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Should I say "I examine the impact of clustering of trades by traders...." or "I examine the impact of clustering in trades by traders..."

Some people are telling me of but in sounds better to me.

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Either will do. Possibly "in" might be better if you want to emphasis a larger number of clusters, rather than just a few. But it's not important. – FumbleFingers Sep 7 '12 at 20:11
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They potentially mean different things. "Clustering of trades" describes different trades bunched together; "clustering in trades" could mean the same, or could mean bunches of people within individual trades. – SevenSidedDie Sep 7 '12 at 20:33

closed as not a real question by FumbleFingers, MετάEd, Shyam, Mahnax, tchrist Sep 10 '12 at 23:57

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

"Clustering of trades" is the correct form of this if it is a clustering of the actual trades that is being reference.

"Clustering in trades" could be used if you were referring to a clustering within a set of trades. However it is a clumsy sentence best to be avoided unless necessary

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