TTU55: Talking the Pulse on Long-Term Trend Following ft. Jason Gerlach of Sunrise Capital
For January 2015, we will be revisiting with previous guests on the show to find out how their businesses grew and changed in 2014, and what the year was like overall for their industries.In our first Year-In-Review episode, Jason Gerlach, the first-ever guest of Top Traders Unplugged, looks at 2014 from a long-term trend following perspective.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why 2014 was a great year for Sunrise Capital.What markets were responsible for much of their performance in 2014.The most challenging markets for Sunrise Capital last year.About their longer-term trend following strategies.How world events shaped market changes in 2014.About the oil collapse of 2014.How volatility returned to markets last year.How long-term trend following is getting more attention than before.How to avoid 2015 becoming like 2009 for this industry.If & When to turn down clients.How divergence is the one word that may summarize the next few years.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Listen to 2 hour-long episodes with Jason and Niels here and 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 Jason on LinkedIn.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...
12 Jan 201541min
TTU54: What it Takes to Be an Entrepreneur ft. Tim Pickering of Auspice Capital Advisors – 2of2
In the second part of our talk with Tim Pickering, we dive into the details of his firm and the challenges that he has to overcome as a business owner and entrepreneur. Tim has some valuable life lessons for managers who are just getting started. He also dives into the different ways investors should carry out their due diligence and why he wanted to become a manager in the first place.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:The details of Auspice’s programs and what makes them different from other managers.What discretionary traders are good at and how Tim captures lessons from them in a systematic model.How he implements the system in practice.How Tim measures risk.How he copes with being in a drawdown.What he has learned from the drawdowns that Auspice has been through.What keeps him up at night.What questions he brainstorms with his research team currently.How to detect if a model is deteriorating.How meaningful are back tests?About the CTA value-added index that Auspice developed.The difference in investing through a fund, an EFT, or other options.What investors should be asking when they go through their due diligence with Auspice Capital.Why he became an entrepreneur.The books Tim would recommend for traders and managers.What skill he would pass on to his children if he could choose only one.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Barclay CTA IndexBooks by Jack Schwager.Simon Sinek’s Start with Why.How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.The Prize by Daniel Yergin.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 <a...
29 Dec 20141h 4min
TTU53: Trend Following vs. Trend Capturing ft. Tim Pickering of Auspice Capital Advisors – 1of2
What is the difference between simply following a trend and capturing it? Why is growth not consistent and gradual and why do we want it to be?Learn answers to these questions and more in this week’s episodes. Niels chats with the founder of a seasoned trend-follower in Canada, who knew he wanted to go into the financial markets since his university days. His story of working for large investment banks to starting his own firm will inspire current managers and hopeful managers alike.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Tim tries to get away from being labelled as one thing or another.About growing up on a farm in Canada.How he knew he wanted to be a trader.How his experience in the energy markets affected the way he ran his business when he started it.Why discipline is so important for the kind of manager that Tim is.Why he has stuck with the theme of trading commodities.What Tim does when he is not running Auspice.The difference between following a trend and capturing a trend.How growth is not slow and steady.An overview of the products that Auspice runs.Why they launched a beta product after launching their flagship product.The history of how Tim grew Auspice with his business partner.How he chose to structure his business.How a small team can deliver the same value as a larger manager.What people should notice when looking at the track record of Auspice.What the Diversified Program does.How many markets he actually trades.Why position resizing is important.-----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 Pickering on <a...
22 Dec 20141h 5min
TTU52: Do Amazing Things Just By Showing Up ft. Rob Hartman of Pacific Capital Advisors – 2of2
Rob Hartman knows that showing up is half the battle when it comes to work in any industry. But his viewpoint as a solo fund manager give us deep insight into the inner-workings of a firm and how it deals with drawdowns, track record, and investors’ questions. In Part 2 of our conversation with Rob, we dive into his models and programs and how each of them works. We also learn about Rob’s background that helps round out this picture of a successful manager.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Hannah Montana has some life lessons to teach.Rob’s track record and how to read it.What happened when he changed his strategy.The details of the programs he runs.How Vanguard, his flagship product, works.How he manages his momentum trades, or trend following trades.Why his thoughts on position sizing have evolved over time.How he conducts his research and why he doesn’t do any discretionary trading on his models.The risk that he focuses on as a smaller manager and how he manages that risk.How he deals with questions about drawdowns from investors.How Rob copes emotionally when he experiences a drawdown.What his research process is without a research team.What is the optimal number of rules for Rob’s models to have.What questions investors are missing in their due diligence.Books he would recommend for would-be managers.The advice he gives to his kids and the lessons he wants to pass on.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Van Tharp – Trade Your Way To Financial FreedomRishi Narang – Inside the Black Box: A Simple Guide to Quantitative and High Frequency TradingRob also mentions getting inspiration from Kathryn Kaminski, who was our guest on Episode 41 and Episode 42.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 <a...
18 Dec 20141h 12min
TTU51: Planning for Failure, Not Planning to Fail ft. Rob Hartman of Pacific Capital Advisors – 1of2
In starting any business, you run into unexpected roadblocks and challenges, and you learn something from each mistake. Our next guest is the founder of a trading firm who has grown his business twice and learned how to overcome the barriers in his way. We can learn a lot from someone who is ready for the unexpected whether it is good or bad.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About his childhood in Upstate New York and Pennsylvania.Rob’s interest in music and sports.How his early Rock and Roll career faired and how he went into the financial industry.How he got hired at IBM.His years at IBM and the lessons it taught him.How his fascination for trading started after he began a consulting business.The tipping point: when he went full-in to the trading business.How he learned about different strategies and tested them.When he came upon trend following and what made him stick with it.What kind of trend following he started with.How a drawdown taught him he needed to differentiate himself from other managers.The lessons that his first expansion stage taught him.The big event that happened after 2010 that changed everything.About MF Global and the meltdown of that firm.An overview of the programs that his firm runs.How he manages investor expectations with a small team.How he outsources operational roles in order to cut costs and remain a one-man shop.-----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 Rob Hartman on Linkedin.Copyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights...
15 Dec 20141h 13min
TTU50: Why Optimism is Important ft. Dave Sanderson of KFL Capital Management – 2of2
Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Dave Sanderson. In this episode we explore his trading program in detail, from the markets the firm trades to how they describe their program to investors. We also explore the challenges that he goes through as a business leader, dealing with drawdowns, and why optimism is so important to Dave.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Dave believes that QIM is a unique firm in a reasonably similar category as KFL Capital Management.How to describe Krystal to investors and why it can be a challenge.About the length of time it takes for Krystal to compute the data and make a decision.Why the breakthroughs in computational power are supporting KFL Capital Management to make their systems faster each year.The markets KFL trades.Expected drawdown and volatility Krystal expects.How Dave expects to deal with drawdown environments.Research cycles within KFL Capital Management and the potential for a second Krystal.About the 99.3% match rate between their live trading and back testing results.The biggest challenge for KFL Capital Management in today’s market.About the challenge of attracting AUM in the modern financial landscape.Asymmetry of agency and understanding how to focus on who you’re talking to.Regarding the difficulties of explaining machine learning and big data ideas.Commonalities in the highest level due diligence explorers.Entrepreneurial perspective, great books and an open minded perspective on failures.Why optimism is such a powerful force in today’s world.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:The Medallion Fund – Jim Simon’s Fund.The Innovators by Water Isaacson.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.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 <a href="mailto:info@toptradersunplugged.com%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
4 Dec 20141h 14min
TTU49: Will Big Data Enable KFL to Predict the Future? ft. Dave Sanderson of KFL Capital Management – 1of2
Our next guest on Top Traders Unplugged is the CEO and Co-Founder of KFL. In this episode we explore their trading strategy and uncover the fundamental differences between what they are doing that makes them so different from traditional alternative investment organizations.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:Transitioning from commercial litigation to wholesale mutual fund vendingHow Dave Sanderson was exposed to alternative investments in the first placeThe convincing required to get top big data scientists to work on financial challengesThe comical story of how carefully big data scientist come to conclusionsWhat Dave Sanderson loves to do when he isn’t working directly on KFL Capital ManagementHow Dave Sanderson sees the deviation between machine learning and systematic tradingWhat it means to exist in a deluge of big dataHow Dave Sanderson and KFL perceive themselves and the usefulness of labelingIs machine learning a superior method than conventional approaches to trading?About the choice of Krystal as a name for their fundThe structuring challenges behind KFL Capital Management and why they are more like a tech firmThe focus for expanding KFL Capital ManagementAbout evolutionary computing and how KFL Capital Management grows with the marketsIs there an environment which would be optimal for Krystal?Is there an environment which would be severely challenging for Krystal?The use of non-parametric modeling and why this type of prediction takes KFL out of most conventional finance sector buckets-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Man AHL – Dave Sanderson’s initial exposure to alternative investment.Thomas K. Hunter – “He’s probably done more tech deals than anybody in Canada.”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 <a href="mailto:info@toptradersunplugged.com%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
1 Dec 20141h 15min
TTU48: How to Understand a New Manager’s Track Record ft. Bastian Bolesta of Deep Field Capital – 2of2
In the second part of our interview with Bastian, we talk about the ins and outs of his trading program and how they came to create the current trading system that they run now. Niels talks with Bastian about drawdowns, risk management, and how investors should read and understand a manager’s track record. Listen in to find out more about Deep Field Capital and learn what it takes to be an successful emerging manager today.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HEREIn This Episode, You’ll Learn:About the 23 potential markets that Bastian trades, and which ones are actually traded.How he uses a “bus stop” metaphor to explain which markets get picked for trading.How he views risk and how he deals with risk management.If there are certain markets that are better performing for his strategies than others.What kinds of drawdowns he expects his strategy to go through.The three different types of investors that come in to his fund.What he learns from drawdowns when they happen.About the research and futures development that his firm conducts.What the biggest challenges are today for his business.What reason investors give for not investing in his fund.What question investors are not asking in their due diligence.If he was starting out today, the things he would have done differently.-----Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode:Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.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 Bastian Bolesta on <a...
27 Nov 20141h 20min
