The AlphaMind Podcast

30 years of trading success brought Jason Shapiro to the attention of Jack Schwager, who was looking for new interview subjects for the latest instalment of his brilliant series of Market Wizards books ‘Unknown Market Wizard’. Shapiro’s chapter in the book is called ‘The Contrarian’, which tells you pretty much all you need to know about his approach and style. In this episode, Jason opens up with about his trading approach, his contrarian philosophy and a whole host of topics around the trading process which listeners will find fascinating. Jason talks passionately about trading and his work. Some of the themes Jason talks about include: Why he is a contrarian. How being a contrarian is not the same as being countertrend. Finding your edge. The importance of getting the process right. Being objective in your views. How market’s discount the news. Using the Commitment of Trader’s report. And a host of themes which will inspire and fascinate the listener.Jason really opens up with great honesty about the realities of trading, of how he has been to hell and back more than once, the pain of losing, the learning experiences of becoming successful then losing it all, the journey and path to better process and practice, of how trading success is ‘the long game’.This is one of those interviews which is full of nuggets and lessons from beginning to end. Do not switch this episode off early, because it just gets hotter is it goes along. Jason also talks about the Crowded Market Report, a Futures trading education website which focuses on and supports traders in developing a unique contrarian approach. Also full kudos to the Crowded Market Report, who donate a portion of their proceeds to the Charlestown Early Learning Center, a non-profit organization, to provide a high quality, affordable educational program for 3, 4, and 5 year old children in the local community. You can learn more Jason at the Crowded Market report here: https://www.crowdedmarketreport.com/about/You can follow them on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Crowded_Mkt_RptAnd connect with them on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmr-publishing/AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Many people new to trading, and even many veterans, have a very limited view of Technical Analysis. They often see it as merely a tool used for analysing market price action, or may hold beliefs which may lead them to be sceptical or even cynical about its usefulness or validity. Yet,  technical analysis is far more than merely a tool for analysing the market price action, it can provide an entire framework for your trading. This includes helping improve timing of discretionary actions, forming the core underpinnings of systematic or quant-based approaches, enhancing your fundamental trading views, and even being a vital part of your risk management approach. In this episode we talk to Adam Sorab. Adam is a partner at a UK based hedge fund and someone with a deep and long history in the financial markets within trading and investment roles. Adam has played an active role as a significant user of technical analysis, and has also held a major role in some of the world's leading Technical Analysis Institutions. As you will hear, Adam is one of the most informed people on all things technical analysis and how to use it effectively and productively.Today Adam is a partner at Aptior Capital, a distressed debt hedge fund based in the UK. Prior to that, and for over a decade, he was head of technical research and product specialist sales at the hedge fund giant CQS where he produced technical analysis-based investment research and strategy for their traders and portfolio managers. Prior to that Adam held various roles, including his early years’ experience as an FX trader at the Swiss Investment Bank Credit Suisse, and head of Absolute Return strategies at Deutsche Bank Asset Management. Adam holds a Honours Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and has  been heavily involved with our sponsorship partner the Society of Technical Analysts (the STA) where he was formerly chairman and remains a member of their ‘Investment committee’. Adam was also president of the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA), the global body which the STA is itself a constituent member of. Adam brings a wealth of experience and insight that we are delighted and honoured to be able to share with our podcast audience, and which we are certain you will find informative, insightful and may challenge some of your long-held perspective and beliefs. Adam also talks about the STA outstanding Home Study Course and their Diploma programme, which is accredited by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), the leading professional body for securities, investment, wealth and financial planning professionals.You can find out more about the Society of Technical Analysts (The STA) and how you can become a member on their webpage: https://technicalanalysts.comYou can follow the STA on Twitter hereYou can also gain a discount on their brilliant Home Study course and Home Study Course and Diploma programme exclusively through AlphaMind at this link here.AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

We are delighted to welcome back the wonderful Denise Shull to the AlphaMind podcast to talk about Visceral Intelligence and Trading. Visceral intelligence is the literal feeling that you get in your body that correlates with a decision you’re trying to make or an experience you are having.Denise is making her second appearance as a guest on the AlphaMind podcast. As one of the leading performance coaches in the trading and investment world, Denise has specialised in applying neuroeconomics and modern psychoanalysis in her work with hedge fund portfolio managers and high performance professional athletes. She is also the founder of The Rethink Group and author of one of the best-selling books on trader mindset – Market Mind GamesIn this episode we explore Visceral Intelligence and how we spend so much time up in our heads ruminating over the past and stressing about the future, that we miss out on vital clues and insights which our body and its feelings reveal and provide. This is why visceral intelligence and connecting with your body is so important.This episode covers a range of themes of interest to new and seasoned traders alike, including:·       How brain research on aspects of emotion, insight, intuition come to impact our trading practices. ·       How we can use this insight on emotions to make better trading decisions. ·       Useful analogies to compare to trading to improve how we manage ourselves as we navigate our way through the markets.·       Developing visceral intelligence by naming our feelings and recognising how we can use these. ·       Emotions and risk-decisions and recognising what is important and what is not.·       The Cognitive and emotional Intelligence partnership and how ‘the body keeps the score’.·       Keeping a track of your emotions to help make better trading decisions going forward. ·       How our trading systems are unique to each individual and how this makes learning other people’s systems so challenging.·       Improving your learning through greater knowledge of yourself. ·       Categorising your emotions and listening to your body’s feeling without judgement.·       The challenge and benefits of learning these elements when we have a resistance to honest self-reflection.·       The dangers of cutting yourself off from your feelings. You can find out more about Denise and her work at:The Rethink Group website: https://rethinkgroupltd.com/ You can follow Denise on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/DeniseKShullDenise’s book is ‘Market Mind Games: A Radical Psychology of Investing, Trading and Risk’.AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Money Coaching is a relatively new profession that combines sound psychological and coaching principles with practical financial coaching to help people transform their relationship with money. This week’s guest, Dennis Harhalakis is a Money Coach who spent more than two decades in bank trading rooms as a trader and salesperson and has worked in the private banking and wealth management world. That sort of experience provides a well-rounded perspective as a money coach to talk about how people engaged in trading and investing activities are impacted, positively and negatively, by their relationship with money. In this fascinating interview, we cover a host of topics and themes that explore that self/money relationship and how it influences our decisions, behaviours and emotional reactions to events. Dennis provides some practical advice for how people can start to improve their relationship with money and raises some interesting points about how our early-years’ experience around impacts our current relationship with money, and how this then affects they we behave, act and make choices, in our work and in our personal lives.  If you are interested to knowmore about Dennis, his website is: https://cambridgemoneycoaching.uk/His email is: contact@cambridgemoneycoaching.ukYou can also connect to Dennis on Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dennis-harhalakisAlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Merritt Black, our first returning guest, shares his personal insights and deep wisdom about the challenges traders face in the battle to succeed.     Merritt is the founder & head of trading at Apteros Trading, a proprietary trading firm, before that he headed futures and commodities trading at SMB Capital.    The first episode with Merritt in September 2019 proved enduringly popular and has remained one of our most downloaded episodes. In this new episode, as in the previous one, Merritt shares a depth of wisdom, honesty and humility which is rare. He allies that with an ability to encapsulate the key challenges traders face in their battles they face with both themselves and the markets. In this episode Merritt talks about the benefits of working in a proprietary trading business. He tells how working in a proprietary trading firm supports traders by fostering their trading development and providing them mentorship and guidance and a collaborative experience as they progress in their trading careers. Merritt also talks about Apteros's NADRO Methodology, which is a trading system, method and approach built on principals that teach the trader the language of the markets, helps provide direction for how they engage with the market, and supports their development of their trading playbook. This interview is in reality more of a conversation and broadens out to cover a whole range of themes around the behaviours, mindsets and attitudes traders need to embrace to power their development and growth   This episode is full of nuggets of wisdom, too numerous to mention and summarise. One thing is for certain though, the listener will learn so much from this episode that will both educate them and challenge them on some of their deep-held beliefs. You can learn more about Merritt and his work by visiting Apteros’s webpage: https://www.apterostrading.com/Merritt can be followed on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/merrittblackAlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Jared Tendler, mental game coach, discusses the challenges traders face in managing their emotions. He emphasizes the importance of addressing psychological issues over technical skills. Topics include choking, getting 'In The Zone', and bridging the gap between knowledge and transformation in trading.

This episode focuses on peak performance.We are all familiar with the idea of coaching as a driver of peak performance in sports, however the concept of using coaching in other areas, particularly trading, remains largely alien to many. Yet trading is a high-performance activity. It requires clarity of mind, careful planning, acute reflexes, the ability to make split second decisions in fast moving complex and uncertain environments, and a competitive spirit. People rarely consider these aspects of trading. Most people see the job of trading as being about strategy and method. They thus devote vast amounts of energy to trying to find and develop systems or methods to win the strategy battle. It’s worth considering that the most successful traders do not have superior systems, methods or strategies to anyone else. What they do have is the ability to apply them more effectively. This is because they have the ability to work at peak levels of performance more often, more regularly and are able to sustain those levels. It is with this in mind, that people are turning increasingly towards performance coaching to help support, develop and motivate them towards developing a peak performance mindset and achieve excellence in the enormously challenging roles they face as traders.Mark Randall, one of the podcasts usual co-hosts is today the interviewed, rather than the interviewer. Mark, a veteran of the financial markets, is now one of the world's leading Peak Performance coaches.  For the past several years Mark has worked with people in trading and investment roles, as well as with people in leadership and management roles, and even those engaged in sports.  Mark focuses on developing the person to cultivate a peak performance mindset for the challenges they face. You can find out more about Mark and his work on the AlphaMind website https://alpha-mind.net. You can learn more about his Peak Performance Coaching programme for traders on the AlphaMind Blog here: https://alphamindblog.blogspot.com/p/the-alphamind-trader-mental-strength.htmlMark can be contacted on his email here mark@alpha-mind.net. Or you can also Direct Message him on twitter https://twitter.com/AlphaMind102 and on LinkedIn. AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Ryan Paisey has been in and around markets for almost 2 decades. He has been a market-maker, a day trader, a scalper and a prop trader (almost an interesting new line for Steve Miller Band's 'The Joker'). These days he devotes his energy to providing a trader news service ‘PriapusIQ’, which he describes as All Killer, No Filler, News & Commentary on all Things Markets & Geopolitics. His commentary, often accompanied by some acerbic market wit (yes he really is 'the joker'), provides a more slanted and edgy perspective on news and analysis which differentiates it from the standard news and information offerings traders receive. In this excellent chat with us, Ryan shares some deep thoughts and perspective about a host of aspects of trading from his many year’s experiences. He feels passionate about the learning journey for traders, and how so many people enter trading without the sort of support and guidance he had from experienced traders who were around him in the physical settings of trading room environments. As you will hear in this vibrant chat, Ryan doesn’t hold back on his views. Ryan is driven by a desire to provide traders with an edge by having the sort of slant on news and information which they fail to get from standard news services. With barriers to entry so low, many traders come into trading unprepared, or with unrealistic expectations and then have to fend for themselves. By contrast, when Ryan started, he had the benefit of learning in a trading room environment which provided the sort of incubation which many modern traders miss out.  His news service aims to help address the absence of the sort of high valuable spin on news, in relation to markets, that use to be available to traders working in trading room environments.You can learn more about PriapusIQ at https://www.priapusiq.com/You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @PriapusIQAlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

Paul Craven, a behavioural expert with a strong background in the investment industry, shares some fascinating insights into how the mind plays tricks on us that impact how we make decisions and choices in our trading and investment activities.Paul  is an expert in the field of behavioural finance. He talks. lectures and has a deep passion for this topic. Paul understands the challenges people in these fields face from having spent a career in the industry working for leading firms such as Schroder’s Investment management, PIMCO and Goldman Sachs. Paul's now works to promote the understanding of how behaviours impact how people make decisions in their business, trading and investment activities. Paul believes that a better understanding of psychology and how real people make real decisions in the real world provides a strong competitive edge to those who embrace it.As a well-known industry public speaker, Paul has given an excellent TEDx talk, offers private consultancy and decision-making workshops, and is a visiting lecturer at the London Business School. In addition Paul also has a fascination for the world of magic, and is a member of the exclusive 'Magic Circle', meaning that he can offer an extra perspective on how “the mind plays tricks.”Paul is also involved with Behaviour Lab, whom he works with by analysing data and evidence provided by longer term portfolio managers, a number of investment biases appear that particularly prevalent according to research done by Behaviour Lab. In particular they see repeated examples of what they call the ‘Dirty Dozen’ most common biases - broken down into the main groupings of pattern recognition, stability, action-oriented and social biases. Major example of each include confirmation bias, the endowment effect, overconfidence and groupthink.You can find out more about Paul at https://www.paulcraven.com/Paul’s Twitter Handle is https://twitter.com/CravenPartnersPaul’s excellent and highly entertaining TEDx talk can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdkgBlOt8m0AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

There is no easy money in trading, and just when you think there may be, the opportunities that produce it get snatched away from you. That’s the lesson our guest Joseph Gasperoni, who goes by the name JTrader, has learned and passed on to others in a 20-year career as a full-time day trader and educator.Jo started trading in the dotcom era in Italy. At a young age he was soon making the sort of money which most people dream of. Life seemed good and he seemed to be set-up for a great and fruitful career as a trader.  However, things change fast in markets, and the rich seams that Jo had tapped into soon ran dry. This maybe a sobering story for many young traders who are currently experiencing their own ‘easy money’. As Jo experienced, what seems like easy money rarely lasts, and when it stops, you need to work out how to make money in all market conditions. Following the taps running dry for Jo, he went through a period of deep reflection, anxiety and self-doubt. The period of underperformance was a hit to his self-esteem which he took personally, and which led to sleepless nights and panic attacks. After a break for a couple of years Jo returned and started trading in the U.S Markets, effectively starting over, learning a new strategy in a new market, and trading in new ways. The key to his story and subsequent success is one of adaption, evolution and re-learning. Jo also started his own educational arm which provides learning and mentoring services for traders. Education services are vital for new retail traders who miss out on the benefits of learning in a trading room environment. Whilst there are many dubious providers of trading education, Jo came to us highly recommended and we were able to explore this vital area of trader development.  As well as being a full-time trader and mentor, Jo is into mixed martial arts and bodybuilding.You can find out more about Jo on his website: https://jtrader.co/ and can follow him on twitter here https://twitter.com/jtradercoAlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global MarketsAlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities. Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.