Top Traders Unplugged

Rob Carver joins us today to discuss the perception of cryptocurrencies since the new Bitcoin futures ETF was launched, scaling into and out of positions, the possibility of a synthetic Bitcoin supply resulting from the new futures ETF, how to approach climate change and ESG investing as a Trend Follower, ideas for selecting which markets to trade, the benefits and drawbacks of trading single stocks, and how to embrace a creative mindset.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• The new credibility of cryptocurrencies
• Scaling into positions using various methods
• ESG investing as a Trend Following investor
• How to select the optimum markets to trade
• Trading single stocks
• Embracing creativity as a systematic investor

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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 Rob on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - Feel free to share this podcast with like-minded friends using this link:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

03:12 - Macro recap from Niels

06:45 - Weekly review of returns

15:04 - Niels: Has your opinion of cryptocurrencies changed since the launch of the new Bitcoin futures ETF was announced?

20:04 - Q1; Adam: What is your advice for scaling into positions?

28:18 - Q2; Brendan: Do Bitcoin cash-settled futures create a synthetic Bitcoin supply?

36:08 - How should futures traders approach climate change?

49:03 - Choosing which markets to trade

01:04:05 - Q3 & Q4; Michael: What are the benefits and drawbacks to trading single stocks? How do you come up with new ideas?

01:16:45 - Factor investing and thoughts on longer-term momentum strategies

01:21:46 - Benchmark performance update

01:23:02 - Next week, special guest Hari Krishnan joins us on the show

Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved

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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

Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

Today Jason Buck is joined by Noel Smith in the second of our series on Volatility. Topics discussed include: the benefits of ensemble investing, the predictability of market volatility, how certain market environments fool investors into thinking they are better than they really are, allocating between different strategies during different market environments, why nothing beats having ‘skin in the game’, balancing judgement calls versus algorithmic calls, pairs-trading VIX & bonds, determining when an asset is cheap or overpriced, and some thoughts on what might happen if markets enter a ‘stagflationary’ environment.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• Ensemble investing and its benefits
• Whether market volatility can be predicted ahead of time
• The ways in which the markets can catch investors off-guard
• ‘Dialling’ into and out of strategies
• How Noel’s experience in prop trading and pit trading has helped him today
• Finding the balance between judgement calls and algorithmic signals
• Noel’s VIX and bonds pairs trade
• Assessing the current real value of an asset
• How to approach investing during a ‘stagflationary’ environment

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 Jason on Twitter.

Follow Noel on Twitter, LinkedIn, and via his website.

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Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:06 - Why should somebody add volatility strategies into their portfolio?

03:20 - Do you think that volatility is quite predictable around benign market periods?

04:12 - How do you apply your prop trading background to volatility strategies in general?

05:13 - Did the days of pit trading leaving a big impression on you?

06:28 - Why use ensembles?

07:33 - How do you allocate between strategies during different macro environments?

09:37 - How do you balance judgement calls versus algorithmic calls?

11:38 - How do you think about the timing of adding and removing volatility protection?

15:01 - Where did you come with the idea to pairs trade VIX and bonds?

19:28 - Is there a volatility risk premium?

21:14 - Tell us a little more about your ‘vol-arb’ strategy?

26:28 - How are you determining if something is cheap or overpriced?

27:53 - Do you put more weight on liquidity flow data as opposed to other fundamental data?

30:32 - Can you describe your ‘dispersion’ strategy and elaborate on dispersion trades for those who haven’t heard them?

34:30 - Can you describe your ‘dispersion’ strategy and elaborate on dispersion trades for those who haven’t heard them?

39:33 - How do you think about past, present and future volatility?

41:46 - How do you approach correlations across different timeframes?

43:24 - Dispersion trades seem to go in and out of fashion, do you feel that your strategies run dispersion trades when they’re popular only?

46:38 - Do you dial into and out of strategies rather than switching allocations?

48:11 - Tell us more about the ‘bond vol-arb’ strategy

51:01 - Tell us more about the ‘macro-bats’ strategy

57:42 - What do you think will happen if markets enter a stagflationary environment?

01:03:39 - How would you combine your ensemble investments into a wider portfolio?

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

This week, Richard Brennan joins us on the show to discuss how people can benefit from the effects of compounding while others end up a paying a price for it. We also cover some thoughts on ‘path dependency,' why those invested in stocks should diversify using Trend Following strategies, why stable returns can only be correctly judged over long time periods, how to analyse fund performance without being influenced by the effects of compounding, some thoughts on what is known as ‘geometric returns’, and we explain the term ‘ergodicity’.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to stay on the right side of the effects of compounding
• How many strategies can be limited by the make-up of their previous versions
• The profitable & negative correlation of Trend Following to equities when stocks are falling
• The need to zoom-out when judging performance
• The terms 'ergodicity' and 'path dependency'

-----

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 Rich on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:37 – A Thank you to Shane, our website developer, for his great work in creating the new Top Traders Unplugged website. We hope you all enjoy the new user interface

02:09 – A huge thank you to listeners of the show, such as Dave W, for leaving your 5-star reviews on iTunes, and feel free to share this link with 3 of your like-minded friends:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

03:02 – Macro recap from Niels

04:34 – Weekly review of performance

12:04 – Making money to make money, and some insights on the compounding returns

40:50 – How to judge different strategies accurately 

44:04 – Explaining the term ‘ergodicity’

52:17 – The diversifying features of Trend Following and their negative correlation to stocks during market downturns

01:01:24 – Benchmark performance update

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

Today Jason Buck is joined by Hari Krishnan in the first of our series on Volatility. Topics discussed include: the benefits of adding volatility strategies to your portfolio, why it can pay to avoid hedging when the crowd is already doing so, explaining the 'Put slingshot', how markets are different today from decades ago, protection against tail-risk, the psychology behind large markets sell-offs, and some thoughts on the effects of leverage on the markets.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• The benefits of tail-risk hedges / adding volatility hedges to your portfolio
• The importance of avoiding group think (in hedging)
• Some thoughts on what is known as the ‘Put slingshot’
• The new nature of stock market movements
• The repricing of risk during fast downturns
• Tail-risk protection versus Trend Following
• How tail-risk protection can complement an existing allocation to Trend Following
• Some of the psychology and mechanisms behind large and sharp market moves
• How positioning and leverage end up creating challenging markets to trade in

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 Jason on Twitter.

Follow Hari on Twitter.

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Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:59 - Why should somebody include volatility or tail risk into their portfolio?

04:35 - Do you think rolling option puts is a good hedging strategy?

07:47 - The tradeoffs between near-term and long-term option pricing

09:03 - Can you explain the differences between ‘Gamma’ and ‘Vega’ options profiles?

10:15 - What are your thoughts on rolling options?

15:05 - How do you think about the timing of adding and removing volatility protection?

18:27 - In your book you mention the ‘Sombrero Trade’, can you describe what this is?

21:54 - How risk becomes repriced during sharp selloffs

25:04 - Does tail-risk protection help long-term Trend Followers?

25:04 - Are you looking out for inflection points such as in March 2020, where everybody ran for the exits at the same time?

43:15 - What are your thoughts on the huge amounts of passive inflows to the markets and the inelasticity it creates?

49:08 - What about the those who say the Federal Reserve (the ‘Fed put’) is the ultimate protection and therefore no other protection is needed?

54:10 - How do you think about those funds who use ‘vol targeting’?

01:01:12 - How do you think about ETFs when it comes to ‘whales’ positioning?

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

This week, Mark Rzepczynski joins us to discuss the Bitcoin ETF and the increasing likeliness that it won’t be banned by the US government, the need for money managers to convey good stories in order to simplify their processes to clients, why having a long track record of success, with one or two scars, is better than a perfect recent history, how Trend Following has been so successful over 6 decades, and how a non-secretive strategy like Trend Following compares to private equity strategies.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• The future of Bitcoin
• How money managers can explain their approaches simply to clients
• Long, successful, but bumpy track records versus recent strong performers
• Trend Following's incredible success over 6 decades
• The private equity world compared with systematic investing

-----

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 Mark on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:54 – A big thank you to listeners of the show for leaving your 5-star reviews on iTunes, and feel free to share our link with 3 of your like-minded friends:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

02:49 – Macro recap from Niels

04:52 – Weekly review of performance

12:33 – Why storylines and narratives matter

52:42 – How effectively communicating what we do can be a challenge in any industry

55:54 – The strategies that tend that lend themselves easier to good narratives

01:06:55 – Some thoughts on the likelihood of upcoming stagflation

01:13:01 – Benchmark performance update

01:14:28 – Announcement of new and updated version of the Top Traders Unplugged website which is on the way, as well as a new series on the topic of volatility, hosted by recent guest, Jason Buck

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

We’re joined today by Moritz Seibert to answer some of the hardest questions in the Turtle Trader entrance exam, as well as discuss the new Bitcoin futures ETF, the drive towards ESG investments and how this affects global supply chains, the years’ top performers so far in our Trend Following systems, whether we can predict if a winning streak is about to end, why Bitcoin is often compared to gold, and whether crypto assets are more suited to shorter-term strategies.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• The hardest questions in the Turtle Trading entrance exam
• The SECs' approval of the first-ever Bitcoin futures ETF
• How the move toward sustainable investments is affecting current supply chains
• Our best performing assets of the year so far
• How Bitcoin compares to Gold and if this is a fair comparison
• Which timeframe of Trend Following is best suited for crypto

-----

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 Moritz on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:25 - A huge thank you to our listeners who gave us a 5-star review on iTunes & Apple Podcasts

02:59 - Macro recap from Niels

05:51 - Weekly review of returns

11:00 - Niels: What’s been the year-to-date standout winner for you?

12:40 - Niels: How much of your performance has come from crypto, compared to other non—classical Trend Following assets?

24:45 - Niels: It takes money to money, true or false?

29:45 - Niels: After a big profit, the next trend following trade is more likely to be a loss, true or false?

33:21 - Niels: Trading stocks is similar to trading commodities, true or false?

34:32 - Niels: Volume and open interest are as important as price action, true or false?

36:16 - Niels: A trader should be willing to let profits turn into losses, true or false?

37:14 - Niels: It helps to have the fundamentals in your favour before you initiate a trade, true or false?

38:48 - Niels: It’s better to be an expert in one market, rather than try to trade ten or more markets, true or false?

40:10 - Niels: It’s important to know what success in trading will do for you later in life, true or false?

40:56 - Niels: A gap-up is a good place to initiate, if an uptrend has started, true or false?

42:07 - Niels: All speculators die broke, true or false?

43:05 - Thoughts on the new Pro Shares Bitcoin ETF launching soon

45:58 - Niels: How did your model react to the recent crypto fall in prices, and do you think crypto assets are more suited to shorter-term trend following strategies?

45:58 - Niels: How do you think the average crypto expert views the global macro landscape?

55:58 - The drive towards ESG investing and its knock-on effects to current supply chains

01:15:12 - Benchmark performance update

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

Jerry Parker joins us for a very special episode today, where we invite him to answer the original interview questions from Richard Dennis’s famous Turtle Trader program. This is a fascinating insight into the world of Trend Following, and one which allows us to see whether Jerry has changed his opinions since working Richard Dennis, as well as explain some of his reasons for the answers chosen today. We’ve posted the questions in the timestamps below, so feel free to take the test and compare your answers to Jerry’s.

Also check out my interview with Turtle Trading legendary mentor Richard Dennis here.

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• Favouring long or short positions
• How you can go broke taking small profits
• Reasons to ‘fade the fundamentals’
• The importance of down-time and vacations
• Whether we can rely on opinions of the crowd
• System diversification
• Why you should trade small
• The questions that Jerry would add to the Turtle Trader test today
• Avoiding trades due to gaps in price

-----

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 Jerry on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - A huge thank you to our listeners for leaving your 5-star reviews in iTunes, and please share this podcast with a like-minded friend:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

02:19 - I share a hugely important story to my family, as we mark the 10-year anniversary of my son's Sudden Cardiac Arrest and our KidsHeart charity welcomes your support. For further information, contact us via: [email protected] 

08:17 - Weekly review of returns

12:00 - Jerry retakes the Original Entrance Exam for the Turtle Program:

13:08 - Question 1: One should favour long or short positions. Is that true or false?

14:56 - Question 2: One should know precisely when to liquidate if a profit occurs. True or false?

14:56 - Question 3: One should trade the same number of contracts in all markets. True or false?

16:08 - Question 4: If one has £100,000 to trade, one ought to risk £25,000 on every trade. True or false?

16:26 - Question 5: On initiation, one should know precisely where to liquidate if a loss occurs. True or false?

16:34 - Question 6: On initiation, one should know precisely where to liquidate if a loss occurs. True or false?

17:02 - Question 7: It helps to have the fundamentals in your favour before you initiate. True or false?

17:26 - Question 8: A gap up is a good place to initiate if an uptrend has started. True or false?

17:52 - Question 9: If you anticipate buy stops in the market, wait until they are finished, and buy a little higher than that. True or false?

19:29 - Question 10: Out of our 3 types of orders, market orders, stop orders, and resting, market orders cause the least skid. True or false?

20:34 - Question 11: The more bullish news you hear, and the more people going long, the less likely an uptrend is to continue after a substantial uptrend. True or false?

21:02 - Question 12: The majority of traders are always wrong. True or false?

21:29 - Question 13: Trading bigger is an overall handicap on one’s trading performance. True or false?

21:57 - Question 14: Larger traders can muscle markets to their advantage. True or false?

22:15 - Question 15: Vacations are important for traders to keep the proper perspective. True or false?

23:16 - Question 16: Under-trading is almost never a problem. True or false?

23:47 - Question 17: Ideally, average profits should be about 3 or 4 times average losers . True or false?

24:07 - Question 18: Traders should be willing to let winners turn into losses . True or false?

24:45 - Question 19: A very high percentage of trades should be profits. True or false?

25:02 - Question 20: A trader should like to take losses. True or false?

25:53 - Question 21: It is especially relevant when the market is higher than it’s been in 4 and 13 weeks. True or false?

26:19 - Question 22: Needing and wanting money are good motivators for good trading. True or false?

26:36 - Question 23: Ones natural inclinations are good guides to decision making in trading. True or false?

28:01 - Question 24: Luck is an ingredient for successful trading in the long run. True or false?

28:46 - Question 25: When you’re Long, limit up is a good place to take a profit. True or false?

29:16 - Question 26: It takes money to make money. True or false?

30:21 - Question 27: It’s good to follow hunches in trading. True or false?

30:32 - Question 28: There are players in each market one should not trade against. True or false?

30:49 - Question 29: All speculators die broke. True or false?

31:51 - Question 30: The market can be understood better through social psychology rather than economics. True or false?

32:36 - Question 31: Taking a loss should be a difficult decision for traders. True or false?

32:55 - Question 32: After a big profit the next Trend Following trade is likely to be a loss. True or false?

33:32 - Question 33: Trends are not likely to persist. True or false?

34:55 - Question 34: Almost all information about a commodity is at least a little useful in helping to make decisions. True or false?

35:39 - Question 35: It’s better to be an expert in one market rather than try to trade 10 or more markets. True or false?

36:20 - Question 36: In a winning streak, total risk should rise dramatically. True or false?

36:57 - Question 37: Trading stocks is similar to trading commodities. True or false?

38:04 - Question 38: It’s important to know how much you are ahead or behind during a trading session. True or false?

38:33 - Question 39: A losing month is an indication of doing something wrong. True or false?

38:47 - Question 40: A losing week is an indication of doing something wrong. True or false?

38:55 - Question 41: The big money in trading is made when one can get long at the lows after a big downtrend. True or false?

39:10 - Question 42: It’s good to average down when buying. True or false?

39:28 - Question 43: After a long trend, the market requires more consolidation before a new trend starts. True or false?

40:43 - Question 44: It’s important to know what to do if trading commodities doesn’t succeed. True or false?

41:44 - Question 45: It’s not helpful to watch every quote in the market one trades. True or false?

42:32 - Question 46: It’s a good idea to put on or take a position all at once. True or false?

42:49 - Question 47: Diversification in commodities is always better than being in one or two markets. True or false?

43:07 - Question 48: If today’s profit or loss makes a significant difference to your net worth you’re over-trading. True or false?

43:40 - Question 49: A trader learns more from his losses than from his profits. True or false?

44:32 - Question 50: Except for commission and brokerage fees, execution costs for entering orders are minimal over the course of a year. True or false?

45:03 - Question 51: It’s easier to trade well than to trade poorly. True or false?

45:25 - Question 52: It’s important to know what success in trading will do for you later in life. True or false?

46:10 - Question 53: Uptrends end when everyone gets bearish. True or false?

46:25 - Question 54: The more bullish news you hear, the less likely a market is break out to the upside. True or false?

47:11 - Question 55: For an off-floor trader, a long-term trade ought to last 3 or 4 weeks or less. True or false?

47:40 - Question 56: Others opinions of the markets are good to follow. True or false?

47:49 - Question 57: Volume and open interest are as important as price action. True or false?

48:39 - Question 58: Daily strength and weakness is a good guide for liquidating long term positions with big profits. True or false?

49:28 - Question 59: Off-floor traders should spread different markets of different market groups. True or false?

49:48 - Question 60: The more people going long, the less likely an uptrend is to continue in the beginning of a trend. True or false?

50:11 - Question 61: Off-floor traders should not spread the same delivery month across different commodities. True or false?

50:20 - Question 62: Buying dips and selling rallies is a good strategy. True or false?

51:24 - Question 63: It’s important to take a profit most of the time. True or false?

52:04 - Niels: What one or two questions would you add to this test today?

55:53 - Jerry’s score results

55:57 - Benchmark performance update

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

Rob Carver returns to the show today to discuss the varying performances among CTAs during the notable market moves of the last few weeks, how to decide whether one system is better or worse than another, spread betting as part of a diversified portfolio, raising initial capital when starting a new firm, some thoughts on the US debt ceiling & its proposed '1 trillion dollar' coin, and how to safely improve your system while still adhering to its rules.

-----

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why returns dispersion among CTAs is higher than ever recently
• How to gauge a system's long-term effectiveness
• Spread betting in the UK as an alternative to futures
• How to raise AUM when starting a new firm
• The US debt ceiling and its proposed '1 trillion dollar' coin
• Adding parameters to a system

-----

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 Rob on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:11 - Feel free to share this podcast with like-minded friends using this link:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

03:03 - Macro recap from Niels

05:43 - Weekly review of returns

12:49 - How different types of CTAs have performed during the market moves of the last few weeks

21:14 - How to decide whether a system is better or worse than another system

26:11 - Q1; Matt: Has Rob ever considered using SpreadBetting to build a diversified portfolio instead of futures?

34:24 - Q2; Joel: How much investor money would you need if you were to start a firm today, and where would you find these investors?

38:23 - Thoughts on the US debt ceiling and the ‘platinum coin’ (check out this funny video by YouTube creator Remy)

46:58 - Rob’s new system adjustment which places constraints on positions based on leverage

55:56 - Some information on Rob Carver’s new book which is due to be released late 2022

59:36 - Benchmark performance update

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

Richard Brennan joins us today to discuss the stabilising effect that a healthy allocation to Trend Following can have on a portfolio, how to achieve compounded wealth in the long-term with systematic investing, how Trend Following strategies can thrive in both crisis periods as well as good times, some thoughts on data distribution and ‘skewness’, how to effectively communicate the benefits of Trend Following to investors, and the art of ‘embracing uncertainty’ in order to maximise returns.

-----

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• How adding Trend Following to a portfolio can smoothen positive returns
• Compounding wealth as a systematic investor
• How Trend Following can profit during good times and bad times
• Data distribution, 'skewness', 'convexity', 'kurtosis' and which ones to focus on
• How investment terms can often create communication barriers
• Embracing the uncertain nature of markets in order to maximise profits

-----

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 Rich on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:49 – A huge thank you to listeners of the show for leaving your 5-star reviews on iTunes, and feel free to share this link with 3 of your like-minded friends:

https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

02:25 – Macro recap from Niels

04:10 – Weekly review of performance

11:35 – Knowing what to look for in a talented investment manager

19:58 – Discussion on the topic of ‘skew’

42:44 – How the term ‘skew’ relates to other terms such as ‘convexity’ & ‘kurtosis’ and which terms are the most important for investors to focus on

56:33 – Some thoughts on what is referred to as ‘path dependency’

01:01:03 – How Trend Following can positively influence an investment portfolio

01:02:57 – Benchmark performance update

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

Mark Rzepczynski joins us today to discuss why people are as important as processes when investors are choosing funds, the factors that can predict future performance of a fund manager, how Trend Following often performs best when markets are highly correlated, some thoughts on portfolio construction and the various ways to measure risk, the importance of having a strong narrative when communicating what you do to allocators, the infamous ‘bandwagon effect’ among investors, how current AUM can often affect an investors decision to choose a fund, how capital allocators can improve their due diligence with Trend Following funds, and why investors like firms made up of a strong team rather than a strong single player.

You can find Mark’s latest writings here.

-----

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• How people appeal more to investors than trading systems alone
• How to spot future star performers in advance
• Unconventional approaches to market correlations
• The importance of communication and presentation skills when communicating to clients
• Why investors tend to copy their peers
• Whether fund size matters to capital allocators
• How strong teams are usually more sought after by institutional investors than single players

-----

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 Mark on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 – Intro

03:08 – A huge thank you to listeners of the show for leaving your 5-star reviews on iTunes, and feel free to share our link with 3 of your like-minded friends: https://top-traders-unplugged.captivate.fm/listen

04:28 – Macro recap from Niels

06:15 – Weekly review of performance

11:21 – Q1, Q2 & Q3; Brett: Do you group your futures contracts into ‘risk buckets’ (sectors/groups), and give a max exposure to each ‘risk bucket’? Do you apply ‘risk-to-stop’ measures on particular types of asset class or only on the whole portfolio? How do you avoid overweighting your system toward currencies, considering the fact there are so many currency pairs to trade?

27:25 – Discussion on the key drivers for manager selection, inspired by a paper co-authored with Mark, which will be released soon

57:02 – How important consultations are in the capital allocation process

01:26:59 – Benchmark performance update

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