RICH DENNIS: A GUNSLINGER NO MORE

The 1980s' superstar commodities trader, is now doing what his computer tells him
For years, Richard J. Dennis lived by his wits in the commodity markets--and quite a living it was. His knack for the quick kill made him an estimated $200 million in the 1980s and brought him fame unmatched by any other futures trader. Then his instincts failed him. By the early 1990s, having lost tens of millions for his customers, he quit the business. Now, he's trading again, with a difference.
Instead of acting directly on his thoughts, theories, and impulses, Dennis translates them into computer programs. When those bits and bytes align with market prices, the computer orders a trade. Under an agreement with a third-party broker who controls most of his customer funds, Dennis must follow the system. No matter what his gut tells him, discretion isn't allowed. So far, the deal has paid off: With a 111% gain in 1996, Dennis once again ranked among the world's top-performing commodity traders. ''The left side of my brain has put the right side out of business,'' the soft-spoken 48-year-old explains.
HUGE LOSSES. Dennis' transformation

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