Top Traders Unplugged

In this episode, Niels and Cem are joined by Peter Zeihan, author and Geopolitical strategist, to discuss the New World Order and World War III, how the Globalization has become a new battleground rather than a barrier to conflict, the role of technology in modern warfare, how the US were able to read Putin's emails and the impact of war on a national and global scale, the military and political power of China, America and Russia and the relationship between them and the rest of the world, how democracy is affected by the “age of emergency”, the financial aspects of war and crises, crypto as a potential economic asset and much more.-----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.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 Cem on Twitter.Follow Peter on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Intro04:15 - How we got to the brink of WW3?09:42 - The role of technology18:32 - The relationship with China28:25 - Submarines and the war in Ukraine40:38 - Age of emergency and the threat to Democracy47:58 - Autocracy and technology54:34 - The financial perspective59:39 - The role of Crypto01:02:39 - Climate change01:06:56 - What Investors should do01:10:42 - The role and future of Governments01:17:11 - Thanks for listeningResources discussed in this Episode:<a...

27 Apr 20221h 18min

In today’s episode, Alan Dunne joins us to discuss currency markets and how we might see a new era of volatility in these markets moving forward, de-dollarization and the future prospects of the U.S dollar, recent performance of Trend Following and how it compares historically, insights from Alfred Winslow Jones as featured in the book, “More Money Than God”, portfolio construction techniques for managing risk, the importance of having a plan, long-only commodities vs. a long/short approach and much more.-----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.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 Alan on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps:00:00 - Intro02:16 - Market recap09:02 - New opportunities in Currency markets23:57 - Putting Trend Following performance in perspective33:13 - Insights from “More Money Than God” 40:04 - Fixed income vs. equities...where to hedge against inflation50:52 - Insights from recent conversations with CIOs58:49 - Commodities...Long Only or Long/Short01:09:20 - Overview of performanceCopyright © 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. <a...

24 Apr 20221h 12min

Today, Niels and Cem are joined by Dr. Ben Hunt, Creator of Epsilon Theory, to discuss how he uses game theory, history and behavioral analysis to understand Narrative and how it is used as a weapon to influence human behaviour, how technology has made us more susceptible to "nudging", how Narrative is used to create more competition, division and inequality, how important it is to recognize “the water in which we swim”, the power of Narrative and control of the media, and how to fight back against autocracy in pursuit of happiness, the Billionaires Protocol and much more!-----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.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 Cem on Twitter.Follow Ben on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Intro02:02 - Ben’s background06:03 - When did Narrative start to become dominant?16:43 - The nudging competetive state40:43 - The power of Narrative and “control” of the media49:24 - How do we fight back?54:08 - Crypto - a liberation tool?01:03:28 - Lack of imagination01:08:28 - Thanks for listeningResources discussed in this Episode:LINK: Epsilon TheoryCopyright © 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...

20 Apr 20221h 10min

Jerry Parker joins us in today’s episode, to discuss pros and cons of adding different trading styles to your strategy and how to react when bad periods occur, using borrowed money as part of a systematic trading approach, expected returns of equities, finding the best investment strategy, achieving a high level of consistency in your Trend Following returns, using AI and Machine Learning to predict the future, Divergent Regimes and how they may last a lot longer this time, the geometry of classic Trend Following, what it takes to succeed and much more.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn this episode, we discuss:If it helps adding different styles to your trading strategyIf you should use borrowed money as part of a systematic trading approachHow to find the best investment strategyHow to achieve a high level of consistency in your returnsThe use of AI and Machine Learning...does it improve your returnsDivergent Regimes and the end of CarryThe geometry of classic Trend FollowingWhat it takes to succeed-----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 Jerry on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps:00:00 - Intro05:02 - What’s been on Jerry’s radar?07:30 - Q1, Isaiah - Add trading styles or stick with the “Trend Following + nothing”?19:31 - Q2, Nick - About leverage and using borrowed money25:40 - Jerry's Tweets38:30 - Consistency in returns & how to achieve this43:15 - AI and Machine Learning49:27 - Divergent...

16 Apr 20221h 9min

Today, Alan Dunne is joined by Hugo Capel Cure, Managing Director of Rothschild & Co, to discuss how they build strong portfolios for their clients, how rising inflation can affect the markets in a surprising way, how they use CTAs and Trend Followers to mitigate risk, the challenges of staying invested, being a stock and fund picker at the same time, how manager selection is like a dating process and how they differentiate between process and outcome, how they make good decisions as a team, how to act in times of crises, the people who inspired Hugo to become a better investor and much more.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn this episode, we discuss:How to build strong Multi-Asset portfolios for your clientsHow using CTAs and Trend Followers can help mitigate riskHow manager selection is like a dating processHow to make good decisions as a teamHow to be well prepared for the next crises-----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 Alan on Twitter.Follow Hugo on LinkedIn.Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Intro03:18 - Introduction to Hugo’s work and investing strategy18:32 - From correlation focused to trading oriented strategies24:50 - Being allocated to trend followers28:35 - Challenges of staying invested30:23 - Being a chef and a critic39:41 - Making decisions and having a plan53:09

13 Apr 20221h 1min

In this week’s episode, Tim Pickering, Founder of Auspice Capital, joins me to discuss why commodities play such an important role in a portfolio, how to create a strategy that adapts to different volatility regimes, why he created The Auspice Broad Commodity Index, the role and importance of ESG in commodities trading, how commodity futures can be used as a risk mitigation tool, why Ukraine is so important for commodities, how to effectively protect yourself against inflation and much more-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn this episode, we discuss:Why commodities play such an important role in a portfolioHow to create a strategy that adapts to different volatility regimesHow ESG and commodities trading is closely relatedWhether to embrace Chinese commodity marketsWhy the war in Ukraine is so important for commoditiesStrategies for protecting yourself against inflation-----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 Tim on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps:00:00 - Intro02:40 - What has caught Tim and Niels’ attention recently? 06:33 - What has happened since last Niels and Tim spoke in 2014?11:45 - Has Tim made any major research discoveries since last time?19:31 - Why commodities and why now?30:50 - How much room for liquidity is there in the markets?37:32 - Tim’s thoughts on the LME44:31 - Thoughts on commodity exposure and futures51:51 - Why is Ukraine so important for commodities?01:00:16...

9 Apr 20221h 9min

In today’s episode, Alan Dunne is joined by Katherine Molnar, CIO of Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System, and Andrew Spellar, CIO of Fairfax County Employees Retirement System, to discuss how asset allocation is handled by one of the best performing public pension funds, how they manage risk and balance their portfolio through diversification, how the current instability in the markets has shaped their investment strategy, expectations of returns for different investment strategies, running portfolios using a risk parity framework, moving into digital assets, manager selection and much more.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn this episode, we discuss:How asset allocation is handled in a successful public pension fund like Fairfax County Retirement SystemHow they manage risk and create balance in their portfoliosHow instability in the markets has shaped their strategyHow they look at return expectationsThe (brave) move into digital assetsManager selectionSkills and challenges of being a CIO-----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 Alan on Twitter.Follow Katherine on LinkedIn.Follow Andrew on LinkedIn.Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Intro03:05 - Overview of Fairfax County’s asset allocation strategy14:27 - How has the current market

6 Apr 20221h 10min

Today, Rich and I discuss the Q1 Trend Following performance and how it turned out to be one of the best calendar quarters for the SG Trend and SG CTA indices. We also dive into my own "thesis" about trend following in a De-Globalized world and why I believe that we may be returning to the golden era of trend following, like in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. As usual we debated a few great questions from our community, relating to Volatility Targeting and how to manage your Stop-Loss. A lively episode for sure!-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn this episode, we discuss:Interest Rates and the current Bear Market in BondsOur slighltly different definitions of the term "Crisis Alpha"The concern's Rich has for the World, and what that means for Trend FollowingThe impact on Trend Following of a De-Globalization of the WorldThe difference between initial and trailling stops, and when to use themWhat software to use to backtest your systemsWhether dynamically adjusting your position size during a trade is better or worse than keeping it static-----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 Rich on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps:00:00 – Intro03:09 – Weekly recap from Niels05:22 - Update on Rich's Battleship15:35 - Crisis Alpha...yes but much more21:40 - My Trend Following Thesis37:24 - Q1, Andrew: Could you all define the use of a trailing vs initial stop in systems you use?52:25 - Q2, Nicolas: Do you know any affordable back testing systems, other than...

3 Apr 20221h 24min