Top Traders Unplugged With Niels Kaastrup-larsen | Engaging Conversations With The Top Traders & Investors

My guests today are Chris Solarz, Managing Director, Global Macro Hedge Fund Strategies at Cliffwater, Adam Duncan, Managing Director at Cambridge Associates as well as Freeman Wood, who is a Partner and Head of North America, at Mercer, for a fun and insightful conversation into the world of Consultants and their role in Alternative Investments.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How our guests got to where they are todayWhat challenges Adam sees institutional investors facingThe extra information Chris gives his clientsHow the role of the consultant has changedTwo issues that frustrate consultants, and how our guests solve themFreeman’s view of the role of the financial decision makersHow to bridge the gap between the managers and the investorsWhat your theoretical models can’t account forWhy past hedge fund managers were able to pursue a more “pure” strategyThe practical implicatio

On this episode I continue my conversation with Marty Bergin, the owner and President of DUNN Capital Management, Grant Jaffarian, Portfolio Manager of the Advanced Trend program at Crabel Capital Management, and Mike Boss, who is a Director within the Capital Introductions Team at Societe General, where we cover all things trend following and some of the differences to short-term trading.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How to use your management and incentive fees to competeGrants’s competitive strategy for his flat-fee productWhy a robust risk management system is extremely importantWho is winning the battle between the low-cost products and the traditional trend following offeringsIf the increased number of investors using trend following is impacting returns?How rising interest rates will affect long- and short-term trend followersThe guest’s biggest takeaways from 2016If mach

Today I'm joined by Marty Bergin, the owner and President of DUNN Capital Management, Grant Jaffarian, Portfolio Manager of the Advanced Trend program at Crabel Capital Management, and Mike Boss, who is a Director within the Capital Introductions Team at Societe General, for a fun and insightful journey into the world of Trend Following.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Key Insights from arguably the best Trend Follower & the best Short-Term CTAHow the challenges they overcame to get to where they are todayHow trend followers can evolve their strategies to stay aheadThe reason why some trend followers haven’t changed in decadesKey insights to how Marty has allowed DUNN to stay aheadHow Mike & Societe Generale sees the industry changing and it’s new opportunitiesWhy the UCITS Directive started benefitting smaller specialized managersThe challenges with short-term tradingWhy C

Today I continue my conversation with Amy Elefante Bedi, Director of Hedged Strategies at Washington University Investment Management Company in St. Louis, Ernest Jaffarian, the CEO of Efficient Capital Management as well Phil Hatzopoulos , who is the Global Head of Buyside Sales at the CME Group.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:What the response has been to lower performance of hedge funds in recent yearsHow managers have dealt with the challenging performance environmentWhat institutional investors are looking to get out of the Managed Futures spaceHow Smart Beta is being usedIf its true that you get what you pay forThe movement towards BIG dataThe concern of investors about the fixed income sectorWhat would happen if interest rates starts going upWhat the biggest opportunities are for the Managed Futures industry in 2017How regulations could destroy the industryThe biggest chall

On this episode I'm joined by Amy Elefante Bedi, Director of Hedged Strategies at Washington University Investment Management Company in St. Louis, Ernest Jaffarian, the CEO of Efficient Capital Management as well Phil Hatzopoulos , who is the Global Head of Buyside Sales at the CME Group - to explore the world of Alternative Investments and why they are so valuable to investors.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Key Insights from industry leaders in Managed FuturesHow they got where they are todayWhat Ernest did to change his career to Managed FuturesThe hesitations that endowments have had when investing in the CTA industryWhat is the state of the fund-to-fund model todayThe importance of diversifying your portfolioHow to find and access talent in the Managed Futures spaceQuestions to ask a manager when deciding on your allocationsThe issue of fees and the debate surround

Thanks for tuning in to the second part of our roundtable conversation with three of the leading voices in the trend following industry today. In this episode, we discuss how the industry has evolved, what the future looks like, and how to educate investors on the merits of trend following.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How has trend following evolved in the past decadeThe different kinds of diversification and how important they areThe concept of divergent strategiesDifferent ways of generating signalsWhy entries are the least importantHow to figure out what are the most robust parameters to useWhy you should try to debunk any new trading ideasHow trend following CTAs perform risk controlHow to educate investors on trend following firms and methodsHow many trend following managers should you invest in-----ATTENTION TTU TRIBE : SIGN-UP for Rick Rule's Symposium: Once in a li

Thanks for tuning back into our show, we know it has been a while since we’ve published an episode. However, you are in for a real treat: this is the first episode where we have a roundtable of guests, representing some of the most prominent firms in the trend following space. Our guests have a combined 100 years of track record, and we’ll explore it all in this episode.We discuss the history of trend following, what it takes to practice trend following, and the human biases that effect our trading.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The history of trend-followingThe phenomenon of momentumWhen the concept of trend following that we know today came aboutWhy Katy & Alex gathered data from hundreds of years agoKaty talks about their book on Trend FollowingWhy markets are not getting more efficientWhy  the edge in Trend Following is “knowing what you don’t know”How long it t

In our continued conversation with Bill Dreiss, we dive into why he built his model the way that he did, and how he deals with factors like risk, drawdowns, and investor relationships. You’ll discover what he has learned from the drawdowns he has gone through, how the market has changed since 2009, and what the future looks like for Dreiss Research.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How he thinks about succession planningWhat people should be aware of in his long track record as a firmWhat has changed in the markets since 2009How markets are more interrelated than they ever have been beforeHow he describes what he is trying to achieve for his investorsWhy you shouldn’t be investing if you can’t live through a 50% drawdownWhat the choppiness index isWhy it is so difficult for people to see the advantages of CTAs and trend followingHow many commodities he tradesHow diversified his trad

Bill Dreiss has been an early adopter from the very beginning. After going to MIT and Harvard, he wanted to form a business that would allow him to be location independent and allow him to surf, his life passion. Fortunately, systems trading found him.He bought a computer before individuals owned them, started a systems trading firm before almost any of them existed, and has been in business trading his own model fro more than 25 years. You’ll gain a career’s worth of knowledge in this fantastic episode.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Bill’s firm is so uniqueHow he went to Harvard business school and then went to work for a Think Tank in CaliforniaHow he developed his first trading system in the 1970sHow he did systematic trading by hand in the early days, without computersThe unique system that was the first system he builtThe first company that he started with a few partners

In our continued conversation with Andreas Clenow, we discuss the research and work that goes into making his trading model, how he deals with risk and drawdowns, and how he explains his models to potential investors. In this episode, we will dive into how clear and explainable a trading model should be, and what questions you should ask firms before investing in them.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How Andreas does his research and what research he looks for in other firmsWhy a track record matters and how it mattersHow trend following has done over the last few yearsHow he builds his own trading strategiesWhat he does with position sizing and how important it isHow he allocates risk on his different modelsWhat he does to measure the environment on trend followingWhat he thinks about sector allocation and diversificationThe kinds of risk management that he uses in his modelWhere

Our guest today is a successful trader, businessman, and author. He is known for his books Following The Trend and Stocks on the Move, and after an impressive career at Reuters finance he moved on to ACIES Asset Management in Switzerland.In our conversation, we discuss trend following and the need to keep it simple, the mistakes that retail traders make, and how to start a new firm in this day and age.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The many skill sets that Andreas hasHow he wrote the books that he is known forWhy he has a large degree of flexibility with his firm and the capital they manageHow he grew up in a small town in Sweden…with lots of cows!About the computer company that he startedHow he left the corporate worldHow he started at ACIESWhat Andreas does when he is not workingThe books he has written about systematic trading strategiesThe value of simplicityWhat An

In the second part of our conversation with Robert Carver, we dive into the specifics of his trading strategy, why he doesn’t trade full time, and what he thinks about the trend-following space in general.You’ll hear his thoughts on drawdowns, research teams, risk, and more. You won’t want to miss his insight and clear explanations of some of finance’s most complicated topics.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The two components of risk, and all about unpredictable riskWhat sets one manager apart from the otherHis view on stop-lossesHow target volatility works for a lot of CTA managersHow he would put together a research team for a fund managerThe problem with hiring a lot of people with the same backgroundHow investors should read the track records of firmsThe concerns and misconceptions about systematized and trend-following strategiesWhy he is so keen on looking at sharp ratioThe

Robert Carver spends most of his book telling you that he is not a good trader. So why did he devote his life and a whole book to the subject?Because he believes in systematic trading; making a simple trading system and sticking to it.In this episode, we dive into his new book and explore why simplicity is the key, people think they are better traders than they are, and so much more.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Robert decided to write his new book, Systematic TradingRobert reads the preface to his new bookHe explains one of the biggest investing mistakes of his careerThe book that got him interested in the financial industryHow he got a job with AHLWhy he wrote a book with very little math involved so that he spoke to a large audienceThe 3 types of investors that he defines in the bookHow cognitive biases in humans make them bad tradersWhy he spends a lot of his book explai

In this episode, we dive into the models and processes that Cambridge Capital and Andrew Baxter use to manage risk, research new ideas, and grow their business. We also talk about the importance for managers to explain why they do what they do, rather than just what they do.Listen in to learn more about the future of the managed futures industry and how to be successful in it.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How his forecast method worksHow he develops his basic modelsHow they come up with new ideas for models at Cambridge CapitalThe various short term and long term models that they employ and how they use themWhen they make interventions to the systemThe risk management they use and why they have a risk budgetWhy they are continuously adjusting their risk in the marketThe drawdowns that they expect to see in their program and the ones that they have been throughWhy he thinks CTA f

Andrew Baxter worked at British Aerospace as an engineer before joining the investment management world. He still considers himself an engineer.Listen in to learn how he uses machine learning, why he keeps innovating, and how he started his own firm.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Andrew considers himself an engineerHow he went from engineer to investment managementHow he started his firmHis philosophy on the investment management processWhy he harvests risk premiumsWhat he likes to do when he is not workingHow he works with machine learningThe things they learned from their career history that helped them build Cambridge Capital ManagementWhy it is important to stay ahead of the pack and keep innovatingWhat they do in-house versus outsourcingThe culture that he tries to cultivate at his companyHow he talks about track record to his investorsHow he evolved as the managed futur

In this second part of our conversation, we dive into the specifics of how Charles Nenner and his team make their predictions, and what they predict in certain markets like Crude Oil, Copper, and Natural Gas. We also discuss the cycle of a major war at the beginning of each century, and David’s personal story of why he is just as curious today as the day he started.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How they predict the price, and how the price and cycles work together.The fifth category they predict on is economic indicators.What is happening when a market is not behaving as the cycle they show indicates.What are some of the indicators of a big event like 9/11.Where he thinks Natural Gas is going.What he thinks about Copper.The battle between inflation and deflation and where he stands on those terms.About the 100 year war cycle and what he predicts for the next war.The cycles of in

This episode has a unique and interesting guest, the kind we rarely have on this show. David Gurwitz does not trade in the financial markets, but provides predictions and research to many firms, including some we have interviewed. He looks at the cycles in financial markets. Keep an open mind during this episode and see what you can learn about Charles Nenner’s research methods, the start of their research business, and what predictions they have been correct on and which ones they missed.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How David explains what he does, and how this interview is different.How he played semi-professional basketball in Spain before going into accounting.How he met Charles Nenner.How their business works and how cycles works.How Charles has predicted crude oil drop in 2014.What they look at when making their predictions.How they do media appearances and how media has

In this second part of our conversation, Natasha dives into the details of the trading model and portfolio of Altis Partners, her firm. We discuss how they approach risk management, and how they’ve dealt with drawdowns over the years. She also gives her take on the future of the managed futures industry, what advice she would give to emerging firm managers, and other lessons she has learned along the way.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About how Natasha and her team constructs their portfolio.How their models are adaptive.What their integrated risk approach does and how it works.What she thinks the capacity is of the strategy that her firm has.How she defines risk.How correlations play a part in their portfolio.Which sectors of the market do well with their model.How she sets the expectations for what kinds of drawdowns they might have.How to help investors with the emotional

Our next guest left a well known trading firm in London to start a quantitative trading firm with 3 other partners. There’s a lot to be learned from her insights on starting a business, building a culture, and making it through the obstacles along the way. Listen in for our discussions on the startup phase and the current trading model.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How Natasha and her founding partners all worked at the same firm before breaking out on their own.About her childhood growing up as an only child and what got her interested in finance.How she got her first job in finance.When she got hired by QCM.How she met her founding partners.How and why Natasha and her founding partners broke off from QCM.How she set up her new firm with her partners.How they each had a different area of the business that they focused on.The big obstacles of the early days and knowing which peo

In the second part of our conversation with the cofounder of Evolutiq, we dive into the firm’s trading strategy, how they manage risk, and what kinds of investors they seek. He also discusses tips for budding entrepreneurs and firm managers, and how he deals with explaining the complexity of his trading models.-----EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE: Find Out How to Build a Safer & Better Performing Portfolio using this FREE NEW Portfolio Builder ToolIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The details of Oliver’s portfolio.What types of markets have more success for their models.Their unique allocation process.How to explain these scientific terms to potential investors.The question of simplicity vs. complexity.How they managed intra-day forecasting.How he manages risk.The way that market correlations play into the portfolio.Oliver’s thoughts on drawdowns and the worst ones that he is expecting.How do you know when a model has stopped working.What Oliver’s experience has been as the world has become more divergent.What keeps him