Michael Covel's Trend Following

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 350: Michael Melissinos & Glenn Graham Interviews with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio Jun 01, 2015

Show notes

My guests today are Michael Melissinos and Glenn Graham.

Michael has assumed research and trading responsibilities. He also works on his emotional and mental game with the help of his local Trading Tribe. Tribe helps him maintain discipline through tough performance periods, remain inventive and push the envelope of improving the firm's investing and education strategy. He previously held positions at Rothstein Kass, Bear Stearns and J.P. Morgan.

Glenn's firm is Golden Point Capital. Graham has had extensive experience in quantitative trading strategy development in the futures space. He holds the designation of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), a designation focusing on the alternative asset classes.

The topic is Trend Following.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Covel and Melissinos discuss Melissinos' career and beginnings; his history with Bear Sterns; Melissinos' introduction to trend following; "find trends, align with trends, and manage risks"; the similarities between crude oil, copper, sugar, the Euro, and wheat; and trading based purely on price.
Graham and Covel discuss Graham's early trading track record; niche markets and hedging; Graham's early trading experiences and his history at a high frequency trading firm; early influences in trend style trading; the parallels between trading and backgammon; the importance of the size of your winners over winning percentage; and style drift.

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I'm MICHAEL COVEL, the host of TREND FOLLOWING RADIO, and I'm proud to have delivered 10+ million podcast listens since 2012. Investments, economics, psychology, politics, decision-making, human behavior, entrepreneurship and trend following are all passionately explored and debated on my show.

To start? I'd like to give you a great piece of advice you can use in your life and trading journey… cut your losses! You will find much more about that philosophy here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/trend/

You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 349: Donald MacKenzie Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 29, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Donald MacKenzie, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He works on the sociology of markets, focusing on automated trading, the use of mathematical models, and the evaluation and trading of bonds. MacKenzie has worked in the past on topics ranging from the sociology of nuclear weapons to the meaning of proof in the context of computer systems critical to safety or security.

The topic is his book An Engine, Not A Camera: How Financial Models Shape Markets.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Economic models
Self-fulfilling prophecies and economics
Our beliefs and the social world
The definition of performativity
Mackenzie's analysis and study of the Black-Scholes model
Long Term Capital Management
Reflexivity
The intellectual gap between purveyors of the efficient market hypothesis vs. behavioral economists as reflected in the 2014 Nobel Prize winners
The arms race in high frequency trading.

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 348: Michael Covel Monologue and Interview on Trend Following Radio May 25, 2015

Show notes

Please enjoy my monologue Michael Covel Monologue and Interview on Trend Following Radio. This episode may also include great outside guests from my archive.

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 347: Kathryn Kaminski Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 22, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Kathryn Kaminski, the Director of Investment Strategies at Campbell and Co–the famed CTA started by Keith Campbell. Today, Kaminski outlines her new whitepaper, specifically diving into correlation among traders (CTAs).

The topic is Trend Following.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Correlation between fund managers and strategies
The media's misrepresentation of systematic strategies
Diversification in the CTA and equity world
Why one trend following strategy is similar to just one stock

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 346: Gavin Serkin Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 18, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Gavin Serkin. He has been writing about developing economies for the better part of two decades as the Editor of Portfolio International magazine and more recently as the head of the emerging markets international desk at Bloomberg News in London. Serkin led Bloomberg's coverage of the credit and derivatives markets from 2004 to 2008, winning the Society of American Business Editors & Writers' Best in Business Award and the Society of Professional Journalists' Deadline Club Award.

The topic is his book Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Safety issues in frontier lands
Men and women in frontier countries
Global brands and the direction we're headed
Mark Mobius
Myanmar and violence
Nigeria's economy and where it's headed

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 345: Spyros Makridakis Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 15, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Spyros Makridakis, the Rector of the Neapolis University of Pafos NUP and an Emeritus Professor of Decision Sciences at INSEAD as well as the University of Piraeus and one of the world's leading experts on forecasting, with many journal articles and books on the subject. He is famous as the organizer of the Makridakis Competitions, known in the forecasting literature as the M-Competitions. His calling is to poke holes in the notion that we can forecast with accuracy.

The topic is his paper Why Forecasts Fail. What to Do Instead.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns
The two main types of uncertainty–"subway" and "coconut"
Jim Collins, one of the best-selling business book authors of all time, and why it might not have any use to us
Medicine and chance
The placebo effect
Acceptance of an uncertain world
The illusion of control

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 344: Martin Lueck Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 11, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Martin Lueck. Lueck holds an M.A. in Physics from Oxford University and currently is the Research Director and President of Aspect Capital. Lueck was originally with Adam, Harding and Lueck Limited (AHL), which he co-founded with Michael Adam and David Harding. At AHL, Martin initially focused on trading system research before taking on responsibility for the further development of the proprietary software language which provided the platform for all of AHL's product engineering and implementation.

The topic is Trend Following.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Quantitative, systematic styles in action
The beginnings of AHL
Early coding experiences
Early decisions that lead to a completely systematic strategy
Diversification
What percentage of the educated financial audience grasps the strategies that are used at Aspect
Behavioral economics
Bringing new potential opportunities into Aspect

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 343: Ryan Holiday Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 08, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Ryan Holiday, an American author, writer, and marketer. He is the media strategist behind authors Tucker Max and Robert Greene, the former Director of Marketing for American Apparel and an editor-at-large for the New York Observer.

The topic is writing a book.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Always being in a research mindset
Why some people don't take advantage of standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before them
To know where you're going and to have a plan when it comes to writing; why it's "all material"
The idea of listening to the same song over and over again
The "flow" state and its importance in writing
The importance of having a purpose in your writing
Discipline and commitments
Outsourcing and hiring experts for your writing project

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 342: Victor Ricciardi Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 04, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Victor Ricciardi, an Assistant Professor of Financial Management at Goucher College. Professor Ricciardi is a leading expert on the academic literature and emerging research issues in behavioral finance. He is the editor of several eJournals distributed by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Ricciardi is also the co-editor of the book Investor Behavior: The Psychology of Financial Planning and Investing.

The topic is behavioral finance.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Risk perception vs. risk tolerance
The affect and the anchoring heuristic
Behavioral finance vs. behavioral economics
Looking at behavioral finance in the context of specific strategies
Behavioral economics in the context of asset bubbles and the popping of asset bubbles
Why economic growth does not increase happiness; mindfulness as an assist in the notion of good decision-making; the notion of animal spirits
Behavioral school vs. the classical school in academia

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Ep. 341: Michael Dever Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio May 01, 2015

Show notes

My guest today is Michael Dever, an American businessman, futures trader, entrepreneur, and author. Dever is the founder and CEO of Brandywine Asset Management, Inc., an investment management firm founded in 1982.

The topic is Trend Following.

In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss:

Multiple fundamentally based strategies in a systematic diversified portfolio that trades across more than one hundred global markets; strategy diversification
The word "predictable" from Dever's perspective; lack of correlation to other strategies
What Dever means by a "not purely quantitative" strategy
How and why this particular suite of strategies came to exist
The five strategy types
Crisis events and black swans
The weakness in the multiple strategy return driver set
The importance of speculators
The fixation on low volatility strategies
True portfolio diversification.

Jump in!

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You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/

Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast

My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel

Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!