PodcastsBusinessTop Traders Unplugged

Top Traders Unplugged

Niels Kaastrup-Larsen
Top Traders Unplugged
Latest episode

911 episodes

  • Top Traders Unplugged

    ALO33: The Psychology Behind Better Asset Allocation ft. Aoifinn Devitt

    11/03/2026 | 1h
    In this episode, Alan Dunne speaks with Aoifinn Devitt about what it really means to build resilient portfolios in a world of shifting regimes and competing narratives. Drawing on experience across pensions, hedge fund advisory, and private wealth, Aoifinn reflects on how institutional lessons translate to individual investors. The conversation explores the role of diversification, the evolving case for private markets, and the limitations of labels such as hedge funds, factors, or alternative assets. Along the way, they discuss the behavioral traps that influence allocators, the challenges of manager selection, and why outcome based investing may offer a clearer framework for navigating uncertain markets.
    -----
    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 [email protected]
    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 Alan on Twitter.
    Follow Aoifinn on LinkedIn.
    Episode TimeStamps:
    02:16 - Introducing Aoifinn Devitt and her background
    03:14 - From corporate law to a career in finance
    05:16 - Institutional vs private wealth portfolio construction
    09:47 - How macro regimes influence asset allocation
    12:53 - Rethinking the endowment model and private markets
    15:32 - Private credit and diversification challenges
    18:13 - Total portfolio approach vs traditional allocation
    21:27 - Bonds, equities, and changing correlations
    27:52 - Concentration risk and the dominance of mega cap stocks
    37:33 - The evolving role of hedge funds in portfolios
    42:35 - Gold, commodities, and inflation protection
    46:23 - Behavioral biases and long term market cycles
    57:35 - Advice for young professionals entering finance
    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 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
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
  • Top Traders Unplugged

    SI390: When Narratives Change Faster Than Markets ft. Alan Dunne

    07/03/2026 | 1h 10 mins.
    Markets can shift direction faster than the narratives used to explain them. In this episode, Niels and Alan unpack the sharp reversal in bond markets, the geopolitical tensions shaping energy prices, and the role of options flows in keeping equity indices pinned despite rising uncertainty beneath the surface. The conversation moves through recent hedge fund industry discussions in Miami, renewed interest in portable alpha and the total portfolio approach, and the growing influence of AI on economic thinking and policy debates. Along the way, they revisit the core role of trend following in portfolios, explaining why its value often appears precisely when traditional allocations struggle most.
    -----
    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 [email protected]
    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 Alan on Twitter.
    Episode TimeStamps:
    00:00 – Introduction to the Systematic Investor Series
    01:38 – Bond market reversal and shifting macro narratives
    03:29 – Options flows and the pinning of equity indices
    10:13 – AlphaQuest closure and pressures in short term trading strategies
    15:14 – Crisis alpha and how trend differs from a 60/40 portfolio
    23:18 – Recent CTA performance and trend opportunities across markets
    25:23 – Key takeaways from the Miami hedge fund conference
    37:48 – AI, productivity, and the policy dilemma for the Fed
    46:40 – Political dynamics behind the potential Fed leadership shift
    50:13 – Trend following as the “midfield player” in portfolios
    58:08 – Building a portfolio of CTAs and the challenge of tracking indices
    01:07:20 – Is CTA beta stable enough to benchmark?
    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 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
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
  • Top Traders Unplugged

    UGO10: The Fourth Turning Is Here: How to Trade the Regime Shift ft. Neil Howe

    04/03/2026 | 1h 5 mins.
    Cem Karsan sits down with Neil Howe to examine what a true regime shift means for markets and society. Howe argues that we are deep into a Fourth Turning, a generational winter that historically brings institutional fracture, geopolitical strain, and inflation that reshapes debts, assets, and political power. Cem ties that arc to today’s realities: the exhaustion of the 40 year tailwind from falling rates, record valuations meeting refinancing risk, and the uncomfortable truth that 60/40 has failed for long stretches before.
    They explore the growing divide between capital and labor, the pivot from globalization to industrial policy, and the rising appeal of commodities, cash, and convex hedges in a world where outcomes are less linear. Howe also details how his Fourth Turning ETF reflects that view, pairing thematic equities with real assets and disciplined tail protection.
    This is a conversation about preparing, not predicting, when history starts to rhyme a little louder.
    -----
    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 [email protected]
    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 Cem on Twitter.
    Episode TimeStamps:
    01:28 - Introducing Neil Howe and why this conversation matters now
    03:37 - What the Fourth Turning is and how the cycle works
    10:26 - “The Fourth Turning Is Here” and the practical question: what do we do?
    16:42 - Rates, inequality, and why the last 40 years may not repeat
    20:17 - Inflation as a crisis tool, not a forecasting error
    26:43 - Options, convexity, and non-linear portfolios in regime change
    33:31 - The surge into “non-correlated” assets and what it signals
    39:39 - Market closures, devaluation, and the limits of buy-the-dip history
    45:28 - Commodities as a missing portfolio leg and the volatility debate
    48:12 - Howe’s ETF framework: themes, commodities, cash, and tail hedges
    52:43 - Timing the crisis, geopolitics, and the authoritarianism question
    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 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
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
  • Top Traders Unplugged

    SI389: The Market Is Pinned, But Risk Is Growing ft. Cem Karsan & Alan Dunne

    28/02/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
    In this episode, Alan Dunne and Cem Karsan explore a market that appears calm on the surface yet increasingly unstable underneath. As indices move sideways, they discuss how options flows and structured products are reshaping market behavior, driving rotation rather than direction. From the weakening of former leaders to the rise of defensives, the conversation turns to what these shifts may signal about a broader topping process. They also examine the growing influence of AI narratives, political incentives, and global tensions, not as isolated shocks but as forces building pressure within the system. The result is a discussion about how markets evolve when structure, policy, and sentiment begin to move out of sync.
    -----
    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 [email protected]
    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 Alan on Twitter.
    Follow Cem on X.
    Episode TimeStamps:
    00:00 Intro to the Systematic Investor Series
    00:23 Performance check: CTAs strong, trend tailwinds
    03:13 Range-bound indices, but big dispersion and rotation
    03:45 Why options pin the index: dealer flows and vol compression
    05:42 Dispersion mechanics: idiosyncratic risk, falling correlation
    07:32 Rotation as a topping process: leaders fade, defensives rise
    09:54 OPEX and quarterly expiries: why timing windows matter
    11:56 The March support effect, then weaker flows into April
    17:02 AI narrative shock: anxiety, backlash, and policy consequences
    22:32 Populism versus deflation stories: why inflation returns
    32:43 Gold outlook: secular bull, but expect two-sided volatility
    45:45 Rates as “tectonic plates”: vol compressed now, release later
    50:23 Midterms, incentives, and the fight for control
    57:42 Liquidity loop: markets stop rising, collateral stops expanding
    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 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
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
  • Top Traders Unplugged

    IL46: The Business Model Trap: Why Short Ideas Start in the Real World ft. Mark Roberts

    25/02/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
    In today’s episode we talk to Mark Roberts, founder of Off Wall Street, a legendary provider of short selling research to hedge funds. Seven months before Enron became the biggest bankruptcy in US corporate history, Off Wall Street published a report recommending the shares be sold. The success of this call made Mark and Off Wall Street synonymous with original and rigorous research. We talk to Mark about his unusual personal background, how being a hippie in Berkeley in the 1960s prepared him for identifying overvalued companies two decades later. He explains why questionable accounting and high valuations are the “symptoms, not the disease” and compares today’s markets with those of the Dotcom era. His new book, Off Wall Street How To Win At Short Selling By Betting Against The Crowd was just released in February 2026.
    -----
    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 [email protected]
    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 Kevin on SubStack & read his Book.
    Follow Mark on LinkedIn and read his book.
    Episode TimeStamps:
    01:41 - Introducing Mark Roberts, Off Wall Street, Enron, and the book
    03:35 - An unconventional path: French literature, skepticism, and early life choices
    07:40 - The first “short sale”: selling a failing steel business and learning risk firsthand
    11:10 - Fidelity, Peter Lynch, and the origins of independent short research
    16:48 - Founding Off Wall Street and the first major short thesis (TCBY)
    27:34 - How short ideas are built, tested, and abandoned without sunk-cost bias
    30:56 - Business models vs accounting: why accounting issues are symptoms, not causes
    40:11 - Timing, crowd psychology, and surviving being early on a short
    47:08 - Why short selling is dangerous for individuals and crowded trades fail
    52:44 - Markets today vs the dot-com era, passive flows, and portfolio construction
    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 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
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer

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About Top Traders Unplugged

Top Traders Unplugged is where the world’s best investors come to share how they think - not just what they trade. Hosted by Niels Kaastrup-Larsen, the show goes deep into systematic trend following, global macro, and the principles that drive long-term success. No forecasts. No fads. Just real conversations with hedge fund managers, economists, authors, and allocators - revealing the timeless ideas, mental models, and risk frameworks behind robust performance. If you're building resilient portfolios, allocating capital, or simply looking to cut through the noise - this is your edge. Clear thinking. Deep insights. Real experience. 🎧 New episodes weekly. Explore all episodes at toptradersunplugged.com https://toptradersunplugged.com
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