TTU11: Lessons From a Highly Educated Founder & Fund Manager ft. Mathias Bucher of AllMountainCapital – 1of2

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Dave Sanderson. In this episode we explore his trading program in detail, from the markets the firm trades to how they describe their program to investors. We also explore the challenges that he goes through as a business leader, dealing with drawdowns, and why optimism is so important to Dave.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Dave believes that QIM is a unique firm in a reasonably similar category as KFL Capital Management.How to describe Krystal to investors and why it can be a challenge.About the length of time it takes for Krystal to compute the data and make a decision.Why the breakthroughs in computational power are supporting KFL Capital Management to make their systems faster each year.The markets KFL trades.Expected drawdown and volatility Krystal expects.How Dave expects to deal with drawdown environments.Research cycles within KFL Capital Management and the potential for a second Krystal.About the 99.3% match rate between their live trading and back testing results.The biggest challenge for KFL Capital Management in today’s market.About the challenge of attracting AUM in the modern financial landscape.Asymmetry of agency and understanding how to focus on who you’re talking to.Regarding the difficulties of explaining machine learning and big data ideas.Commonalities in the highest level due diligence explorers.Entrepreneurial perspective, great books and an open minded perspective on failures.Why optimism is such a powerful force in today’s world.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:The Medallion Fund – Jim Simon’s Fund.The Innovators by Water Isaacson.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.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 <a href="mailto:info@toptradersunplugged.com%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

4 Joulu 20141h 14min

Our next guest on Top Traders Unplugged is the CEO and Co-Founder of KFL. In this episode we explore their trading strategy and uncover the fundamental differences between what they are doing that makes them so different from traditional alternative investment organizations.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Transitioning from commercial litigation to wholesale mutual fund vendingHow Dave Sanderson was exposed to alternative investments in the first placeThe convincing required to get top big data scientists to work on financial challengesThe comical story of how carefully big data scientist come to conclusionsWhat Dave Sanderson loves to do when he isn’t working directly on KFL Capital ManagementHow Dave Sanderson sees the deviation between machine learning and systematic tradingWhat it means to exist in a deluge of big dataHow Dave Sanderson and KFL perceive themselves and the usefulness of labelingIs machine learning a superior method than conventional approaches to trading?About the choice of Krystal as a name for their fundThe structuring challenges behind KFL Capital Management and why they are more like a tech firmThe focus for expanding KFL Capital ManagementAbout evolutionary computing and how KFL Capital Management grows with the marketsIs there an environment which would be optimal for Krystal?Is there an environment which would be severely challenging for Krystal?The use of non-parametric modeling and why this type of prediction takes KFL out of most conventional finance sector buckets-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Man AHL – Dave Sanderson’s initial exposure to alternative investment.Thomas K. Hunter – “He’s probably done more tech deals than anybody in Canada.”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 <a href="mailto:info@toptradersunplugged.com%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

1 Joulu 20141h 15min

In the second part of our interview with Bastian, we talk about the ins and outs of his trading program and how they came to create the current trading system that they run now. Niels talks with Bastian about drawdowns, risk management, and how investors should read and understand a manager’s track record. Listen in to find out more about Deep Field Capital and learn what it takes to be an successful emerging manager today.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About the 23 potential markets that Bastian trades, and which ones are actually traded.How he uses a “bus stop” metaphor to explain which markets get picked for trading.How he views risk and how he deals with risk management.If there are certain markets that are better performing for his strategies than others.What kinds of drawdowns he expects his strategy to go through.The three different types of investors that come in to his fund.What he learns from drawdowns when they happen.About the research and futures development that his firm conducts.What the biggest challenges are today for his business.What reason investors give for not investing in his fund.What question investors are not asking in their due diligence.If he was starting out today, the things he would have done differently.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.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 info@toptradersunplugged.comAnd 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 Bastian Bolesta on <a...

27 Marras 20141h 20min

The story of Deep Field Capital’s Founder and CEO is an interesting one. Bastian Bolesta met his future partners whilst spending a semester abroad in China before returning to Germany and then moving to Switzerland to join them. The team also moved from the discretionary trading space to a unique way of systematic trading. Deep Field is a relative newcomer to the industry as they don’t have a 20+ year track record, so our conversation has timely insights for those looking to start a firm and begin managing external client capital.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Bastian’s background and how he got interested in finance.How he grew up in Frankfurt and went to university there.What he learned from a semester abroad in China and why he returned there after graduating.How he met his future business parters and started their first business.How they went from the discretionary trading mindset to a systematic trading firm.How they came up with their initial trading ideas.The difference between discretionary and systematic traders.What he does when he’s not running his business.Pros and cons of trading external capital and how they started trading other people’s money.How Bastian looks at the industry as a young and vibrant firm (started after 2008) and offers a different perspective then those who have 20+ years in the industry.How he built the business from the ground up and how to grow a business smartly.How to convince investors that you can compete with larger managers.How regulation affects the business.The track record of their strategy and how investors should look at it.The details of their trading program, and why they work in “themes”.The allocation process for his program.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Bastian mentions this “Pick Me” moment from the movie Shrek.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 info@toptradersunplugged.comAnd please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an

24 Marras 20141h 23min

In our continued conversation with Roy Niederhoffer, we discuss risk management, drawdowns, why negative correlation is so important to Roy, and what gets him out of bed every morning (and what keeps him awake at night). Learn more about how to create a balanced and diversified portfolio or what it takes to be a manager.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:What has changed by the fact that more and more trading decisions are made by computers instead of humans.The issue of model decay in Roy’s field.Why he has constructed his trading program the way that he has.His ten-step process from idea generation to putting it into the system. The research process laid out.How his firm does research.How position sizing plays a role in the short term space.How he keeps model slippage to a minimum.Risk management and how Roy deals with it.When to use discretion to reduce risk.What he learns from going through a drawdown.How he keeps investors in the firm during a tough time.How he personally deals with drawdowns.How he measures the effectiveness of his research.If his risk tolerance went down once he had more money under management.What the biggest challenge is for Roy in the short term management space.What investors are not asking him during due diligence.What makes him go into work everyday.Books that Roy recommends reading for managers and investors.How the office environment affects how investors perceive a firm.About downside protection and negative correlation.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Roy mentions the Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.He recommends Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.Roy highly recommends Thinking, Fast and Slow.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...

20 Marras 20141h 23min

Roy Niederhoffer has a fascinating live story that starts with Harvard and neuroscience and continues into his starting a hedge fund in the short-term trading space in 1993. Roy discusses the exciting and bootstrapping beginnings of his firm, the cognitive biases that keep most humans from making good investment decisions, and how his firm stands out from other CTAs. Investors and managers alike will learn a wealth of information from this episode.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How Roy got interested in the financial markets from an interest in computers at a young age.How he started a company that had 30 employees by the end of his high school.How his brother was an early adopter in the Hedge Fund space.How he spent his undergraduate years studying neuroscience.Roy graduated from Harvard and was set to go to Cambridge for neuroscience until he worked for his brother for a summer.The story of how he started his firm and when he began trading in July 1993.How the human brain influences behavior and how that translates to trading.Cognitive biases and how to avoid them in the financial market.What Roy thinks of trend following and how to explain it to the public.The other investors he worked at in his first job out of college, that later became famous investors in their own right.Why Roy’s firm was “employing” a cook and a maid when they started the business in 1993.How he plays in a symphony and keeps up his pursuit of being a musician while running his firm at the same time.What he thinks about the future of the CTA industry.How his model works in an ecosystem of other portfolio management options.How they distinguish themselves from other CTAs.An overview of the strategies that his firm does today.How the infrastructure of the business is setup today and the unique opportunities of the short term space.What he looks for when adding people to his research team.The culture that he has created at the firm.What matters to him when investors look at the track record of his firm.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Learn more about Roy from his wikipedia article.Niels mentions that listeners should also check out the Top Traders Unplugged episodes with Kathryn Kaminsky.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 <a...

17 Marras 20141h 18min

In the second part of our conversation with the founder of Whitmore Capital Management, we learn the daily challenges, and lessons learned right from the founder and owner of a fledgling firm. We dive into discussions on risk management, drawdown, attracting outside capital, and much more.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How many currencies Mark trades and if he thinks he will trade more in the future.About how he diversifies his system.A case study of the Russian Ruble.His use of charts when looking at currencies.A discussion of cognitive biases.How he compares his system to trend following and how the two models can work in harmony.How he enters and exists a trade using his system.Why he is an “every end of two weeks” trader.How much capital he would like his strategy to manage and how much it can feasibly manage.How he defines risk and manages risk.How he deals with drawdowns as a fund manager.What he learns from going through drawdowns.How he goes about doing research for his strategy without a research team.How he sees red flags in his strategy and when he has changed his model.How Mark goes about marketing and getting interest from investors in his strategy and fund.How he plans to avoid becoming more risk averse as the firm grows.What he thinks about the “key man” issue and what he is doing to plan for the eventuality of leaving his business to someone else.How he decided the location of his business.What the hardest thing will be for him as he tries to grow the business.What investors should be asking him that they are not.What it takes to become a great trader in Mark’s view.What he learned from the baseball card market in the US during his university years.What he has learned from past failures.His favorite books and why he recommends them.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Mark has authored many white papers on currencies, including:Currency Investing: An Alpha-Rich EnvironmentHow to Invest When Both Stocks and Bonds are OverpricedThe Case for Currencies as an Asset Class Becomes StrongerBooks that Mark mentions and recommends:Winning The Loser’s GameThe Obstacle is The WayEconomics in One LessonThe Structure of Scientific RevolutionsFollow Niels on <a href="https://twitter.com/toptraderslive"...

13 Marras 20141h 23min

Our next guest started his firm back in 2012, and we’re talking to him at a special moment in the company’s evolution as it starts to gain outside capital and make its mark in the industry. Listen in to gain insights into how a manager started his firm in the current environment, the inside view on currencies as an asset class, and much more.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How Mark was interested in finance from a very early age and learned from his adoptive parents.About his time studying macroeconomics in college.The story of his career and how it took a windy series of turns before heading into the financial market.His time studying currencies when he was in law school and his time as lawyer.How he started getting into the financial markets by investing in stocks in the late 90s.How he quit his job as a lawyer and planned to go into the financial services sector.His ventures into the currency markets and why he considered them in the first place.How he started by managing his own money.What he sees in currencies as an asset class and how he describes that to investors.How the currency market has changed throughout the years.How he decided to launch his business in 2012 and how he got organized to take outside capital.How he built the organization and his business.What kind of organization he would like to grow into in the future.Why culture in a small company is a very important issue.How he looks at track record, being such a young company.How he created the models he uses for his strategy.The example of the Euro and what Mark predicts for the currency in 5 years.His thoughts on the Swiss Franc and the historical context of its value.The Singapore Dollar and how it is likened to the Swiss Franc.How many currencies he trades.How he thinks about diversification.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Mark mentions the book A Random Walk Down Wall Street in this episode.Mark has authored many white papers on currencies, including:Currency Investing: An Alpha-Rich EnvironmentHow to Invest When Both Stocks and Bonds are OverpricedThe Case for Currencies as an Asset Class Becomes StrongerFollow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or via the TTU website.IT’s TRUE ? –...

10 Marras 20141h 22min