The NON-Wisdom of Crowds with Nigol Koulajian of Quest Partners

May 6, 2021

Nigol Koulajian is the Founder and CIO of Quest Partners, a systematic trading firm with $1.8 billion in assets under management. In this engaging conversation, he discusses his transition from engineering to futures trading and the critical role of mindfulness in high-pressure investments. Nigol shares insights on managing tail risk, leveraging positively skewed trades, and the complexities of the financial industrial landscape. He also emphasizes the importance of meditation for better decision-making and clarity, all while showcasing his journey through the unique challenges of Wall Street.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Manhattan's Resilience Post-Pandemic

01:55 • 4min

Navigating the Shift from Engineering to Futures Trading

05:52 • 2min

The Financial Industrial Complex: Sales Over Value

08:15 • 2min

Navigating Complexity: Mindfulness in Investing

10:00 • 18min

Navigating Tail Risk in Hedge Fund Strategies

27:48 • 20min

Navigating Volatile Markets: Strategies and Insights

48:03 • 16min

Navigating Positively Skewed Trades in Investment Strategies

01:04:21 • 3min

Understanding Hedge Fund Performance

01:06:55 • 7min

Navigating Tail Risk and Market Dynamics

01:13:35 • 15min

Personal Favorites and Lighthearted Insights

01:28:20 • 1min

Exploring Sound Healing and Its Impact on Meditation

01:29:40 • 2min

In through the nose – out through the mouth. In through the nose – out through the mouth.

You’ve now joined a headspace where we think you’re prepped to focus in and become one with today’s guest. He’s a well known CTA, expert researcher, meditation and yoga practitioner, and Founder & CIO of $1.8 Billion in AUM = Quest Partners. Today’s guest is none other than Nigol Koulajian, he’s been in the business since the early 1990’s and has grown to become one of the leading voices in alternative investments. Today, we’re talking with Nigol about Covid New York, Nigol’s quest to becoming a CTA, what it’s like managing more than a Billion dollars of people’s hard earned money, assessing price & risk in a portfolio, gaming Sharpe ratios, applying meditation to Quest’s quests, how easy it is to replicate hedge fund and CTA performance, Nigol’s favorite whitepapers, gaining convexity relative to skew, 30,000 ft view of Quest’s programs, “playing the players, not the game,” prioritizing meditation and mindset, and The Quest Indicator Book.

Chapters:

00:00-02:03=Intro

02:04-16:51=The Quest to Becoming a CTA

16:52-28:22=Meditation Mindset: Priming the Mind

28:23-51:42=The Power of Positive Skew Models

51:43-01:07:07=Gaming the Sharpe & Playing the Players

01:07:08-01:28:20=The Quest Book

01:28:21-01:31:47=Favorites

Follow along with Quest on LinkedIn and on their website, and keep up to date with Nigol here.

From the episode:

Access Quest’s whitepapers and research here
Sign up for monthly access to the Quest Book here

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Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, business, or tax advice. All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RCM Alternatives, their affiliates, or companies featured. Due to industry regulations, participants on this podcast are instructed not to make specific trade recommendations, nor reference past or potential profits. And listeners are reminded that managed futures, commodity trading, and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. As such, they are not suitable for all investors. For more information, visit www.rcmalternatives.com/disclaimer