Whenever someone asks me who the best traders in the world are, a very specific group of people comes to mind who have left their mark on the financial markets in almost legendary fashion.

I would start with George Soros, who in my opinion is practically synonymous with successful trading. What he did in 1992 against the Bank of England was almost unreal: he made over a billion dollars in a single trade. His secret has always been understanding global dynamics and knowing when the market was vulnerable. That kind of macro vision is what sets him apart from the rest.

Then there's Mark Minervini, someone who has demonstrated consistency in an almost obsessive way. The guy won the U.S. Trading Championship in 1997 with a 155% return, and if you think it was luck, he did it again in 2021 with 334.8%. That’s no coincidence. His approach is based on pure technical analysis and identifying patterns that others simply don’t see.

Jim Simmons is another completely different beast. This mathematician achieved an annualized return of 66% over 40 years. Forty years, brother. His genius was turning trading into something almost scientific, developing algorithmic models that identified patterns in places where the human eye couldn’t see them.

Ed Seykota was a pioneer in something that is now standard: algorithmic trading. For 30 years, he maintained an average annualized return of 60%, which is impressive considering his obsessive focus on risk management. For him, the money you didn’t lose was as important as the money you gained.

And of course, Ray Dalio, who founded Bridgewater Associates and became one of the most influential figures in the hedge fund world. His strength has always been understanding long-term trends and managing risk in a way few could match. What’s interesting is that besides accumulating wealth, he has allocated millions to education and disaster relief.

These top traders in the world have something in common: they don’t seek quick profits. All of them developed systems, understood market psychology, and most importantly, knew when not to trade. That is what truly sets them apart.