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

April 04, 2021 134 Systematic Investor Series ft Jerry Parker – April 4th, 2021
Jerry Parker is 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.
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
March 29, 2021 133 Systematic Investor Series ft Rob Carver – March 29th, 2021
Rob Carver joins us today to discuss whether it’s a good idea to adjust your strategy during different periods of volatility, Bitcoin’s expected role as an inflation-hedge, whether commodities are more suited to shorter-term trading than other markets, the NFT frenzy & its credibility as an investment asset, volume analysis and whether it can be play worthwhile part in a Trend Following system, and why volatility may not be a good measure of risk.
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
March 29, 2021SI133: Volatility Targeting ft. Rob Carver
Rob Carver joins us today to discuss whether it’s a good idea to adjust your strategy during different periods of volatility, Bitcoin’s expected role as an inflation-hedge, whether commodities are more suited to shorter-term trading than other markets, the NFT frenzy & its credibility as an investment asset, volume analysis and whether it can be play worthwhile part in a Trend Following system, and why volatility may not be a good measure of risk.
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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 case for and against Volatility Targeting
Whether Bitcoin can offset any risks from a high-inflationary environment
Whether commodities can be suitable for long-term strategies
The credibility of NFTs as an asset class
Volume analysis as a trading signal
Volatility as a measure of risk

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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
02:24 – Macro recap from Niels
04:17 – Weekly review of performance
31:32 – Q1; Dennis: How can a retail trader with limited capital access the commodity markets?
41:47 - Q2; Dennis: How would you deal with big intraday volatility such as in 2020?
51:02 - Q3; Cat: Is volume analysis overrated?
56:16 - Q4; Gustavo: Why should we be worried about volatility if it is going our way?
01:05:52 - Q5; Emra: How often should you recalibrate your system? Why do you recommend not locking in profits early, after unusually sharp portfolio increases?
01:16:08 – Benchmark performance update
01:12:25 – Recommended listening or reading this week: Howard Marks’ latest memo
01:27:35 – Recommended listening or reading this week: MacroVoices Podcast featuring Juliette Declercq
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 21, 2021 132 Systematic Investor Series ft Mark Rzepczynski – March 21st, 2021
Mark Rzepczynski joins us today to discuss Jerome Powell’s recent speech and how central banks can often confuse markets, the potential of Artificial Intelligence in systematic investing, whether or not holding government bonds is a good idea, the recent rise in interest rates and what it means for the stock market, the relationship between correlations and volatility, why policy makers should avoid trying to engineer future expectations, how recency-bias affects our decision making, complexity versus complicatedness, robotic systematic investing versus human discretionary investing, how to tell the difference between a systematic and discretionary trader by looking at returns only, and why ‘low-cost’ funds can often end up being more expensive than normal.
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 29 min
March 21, 2021SI132: Overcoming Recency Bias for Better Decision Making ft. Mark Rzepcyznski
Mark Rzepczynski joins us today to discuss Jerome Powell’s recent speech and how central banks can often confuse markets, the potential of Artificial Intelligence in systematic investing, whether or not holding government bonds is a good idea, the recent rise in interest rates and what it means for the stock market, the relationship between correlations and volatility, why policy makers should avoid trying to engineer future expectations, how recency-bias affects our decision making, complexity versus complicatedness, robotic systematic investing versus human discretionary investing, how to tell the difference between a systematic and discretionary trader by looking at returns only, and why ‘low-cost’ funds can often end up being more expensive than normal.
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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:
Whether artificial intelligence has a place in systematic investing
Interest rates and their effects on the trading markets
How correlations can increase volatility
The benefits of a more 'hands-off' approach to policy-making
The common perils of 'recency bias'
Spotting a discretionary trader just by looking at returns
The hidden costs behind supposed 'low cost' funds

-----

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
03:14 – Macro recap from Niels
06:36 – Weekly review of performance
57:46 – Q1; Mike: How useful do you find capture ratios when analysing performance?
1:08:29 – Q2; Andy: What do you think about utilising a CTA or Trend Following ETF?
1:14:42 – Q3; Craig: Do you think CTAs are missing out by not trading small-cap crypto, and do you think they will eventually?
01:24:03 – Benchmark performance update
01:12:25 – Recommended listening or reading this week: Howard Marks’ latest memo
01:25:25 – Recommended listening or reading this week: MacroVoices Podcast featuring Juliette Declercq
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 29 min
March 14, 2021SI131: Winning Big During An Inflationary Environment ft. Moritz Seibert
Moritz Seibert returns to the show today to discuss the challenges of managing large amounts of cash in a high-inflationary environment, the importance of maintaining a healthy attitude during long winning-streaks, the resurgence & resilience of the GameStop short-squeeze, Bitcoin reaching $60,000, the importance of prioritising process over outcome, the new VIX ETFs for Bitcoin & Ethereum, and whether or not Gold is a safe long-term investment.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
Smart ways to manage cash during periods of high inflation
Staying humble during long winning periods
The GameStop short-squeeze
New volatility-based ETFs for Cryptocurrencies
Why analysing the outcome instead of the process may prove costly in the long run
Can we still 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
01:33 - Macro recap from Niels
04:45 - Weekly review of performance
32:56 - Q1; Daniel: How much do you risk per trade?
48:32 - Q2; Karl: When using moving average crossovers, how do you get back into a trade you were quickly stopped out of?
53:25 - Q3; Mark: Why should I place short trades if my backtest says long trades are more profitable? Have you looked at synthetic data, going back over 200 years?
01:02:58 - Benchmark performance update
01:03:52 - Recommended listening or reading this week: Macro Voices Podcast ft Diego Parilla
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 10 min
March 14, 2021 131 Systematic Investor Series ft Moritz Seibert – March 14th, 2021
Moritz Seibert returns to the show today to discuss the challenges of managing large amounts of cash in a high-inflationary environment, the importance of maintaining a healthy attitude during long winning-streaks, the resurgence & resilience of the GameStop short-squeeze, Bitcoin reaching $60,000, the importance of prioritising process over outcome, the new VIX ETFs for Bitcoin & Ethereum, and whether or not Gold is a safe long-term investment.
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 10 min
March 07, 2021 130 Systematic Investor Series ft Jerry Parker & Rob Carver – March 7th, 2021
We have a special episode for you today featuring Turtle Trading legend Jerry Parker and renown Systematic Investor Robert Carver, who debate the topic of Volatility Targeting and how actively one should manage open trade equity risk. We also discuss the benefits of ‘Hybrid Trend Following’ versus classical Trend Following, breakouts & moving averages versus other trend indicators, whether the 2020 market crash should have caused systematic investors to update their strategies, and if short positions should still have a place in today’s Trend Following portfolios.
Check out the episode that sparked today’s debate 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 24 min
March 07, 2021SI130: Volatility-Targeting: The Big Debate ft. Jerry Parker & Rob Carver
We have a special episode for you today featuring Turtle Trading legend Jerry Parker and renown Systematic Investor Robert Carver, who debate the topic of Volatility Targeting and how actively one should manage open trade equity risk. We also discuss the benefits of ‘Hybrid Trend Following’ versus classical Trend Following, breakouts & moving averages versus other trend indicators, whether the 2020 market crash should have caused systematic investors to update their strategies, and if short positions should still have a place in today’s Trend Following portfolios.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
The level of active-management that should be involved in controlling open trade equity risk
The benefits and drawbacks of volatility-targeting
Modern Trend Following methods compared to classical Trend Following
The 2020 ‘Covid Crash’ and its possible long-term effects on systematic investing
How important are short positions in a rules-based portfolio?

-----

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.
Follow Rob on Twitter.
Episode TimeStamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:45 – Macro recap from Niels
03:33 – Weekly review of performance
10:10 – Jerry Parker vs Rob Carver debate
53:13 – Q1; Michael: Why do you prefer breakouts & moving average cross-overs to other signals?
56:58 – Q2; Rene: Do have preferred methods for measuring trend strength?
01:05:14 – Q3, Q4, Q5 & Q6: Doogie; How can retail investors in the UK gain access to different CTA funds? Do you trade pair spreads? Why doesn’t Rob trade Bitcoin futures yet? Are Trend Following & Market Making returns correlated?
01:09:44 – Q7, Q8 & Q9: Gustavo; How do you manage to transition from an old system to a new system? With a non-binary system, how do you reduce multi-month futures contracts? Do you adjust moving average signals according to recent volatility?
01:15:39 – Benchmark performance update
01:12:25 – Recommended listening or reading this week: The Anatomy of Bond ETF Arbitrage by the Bank of International Settlements, Pfizer's Abusive Vaccine Deals & Michael Goldstein on ‘Controlling The Bitcoin Rhetoric’
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 24 min
February 28, 2021SI129: Correlation & Volatility…and is holding bonds “Stupid”? ft. Mark Rzepczynski
We’re joined today by Mark Rzepczynski to discuss the return of the GameStop short-squeeze, Trend Following in a high interest-rate environment, the future of AI & machine learning in trading models, the case for including short positions in a portfolio, how to spot a commodity ‘super-cycle’, the different factors driving markets higher, why good news can often be bad news for markets, retail investors opening trades on the wrong ticker symbols, and why Trend Following tends to do better on the long-side.
-----
50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE
In this episode, we discuss:
If holding bonds "stupid"?
The problem of being an economic policy engineer
Why we have to make a distinguish between complicated and complex systems
The value of intuition - coup d'oeil and Clausewitz
Robot systematic versus human (discretionary) can you tell the difference? Is there a Turing test and " I Robot"
Correlation and volatility
The poor quality of forecasts - latest from currency markets
Due diligence and quality of managers.
Intraday trends – are they stable or unstable?

-----

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
01:46 – Macro recap from Niels
05:18 – Weekly review of performance
01:04:48 – Q1 & Q2; Plamen: Is there an official organisation that studies & publishes data about the CTA industry? Can you speak about the research process you follow and how you generate trade ideas?
01:10:49 – Benchmark performance update
01:12:25 – Recommended listening or reading this week: Howard Marks’ latest memo
01:14:34 – Announcement: Special episode next week featuring both Jerry Parker & Rob Carver
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 17 min