Top Traders Unplugged

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Latest Episodes:

SI295: Trend Followers - The Unwanted Party Guests? ft. Nick Baltas May 11, 2024

Show notes

Together with Nick Baltas, we dive into trading signal direction and discuss if signal direction always trump signal strength in portfolio construction, based on CFM’s paper on Agnostic Risk Parity. Baltas also explains why allocating risk to where opportunity lies is prudent as well as why trend following is a powerful tool to achieve a broad risk allocation. Based on Baltas’ recent paper in the Financial Times, we also discuss equity momentum and why trend followers might be the “unwanted guests at the party”.

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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

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Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Nick on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:52 - What has been on our radar recently?

12:36 - Industry performance update - how is May so far?

15:45 - New Ultimate Guide out now...How to get your Free copy!

16:38 - Q1, Peter: Should signal direction always trump signal strength in portfolio construction?

27:39 - Q1.1 Peter: Is it reasonable to aim for broadly equal risk allocations across different asset classes?

35:19 - Q1.2 Peter: If you were an institutional investor with an ultra-long time horizon, a stomach for short-term volatility and a mandate to deliver the highest possible CAGR over the long-term, how much of your portfolio would you allocate to systematic trend-following?

39:22 - Q1.3 Peter: Do you agree with Anthony Todd's description of trend alpha coming in bursts?

46:54 - Discussing Nick's paper in the Financial Times

57:48 - What kind of party guest would a trend follower be?

59:09 - Thanks for listening

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PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

In my eBooks, I put together some key discoveries and things I have learnt during the more than 3 decades I have worked in the Trend Following industry, which I hope you will find useful. Click Here

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

One of the things I’m really proud of, is the fact that I have managed to published the Trend Barometer and Market Score each day for more than a decade...as these tools are really good at describing the environment for trend following managers as well as giving insights into the general positioning of a trend following strategy! Click Here

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

ALO23: Behind the Scenes of a High Net Worth Investor ft. Tad Fallows May 08, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Tad Fallows, Founder of Long Angle, a community for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth investors, joins Alan Dunne for a fascinating chat on how they approach asset allocation and find niche investment opportunities. Tad speaks about the typical risk appetite of his co-investors, highlighting how age and generation of wealth shape the risk profile of members. He talks about investments in private equity, alternative assets, and their investment strategies in the shifting macro landscape. Tad highlights why hedge funds may seem less appealing to them but why he has a lot of interest in trend following. He also speaks to some of the more esoteric investments his group makes such as whiskey aging, and talks about their crypto exposure. Finally, he highlights the importance of intuition and high conviction when making investment deals.

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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Alan on Twitter.

Follow Tad on LinkedIn.

Episode TimeStamps:

02:34 - Introduction to Tad Fallows

12:38 - The risk appetite of Long Angle investors

15:45 - What defines the Long Angle community?

19:52 - Why not the traditional route?

23:14 - How are they allocated?

27:20 - How they incorporate private equity in their portfolio

35:02 - How much of their returns are resilient to changes in global macro?

40:18 - Micro or macro?

45:08 - Taking advantage of inefficiencies in markets

47:04 - Why are they staying away from hedge funds?

49:32 - Why are they using trend following?

52:24 - Their thoughts on crypto

56:29 - Generating ideas and finding priorities

01:01:29 - Advice for other investors

01:07:05 - Thanks for listening

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

SI294: Lowering the Cost of being Long Commodities ft. Hari Krishnan May 04, 2024

Show notes

Hari Krishnan returns to the show for a deep dive into commodities. He helps us understand why investing in commodities is not as easy as other markets and why he believes that we are entering a commodity super cycle. We also discuss how to overcome the challenges of holding and storing commodities and why cheap commodities are not always so cheap once you start rolling your futures position. We talk about where his new “virtual storage” concept can add value to a trend following system and much more.

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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Hari on LinkedIn.

Episode TimeStamps:

01:07 - What is catching our attention recently?

06:53 - A recap of April

10:14 - Hari's thoughts on trend following

14:30 - The interesting commodities

18:10 - A commodity super cycle inbound?

20:36 - BUT...Commodity Bulls used the same arguments in 2022

22:51 - How commodity storage functions

29:57 - Balancing divergence and convergence

32:26 - How virtual commodity storage works

35:55 - The role of trend following in a regime-based participation

42:47 - How consistent is the virtual warehousing approach?

47:06 - Manual or systematized?

48:59 - Overcoming the challenges of commodities

53:44 - What markets can the method be applied to?

54:16 - Thanks for listening

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

GM60: Preparing Your Portfolio for the Second Half of 2024 ft. Christian Mueller-Glissmann May 01, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Cem and I welcome Christian Mueller Glissman back on the show, and together, we tackle the intricacies of capital allocation in 2024, particularly amid the pivotal elections we expect to see. We discuss the pros and cons of starting with a 60/40 portfolio allocation strategy. Cem and Christian highlight Europe's resilience to inflation and its potential energy cost advantages, making it an attractive investment destination. We also analyze how election cycles, especially during populist periods like now, influence the economy and markets. Christian shares insights on using structured products to manage volatility, and both he and Cem strongly advocate for strategies like trend following in current market conditions. Finally, we discuss what an optimal portfolio allocation should include in 2024.

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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Cem on Twitter.

Follow Christian on LinkedIn.

Episode TimeStamps:

02:39 - Christian's current big picture macro framework

07:22 - The role of volatility in inflation

12:20 - Should the 60/40 portfolio always be your starting point?

21:02 - What are the risks of the 60/40 portfolio not being the starting point?

27:37 - A scary situation in Europe?

32:16 - How election periods affect the economy

40:22 - A wall of worry

43:30 - Christian's thoughts on using structured products to reduce volatility

48:03 - A push-pull effect

51:41 - Is trend following the solution?

54:39 - The optimal portfolio in 2024

01:01:04 - A time of opportunity?

01:03:49 - Thanks for listening

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

SI293: Market Outlook for the Rest of 2024 & EOY S&P500 level ft. Cem Karsan Apr 27, 2024

Show notes

Today, I'm joined by Cem Karsan to discuss how speculations in markets affect the economy and Cem presents his view on the current state of global macro as well as a forecast for the rest of the year. How do conflicts around the world affect the global economy and why does Cem believe that we are going into a “dangerous period”? Why does Cem believe options are key to making profit from different scenarios and outcomes and what are the possibilities of seeing US rate cuts later this year? We also discuss how the U.S election will impact the economy and where Cem believes the equity markets will finish the year and much more.

-----

50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Cem on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:47 - What has been on our radar recently?

02:22 - What is the talk of the town in the vol space at the moment?

03:11 - Industry performance update

05:27 - Q1: What is Cem's view on the impact of call speculation on the VIX?

12:17 - Cem's perspective on the current state of global macro

18:09 - Important market development recently?

31:40 - Making profit from different scenarios

35:48 - The structure of markets

42:23 - Are rate cuts coming?

48:10 - How the U.S election will change the economic narrative

53:32 - The pros and cons of a win for Trump

56:49 - Thanks for listening

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

GM59: The Geopolitical Tug-of-War: Russia, China & the West ft. Marko Papic Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Join us for an eye-opening discussion on global power dynamics with geopolitics expert Marko Papic, alongside Cem Karsan and myself, where we dive deep into the ongoing tug-of-war between the West, Russia, China, and the rest of the world. Marko sheds light on the United States' push for a clear bipolar world order. He shares his insights on whether the world as we know it is coming to an end and why a Trump presidency may pave the way for trade deals and foreign policy agreements, particularly with rivals like China. Looking ahead, Marko discusses Europe's industrial sector and explains why investing in European industrials could be a smart move. Finally, we explore the complexities of the relationship between Russia and China. Are they as close as we think? And is China's dream of becoming the next superpower within reach? We also delve into the possibility of China's move to invade Taiwan and what it would entail.

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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Cem on Twitter.

Follow Marko on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

02:15 - Marko's current macro framework

07:20 - Moving towards a multi-polar world

14:43 - How is now different from back in the days?

23:36 - Trump landing the deglobalization plane

31:48 - The election - a macro black hole

36:47 - The new world from a non-US perspective

44:18 - What happens with Ukraine?

49:50 - An increased risk for bigger global conflicts?

56:15 - Creating strong relationships

01:02:50 - Will China invade Taiwan in the next 5 years?

01:05:30 - Thanks for listening

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

SI292: Is Cocoa becoming Too Hot for Trend Followers? ft. Rob Carver Apr 20, 2024

Show notes

Today, Rob Carver joins me to answer questions about MatLab as a backtesting tool, why you should be careful to apply trend following in crypto and what Rob think about seasonality and relative value as strategies. We also dive into why Rob has increased his allocation to trend following and his thought process when building portfolios, how the surging price of cocoa has impacted the trend following industry and much more.

-----

50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Rob on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

01:05 - What has been on our radar recently?

06:15 - Industry performance update

09:54 - Q1, Paul: Where can I learn MatLab?

13:38 - Q2, Byleth: What is Rob's experience with trend in crypto?

20:41 - Q3, Tauras: What are Rob's thoughts on seasonality and relative value as strategies?

26:23 - Are strategies like seasonality convergent?

27:14 - Rob's thoughts on relative value as a strategy

32:00 - Shock! Horror! I've increased my CTA allocation

41:07 - Rob's thought process on portfolio allocation

46:19 - Vol scaling with a nice cup of hot cocoa

57:43 - Path-dependence vs. non-path dependence

59:53 - Final thoughts and a cliff hanger

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

IL25: Any Happy Returns... the Next Super Cycle? ft. Peter Oppenheimer Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

In this episode Peter Oppenheimer, Chief Global Strategist and Head of Macro Research in Europe for Goldman Sachs joins us to discuss his new book Any Happy Returns: Structural Changes and Super Cycles in Markets. Peter believes financial cycles are the primary driver of investor returns. He explains how each cycle consists of four phases with distinct characteristics in terms of returns, earnings growth and valuations. We talk about the structural changes that are creating headwinds for markets in our current super-cycle and how AI and the energy transition might help offset them.

-----

50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Kevin on SubStack & read his Book.

Follow Peter on LinkedIn & read his book.

Episode TimeStamps:

02:07 - Introduction to Peter Oppenheimer

04:59 - What do financial cycles derive from?

07:19 - What drives the cycles?

09:31 - A desynchronisation in the cycles

12:15 - Are we entering an optimism phase?

14:39 - Interpreting the signals

17:38 - Does Peter see room for interest rates to rise?

21:59 - What drives the high corporate profits in GDP?

26:54 - Are companies losing their margins?

29:17 - The potential of AI

31:54 - Can high energy consumption ruin the development of AI?

35:48 - Where will the investment in AI come from?

40:00 - Going full cycle

41:37 - The engines of growth

43:43 - Did the central bank response stop markets from becoming volatile?

48:13 - The role of central banks

51:22 - Getting out of a period of high debt

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

SI291: Trend Following...What should it mean to Investors? ft. Richard Brennan Apr 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we are joined by Richard Brennan to discuss why now is the time to step up your trend following allocation. Rich challenges Andrew Beer’s conclusion that a 3% allocation to trend following is the sweet spot and explains why he believes the trend following industry should simplify its narrative and quit the fancy “jargon”. We also discuss what defines a trend follower and why we may be losing the incentive to keep improving as trend followers, new research on the impact of crises and much more.

-----

50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Rich on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

02:08 - What has been on our radar recently?

08:33 - Industry performance update

16:02 - What is the optimal allocation to trend following?

24:02 - Do trend followers have fiduciary responsibility?

27:09 - Why is Andrew Beer having trouble with his trend following allocation?

31:30 - Are we moving too far away from the classic trend following?

37:21 - What does it take to call yourself a trend follower?

42:01 - Discussing Corey Hoffstein's approach

46:44 - What about the fees?

50:34 - Are we losing the incentive to improve?

58:45 - The impact of crises

01:07:11 - Sign up for our new newsletter

01:08:26 - What is up for next week?

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

TTU146: The value of Unpredictable Alpha ft. Anthony Todd Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

Today, we are delighted to be joined by Anthony Todd, Co-Founder & CEO of Aspect Capital, for an insightful discussion on the role of systematic trading and trend following in today’s economy. We also discuss what has driven Aspect Capital’s shift towards developing multiple strategies and how they guide their clients to make better investment decisions, whether the trend following industry should be concerned about replication strategies and how allocations are funded today. Lastly, we discuss how Aspect Capital uses AI in their work and how systematic trading has changed as a whole with the rise of AI, what Todd is most excited and concerned about in 2024 and much more.

-----

50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeor via the TTU website.

IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.

And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.

Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

Follow Alan on Twitter.

Follow Todd on LinkedIn.

Find out more about DUNN Capital

Episode Timestamps:

02:24 - Introduction to Anthony Todd and Aspect Capital

05:43 - A global macro perspective

09:45 - How has the industry evolved?

13:51 - Are investors under-allocated to trend?

17:11 - Trend following - a return enhancer?

20:37 - The correlation between stocks and bonds

25:27 - The path to offering multible strategies

29:47 - Balancing choices and guiding clients and investors

33:26 - Are CTAs threatened by replication strategies?

39:11 - How are allocations funded now?

42:28 - CTAs - competitors or a different allocation?

44:44 - Does capping the beta make sense?

49:21 - Are investors becoming too difficult?

52:49 - Todd's view on the use of artificial intelligence

58:13 - Has trend following changed because of AI?

01:02:53 - Excitement and concerns for 2024

Resources discussed in this Episode:

LINK TTU146: Aspect Capital Insights

----

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:

1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score

3. Other Resources that can help you

And if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click Here

Disclaimer

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