SI143: How Decentralised Is Bitcoin? ft. Eric Crittenden

Special guest Eric Crittenden returns to the show today to discuss the fallacies of the typical 60/40 portfolio, the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to begin tightening fiscal policy, Eric’s last appearance on the show which was at the March 2020 stock market bottom, different speeds of Trend Following, why stable returns doesn’t always equate to low risk, the difficulty in being comfortable with doing the opposite of what we’re wired to do, how managed futures can help investor’s portfolios, negative interest rates and flight out of fixed income, what could Trend Following bring to the crypto space, and changing the narrative around Trend Following.

-----

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

In this episode, we discuss:

• The misconceptions around the safety & profitability of a typical 60/40 portfolio
• The recent Federal Reserve decision to tighten fiscal policy
• Eric's last appearance on the show, which was at the exact bottom of the 2020 market crash
• The varying speeds of Trend Following
• Why low-volatility returns may not mean that a strategy isn't risky
• Overcoming behavioural biases
• Managed futures as a great benefit to investor's portfolios
• The flight out of fixed income
• Why crypto investors could benefit from Trend Following
• Changing the narrative around Trend Following

-----

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.com

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.

Episode TimeStamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:59 - Macro recap from Niels

03:22 - Weekly review of returns

10:41 - What could Trend Following bring to the crypto space?

16:36 - How can CTAs change the narrative around investing so that they are included in the picture at all times, instead of just when investors are panicking?

24:50 - Q1; Leonie: What goals can I set as an independent Trend Following trader?

30:13 - Q2, Q3 & Q4; James: How do you size positions across different speeds of systems? How much in percentage terms should a retail investor allocate to Trend Following strategies? Can you recommend a CTA comparison website?

33:16 - Q5; Jacob & Sam: Can Bitcoin futures be traded safely even though you can’t trade them over the weekend?

36:30 - Trend Following reframed for better understanding

48:04 - Trend Following misunderstood

59:48 - Why Trend Following on only a single asset class often leads to failure

01:04:17 - Economic and social similarities between today and the 1960s

01:07:37 - The fallacies of the typical 60/40 portfolio

01:16:54 - How managed futures can help portfolios

01:23:16 - 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