TTU17: Start Your Own Firm at 21 Years of Age? Russian CEO Tells All ft. Peter Kambolin of Systematic Alpha Management – 1of2
Peter Kambolin is the common sense CEO behind Systematic Alpha Management, an Award Winning CTA Firm which has come through the tremendous market forces of the past 10 years. Their staying power is a testament to their success as conscious, ruled based traders.This episode is about his hero’s journey from immigrant origins in Moscow to founding a lasting, top financial service company headquartered in New York City.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About the effect of the 2004 internet bubble and how Systematic Alpha created a “market neutral” CTA strategy in responseWhat it’s like to win global CTA awards yet still have to hunt new business due to capital flows towards large investment firmsPeter’s story of moving from Moscow to New York and how he entered the finance industryThe surprising story of how Peter was inspired to start his own firm at 21 years of ageHow Peter and Alexi work together to maximize each others strengths, and control for each-other’s weaknessesAbout the transition from long term to short term CTA strategiesWhy living in New York yet playing in Miami helps stoke Peter’s creativityThe story of the dramatic period of March-August 2011 in which they experienced a drawdown that let to a drop in AuM from 721 million to 50 million due to investor redemptions.The effects of the coordination of global economic decisions by government on volatility and it’s effect on the overall environment for Systematic Alpha Management’s CTA programs.Why Peter considers Systematic Alpha to be a stronger firm after the steep drop in AUM they experienced in 2011.Where Systematic Alpha’s value proposition is and the importance of a CTA position in diversificationHow to get out of losing trades when liquidity is a problem-----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 <a...
28 Juli 20141h 5min
TTU16: You Can’t Learn This In A Book! ft. Karsten Schroeder of Amplitude Capital – 2of2
Welcome back to Top Traders Unplugged. On this episode Karsten and I discuss the systems and implementation that has led Amplitude to such remarkable success. As the interview comes to a close, we learn about Karsten’s philosophy of success and entrepreneurship. Despite being based outside the global financial hubs (i.e. New York, Chicago, London) Amplitude has experienced world class results. He provides a deep philosophy on achieving success in the CTA industry.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Allocation of capital from a stop-loss point of view when doing short term tradingAmplitude Capital’s systems for trade implementationWhy high frequency trading is a very different strategy from that of Amplitude Capital’sRisk management strategies and the framework for embedding these principles into the Amplitude Capital operationsExploring the meaning of market correlation in short term CTA strategiesKarsten Schroeder’s philosophy on drawdownsHow managers can do a better job of explaining drawdownsThe role of teamwork and processes in the research cycleThe internal processes for validating implementation of strategies at Amplitude CaptialKarsten Schroeder’s explanation for why Amplitude has experienced such successDo financial leaders need to live in financial hubs? How living outside of the financial hubs has impacted Amplitude CapitalThe difference between European CTA managers and US counterparts. Why has the market dominance shifted?The philosophy of failure that empowers Karsten Schroeder’s entrepreneurial journeyWhat continues to inspire Karsten to keep running the businessThe question investors are not asking that they should be:-----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 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2OnOvLbIV3AttbFLxuoaBW" rel="noopener...
24 Juli 201444min
TTU15: Model Decay & How Best to Handle It ft. Karsten Schroeder of Amplitude Capital – 1of2
Through courage and vision, Karsten Schroeder co-founded Amplitude Capital as a pioneer in the CTA industry.Why pioneers? Because they focused on short term trading.In this episode of Top Traders Unplugged, Karsten and I discuss Amplitude Capital’s scientific approach to Amplitude Dynamic and Amplitude Klassik. These are the two short-term rule based trading programs that Karsten and his team run to invest billions of dollars on behalf on a small group of institutional investors.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The founding story of Amplitude CapitalAbout the motivation source for choosing short term tradingThe scientific processes guiding Amplitude’s perception of the marketsHow Amplitude manages their in-house and outsourced business processesWhere the point of optimal capital under management is for Amplitude CapitalA bird’s eye view of their historical track record and their reaction to the market shift in 2009On the effects of quantitative easing and other government interventions in market healthModel decay and how to best deal with itThe design structure of Amplitude Capital’s ProgramsMarket dynamics and where the Amplitude programs tradeDiffering philosophies: market specific models vs. models for all marketsComparing mean reversion models (counter trend models) vs. trend following models-----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 Karsten Schroeder on Linkedin.Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved----PLUS: Whenever
21 Juli 201446min
TTU14: “You’re going to make a lot of money doing this…” ft. Jerry Parker – 2of2
Today we will continue our conversation with Jerry Parker the founder of Chesapeake Capital and widely known as the most successful Turtle ever.After wrapping up his position with Richard J. Dennis as a famous “Turtle,” he went on to start his own asset management firm, Chesapeake Capital Corporation.In this episode we discuss the evolving CTA industry and the story of Chesapeake. It’s a powerful story from one of the most successful people in the industry. We really hope you enjoy it. -----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How the research and complexity of systems has a backwards effect to making moneyChallenges with entering stock markets with CTA strategiesWhy counting the trades and analyzing sample size is what most investors forget to ask when seeking fund managersWhere the CTA managers have failed investorsHow Jerry Parker handles emotions during drawdownsWhy markets have changed so that longer term focus has proven more successfulLearn about the philosophy of “The Markets are the Heroes”Important lessons from a long, successful career in the CTA industryWhat is it that keeps investors from Turtle CTAs and choose larger financial organizationsWhy we see a skewed distribution towards profitability of long side trades and short side tradesThe key legacy traits left behind by the Turtles and if the experiment could be replicated nowWhy Jerry Parker’s contribution to the CTA space will be that he sticks with the plan and be the last one going down with the trend following shipLessons for upcoming CTA managers from Jerry ParkerDebunking trading cliches like, “you never go broke taking a profit” and “exits are more important than entries”Personal habits that have contributed to Jerry Parker’s successHow Jerry Parker would start if he were to start all over again-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Ray Dalio – Bridgewater CapitalLearn about Jerry Parker’s Acting “Career” on his IMDB pageFollow 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...
16 Juli 20141h 7min
TTU13: Lessons From the Most Successful Turtle of All-Time ft. Jerry Parker – 1of2
Imagine you found an advertisement in the newspaper offering a position with a one sentence application process.Would you take it?What if it was for a position where you would learn a proprietary trading system in which you would trade solely for owner of the firm?What if that man was Richard Dennis?Our next guest took that position in 1983 and it changed his life forever, for the better. He found himself with what was to become a famous title, a Turtle. He was given the opportunity to manage a million dollar account with specific rules to follow. Rules that he would learn to love and perfect.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About the Turtles and how the unique experiment grew into the Managed Futures/CTA IndustryHow Wall Street Leaks inspired Jerry into understanding the industryHow Jerry encountered trend following for the first timeThe One Sentence culture in Richard J. Dennis’s officeHow to excel at unprecedented tests from leading tradersWhat it was like moving to Chicago to train as a TurtleWhat the Turtle training was like and the mindset provided in the trainingThe most challenging thing about Trend Following when Jerry started with Richard DennisAbout the transition from Turtle Trading to starting his own organization, Chesapeake Capital in 1998The evolution of Chesapeake’s strategy from day one after leaving Richard Dennis’s programThe early focus on diversification and adding new marketsIssues with trying to improve the original Richard DennisThe shift in investor expectations with the growth of institutional investment organizations while operating on of the largest CTA firms in the industryWhy it’s best to take an optimal loss rather than a small lossOn the meaningfulness of track records and what else investors should be encouraged to explore when choosing an investment management decision-----The advertisement Jerry responded to in 1983:Richard J. Dennis and CD commodities is accepting applications for the position of Commodity Future Trader to expand his established group of traders. Mr. Dennis and his associate will train a small group of applicants in his proprietary trading concepts. Successful candidates will then trade solely for Mr. Dennis. They will not be allowed to trade futures for themselves or others. Traders will be paid a percentage of their trading profits and will be allowed a small draw. Prior experience will be considered, but is not necessary. Applicants should send a brief resume with one sentence giving their reason for applying.Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:The Barefoot Trader (Article about Richard Dennis in Wall Street Journal)Learn more about Richard J. Dennis the founder of the Turtle programFollow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or via the TTU website.IT’s TRUE ? –...
13 Juli 20141h 7min
TTU12: The Philosophy, Habits and Personal Traits Required to Excel in the Hedge Fund Industry ft. Mathias Bucher of AllMountainCapital – 2of2
Welcome back to Top Traders Unplugged. In this episode we continue our conversation with Dr. Mathias Bucher the Co-Founder of AllMountainCapital.In this episode we go deep in the philosophy, habits and personal traits required to excel in the hedge fund industry.It’s a pleasure to have you here and we hope you enjoy the episode.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:About Stop Loss, Risk Management and overall Exit StrategiesHow the current drawdown is effecting current testing and research at AllMountainCapitalHow Mathias takes the stress of drawdowns and turns it into creative powerThe research cycles in the program and the company as a whole at AllMountainAn example of a research idea developed and how it was implementedCurrent research interests in business development and market positioning as a CTAWhy Dr. Mathias Bucher and Dr. Tilman Keese base their business in Wollerau rather than a major financial hubThe threats and challenges involved in growing a young CTA firmDr. Mathias Bucher’s perception on why the CTA industry excellence seems to be shifting to EuropeLearn about the concept of the Industrialization of the Global Financial SystemThe human traits needed to strive in the CTA industryResources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Larry Hite and ISAMWatch another interview with Dr. Mathias Bucher on Opalesque TVFollow 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 “The Many Flavors of Trend Following” 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 so more people can discover the podcast.
10 Juli 201446min
TTU11: Lessons From a Highly Educated Founder & Fund Manager ft. Mathias Bucher of AllMountainCapital – 1of2
Our next show provides you with the opportunity to learn from a highly educated founder and fund manager.He Studied Economics at the Luzon Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid. He went on to earn a PhD in Quantitative Finance in Evolutionary Finance at University of Zurich. Upon graduating he agreed to a research position with Zurich Capital Bank.Horizon21 made an offer to have Mathias and his business partner Dr. Tilman Keese build a systematic trading program. In 2010 they left Horizon21 to go out as entrepreneurs with AllMountainCapital.Please give a warm welcome to, Dr. Mathias Bucher.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:The story of founding AllMountainCapital and how much AUM they currently manageHow they outsource all non-core aspects of the business so they can focus on Research, Trading & Client servicesOn the changes in the CTA industry from 2007 to the presentWhy central bank actions are correlated with a drop in volatility since 2009The nature of the AllMountain trading model and how it has coped during challenging timesAbout the Modules that make up the AllMountain trading programSectors and markets that AllMountain tradeHow their different system works and why they use it the way they doHow they quantify trend strength in a marketResources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Larry Hite and ISAMWatch another interview with Dr. Mathias Bucher on Opalesque TVFollow 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 “The Many Flavors of Trend Following” 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 so more people can discover the podcast.
6 Juli 201446min
TTU10: The Fairest Fee Structure in the Industry ft. Marty Bergin of DUNN Capital Management – 2of2
What are you going to do to differentiate yourself from everyone else in the industry?That’s the question Marty Bergin would ask the next guest on Top Traders Unplugged.Welcome back for the second part of our interview with, Marty Bergin.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:How trade decisions are generated and executed at DUNN Capital ManagementThe way Marty and DUNN manage the emotional challenges of trend followingWhy many CTA firms are giving allocations to long equities and the results of that decisionHow significant drawdowns help to make firms strongerDUNN Capital Management’s approach to researchHow DUNN Capital identifies and reacts to issues with external/strategic alliance situationsPortfolio development and decision-making at DUNN CapitalOn the importance for personal ownership in a CTA firmLearn about Michael Covel’s interview with Harry MarkowitzThe importance (or lack of) of being located in a large financial hubDUNN Capital’s investor focused fee structureWhy European CTA’s seem to be out growing the American firmsWhat does it take to become a great CTA in today’s environment-----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.Learn more about DUNN CapitalCopyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved----PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:1....
3 Juli 201439min
