Top Traders Unplugged

Copyright: © Copyright 2024 CMC AG - This content does not constitute financial advice and is for educational purposes only. The content can not be used for commercial use without written permission from CMC AG.

Latest Episodes:

OI20: Why Commodities Refuse to Trend Forever ft. Doug King Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Moritz Siebert speaks with Doug King about what it really means to trade commodities through cycles, distortions, and stress. Drawing on decades at Cargill and more than twenty years running a commodities hedge fund, Doug explains why innovation keeps scarcity narratives in check, why commodities resist buy and hold logic, and how real edge comes from cash markets rather than futures screens. He reflects on defining trades in oil, nickel, and agriculture, the limits of volatility targeting, and the discipline required to survive violent squeezes. The result is a grounded account of conviction, risk control, and why commodities reward patience more than prediction.

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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 Moritz on Twitter.

Follow Doug on LinkedIn.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Opening remarks and introduction to Top Traders Unplugged

01:24 - Introducing Doug King and his background

04:49 - From Cargill to hedge funds and the pull of commodities

07:05 - Why the fund is purely discretionary and fundamentals driven

09:50 - Team size, selectivity, and waiting for the right trades

10:45 - Why commodities are cyclical and innovation breaks scarcity

13:46 - Electrification and where long term excitement may lie

15:37 - Defining edge in commodities trading

18:12 - Physical delivery, convergence, and real market signals

20:23 - Concentration, themes, and risk limits

22:34 - Risk budgets, drawdowns, and volatility control

26:35 - Margin stress, squeezes, and market dysfunction

30:43 - Defining trades in oil and nickel

35:54 - Linking physical trading to hedge fund insight

43:00 - Discipline, noise, and surviving as a commodity trader

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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

SI379: The Illusion of Safety in a Fully Invested Market ft. Cem Karsan Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

Niels and Cem reflect on a year marked by concentration, confidence, and growing structural fragility beneath calm markets. They examine extreme positioning, record low cash levels, and the quiet dominance of reflexive flows over fundamentals. Cem challenges common readings of volatility, explains where real fear hides in options markets, and outlines why tail exposure becomes critical late in cycles. The discussion broadens into portfolio construction, questioning the legacy of 60/40 investing and the illusion of diversification built during falling-rate decades. Grounded in history, market structure, and political cycles, this conversation offers a disciplined framework for navigating regimes where leverage, policy, and inequality quietly redefine risk.

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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.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the Systematic Investor Series

00:49 - Geopolitical tensions beneath the surface of markets

02:07 - Extreme bullish sentiment and record low cash levels

04:12 - Margin use, positioning, and why this setup is fragile

06:07 - Why the VIX fails as a true fear indicator

11:48 - Buffett’s concentration and risk management through quality

16:27 - Leverage, Sharpe ratios, and misunderstood diversification

21:02 - Trend following performance and late year positioning

23:48 - Positioning, reflexivity, and market microstructure

28:25 - Volatility traps and convexity before stress events

31:06 - Asymmetric opportunities in gold, FX, and bond volatility

37:17 - Populism, inequality, and long cycle market behavior

45:31 - Why 60/40 is a product of a falling rate era

54:47 - Key lessons from 2025 and structural market shifts

01:07:32 - Political cycles, midterms, and forward looking risks

----

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

GM92: Politics in an Age of Hard Borders and Rising Hegemons ft. Gary Gerstle Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

In this conversation, the veneer of political continuity is stripped back to reveal a world drifting toward harder borders, sharper identities and a reshaping of power once thought unthinkable. Gary Gerstle traces the erosion of the neoliberal order and the rise of a political logic that places national strength above universal norms. He examines how affordability stress, authoritarian impulses and fragmented parties are redrawing economic life and democratic expectations. The discussion widens into a global map of competing hegemons and the uneasy choices facing Europe and the United States. What emerges is a portrait of a century unsettled, yet not without agency.

-----

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 LinkedIn.

Follow Gary on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Opening remarks on a shifting world and national security visions

00:44 - Introduction to Top Traders Unplugged and context for the discussion

01:40 - Framing the global macro environment and the need for deeper perspectives

02:24 - Introducing Gary Gerstle and his work on political and economic orders

04:00 - Defining the end of the neoliberal era and what has replaced it

07:02 - The tension between authoritarian forces and liberal democratic hopes

08:17 - Democracy under strain and the implications of Trump’s second term

10:06 - Shock, discipline and the early strategic force of Trump 2.0

14:27 - The economic agenda redefining tariffs, reshoring and political constituencies

17:17 - Manufacturing limits, automation and long term structural realities

21:11 - Tariffs, tax politics and the competing factions within the Republican Party

21:50 - Deregulation, AI, Silicon Valley realignment and state influence

26:34 - The affordability crisis and political expectations around prices

31:23 - Prospects for Democrats in 2026 and shifting electoral dynamics

59:32 - A global lens on rising nationalism, new hegemons and the future of the EU

----

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

SI378: When Prices Stop Making Sense ft. Mark Rzepczynski Dec 13, 2025

Show notes

This episode examines markets through the lens of uncertainty rather than prediction. As the Federal Reserve delivers a rate cut amid dissent and conflicting signals, Alan and Mark explore what it means for systematic investors navigating noisy data, fragile liquidity and shifting regimes. The conversation moves from Fed credibility and term premia to bubbles, leverage and the limits of valuation in an environment shaped by narratives as much as fundamentals. Along the way, they return to a core question at the heart of systematic investing: when uncertainty rises and explanations multiply, should prices remain the final arbiter of risk, signal and portfolio design?

-----

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 Mark on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the Systematic Investor series

00:23 - Market context and recent CTA performance

02:41 - Initial reactions to the Fed decision and rate cut

03:12 - A messy Fed and the problem of dissenting signals

06:48 - Inflation, growth projections and policy uncertainty

08:31 - Signal versus noise in systematic trading models

11:22 - Employment data revisions and confidence in fundamentals

13:10 - Bond valuation, term premia and the question of safe assets

16:30 - Fiscal dominance, inflation risk and portfolio fragility

19:29 - Prices versus value and the limits of interpretation

22:47 - Narratives, reflexivity and momentum in markets

28:07 - Bubble dynamics, leverage and wealth effects

36:51 - Credit markets, AI investment and systemic risk

41:07 - Momentum, trend following and persistent market behavior

54:36 - Total portfolio approach and adaptive asset allocation

----

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

TTU151: What Comes After 60/40? Systematic Thinking, BlackRock Style ft. Jeff Rosenberg Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Niels and Alan sit down with BlackRock’s Jeff Rosenberg to examine how the post Covid shift from too little to too much inflation is reshaping portfolios. Jeff explains why bond and equity correlations have changed, why fixed income is drifting back toward income rather than pure diversification, and how fiscal pressure and soft financial repression may influence rates. They explore what systematic really means at BlackRock, from trend ETFs and defensive alpha to market breadth and execution. The conversation ends with the rise of liquid alternatives, whole portfolio thinking and growing equity concentration risk.

-----

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 Jeff on LinkedIn.

Find out more about DUNN Capital

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction, Jeff’s role at BlackRock Systematic and setting the agenda

04:09 - From too little to too much inflation and the end of divine coincidence

09:32 - Wage dynamics, “prices are too high” and persistent, not resurgent, inflation

14:48 - Bond equity correlation, the changing role of fixed income and income versus diversification

19:55 - Fiscal dominance, debt loads and the risk of soft financial repression

25:21 - What “systematic” means at BlackRock across beta, factors and pure alpha

30:44 - Trend as a systematic return stream and why BlackRock entered the ETF trend space

35:58 - Breadth, capacity and why market selection matters more than cocoa

41:12 - Defensive alpha explained using a credit lens on equities and crisis behaviour

46:27 - Execution, implementation alpha and using BlackRock’s liquidity river

51:39 - Constraints of wrappers, leverage limits and designing strategies for ETFs

56:54 - Growth of liquid alternatives, 50 30 20 and replacing the old 60 40 mindset

01:02:10 - Equity concentration, big tech, AI and the need for uncorrelated return streams

01:07:32 - Whole portfolio thinking, total portfolio approach and final takeaways

----

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

SI377: What's New in SG Indices in 2026? + The Regime-Adaptive Portfolio ft. Alan Dunne Dec 06, 2025

Show notes

Niels and Alan explore how a fragile macro regime reshapes systematic investing, from a politicised Fed succession to widening cracks in a debt-laden, equity-dependent economy. A shifting bond landscape, rising capital demands from AI and renewed tariff risks challenge the old 60/40 orthodoxy. Listener questions on US policy shocks and the Yen carry trade open a deeper look at when trend helps and when it hurts. The episode culminates in a world exclusive of SocGen's 2026 index changes and the first public reveal of Alan’s new paper: The Regime-Adaptive Portfolio, for genuinely resilient, opportunity-aware global wealth compounding intelligently, prudently over the decade ahead.

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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.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Voiceover and introduction to the Systematic Investor Series

00:23 - Niels and Alan open, what is on their radar this week

01:27 - Fed succession as a political risk factor and betting markets

03:33 - Crypto moves, Vanguard’s platform shift and MicroStrategy index pressure

05:53 - Listener questions: can constant US policy shocks break trend?

06:33 - Trouble for trend or just another regime to endure and adapt to

08:55 - Short-term CTAs, Liberation Day and when speed becomes a handicap

11:11 - How CTAs are positioned for a yen carry unwind and JGB nuances

12:16 - November trend update, five straight positive months and short-term pain

13:35 - World exclusive: new SocGen CTA and Trend index line-ups and cutoffs

21:02 - Tariffs, AI capex, rising long rates and the changing bond landscape

29:28 - Is this really a 1990s-style productivity boom or something riskier?

33:52 - Why traditional versus alternative is the wrong lens for portfolios

38:30 - Inside Alan’s Adaptive Portfolio and the 40/40/20 risk framework

47:48 - Behavioural traps and the chronic under-allocation to true diversifiers

53:34 - Tail risks, fiscal dominance and what most portfolios are missing

56:59 - Adaptive versus 60/40: drawdowns, compounding and implications for retirees

01:01:42 - Implementation, return stacking and Morningstar’s leverage label problem

01:05:54 - Closing reflections, next week’s episode and final risk reminders

----

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

ALO32: AI Booms, Fiscal Strains and the New Macro Regime ft. Joe Little Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Alan Dunne speaks with HSBC Asset Management’s Global Chief Strategist, Joe Little, about what happens when the old macro rules stop working. Joe traces the shift from a demand led, low inflation world to a supply constrained regime of sticky and spiky prices, where 2 percent becomes a floor rather than a target. He explains the “reverse bond conundrum,” rising term premia and the quiet return of fiscal dominance. The conversation explores AI as investment boom, not yet productivity cure, the maturing of emerging markets, the fate of the dollar and how to build truly multipolar portfolios.

-----

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 Joe on LinkedIn.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Opening clip, long bonds misbehaving and the “reverse bond yield conundrum”

00:55 - Introduction and risk disclosure for Top Traders Unplugged listeners

01:50 - Joe’s path from economist to global chief strategist and house view author

05:16 - From post crisis disinflation to a supply constrained, sticky inflation regime

10:32 - Why 2 percent looks like a floor, tariffs, profits and delayed inflation effects

13:34 - 2026 baseline: muddle through growth, positive policy impulse and inflation nuance

16:42 - AI as capital expenditure boom, echoes of the 1990s and the missing productivity surge

20:40 - China and Asia: regionalisation, industrial policy and an exit from deflation

24:54 - Role reversal in 2025 and why future Asian performance must be earnings led

27:22 - Debt, deficits and fiscal dominance, from UK gilts to French OATs and US Treasuries

31:34 - Steeper curves and rising term premia, how the bond market can “murder” the cycle

32:26 - Rethinking 60/40, weaker bond diversification and the case for “diversifying diversifiers”

35:32 - Hedge funds, macro and why emerging markets may now be structurally less fragile

37:13 - Can EM really decouple, and what India versus China tells us about country effects

41:59 - Dollar overvaluation, policy preference for weakness and the fading of the dollar smile

47:27 - Fed succession, populism, and why 2 percent inflation will not feel like a ceiling

51:23 - Gold’s rise, stock bond correlation and the search for genuine risk mitigators

53:53 - Investor sentiment, nervous equilibrium and how institutions are repositioning risk

58:00 - Ten year return assumptions and constructing multipolar, all weather portfolios

01:02:04 - Book recommendations, learning macro and closing reflections

----

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

SI376: What They’re Only Now Starting to See ft. Andrew Beer Nov 29, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s Systematic Investor episode, Niels and Andrew Beer explore how a broken 60/40 paradigm is forcing wealth managers into a new world of “other” diversifiers. Andrew reflects on the Goldman Sachs report about private wealth flows, the rise of liquid alts and why big houses are suddenly launching trend ETFs. The conversation dives into replication versus traditional CTAs, the true cost of complexity, and Simplify’s new index-based product built on Andrew’s strategy. Along the way they debate pods, Bitcoin, and Andrew’s evolving metaphor of managed futures as a cloudy, but occasionally crystal-clear, macro crystal ball.

-----

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 Andrew on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro and Thanksgiving reflections, gratitude and mood after the holiday

01:14 - Goldman report: trillions from wealthy investors and a seismic shift away from 60/40

03:38 - Why bonds stopped diversifying and the growth of the “other” bucket in portfolios

05:44 - Liquid alts vs illiquid alts and the timing of big firms launching trend ETFs

08:25 - Odd Lots, pods and Dalio’s skepticism on multi-strats’ future

09:22 - Bitcoin’s volatile run and rumors of a manipulated pullback

10:59 - November performance: zigzags in trend indices and short-term traders’ struggles

12:55 - How DBMF positioned: concentration, short yen, euro pain and being contrarian post “Liberation Day”

16:05 - Are we still “replication”? Alternative data beta, tracking error and what’s really being delivered

18:16 - Targeting “space beta” plus cost savings: is complexity in CTAs adding or destroying value?

22:14 - Indexing the replication strategy and using swaps: Simplify’s new "low" headline fee ETF built on Andrew’s index

30:49 - The fee and cost debate: headline fees, trading costs, swaps and what investors should really ask

34:33 - Implementation costs, incentive fees and tax efficiency versus simple fee labels

45:08 - A better story for managed futures: from black box trend to “cloudy crystal ball”

51:22 - How trend taps local information: “someone knows something” and prices as detectors

58:03 - Takeaways from the Stockholm roundtable: short vs long term, exotic markets and heterogeneity

01:01:07 - Alpha-beta separation, core CTA beta vs high-conviction managers and where the space is heading

01:03:44 - Closing thoughts: civilized disagreement, common mission and why every portfolio needs this exposure

----

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

IL43: The Land Trap: How Property Shapes Power ft. Mike Bird Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

In today’s episode we talk about the world’s oldest, and still most important asset: land. Our guest is the Economist’s Wall Street Editor Mike Bird. Mike is the author of a newly released book The Land Trap: A New History of the World’s Oldest Asset. We discuss the properties that make land unique as an asset and why it serves as collateral for almost two-thirds of all bank loans, making it the backbone of the world’s money supply. Mike explains what the “land trap” means and why China is caught in its grip like no other country. We also discuss the one country in the world that seems to have escaped the trap and whether their lessons can be applied elsewhere.

-----

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 Mike on Xand read his book.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Opening and setup

00:00:49 - Disclaimer and show introduction

00:01:45 - The premise: land as humanity’s oldest asset

00:04:18 - Defining the “land trap” through Hong Kong’s model

00:09:01 - Three defining traits: scarcity, immovability, endurance

00:18:17 - Why technology can’t replace geography

00:23:29 - Land as collateral and the rise of mortgage finance

00:28:31 - Lazy banking and the limits of innovation

00:35:17 - Dead capital, human potential, and access to credit

00:39:37 - China’s land machine and the politics of stasis

00:46:37 - Evergrande, reallocation, and what “collapse” really means

00:52:28 - Singapore’s experiment: broad ownership, stable prices

00:58:17 - Can others follow Singapore’s path?

00:59:33 - Closing reflection

----

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

SI375: CTAs After the Walls Come Down ft. Rob Carver Nov 22, 2025

Show notes

Rob Carver returns for a conversation that quietly questions the foundations. Is trend following an edge - or just a reward for holding discomfort others can’t? From the role of skew in shaping outcomes to the blind spots in most robustness frameworks, Rob and Niels takes you through the mechanics with uncommon clarity. Listener questions open up the deeper layers: when volatility targeting helps, when it hurts, and why Sharpe Ratios can mislead. They end with a shift that may matter more than it seems: CalPERS moving to a Total Portfolio Approach. Not just a new framework - potentially a new lane for CTAs.

-----

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:

00:00 - Intro and welcome to the Systematic Investor Series

00:23 - Catching up with Rob and a cold, sunny UK

01:35 - Is trend following an edge or a risk premium?

03:38 - Overcomplicating edges and the Cliff Asness perspective

04:30 - Renaissance’s bad month and how even legends struggle

09:25 - Managed futures ETFs, performance narratives, and media framing

11:22 - AI, Nvidia and what an “AI bubble” might mean for trends

13:10 - Trend barometer, current positioning and where returns come from

18:35 - George’s question: robustness testing, overfitting and multiple testing

25:45 - How often to re-fit models and when to leave parameters alone

27:44 - Frederik’s question: intraday versus end of day for medium term trend

32:10 - Why trend following struggles on single assets and very fast timeframes

34:07 - Abraham’s question: what Rob would do differently after a decade live

41:05 - Carlo’s question: static vs dynamic sizing, skew and volatility targeting

46:07 - Rebalancing frequency, buffering, and asymmetric volatility risk

50:49 - Dario’s question: sentiment indicators, skew and what Rob actually uses

53:10 - Andreas’ question: ATR vs standard deviation and daily vs weekly data

56:29 - Stops, intraday execution and combining slow trend with fast mean reversion

59:27 - CalPERS adopts the total portfolio approach: what changes and why it matters

01:08:12 - Boxes, sleeves and why CTAs never fit neatly anywhere

01:11:55 - Could TPA be a game changer for trend following allocations?

01:14:19 - ChatGPT, consultants and the future of portfolio construction language

01:16:18 - Closing disclaimers and how to send in future questions

----

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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