Trend or No Trend? That's the Wrong Question

The author argues that mean reversion, trend, and momentum are merely labels for price movements rather than trading edges. A true edge requires first identifying the underlying structural cause and then validating it with data. The article uses three types of mean-reversion scenarios as examples: forced liquidation by leveraged funds, scheduled rebalancing of crypto leveraged tokens, and month-end stock-bond rebalancing by wealth management institutions. All three scenarios involve identifiable trading flows that are insensitive to price.