Top Traders Unplugged

By Niels Kaastrup-LarsenBusiness News Investing Business News

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Typical duration
67 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Top Traders Unplugged episodes

May 09, 2021 139 Systematic Investor Series ft Moritz Seibert – May 9th, 2021
Moritz Seibert returns to the show today to discuss the Berkshire Hathaway annual general meeting, the possible raise in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, today’s great environment for Trend Following, the unpredictable nature of the markets and future trends, decentralised finance, increasing ESG requirements in the investment industry, the meteoric rise of Lumber prices, new and smaller Bitcoin futures contracts being listed on the CME, thoughts on Ethereum and Ethereum futures, and the possible advantages of being in a Trend Follower in the cryptocurrency space versus the buy & hold speculators.
If you would like to leave us a voicemail to play on the show, you can do so here.
Check out our Global Macro series here.
Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.
IT's TRUE
1 hr 5 min
May 03, 2021SI138: The 'Holy Trinity' of Security Selection ft. Rob Carver
We’re joined today by Rob Carver to discuss the process of selecting single stocks for a Trend Following system, Rob’s holy trinity of security selection, the JP Morgan-backed fund making huge bets, via options, on the market remaining quiet, the knock-on effects from funds who make large, risky bets, the sweet-spot for average holding periods in a Trend Following system, ‘caveman-style’ Trend Following versus scaling in and out of positions, how to hedge against inflation, how Trend Following historically has performed really well in rising interest-rate environments, and thoughts on Tesla’s recent earnings, a lot of which were from government subsidies and selling bitcoin.
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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:
Which stocks to select for a profitable Trend Following system
Rob's 'Holy Trinity' for selecting securities
The ripple effects of large funds who make large and risky bets
The most profitable holding periods in Trend Following systems
'Caveman-style' Trend Following
How to hedge against inflation
Trend Following's success in rising interest-rate environments
Tesla's recent earnings

-----

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
01:36 - Macro recap from Niels
04:27 - Weekly review of returns
09:38 - Discussion on Tesla’s recent earnings
25:13 - Q1; Matt via the Top Traders Unplugged free voicemail service: How do you select single stocks as a Trend Follower?
35:02 - Q2; Alfred: Does backwardation lead to price rallies?
41:10 - The fund who are now nicknamed ‘Gamma Hammer’ for betting on tranquil markets
48:07 - Q3; Riccardo: What does Rob think about mean reversion strategies, and how they can be complimented with Trend Following? What are your thoughts on Systematic Macro strategies, and how do they compare with Trend Following?
57:16 - Q4; Michael: How long would it take to convert a system made in Microsoft Excel, to Python?
01:00:20 - Q5; James: What do you think about exiting winning trades in stages, rather than at once?
01:06:08 - Hedging against inflation
01:11:06 - 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
1 hr 14 min
May 03, 2021 138 Systematic Investor Series ft Rob Carver – May 3rd, 2021
We’re joined today by Rob Carver to discuss the process of selecting single stocks for a Trend Following system, Rob’s holy trinity of security selection, the JP Morgan-backed fund making huge bets, via options, on the market remaining quiet, the knock-on effects from funds who make large, risky bets, the sweet-spot for average holding periods in a Trend Following system, ‘caveman-style’ Trend Following versus scaling in and out of positions, how to hedge against inflation, how Trend Following historically has performed really well in rising interest-rate environments, and thoughts on Tesla’s recent earnings, a lot of which were from government subsidies and selling bitcoin.
Thanks to Matt for leaving us a voicemail. If you would like to leave us a voicemail to play on the show, you can do so here.
Check out our Global Macro series here.
Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.
IT's TRUE
1 hr 14 min
April 25, 2021 137 Systematic Investor Series ft Mark Rzepczynski – April 25th, 2021
Today, Mark Rzepczynski returns to the show to discuss how Trend Following allows investors to own more risky assets, Systematic Global Macro versus Trend Following, the process of how an investor digests new information, classical Trend Following versus modern Trend Following with AI methods, whether rock-star hedge funds such as ARK Invest can end up being too greedy when seeking AUM, why it can be a good idea to avoid timing the different exposures of your portfolio as much as possible, some of the possible reasons behind Dunn Capital’s successful near 50-year track record, and thoughts on position-sizing in relation to historic volatility.
You can find Mark’s latest writings here.
If you would like to leave us a voicemail to play on the show, you can do so here.
Check out our Global Macro series here.
Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.
IT's TRUE
1 hr 22 min
April 25, 2021SI137: Can AI Trading Be Better Than Classical Methods? ft. Mark Rzepczynski
Today, Mark Rzepczynski returns to the show to discuss how Trend Following allows investors to own more risky assets, Systematic Global Macro versus Trend Following, the process of how an investor digests new information, classical Trend Following versus modern Trend Following with AI methods, whether rock-star hedge funds such as ARK Invest can end up being too greedy when seeking AUM, why it can be a good idea to avoid timing the different exposures of your portfolio as much as possible, some of the possible reasons behind Dunn Capital’s successful near 50-year track record, and thoughts on position-sizing in relation to historic volatility.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
How a Trend Following approach allows safer access to risky markets
The differences between Systematic Trading based on macro data versus based on price-only
How a top trader should efficiently process new data
Modern AI-based Trend Following versus classical Trend Following
Whether the biggest hedge funds in the world fall victim of being too greedy for AUM
Why you should avoid 'timing the market'
The possible secrets of success behind Dunn Capital's near 50-year track record

-----

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
02:00 – Macro recap from Niels
08:46 – Weekly review of performance
13:28 – Swedish systematic macro-fund, IPM, closes after losing $4billion during the pandemic
28:37 – New style Trend Following with machine learning versus classical Trend Following
53:54 – Some of the reasons behind Dunn Capital’s successful near 50-year track record
01:05:03 – Q1 Raymond: What are some good methods for market selection, other than liquidity?
01:08:35 – Q2; Dirk: Have you found significant differences between volatility-based position-sizing and a one-size-fits-all approach?
01:17:10 – 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
1 hr 22 min
April 18, 2021 136 Systematic Investor Series ft Jerry Parker – April 18th, 2021
Jerry Parker returns to the show today to discuss the how investments can often turn into religions, the recent Coinbase IPO, using historical volatility for position sizing, comparing long-term trend following to Buy & Hold, ‘trend strength’ signals, how much of a portfolio should be allocated to Trend Following strategies, mean-reversion systems versus Trend Following systems, and thoughts on finding or adding to new positions.
If you would like to leave us a voicemail to play on the show, you can do so here.
Check out our Global Macro series here.
Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.
IT's TRUE
1 hr 12 min
April 18, 2021SI136: When Investments Become A Religion ft. Jerry Parker
Jerry Parker returns to the show today to discuss the how investments can often turn into religions, the recent Coinbase IPO, using historical volatility for position sizing, comparing long-term trend following to Buy & Hold, ‘trend strength’ signals, how much of a portfolio should be allocated to Trend Following strategies, mean-reversion systems versus Trend Following systems, and thoughts on finding or adding to new positions.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
The perils of becoming 'religious' about our investments
Coinbase's recent stock market listing
Position sizing using historical volatility
Buy & Hold versus Trend Following over long-term look back periods
Mean Reversion trading versus Trend-based trading
The infamous Top Traders Unplugged Trend Barometer

-----

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
01:36 - Macro recap from Niels
04:37 - Weekly review of returns
09:37 - A question for Jerry, from Mark: If Trend Following philosophy assumes the future is unknown, why is normal to use historical price data?
24:44 - ‘Trend Strength’ signals, what they are, and if you should use them
26:52 - Whether Trend Followers do actually make market predictions
35:49 - A question for Jerry from Jim: What are your thoughts on combining a Trend Following system with a mean-reversion system?
40:27 - Meb Faber’s recent poll on how much should be allocated to Trend Following
48:31 - Q1; Danny: How do you find new positions to trade?
53:09 - Q2; Mathew: How do you define a longer-term timeframe?
01:00:44 - Performance recap
01:01:50 - Jerry asks Niels to discuss the Top Traders Unplugged Trend Barometer
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 12 min
April 11, 2021SI135: WHY Trend Following is the Safest Investment Strategy ft. Moritz Seibert
Moritz Seibert joins us today to discuss the little-known hedge fund Archegos, who recently blew up and cost billions of dollars for large institutions such as Credit Suisse and Nomura. We also discuss whether cracks are beginning to show in the stock market, the bull market in commodities, opportunities for investing in Chinese commodity markets, the risks of trading in emerging markets, how to trade cryptocurrency futures, and combining Trend Following strategies with none-correlated strategies in the same system.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
Over-leveraged hedge funds showing little regard for risk
What stage of the bull market in stocks we might be in
The rise in commodity prices
Trading in the Chinese commodity markets
The possible risks of trading in emerging markets
Crypto futures and how they differ from more traditional futures markets
Trend Following combined with other investment strategies for a complete portfolio
call Gold a 'safe-haven' asset?

-----

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
02:19 - Macro recap from Niels
05:22 - Weekly review of returns
12:48 - Quant trading firms being ready to pounce on a possible upcoming commodity boom, especially in China
31:05 - The departure of some CTAs away from major exchanges, and the fund Archegos blowing up costing billions for major global banks
49:25 - Arbitraging bitcoin futures
01:00:45 - Q1; Jim: What are your thoughts on combining a Trend Following system with a mean-reversion system?
01:04:40 - Q2; John: Do you have any advice on which futures contract to trade and when to roll?
01:09:14 - Q3; Mark: If Trend Following philosophy assumes the future is unknown, why is normal to use historical price data?
01:14:45 - Performance recap
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 18 min
April 11, 2021 135 Systematic Investor Series ft Moritz Seibert – April 11th, 2021
Moritz Seibert joins us today to discuss the little-known hedge fund Archegos, who recently blew up and cost billions of dollars for large institutions such as Credit Suisse and Nomura. We also discuss whether cracks are beginning to show in the stock market, the bull market in commodities, opportunities for investing in Chinese commodity markets, the risks of trading in emerging markets, how to trade cryptocurrency futures, and combining Trend Following strategies with none-correlated strategies in the same system.
If you would like to leave us a voicemail to play on the show, you can do so here.
Check out our Global Macro series here.
Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.
IT's TRUE
1 hr 18 min
April 04, 2021SI134: Sticking with Short Positions ft. Jerry Parker
Jerry Parker is back on the show with us today to discuss why short positions are beneficial to a profitable trading strategy, the importance of not over-tweaking an already good system, the case for Trend Following as the dominant strategy in an investment portfolio, the amount of volatility that can be regarded as too risky, and Jerry calls out Niels for a future debate regarding the possible uses of multi-timeframe analysis.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
The reasons for avoiding a long-only trading system
Knowing when 'good enough' is good enough
Why investors may be allocating to Trend Following in the wrong amounts
When volatility equates to risk
Approaches to multi-timeframe analysis

-----

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
01:46 - Macro recap from Niels
04:34 - Weekly review of returns
46:37 - Q1; Marcus: What is Jerry’s approach to shorting stocks?
49:50 - Q2 & Q3; Nathaniel: Do you have any suggestions for reliable ‘predictors of return’? Do you recommend trading futures that are in backwardation?
57:16 - Q4; Nick: Are there advantages to trading markets that are unusually volatile?
01:00:07 - Performance recap
01:01:00 - Recommended listening or reading this week.
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