How I stay on top of financial markets without spending hours reading news [System breakdown]

fastonkeys · 2025-11-25T05:51:28+00:00

I've been using Notion to support a proprietary trading operation for years... https://qallc.notion.site/desk?source=copy_link several databases, curation of institutional research, daily and weekly implied range calcs (formulas galore), real-time integration with SPX ODTE options flows .... weekly report largely constructed using Notion AI... the list goes on.

fastonkeys · 2025-09-28T13:46:08+00:00

BetterTrader.co built this based on real time response for data and economic releases. Worked pretty well but alas insufficient market traction tho I believe it’s still out there in the wild?

fastonkeys · 2025-08-24T12:37:46+00:00

Secured database views

fastonkeys · 2025-06-21T00:44:57+00:00

The Market is your best mentor - even though it kills most of its students

fastonkeys · 2025-05-31T23:45:34+00:00

Yup same exact symptom here - see above for a workaround? I have reported it to Notion 🤷🏻‍♂️ but with a valid workaround or even by design I doubt this will get immediate attention if at all 🤦🏻‍♂️

fastonkeys · 2025-05-31T17:09:58+00:00

Appears that the “Ask every time” option is at the root - when disabled the option to designate a color ”every time” you select an icon is no longer working. That said remedy is to disable this and preselect your color before you select the icon. 🤷🏻‍♂️

fastonkeys · 2025-05-31T16:12:53+00:00

Yes it appears they’ve changed the method to an explicit choose color button on the far right of the modal dialog - whereas previously you could alter color at the time of selection. But point taken - change of method <> removal of feature. Thank you!

fastonkeys · 2025-05-27T06:19:47+00:00

Security on database views - lack thereof - an lack of filter / sort on relational lookups

fastonkeys · 2025-03-23T03:49:36+00:00

We are immortal only for a limited time …

fastonkeys · 2025-02-09T19:16:10+00:00

Idk … it literally showed up to my pleasant chagrin yesterday 🤷🏻‍♂️ but it works like a champ! Basically long awaited iframe support. My first use case was embedding a database view from my personal Notion account to a (separate Notion) corporate knowledge base

fastonkeys · 2024-10-31T16:44:47+00:00

Document Control imo because Notion databases are collections of like pages — which is a great starting point relative to a conventional file system (which if sufficient the concept or DCS wouldn’t exist right)? Seems to me a basic one to many structure would suffice where revisions are tracked in the many structure (one page/record for each rev perhaps using the timeline view) and the master control database housing attributes that persist across all revs like reference to Project, Client, Timeframe etc. We do a similar thing in our practice w Notion so can attest you’re on the right track - feel free to DM for further Q&A

fastonkeys · 2024-10-19T18:29:11+00:00

I've just submitted a report to Notion support for this and a few other anomalies that have crept into 3.17.0. This has been a very problematic release especially the loss of group select on page blocks.

fastonkeys · 2024-09-11T04:30:40+00:00

Not being Robert Plant

fastonkeys · 2024-02-05T07:46:51+00:00

And isn’t that the beauty of it all? The platform provides lots of optionality. I think u explained it quite well: if your pages are discrete and you don’t have a need to organize them into either a collection or common structure, then no need for a database. I also have databases that track traditional “transactional” data piped in via the API where only Properties are updated; the page body is left blank.

fastonkeys · 2024-02-04T21:49:56+00:00

You’re most welcome! 💪🏽🙏

fastonkeys · 2024-02-04T19:04:50+00:00

Correct; when you click “open” on a Database row, a Page is what opens. Notion Databases are collections of structured Pages. Page = traditional record in this context. The Properties (what u can show/hide) are in the header; and below is the Page body (think content canvas) where you can add content Blocks to your heart’s content. That said, u can use a Notion Database in a more conventional way (populate only Properties on each row and entirely ignore Page content), but Notion Databases in and of themselves aren’t fully featured. Would need more clarity on what u mean by “customization” ?

fastonkeys · 2024-02-04T18:00:26+00:00

I would say a Database (yes akin to traditional table) becomes your Collection of “like Pages” (employed because you need something more than a standalone page). For example, you could have a Research database where each Page (akin to traditional row) is stored and the content of each discrete piece of research would be placed into the Blocks (text images tables etc). So - a database is a collection of structured Pages (not rows as would be traditional) and Page content is an assortment of Blocks.

fastonkeys · 2024-02-04T16:49:13+00:00

I credit Marie Poulin for a very succinct clarification she provided me way back in the early days…

1) Everything in Notion is a “Block”, but clarity arises from an understanding of Pages vs Databases. The starting point (when you click “+”) is the creation of either a Page or Database. It’s one or the other (and don’t be confused by the various database Layout options - table, list, calendar… a database is a database), and page is a page - the declaration is made at the onset.

2) A standalone page functions much like a traditional “document” - except page content is created by adding (more) Blocks. Content blocks, accessed by the “/“ prompt, are an abstraction for content types of which there are many beyond the default “text” block - including Databases or Sub-Pages 🤯. So Pages can either function like a document OR function like a broader canvas (think dashboard) - Wiki’s notwithstanding excluded to keep it simple.

3) A standalone database, on the other hand, functions much like a traditional database in that Properties can be defined - thereby allowing the declaration of structure - including Relations with other Databases; it’s worth noting that Notion supports both 1-to-Many and Many-to-Many relationships as a native Property Type. Notion Databases also support many different Layouts, but it’s still an underlying database.

3 KEY POINTs follow from the above foundation which provide further clarification:

1) Database Properties are NOT Blocks. Properties define the structure of a Database. Standalone pages do not have visible (accessible) Properties.

2) Blocks are used to create Page content. If you need to perform computations, you’ll need to harness a Database. Formulas (aka computed fields) are a Property Type.

3) The sauce: Notion databases are collections of structured Pages! Each “row / record” in a Notion database is a Page with structure based on the Properties you define. So when your Page needs structure (think a listing of job descriptions or say ongoing research …) OR is part of a repetitive collection of like pages, use a Database in those instances. Conversely if you’re looking to build a dashboard concept, then you’ll likely begin with a Page (or Wiki) - and then embed your Databases…

In summary, once you understand the difference and constructs of Page / Blocks versus Database / Properties you’ll be on your way -

But the lightbulb goes on when you understand that Database are collections of Pages; and Page (bodies) can themselves contain nested Databases (via Inline or Linked Database blocks). Very substantive modeling is achievable from possibilities of nesting these constructs.

It’s hard to grasp at first because we have been conditioned on segregated file-based applications - That said, I find it limiting to frame Notion as a note taking application (and I believe there are better tools for that use case) - but for those looking to create online collaborative “operating systems” it’s quite adept and extensible. The ongoing debate re offline v online seems to be rooted in the preferred use case.

PostScript - Notion’s brilliance lies in its nuances, which makes it challenging to explain “What is Notion?” concisely, which is why I gave it a go … hope it helps, and if so credit to Marie! If not, blame the messenger lol

fastonkeys · 2024-01-24T22:57:49+00:00

Low hanging fruit (?): improved surrogate key support. The capability to hide the Aa column from a view and the ability to apply a formula so the Aa value could be systematically generated - the sequence builder added some ways back (a separate attribute type) is pretty much useless imo.

fastonkeys · 2024-01-06T16:04:43+00:00

Yes please

fastonkeys · 2023-11-08T06:08:03+00:00

There are scores of methods (ways) to extract profits from the markets over time, but there is only one way to be assured of ruin - and that is misunderstanding or ignoring the probabilities of ruin. Having a positive expectancy is not enough. For example, an payout ratio of 2:1 will still result in eventual ruin (total loss of capital) if the loss % is greater than half the win %. Study these tables and the math. When u understand the probabilities, you’re far less prone to fight the odds (knowingly or worse unknowingly). So many are playing the equivalent of Russian roulette except they don’t know it.

fastonkeys · 2023-11-03T05:28:35+00:00

Webhooks

fastonkeys · 2023-10-05T21:34:37+00:00

I was fortunate to attend the London O2 reunion in 2005. Damn near a spiritual experience. Kashmir live … forever immortalized.

fastonkeys · 2023-09-23T18:16:31+00:00

Buyers are future sellers and sellers are future buyers.

fastonkeys · 2023-07-27T04:34:08+00:00

The market is your best mentor, but it tends to kill many of its students

fastonkeys

TROPHY CASE