Kim Bang grew up with his father’s shipping industry in Denmark, and discovered a fascination of the managed futures industry. He went on to work for companies such as Bloomberg and AIG, before founding his current firm with his son. Listen to his story and find out what makes a firm that can compete in the managed futures industry. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How Kim grew up in Denmark wi...
Mar 24, 2015•1 hr 24 min
In the second part of our conversation with Barnaby Cardwell, we dive into the details of his program, how he built his company, and what he thinks it takes to be a good manager of a trading firm. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: What indicators Barnaby considers more reliable. How he gets into a trade. How important is the position sizing? How much AUM his model can handle. Risk management: ho...
Mar 05, 2015•52 min
Our next guest is a fund manager in the short-term space, and thus is distinct from many of the guests on this podcast. He discusses how he got into the financial markets from a young age, and why he decided to trade in the short term space in order to separate himself from the competition. Listen in for details into his program and how he started his hedge fund. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn...
Mar 02, 2015•58 min
In this second episode with Mahendra, he dives into his predictions for 2015 and the next few years, detailing his thoughts on markets from currencies, gold and silver to oil and real estate markets. He discusses how he sees key geo-political events resolving or worsening in the years to come. You may gain advice and insight that will change how you trade and what you trade in the financial markets! ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLI...
Feb 26, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Welcome to an episode of Top Trader’s Unplugged unlike any other. We take a break from interviews with hedge fund managers and invite you into the fascinating world of financial astrology. Mahendra Sharma dedicates his astrology and predictions work exclusively on the financial markets, and has had an astonishing accuracy of predicting market events. Learn about his story, including his upbringing without electricity in his home, on this episode. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND...
Feb 21, 2015•1 hr 12 min
In the second part of our talk with Mike Shell, we delve into the specifics of his program and why most of his clients have 100% of their investments with his firm. He discusses backtesting, risk management, and the differences between purely systematic systems and systems with a discretionary element. Listen in for an inside look at this fascinating firm. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How p...
Feb 12, 2015•1 hr 12 min
Most trend following firms have clients that invest somewhere between 2 and 20% of their portfolio with that firm, but Mike Shell’s firm is different. His strategy is tailored to a specific customer, and almost all of his clients have their entire investment portfolios with his firm. We dive into the specifics of Shell Capital Management in this episode, and how Mike grew up in the southern United States with a military background to become the owner of his own firm. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLL...
Feb 09, 2015•1 hr 11 min
In this year-end review, Marc Malek explains why intervention in the markets affects trend following, but also why trend following strategies are not long volatility strategies. He discusses 2014 from the point of view of his firm, how his program did, and why he is excited about 2015. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How 2014 treated Conquest Capital. How volatility shows itself in a market li...
Feb 05, 2015•37 min
This year in review covers how Aspect Capital came out of 2014 with their best year ever as a company, and what they learned from the year. Martin Lueck discusses the events that made 2014 a roller coaster ride, as well as the importance of always staying agnostic in your allocation to different sectors. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why 2014 was a roller coaster ride for Aspect Capital. How...
Feb 04, 2015•36 min
On our next year-in-review, Mike Dever talks about how 2014 evolved for his firm and what they learned from the year. He discusses the changes they made to their program as well as the recent Swiss Franc move and what they learned from that. He also talks about why investors need to keep the long term view in mind when investing, and not re-evaluate the program every time the profits take a dip. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK H...
Feb 01, 2015•28 min
Aref Karim has been on the institutional investing side and the fund manager side for many years, so he has some great insights into how each group thinks and ways they can understand each other better. In this episode, Aref reviews 2014 from the perspective of QCM and discusses the research upgrades that the firm started to their program, and how they dealt with the events of the year, including the recent Swiss Franc move. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ...
Jan 29, 2015•36 min
In this year-end review, Luc van Hof discusses what he learned from 2014 and how his firm innovated to create better gains for customers in 2015. He also talks about the Swiss Franc and why he was not trading it when the major move happened in 2015. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: The two programs that his firm trades. What kind of risk both of his programs take on. What 2014 taught Luc. What ...
Jan 28, 2015•39 min
Jerry Parker takes us inside 2014 for his firm, and how his models reacted to the Swiss Franc move in January of 2015. He looks at the year and makes a case for trend following as an asset class, as well as highlights what we can learn from a year like 2014. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How the year ended up for Jerry’s firm. The date when his system started getting short Crude Oil. What th...
Jan 26, 2015•35 min
In this year-end-review, we take a look at how 2014 might be seen many years into the future. Is this when “trader-less” systematic trading caught on? We take you into the workings of a 1-year-old trading technology company, how they succeeded, and where they are going in the future. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: It was their first year of trading under the public eye. How consistent the sta...
Jan 23, 2015•30 min
In this year-end-review, we discuss the year for CTAs and short term traders, as well as the recent collapse of the Euro/Swiss Franc peg and how that affected the models of Quest Partners. Nigol discusses his goals and thoughts for 2015 and reflects on a 2014 that saw his firm start two new strategies and take in new investment. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How Quest Partners did in 2014. W...
Jan 22, 2015•37 min
In this Year End Review, we discuss the major events and unexpected market trends in 2014 as well as the major Swiss Franc move at the start of 2015. Scot Billington discusses his firm’s performance what they learned from their losses and gains, and how they evolved their models. He also talks about why they were able to keep losses low in 2014. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: An overview of w...
Jan 20, 2015•44 min
Peter Kambolin comes from the short term CTA space, and thus has a different perspective than some of our previous guests for our Year in Review theme this month. He discusses how the events in Crimea and Russia shaped markets, how divergence played a role, and how his firm made small changes to models and even added a new product line in 2014. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How the year went...
Jan 20, 2015•37 min
How do clients understand a trading strategy so that they stick by the firm in hard times? How do investors make sense of when things go well for the CTA industry. We dive into these questions and more on this next episode, a year-in-review from Anders Lindell of IPM. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why 2014 was a model-proving year for IPM. How relative bond trading worked so well for his fir...
Jan 19, 2015•28 min
Bastian Bolesta reviews 2014 and details the ups and downs of the year for his firm and the managed futures industry as a whole. In this episode, he discusses the start to the year that he wants to forget, the return of seemingly normal volatility, and the profitable 4th quarter. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How the first half of 2014 was a continuation of 2013 for Deep Field Capital. How t...
Jan 15, 2015•34 min
Our next Year-in-Review conversation comes from a manager who considers 2014 to have been a disappointing year for his firm. As a trend follower in the currency markets, Chris has unique insights into what shaped 2014 and how the next couple of years look for his industry. He also shares the importance of having discipline and sticking to your systematic models, which builds investor confidence. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK H...
Jan 15, 2015•36 min
Our next year-in-review is from a recent guest who discusses the roller coaster feel to 2014, and why it was a good year for the CTA industry. He talks about what his firm learned from 2014 and why he is very excited about this year. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: The ups and downs of 2014 from Tim’s perspective. What markets contributed most for his firm during the year. What markets he wish...
Jan 14, 2015•31 min
In this 2014 year-in-review, Karsten Shroeder looks at the CTA industry and give some advice on how to look at 2014 with a rational and objective eye. He also has insights into how 2015 will be for the CTA industry and how to educate more clients to the advantages of managed futures. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How the year evolved for Amplitude and it’s strategies. How the CTA industry di...
Jan 13, 2015•27 min
For January 2015, we will be revisiting with previous guests on the show to find out how their businesses grew and changed in 2014, and what the year was like overall for their industries. In our first Year-In-Review episode, Jason Gerlach, the first-ever guest of Top Traders Unplugged, looks at 2014 from a long-term trend following perspective. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why 2014 was a g...
Jan 12, 2015•41 min
In the second part of our talk with Tim Pickering, we dive into the details of his firm and the challenges that he has to overcome as a business owner and entrepreneur. Tim has some valuable life lessons for managers who are just getting started. He also dives into the different ways investors should carry out their due diligence and why he wanted to become a manager in the first place. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In Th...
Dec 29, 2014•1 hr 4 min
What is the difference between simply following a trend and capturing it? Why is growth not consistent and gradual and why do we want it to be? Learn answers to these questions and more in this week’s episodes. Niels chats with the founder of a seasoned trend-follower in Canada, who knew he wanted to go into the financial markets since his university days. His story of working for large investment banks to starting his own firm will inspire current managers and hopeful managers alike. ----- 50 Y...
Dec 22, 2014•1 hr 6 min
Rob Hartman knows that showing up is half the battle when it comes to work in any industry. But his viewpoint as a solo fund manager give us deep insight into the inner-workings of a firm and how it deals with drawdowns, track record, and investors’ questions. In Part 2 of our conversation with Rob, we dive into his models and programs and how each of them works. We also learn about Rob’s background that helps round out this picture of a successful manager. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK...
Dec 18, 2014•1 hr 12 min
In starting any business, you run into unexpected roadblocks and challenges, and you learn something from each mistake. Our next guest is the founder of a trading firm who has grown his business twice and learned how to overcome the barriers in his way. We can learn a lot from someone who is ready for the unexpected whether it is good or bad. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: About his childhood...
Dec 15, 2014•1 hr 13 min
Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Dave Sanderson. In this episode we explore his trading program in detail, from the markets the firm trades to how they describe their program to investors. We also explore the challenges that he goes through as a business leader, dealing with drawdowns, and why optimism is so important to Dave. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why Dave believes that QI...
Dec 04, 2014•1 hr 14 min
Our next guest on Top Traders Unplugged is the CEO and Co-Founder of KFL. In this episode we explore their trading strategy and uncover the fundamental differences between what they are doing that makes them so different from traditional alternative investment organizations. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Transitioning from commercial litigation to wholesale mutual fund vending How Dave Sande...
Dec 01, 2014•1 hr 15 min
In the second part of our interview with Bastian, we talk about the ins and outs of his trading program and how they came to create the current trading system that they run now. Niels talks with Bastian about drawdowns, risk management, and how investors should read and understand a manager’s track record. Listen in to find out more about Deep Field Capital and learn what it takes to be an successful emerging manager today. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR A...
Nov 27, 2014•1 hr 20 min
