all my friends and students! #happy30thbirthday #iamnotalcoholic

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 10, 2016 at 10:29pm PDT

Oh man… This is like quantum physics and rocket science all over again… Thanks to @hansvision ??????????????? That’s how many bottles there are. #homebrew #alcoholpoisoning #synapsebrewery

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 11, 2016 at 11:55pm PDT

Because trading on land is so mainstream ? #tradingforliving #extremetrading #norisknogain

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Jul 10, 2016 at 11:48pm PDT

Thank you everyone for making this an awesome day! 😀

Also, I want to thank everyone who has supported us all these years, from an unknown blog to an established training firm with hundreds of succesful graduates trading real accounts and making real money.

We have a lot more exciting stuff planned for the next few weeks (and also the next few years), so stay tuned, because we are going to transform the trading and training industry by raising the bar! 😀

thumbnail an unofficial guide to living our best life beyond financial freedom

If you are excited to get more life hacks, also check out: “Beyond Financial Freedom: An Unofficial Guide to Living Your Best Life”

Travel Guide & Tips for Mount Kinabalu + Water Rafting

Last week, I went for a short 1 week trip to Sabah, for some hardcore adventure sports like mountain-climbing and whitewater rafting.

It was something I wanted to check off my bucket list before I hit 30 haha. 😀

So, for those who are keen on pushing the limits, here is a rough log of my journey, peppered with some useful survival tips.

To see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Finally the real accommodations ???

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 13, 2016 at 6:56am PDT

PADAS WHITEWATER RAFTING EXPEDITION:

This is actually not that physically demanding, but the real boring part was having to travel about 4-5 hours (one way) just to reach the river. This meant we had to wake up at 5.00am to be able to catch the morning transport out.

Survival tip: Make sure you have strong teammates who can paddle hard. :p

White-water rafting (and trading ?) in crocodile-infested waters. Only ended up in the raging waters twice. ? ? Made some new friends from The US, South Africa, and Russia. ??????????

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 14, 2016 at 2:42am PDT

Expect to get wet, very wet. But make sure you do not gulp any of the toxic brown water.

Survival tip: When attacked by a crocodile, aim for its eyes with your paddle.

MOUNT KINABALU EXTREME EXPEDITION:

For this adventure, it is strongly recommended to do some training (which I neglected), if you do not want to be struggling just to reach the top like I was.

For those who are not so fit, do not try to be HERO and carry your own stuff up (like I did). You can get the porters to help you for a small fee.

Survival tip: The less you bring, the less you have, but the less you have to lug up the damn mountain!

All packed and ready to scale new heights, just like crude oil and the STI index. #MountKinabalu ??? Congrats to those in the #SynapseNetwork who followed my buy calls just before I left! ????

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 14, 2016 at 6:17am PDT

Timeline for the whole ordeal:

6.20am – Bus pickup to travel to mountain base (2-3 hours)
9.30am – Started the 6km climb to the top (3-8 hours depending on fitness, I took 6.5hrs)
4.00pm – Reached the top just in time for the Ferrata briefing at Pandan Hut (our accommodation).
6.00pm – Dinner & rest (optional: shower with cold water). Temperature here is about 10-15 degrees celsius.
2.00am – Had a quick breakfast before heading off to scale the summit. Temperate is about 5 degress celsius.
6.00am – Reached the summit just in time for the sunrise. Proceeded to rush off to the starting point for the Ferrata activity.
7.30am – Experienced some minor earth tremors just as the activity was about to commence. Some people backed out. Delayed for about 30min.
8.00am – Commenced the Ferrata activity, which included a 600m mountain-side scaling exercise, 300m jungle bashing, and 300m of climbing up a sloping mountain surface. After the activity ended, there is a roughly 1 hour staircase trek back to Pandan Hut.
1.00pm – Had a quick lunch, and packed up my stuff to check out.
2.00pm – Commenced the hike down the mountain to catch the last bus at 6pm. (3-6 hours)
6.00pm – Made it just in time. Whew.

Roughly 36 hours of non-stop action! Yar, quite insane.

Away to Mordor! ? #MountKinabalu

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 14, 2016 at 6:13pm PDT

Make sure you get some good photos before you leave, because there won’t be any smiles for the next few hours.

Some cool pitcher plants. (See more in the full album link below!)

Waking up at 2.30am in single-digit temperatures to see the sunrise is a good way to test the threshold of your endurance. ?Barely made it at 6am after some grueling climbing. Got some cupcakes to celebrate my friend’s 30th birthday. ? Also had time to put in some trades for a unique mountain-top trading experience. ?

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 16, 2016 at 7:28am PDT

Just in time to check out the markets. What can beat trading on a mountain top with the sun rising in the foreground? 😀

Low circuit trail via Ferrata. Awesome view, but physically demanding. My friend gave up after the first 20m. ? So I started the day with a sunrise hike at 2.30am, then immediately rushed to this activity at 7.30am, which ended at 1pm. Had a quick lunch, and prepared for the descent at 2pm to catch to 6pm bus. Super intense. ?

A photo posted by Spencer Li (@iamrecneps) on Apr 16, 2016 at 6:15pm PDT

Once again, to see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Enjoy! 😀

My Massive Coin Collection from Every Country

Some people collect playing cards, some people collect fridge magnets, some people collect postcards. For me, I collect coins from every country I’ve been to.

I guess this makes me a long-term forex investor as well. 😀

These are probably the most interesting coins I have, dating back to 1976, and in denominations of $10 and $50. The one at the bottom depicting a sitting lion is the $1 coin of the first Singapore coin series. I wonder if these are still legal tender? lol

The newest addition to my collection which I acquired last month on my Myanmar trip.

Some random coins I happen to have. Top: 5 Feninga coin, Convertible Mark (100 fenings = 1 mark) from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bottom left: 1 Franc from New Caledonia. Bottom right: 1 Pataca from Macau.

Collectible coins from the US, including penny and quarter presses, which you get by flattening coins and imprinting new designs on them.

This is the special collection from the Harry Potter series. The large golden coin is the Galleon, the silver one is a Sickle, and the small one is a Knut. The coins are plated in 24-karat gold, silver and copper respectively.

Some people have asked me why I like to collect coins.

The most obvious reason is that it gives me a little souvenir from each country I’ve been to. Also, I find it quite amazing to hold a coin that is older than me, and wonder how many hands it has passed through.

Some coins also provide an interesting perspective on the country. For example, in my collection of the US quarters, there are 50 different designs, with each depicting a different US state, showing the year the state was added, and what the state is famous for. So it sort of provides some insight into the history and geography of places.

Lastly, it gives me a “hands-on” feel for my forex trading. 😀

P.S. For my full travel photo log and list of countries travelled, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Spiritual Journey to Myanmar: Exploring Yangon & Bagan!

Last month, I took a trip to Myanmar for a holiday, and was hosted by a friend who was working for a major commodity trading firm.

It was a great week of chilling by the pool (which was 10 steps away from my room), enjoying sunsets, and trying out the local delicacies.

To see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Here are some photos from the trip:

I also got the chance to trade the FOMC with the company of some good Myanmar beer. :p

As expected, the interest rates were not raised, which means we will have to observe October and November carefully. In addition, the recent NFP was not good, which makes December more likely.

After some serious back-of-the-napkin analysis, as well as some insightful discussions with my friend, I came to the conclusion that commodities may not recover that quickly, based on technical and fundamental factors.

I have attached below the chart of the CRB commodities index ETF, which is listed on SGX.

I will be keeping an eye on this, as I have some commodity-related counters in my portfolio, and it might be a good opportunity for the long-term.

Once again, to see the full photo albums for this trip, please visit: https://synapsetrading.com/travel-log/

Enjoy! 😀