We asked seven pro investors to identify the best trades of their careers and explain how the lessons from those decisions still apply today. The CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the VIX, shot above 40, essentially meaning traders were betting that the stock market would be exceptionally rocky over the following month. Jeff Muhlenkamp, lead portfolio manager at Muhlenkamp & CompanyJeff Muhlenkamp Muhlenkamp & CompanyJeff Muhlenkamp's namesake Muhlenkamp Fund (MUHLX) has been in the top 3% of its category in the past half-decade, thanks to trades like one he pulled off on Chinese internet firm Baidu (BIDU). "I pretty much expected, 'OK, if I get a double out of this in five years, I'll be happy' — that's pretty decent money," Muhlenkamp said. He noted that industrials within the Russell Mid Cap value index have returned 116% over the previous five years.

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Persons: —, That's, Michael Burry, Warren Buffett, Berkshire, Rob Arnott, Tim Boyle, Arnott, I'd, Bob Elliott, Bob Elliott's, Elliott, Jeff Muhlenkamp, Jeff Muhlenkamp Muhlenkamp, Jeff Muhlenkamp's, Muhlenkamp, you've, Sona Menon, Cambridge Associates Sona Menon, Bryant VanCronkhite, Allspring Bryant VanCronkhite Allspring Bryant VanCronkhite, VanCronkhite, Russell, industrials, James Davolos, Davolos, George Patton, Harley Bassman, Harley Bassman's, Bassman, Merrill Lynch, I'm Organizations: Service, American Express, Business, Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Bridgewater Associates, Treasury, Securities, Muhlenkamp, Baidu, Google, North, Cambridge Associates, Allspring, Horizon Kinetics, Opportunities Fund, Credit Suisse Locations: industrials, West Africa, New York City, Guinea