An EPIC finish to 2021...

As 2021 comes to an end, we at Top Traders Unplugged wanted to treat our loyal listeners with something we had never done before.

But before I tell you exactly what we did, let me first give you a bit of background. Our regular co-hosts at the Systematic Investor podcast series – Jerry, Moritz, Rob, Mark, and Richard – are all passionate Trend Followers. They all agree that Trend Following is a strategy that offers tremendous benefits in its own right but also in the context of a traditional equity/bonds buy-and-hold portfolio. Features like Trend Following’s lack of correlation to traditional asset classes, its positive skew, its robust risk control, and its systematic and unbiased implementation are all factors that make Trend Following such an appealing investment strategy to me and my co-hosts.

However, that is not to say, that our little happy gang always agree on every single topic. Take volatility targeting as a prime example. Jerry and Moritz strongly oppose, while Rob actively use it.

Or take the notion of “Trend Following + Nothing”. What is meant by that is the idea to run your whole portfolio, not just a part of it, in a Trend Following portfolio. It was Jerry, who first coined this term and who argues that there is no need to allocate money to anything else but Trend Following because the strategy offers diversification and risk control – i.e. everything investors need.

While Richard and Moritz tend to agree with this approach, Rob and I view it slightly differently. We think that there is value in combining Trend Following with traditional asset classes because it can add an additional layer of diversification beyond markets and time frames.

All this is to say that while our core beliefs are the same, as everything else in life, we are different around the edges, unique in the way we implement our views and design our systems.

And so for the winter holiday season of 2021, we decided do something we had never done before. We wanted to discuss our differences and try to understand each other's points. Our goal was not necessarily to resolve those differences but to share and communicate, so you, can make up your own mind.

So, we invited the whole co-host team – Jerry, Moritz, Rob, Mark, and Richard – and recorded a two-part Christmas special.

There is no need to tell you that this unique episode is worth listening to. It was epic!

I warmly invite you to tune in and listen to Part 1, which is already available on all podcast streaming platforms. Part 2 will be published on January 1. As usual, I promise you, it will be time well spent.

Have a great rest of the week and happy holidays!