Lentil convexity: Difference between revisions

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Interconnected events don’t. They go from stable, most of the time, to flat-out nutso in extreme times. Fair coins don’t go nutso. Dice don’t go nutso. Lentil buying ''can'' go nutso. You can’t model it. You can’t predict it. The [[correlation]] between events then changes further ''because it’s gone nutso''. There’s a feedback loop.  
Interconnected events don’t. They go from stable, most of the time, to flat-out nutso in extreme times. Fair coins don’t go nutso. Dice don’t go nutso. Lentil buying ''can'' go nutso. You can’t model it. You can’t predict it. The [[correlation]] between events then changes further ''because it’s gone nutso''. There’s a feedback loop.  


The point? Modelling normal distributions of independent events is easy, and safe. Modelling distributions of interconnected events isn’t. It isn’t just a case of more complex maths. It isn’t ''possible''. Now, mis-modelling overall lentil demand is a relatively low-stakes game: liable to annoy peaceniks — who are dispositionally unlikely to foment insurrection, and it’s kind of amusing anyway — plus, realistically (unless it ''is'' Armageddon, in which case a lentil shortage is no longer the problem) actual consumption of lentils won’t change, so the supply-shortage will quickly sort itself out, as the 95% find themselves long more lentils than they know what to do with and their part of the demand curve hits absolute rock bottom. So a spot of convcexity might not matter for the worlds’ lentil purveyors, but how about the global transport and hospitality industries? I mean, what would ''they'' do if everyone around the world, without warning, as one, stopped leaving their houses indefinitely?
The point? Modelling normal distributions of independent events is easy, and safe. Modelling distributions of interconnected events isn’t. It isn’t just a case of more complex maths. It isn’t ''possible''. Now, mis-modelling overall lentil demand is a relatively low-stakes game: liable to annoy peaceniks — who are by nature unlikely to foment insurrection, and annoying them is kind of amusing anyway — plus, realistically (unless it ''is'' Armageddon, in which case lentil shortage is not the problem) actual consumption of lentils won’t change, so the supply-shortage will quickly sort itself out.  
 
So a spot of [[convexity]] might not matter for the worlds’ lentil purveyors but how about the global transport and hospitality industries? What would ''they'' do if everyone, all around the world, without warning — you know, ''billions'' of people — as one, ''indefinitely'', stayed indoors?


Like ''that'' would ever happen.
Like ''that'' would ever happen.