Christophe L’Ahelec, Managing Director of Public Markets at University Pension Plan Ontario, joins Alan Dunne in this episode to discuss their approach to managing the C$11bn defined benefit pension plan. We discuss the high level Strategic Asset Allocation of the plan and also how the changed macro environment in recent years has motivated a shift in the asset allocation towards more absolute return strategies. Such strategies play a dual role of diversification and return enhancement for UPP and we discuss how Christophe thinks about an appropriate strategy allocation within absolute return.  We also delve into the challenges of manager selection and evaluation, why it is important to remember that you are buying an “investment process” not historical returns when allocating to managers and discuss when is it appropriate to remove a manager and when not.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Alan on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @AlanJDunne

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes, Spotify or Amazon so more people can discover the podcast.

ALO22: Finding an Absolute Return Solution for a C$11BN Pension Plan ft. Christophe L'Ahelec

Today, we are joined by Andrew Beer to discuss why the current surge in Cocoa prices really is a big deal for our industry, but how CTAs have been selling it this year, against many main stream media reports. We also dig into how the strong performance in Q1 2024 is helping Trend Following making its way into more Model Portfolio's and the existential crisis that we are seeing in the Model Portfolio world. We explain how the narrative around trend following is changing and why replication strategies are becoming less radical. And we wrap up our conversation touching on what the optimal allocation to trend following should be based on the latest publication from Man Institute, the challenges of dealing with unrealistic expectations in the trend following space and much more.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Andrew on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @andrewdbeer1

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

SI290: Honey, I Shrunk the Trend Following ft. Andrew Beer

Today, we are delighted to be joined by Anthony Todd, Co-Founder & CEO of Aspect Capital, for an insightful discussion on the role of systematic trading and trend following in today’s economy. We also discuss what has driven Aspect Capital’s shift towards developing multiple strategies and how they guide their clients to make better investment decisions, whether the trend following industry should be concerned about replication strategies and how allocations are funded today. Lastly, we discuss how Aspect Capital uses AI in their work and how systematic trading has changed as a whole with the rise of AI, what Todd is most excited and concerned about in 2024 and much more. 

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Alan on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @AlanJDunne

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes, Spotify or Amazon so more people can discover the podcast.

TTU146: The value of Unpredictable Alpha ft. Anthony Todd

In this episode, we are joined by Richard Brennan to discuss why now is the time to step up your trend following allocation. Rich challenges Andrew Beer’s conclusion that a 3% allocation to trend following is the sweet spot and explains why he believes the trend following industry should simplify its narrative and quit the fancy “jargon”. We also discuss what defines a trend follower and why we may be losing the incentive to keep improving as trend followers, new research on the impact of crises and much more.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Richard on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @RichB118

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

SI291: Trend Following...What should it mean to Investors? ft. Richard Brennan

In this episode Peter Oppenheimer, Chief Global Strategist and Head of Macro Research in Europe for Goldman Sachs joins us to discuss his new book Any Happy Returns: Structural Changes and Super Cycles in Markets. Peter believes financial cycles are the primary driver of investor returns. He explains how each cycle consists of four phases with distinct characteristics in terms of returns, earnings growth and valuations. We talk about the structural changes that are creating headwinds for markets in our current super-cycle and how AI and the energy transition might help offset them.

﻿﻿IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Kevin on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @kcold1

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

IL25: Any Happy Returns... the Next Super Cycle? ft. Peter Oppenheimer

Today, Rob Carver joins me to answer questions about MatLab as a backtesting tool, why you should be careful to apply trend following in crypto and what Rob think about seasonality and relative value as strategies. We also dive into why Rob has increased his allocation to trend following and his thought process when building portfolios, how the surging price of cocoa has impacted the trend following industry and much more.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Rob on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @investingidiocy

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

SI292: Is Cocoa becoming Too Hot for Trend Followers? ft. Rob Carver

Join us for an eye-opening discussion on global power dynamics with  geopolitics expert Marko Papic, alongside Cem Karsan and myself, where  we dive deep into the ongoing tug-of-war between the West, Russia, China, and the rest of the world. Marko sheds light on the United States' push for a clear bipolar world order. He shares his insights on whether the world as we know it is coming to an end and why a Trump presidency may pave the way for trade deals and foreign policy agreements, particularly with rivals like China. Looking ahead, Marko discusses Europe's industrial sector and explains why investing in European industrials could be a smart move. Finally, we explore the complexities of the relationship between Russia and China. Are they as close as we think? And is China's dream of becoming the next superpower within reach? We also delve into the possibility of China's move to invade Taiwan and what it would entail.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Cem on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @jam_croissant

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

GM59: The Geopolitical Tug-of-War: Russia, China & the West ft. Marko Papic

Today, I'm joined by Cem Karsan to discuss how speculations in markets affect the economy and Cem presents his view on the current state of global macro as well as a forecast for the rest of the year. How does conflicts around the world affect the global economy and why does Cem believe that we are going into a “dangerous period”? Why does Cem believe options are key to making profit from different scenarios and outcomes and what are the possibilities of seeing US rate cuts later this year? How the U.S election will impact the economy and where Cem believes the Equity markets will finish the year and much more.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Cem on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @jam_croissant

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

SI293: Market Outlook for the Rest of 2024 & EOY S&P500 level ft. Cem Karsan

In this episode, Cem and I welcome Christian Mueller Glissman back on the show, and together, we tackle the intricacies of capital allocation in 2024, particularly amid the pivotal elections we expect to see. We discuss the pros and cons of starting with a 60/40 portfolio allocation strategy. Cem and Christian highlight Europe's resilience to inflation and its potential energy cost advantages, making it an attractive investment destination. We also analyze how election cycles, especially during populist periods like now, influence the economy and markets. Christian shares insights on using structured products to manage volatility, and both he and Cem strongly advocate for strategies like trend following in current market conditions. Finally, we discuss what an optimal portfolio allocation should include in 2024.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Cem on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @jam_croissant

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

GM60: Preparing Your Portfolio for the Second Half of 2024 ft. Christian Mueller-Glissmann

Hari Krishnan returns to the show for a deep dive into commodities. Hari helps us understand why investing in commodities is not as easy as other markets and why he believes that we are entering a commodity super cycle. We also discuss how to overcome the challenges of holding and storing commodities and why cheap commodities are not alwasy so cheap once you start rolling your futures position, and where his new “virtual storage” concept can add value to a trend following system and more.

IT's TRUE 👀 - most CIO's read 50+ books each year - get your copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/Ultimate

And you can get a free copy of my latest book "The Many Flavors of Trend Following" here: www.toptradersunplugged.com/book

Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com

Follow Niels & Hari on Twitter:
@TopTradersLive & @HariPKrishnan2

And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest rating & review on iTunes and Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.

SI294: Lowering the Cost of being Long Commodities ft. Hari Krishnan

Veteran Hedge Fund Manager, Niels Kaastrup-Larsen speaks with the world’s top traders and investors such as, DUNN Capital, Winton Capital, Aspect Capital, Chesapeake Capital as well as leading experts like Andrew Lo and Daniel Crosby and many more on investing, trading strategy, risk management, research, how to handle the emotional roller coaster and what it takes to become a market wizard.

GM59: The Geopolitical Tug-of-War: Russia, China & the West ft. Marko Papic

TopTradersUnplugged.com

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