Top Traders Unplugged

By Niels Kaastrup-LarsenBusiness News Investing Business News

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Top Traders Unplugged episodes

April 20, 2015TTU80: Managing Your Emotional Capital ft. Mike Coleman of RCMA Asset Managementz – 2of2
In the second part of our conversation with Mike Coleman, we explore the different commodity markets and how RCMA trades them, and look back at the drawdowns that Mike has gone through and what he has learned from them. We discuss risk, idea generation, and what it takes to build a successful firm.
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50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
How correlation plays an important role in what Mike does.
What he thinks of the current oil market and the outlook for oil.
How they use relative value trading and what that is.
What process they have for getting an idea into an actual position.
How they have a different relationship between trader and analyst than other firms do.
How he defines risk and how he looks at risk management.
What he has learned from the drawdowns he has gone through.
How to get the investor’s confidence in the manager to a place where they don’t drop out at the worst time.
Why regulatory risk is something that keeps him up at night.
How his strategy has changed over time.
If it’s possible to backtest any part of his strategy.
What the typical investor in his firm looks like.
What location means for a business like Mike’s.

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or 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 [email protected]
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 Mike Coleman on Linkedin.
Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved
----
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
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
1 hr 5 min
April 13, 2015 79 The Romance of Trading Commodities with Mike Coleman of RCMA Asset Management – 1of2
"Commodities have this romance and physicality that is sort of missing in bonds and equities on pieces of paper." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)
Our next guest lives in Singapore, where he founded a firm that trades in the commodity markets. In this episode, we trace his upbringing in the UK and his first job at Cargill to the start of his firm. We discuss the growth and downsizing periods he has gone through and how he builds a successful business.

Thanks for listening and please welcome Mike Coleman.

Subscribe on:

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Where Mike grew up and how his upbringing shaped his career.
"From quite an early age, I was always trying to figure out how you might be able to make money." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)

How he was interested in travel from an early age, and found out about commodity trading in his final year of university.
How he started out as a commodity merchant with Cargill.
How he fell into rubber trading which led him to Singapore in 1984.
About the beginnings of RCMA.
"We gave the market the product we had - and we were lucky that it happened to coincide with the period when the market really wanted the product." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)

How the commodity markets have changed over the years, and what kinds of companies are still working with commodity trading.
The most important things he learned at Cargill that helped in the management of his own firm.
What he learned before computers become ubiquitous on trading desks.
"One of my jobs was to do the P&L by hand, hard to imagine these days." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)

What Mike likes to do in his spare time.
How to make sure you are set up for success when you start a business or firm.
How you get through the hard times of your business as an entrepreneur.
What he does to organize his firm to make it run in the best way possible.
How they’ve dealt with a boom and bust phase in their business, including personnel.
"2011 was really the most difficult year for us and everyone." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)

The way that he has built the culture in his business.
How investors should read a track record from a discretionary trader.
What patterns he looks for when trading for commodities.
"What happens in China is important, and it’s very important for many commodities." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)

Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Learn more about Cargill here.
This episode was sponsored by Swiss Financial Services:

Connect with RCMA:
Visit the Website: www.rcma-commodities.com

Call RCMA: +(65) 63322282

E-Mail RCMA: [email protected]

Follow Mike Coleman on Linkedin
"You have to be able to demonstrate to people that you can run a business as well." - Mike Coleman (Tweet)
1 hr 7 min
April 13, 2015TTU79: The Romance of Trading Commodities ft. Mike Coleman of RCMA Asset Management – 1of2
Our next guest lives in Singapore, where he founded a firm that trades in the commodity markets. In this episode, we trace his upbringing in the UK and his first job at Cargill to the start of his firm. We discuss the growth and downsizing periods he has gone through and how he builds a successful business.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Where Mike grew up and how his upbringing shaped his career.
How he was interested in travel from an early age, and found out about commodity trading in his final year of university.
How he started out as a commodity merchant with Cargill.
How he fell into rubber trading which led him to Singapore in 1984.
About the beginnings of RCMA.
How the commodity markets have changed over the years, and what kinds of companies are still working with commodity trading.
The most important things he learned at Cargill that helped in the management of his own firm.
What he learned before computers become ubiquitous on trading desks.
What Mike likes to do in his spare time.
How to make sure you are set up for success when you start a business or firm.
How you get through the hard times of your business as an entrepreneur.
What he does to organize his firm to make it run in the best way possible.
How they’ve dealt with a boom and bust phase in their business, including personnel.
The way that he has built the culture in his business.
How investors should read a track record from a discretionary trader.
What patterns he looks for when trading for commodities.

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or 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 [email protected]
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 Mike Coleman on Linkedin.
Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved
----
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
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
1 hr 7 min
March 31, 2015 78 If You Believe In Your Models, Never Deviate From Them with Kim Bang of Prolific Capital Markets – 2of2
“If you really believe in what you’re doing – you should not be de-levering in a drawdown.” – Kim Bang (Tweet) In our second part of this conversation, we dive into the details of the program that Kim runs. We discuss why it’s important to stick with your models, even in times of severe drawdowns,…
1 hr 22 min
March 31, 2015TTU78: If You Believe In Your Models, Never Deviate From Them ft. Kim Bang of Prolific Capital Markets – 2of2
In our second part of this conversation, we dive into the details of the program that Kim runs. We discuss why it’s important to stick with your models, even in times of severe drawdowns, and how Kim views risk. He also talks about the books and people that have inspired him in his career.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
The details behind the program Kim runs.
What he feels about larger drawdowns.
What kind of indicators goes into the models that he uses.
Why he uses a non-cyclical approach to creating trading models.
How he looks at volatility.
What kind of mean reversion strategies he uses.
How he responded to the Swiss Franc move.
How Kim quantifies risk.
How do you prepare for a drawdown when you haven’t gone through a significant one?
How his firm comes up with new ideas and goes about doing research.
The positives and challenges with working as a father and son team in the same firm.
How he knows when a model has stopped working.
What he is doing to launch his first fund.
What questions investors should be asking in due diligence conversations with him.
What books have impacted Kim’s career.
How he sees the firm in the future.

-----

Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Books that have influenced Kim include Market Wizards, The Quants, and books by Ralph Vince.
Learn more about people who have inspired Kim, including Roy Niederhoffer, Welles Wilder, and John Henry.
Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or 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 [email protected]
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 Kim Bang on Linkedin.
Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved
----
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
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
1 hr 22 min
March 24, 2015 77 Competing in the Long Tail of the Managed Futures Industry with Kim Bang of Prolific Capital Markets – 1of2
“There’s a long tail of smaller managers that have to fight over the scraps.” – Kim Bang (Tweet) 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…
1 hr 25 min
March 24, 2015TTU77: Competing in the Long Tail of Managed Futures ft. Kim Bang of Prolific Capital Markets – 1of2
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 with his dad in the shipping business.
How he got into futures markets through his dad’s business.
Kim’s education in the U.S. and his first job on Wall Street.
How he left AIG to start his own business.
His time at Bloomberg building and running their TradeBook system.
About Kim’s son’s research club at New York University.
How he decided what to do next after his company was sold.
How he launched Prolific Capital Markets in 2013.
What he does when he’s not working.
How he built his business.
The funds needed to start his business and how institutional clients should be sought after.
What he can do himself and what he has outsourced.
How he builds a strong culture in his organization.
What his track record means to his potential investors.
What Kim is trying to achieve with the program itself.
What kind of environments are good for his program.

-----

Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or 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 [email protected]
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 Kim Bang on Linkedin.
Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved
----
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
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
1 hr 25 min
March 05, 2015 76 Why He Still Trades His Own Money with Barnaby Cardwell of Cardwell Investment Technologies – 2of2
"It’s 70 percent losing trades, a bit like a trend follower." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)
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.

Thanks for listening and please welcome back our guest Barnaby Cardwell.

Subscribe on:

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

What indicators Barnaby considers more reliable.
How he gets into a trade.
"It’s not good if we come up with a new system and it’s correlated to existing systems." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

How important is the position sizing?
How much AUM his model can handle.
Risk management: how he defines risk and what he does to mitigate it.
What he has learned from drawdowns.
"We learned that what we put in place works, don’t deviate from it." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

What keeps Barnaby awake at night.
"We’re quite strict on risk. So I sleep alright." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

Trading spread between markets and the research his firm is doing into that space.
Why he focuses on the managed-account route.
How he stands out from the crowd to attract investors.
"I think we picked up a lot of credibility by trading our own money. We’ve never had a bank’s balance sheet to keep us having a salary." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

About “key-man” risk.
What potential investors don’t ask in their due diligence questions.
What it takes to be a great trader.
"Be very patient, and pick your trades. The problem is, traders put on boredom trades." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

What books have inspired him in trading and life.
What his biggest failure is so far.

Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:
People that have inspired Barnaby include James Harris Simons, QIM, and the book Trading in the Zone.
This episode was sponsored by Swiss Financial Services:

Connect with Cardwell Investment Technologies:
Visit the Website: www.c-i-technologies.com

Learn more about Cardwell Investment Technologies on LinkedIn

Follow Barnaby Cardwell on Linkedin
"I make an effort not associating the size of the trade or the loss with money equivalents in real life." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)
53 min
March 05, 2015TTU76: Why He Still Trades His Own Money ft. Barnaby Cardwell of Cardwell Investment Technologies – 2of2
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: how he defines risk and what he does to mitigate it.
What he has learned from drawdowns.
What keeps Barnaby awake at night.
Trading spread between markets and the research his firm is doing into that space.
Why he focuses on the managed-account route.
How he stands out from the crowd to attract investors.
About “key-man” risk.
What potential investors don’t ask in their due diligence questions.
What it takes to be a great trader.
What books have inspired him in trading and life.
What his biggest failure is so far.

-----

Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:
People that have inspired Barnaby include James Harris Simons, QIM, and the book Trading in the Zone.
Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or 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 [email protected]
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 Barnaby Cardwell on Linkedin.
Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved
----
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
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
53 min
March 02, 2015 75 Competing in the Short Term Space with Barnaby Cardwell of Cardwell Investment Technologies – 1of2
"I never really wanted to be a manager - the idea that you could compete against everybody else and make money was just brilliant." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)
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.

Thanks for listening and please welcome Barnaby Cardwell.

Subscribe on:

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

How Barnaby grew up and what got him interested in the financial markets.
"One of the first books I read was Market Wizards - at about age 20." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

Why he left being a broker and went in to a more systematic approach.
How he met his future business partner.
How they started his fund in late 2008.
What it was about the Market Wizards books that captured his imagination.
What he does to compete outside of trading.
His first mentor and what he taught Barnaby.
Why he decided to go short term.
"It’s very hard to distinguish ourselves in the long-term timeframe." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

How automation has changed his industry.
How he gets through the hard times in the market.
"If you know you’re system is correct, you know when the market moves happen you’re going to make money." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

An overview of the program that his company runs.
How he set up his company and attracted investors.
The challenges that let to auto-execution of trades.
"I wouldn’t say our model has evolved too much." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

How he builds a strong culture in an organization.
How he wants people to look at his track record.
Why he uses time-based stops.
"We’re trying to deliver market movement on short-term timeframes." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)

The details of the short term models he uses.
How he creates a strategy.

Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Learn more about Market Wizards and Jack Schwager.

Check out information on Toby Crabel and his book.
This episode was sponsored by Swiss Financial Services:

Connect with Cardwell Investment Technologies:
Visit the Website: www.c-i-technologies.com

Learn more about Cardwell Investment Technologies on LinkedIn

Follow Barnaby Cardwell on Linkedin
"We want to trade across as many markets as possible - that’s how we know a system is robust." - Barnaby Cardwell (Tweet)
58 min