SI366: The Strategy Didn’t Fail. The Investors Did. ft. Rob Carver

Rob Carver is back from summer break for a conversation that moves between past and present through the lens of lived experience. Starting with the anniversary of Lehman’s collapse, Rob and Niels unpack why strong performance often coexists with poor investor outcomes - and how timing, not strategy, remains the silent killer. They question the recent push into trend by asset management giants, weigh whether CTA underperformance marks a structural shift or a familiar cycle, and examine what the data can and can’t tell us when conviction fades. If there’s a theme this week, it’s simple: knowing what works is not the same as using it well.

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Episode TimeStamps:

01:14 - What has been on our radar recently?

12:09 - Industry performance update

19:23 - Q1, John: What are your recommendations for adapting a continuous forecast-based position sizing for a cash-only portfolio?

23:15 - Q2, Absolute: Is short/long symmetry optimal for a strategy in which the price of the traded instruments is measured in units (fiat currencies) that are inflated (devalued)?

30:19 - Q3, Lin: Got any ideas for trading a crypto portfolio?

32:04 - Why investors are losing money on 42% gain ETFs

39:50 - The difference between percentage return and cash return

43:24 - Debunking the persistent score card

46:19 - How the world has changed for CTAs

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