Top Traders Unplugged15 Aug 2025

SI361: The Four Faces of Trend Following ft. Richard Brennan

Richard Brennan joins Niels for a conversation that redefines how trend following is understood. Behind the shared language lie four distinct archetypes - each built around a different purpose. Richard walks through them with clarity, then unpacks the trade-offs: static sizing vs. vol targeting, symmetry vs. asymmetry, speed vs. patience. A real-world portfolio test drives the point home... some strategies don’t just prefer diversification, they depend on it. This episode is about design, but more than that, it’s about alignment. Because in a field crowded with performance metrics, the most important question often goes unasked: what exactly is this built to do?

-----

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

-----

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.

Follow Rich on Twitter.

Episode TimeStamps:

01:58 - ChatGPT5 is on fire

06:04 - The AI revolution could be the end of humanity

14:23 - Industry performance update

19:19 - An overview of what topics this episode will cover

21:23 - The decisions that really matter in trend following

27:10 - The 4 archetypes of trend following

34:05 - Its not about facts, its about objectives

40:09 - 1st debate: Diversification vs. concentration

48:52 - 2nd debate: Absolute momentum vs. cross-sectional momentum

50:21 - 3rd debate: Volatility targeting vs static small bits

54:02 - What trend followers sometimes get wrong about volatility and position sizing

57:48 - 4th debate: Symmetry vs asymmetry

01:02:00 - 5th debate: Speed of execution

01:08:01 - Why your approach to diversification is critical

01:18:36 - Brennan's preferences in market diversification

01:22:52 - Is ChatGPT5 actually a downgrade?

01:25:27 - What is up for next week?

----

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

Disclaimer

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(928)

OI22: Inside the Next Generation Market Wizards ft. Jack Schwager & George Coyle

What does it take to become a true Market Wizard, and why do so many of them fail before they find their edge? In this special episode, Moritz Seibert sits down with Jack Schwager and George Coyle to ...

7 Mai 45min

GM99: Gold, Trust, and the Return of Real Assets ft. Philip Diehl

Today, we are joined by Philip Diehl, former Director of the United States Mint and President of U.S. Money Reserve, for a timely conversation about gold’s renewed role in a world shaped by inflation,...

6 Mai 1h 5min

SI398: Navigating a VUCA World ft. Mark Rzepczynski

Today, we explore what it means to invest in a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). We discuss why geopolitical shocks... especially supply-driven ones... are cr...

2 Mai 1h 7min

IL48: The Misunderstood Economics of Africa ft. Joe Studwell

In this episode Kevin Coldiron is joined by bestselling author Joe Studwell who speaks about his new book How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World’s Last Development Frontier. We discuss why...

29 Apr 1h

SI397: The Market Isn’t Free Anymore, It’s Being Managed ft. Cem Karsan

Today Cem Karsan and Niels Kaastrup-Larsen examine a market environment where politics, geopolitics and liquidity are becoming harder to separate. Cem argues that recent market strength is not just a ...

25 Apr 1h 11min

UGO11: Fiscal Dominance, Dollar Power, and the Politics Driving Markets ft. Lyn Alden

Today, Cem Karsan sits down with Lyn Alden for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces quietly shaping markets beneath the surface. From the persistence of fiscal dominance to the role of populism, ...

22 Apr 1h 11min

SI396: Markets Look Calm… But Are They? ft. Rob Carver

Today, Rob Carver joins us to reflect on a market environment that appears calm on the surface but feels increasingly fragile underneath. From oil market distortions and muted reactions to geopolitica...

18 Apr 1h 20min

TTU152: Where is the Open? ft. Toby Crabel

Markets are not stable systems. They evolve, adapt, and quietly erode the edges traders rely on. In this episode, Toby Crabel reflects on decades of experience navigating that reality, from the early ...

15 Apr 1h 5min