The Derivative

Experts Stuart Barton, Jim Carroll, and Vance Harwood discuss the new innovative VIX ETFs SVIX and UVIX, detailing their rebalancing methodology, volatility drag, ETPs vs ETNs, and market dynamics. They explore the complexities of VIX and VIX futures, addressing challenges in tracking VIX indexes and settlement prices. The conversation extends to the future of financial products and the role of technology in market evolution, concluding with a casual chat about astronomy and closing remarks.

Forget about not being emotional in your investment process. Tap into those emotions! According to today's guest Denise Shull, that is the recipe for success. Denise is the Founder of the ReThink Group and leverages her neuroscience and modern psychoanalysis background to solve the mental mysteries of successful investing, trading, competing, and leading teams. In this episode, we talk through Denise's days as a trader, the differences between trading and athletic performance, why systematic traders can still use some help from time to time, and of course, all things Winter Olympics [enter gold medal-winning client Lindsey Jacob Ellis], which she still tears up talking about. Tune in to discover the power of using your emotions and having someone like Denise in your corner! Chapters: 00:00-01:33 = Intro 01:34-17:10 = From trading in Chicago to Neuropsychology 17:11-28:54 = The Shull Method: The Value in Emotions 28:55-42:12 = Athletes vs Traders & and whether there’s any "Edge" left? 42:13-55:01 = Lindsey Jacobellis: Processing negative feelings, Visceral intelligence & Intuition 55:02-01:03:03 = How do you invest? Follow along with Denise on Twitter @DeniseKShull and visit The ReThink Group's website for more information About Denise: Denise Shull, ReThink's Founder and CEO, leverages her background in neuroscience and modern psychoanalysis to solve the mental mysteries of successful investing, trading, competing and leading teams. She is known for her uncanny effectiveness in resolving mental blocks and decision conundrums. Her Wall Street career began in 1994 when she joined one of the first electronic trading firms in Chicago. She then traded at Schonfeld Securities before she was recruited to run her own desk at Sharpe Capital in NYC. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

What exactly does a chief strategist do? Besides picking fights with Bitcoin HODLers on Twitter… And how exactly does one of the most prominent voices on the dangers of too much passive money trying to fit into a single asset classes on/off ramps, end up at….wait for it….an ETF shop? We aim to find out in this episode with Simplify's Chief Strategist and Portfolio Manager - the one and only Mike Green - he of Clue character handles, Princess Bride Avatars, and insightful RealVision interviews and macro focused writing pieces. In this fun chat, Mike shares his particular brand of monotone macro mastery with us, but we also dive into his famous anti-XIV trade, role at Simplify, why the ETF structure keeps getting more and more appealing, big boy markets, exchanges and the LME, the inflationary pressures of the '70s vs. today, why 'team transitory' gets a bad rap and quick thoughts on Crypto and NTFs. You're not going to want to miss this jammed-packed episode! Chapters: 00:00-01:25 = Intro 01:26-09:06 = Joining the Navy, College enrollment & Keto Success 09:07-32:46 = Mike and his views on Passive at an ETF shop?  ARKK and identifying a “Flows Beta” 32:47-43:18 = $CTA, the new Managed Futures ETF & Discretionary vs Systematic 43:19-53:35 = CTAs too big, Big Boy Markets, Big Exchanges & the LME 53:36-01:09:24 = Inflationary Pressures: 1970's vs Today, Fragile Systems & Team Transitory 01:09:25-01:14:57 = Quick thoughts on Crypto & NFTs 01:14:58-01:17:33 = Two Truths & a Lie From the episode: Learn more about Mike's background in our previous recorded episode here. Follow along with Mike on Twitter @profplum99 and check out Simplify Asset Management here. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

Who in the right mind would choose to make a living day trading stock index futures? It must be one of the most competitive, most challenging arenas out there with HFT and 10s of billions of dollars in quant strategies chasing alpha. In this week's episode, we're chatting up the founder and CEO of short-term systematic shop Deepfield Capital from Switzerland, who ply their wares on stock index markets from Asia to Europe, the U.S. Bastian also discusses why there is a difference between market movement during the day and overnight sessions, the status of ES liquidity these days, whether less liquidity will bring new opportunities, the science (and art) of strategy research, why VIX futures are tough to trade, and more! Plus, as a bonus, we find out why Bastian dressed in a full head-to-toe Chewbacca costume for a wedding. Chapters: 00:00-01:25 = Intro 01:26-14:20 = A Swiss View on Swiss Neutrality 14:21-29:11 = Is Day trading Stock Indices the hardest game around? 29:12-51:56 = Why is there such a Difference between Market Movement in day and overnight sessions? 51:57-59:42 = Where is ES Liquidity these days? Does less Liquidity bring More Opportunity? 59:43-01:19:00 = The Science (and the Art) of Strategy Research 01:19:01-01:27:45- Why VIX Futures are Really Hard to Trade 01:27:46-01:33:34 = Two Truths & a Lie Follow along with Bastian on Twitter @LongVol_DFC and for any questions email him at info@deepfieldcapital.com About Bastian Bolesta Bastian Bolesta is a founding partner and Chief Executive Officer of Deep Field Capital AG (DFC), a Switzerland-based, independent, purely systematic asset manager, developing and trading niche intraday and short-term systematic programs in global futures and equity markets. DFC's expertise in developing short-term quantitative programs is built on +20 years of independent, proprietary trading. As CEO and member of the Investment & Research Committee, Bastian drives Deep Field's business development and investment process for its systematic investment strategies on the proprietary trading and asset management side. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

Interesting times in the world bring interesting guests to the show. And, there's no better time than now to sit down with a global finance correspondent, especially with the U.S. unleashing their USD financial war against Russia. Robin Wigglesworth, a Financial Times journalist, joins us all the way from Oslo, Norway, for a captivating chat about his home country, the current turmoil between Ukraine and Russia and its impacts worldwide, and why there isn’t more of an uproar over the current “tech wreck”. We also flip the script and talk to Robin about his many fascinating interviews, from industry icons like Larry Fink, Cliff Asness, and Jack Bogle, to the infamous bet between Warren Buffet and Ted Seides, and uncovering the inside scoop from his latest book, Trillions: How a Band of Wall Street Renegades Invented the Index Fund and changed Finance Forever. Plus, we take a deep dive into the massive growth in passive investing indices (3 million to be exact), ETFs, and more! Chapters: 00:00-01:28 = Intro 01:29-06:32 = Norway 06:33-20:25 = Death of the Dollar? & the Oligarch Class 20:26-30:41 = Tech Wreck & Artificial Smoothness 30:42-43:52 = Memorable Interviews, Industry reporting & a $1.5 Trillion Sovereign Wealth Fund 43:53-53:41 = Trillions: a Chicago angle, and why Credit ETFs held up ok 53:42-01:11:14 = Trillions: Jack Bogle & Active vs Passive is BS 01:11:15-01:21:16 = Trillions: What the future looks like/ the Big get Bigger Follow Robin on Twitter @RobinWigg and check out his latest book Trillions at robinwigglesworth.com Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

Alan Dunne, CEO of Archive Capital, discusses commodity volatility, macro trading evolution, and crisis periods' impact on trend managers. He also plays 'Where Would You Invest?' Grab a green beer and join the pot of gold chat!

Celebrating the 100th episode with Chris Cole from Artemis Capital Management, the podcast covers volatility exposure, risk management, sticky strike regime, inflation, 'Dragon Portfolio', corporate debt, George Lucas Star Wars metaphor, and Dennis Rodman. The conversation delves into unique research pieces, market dynamics, and historical analogies, offering insights into the world of finance and investments.

Oil prices spiking. Wheat at new highs. A bid in Bitcoin. Russia’s invasion on its neighbor, Ukraine, got the world's attention and moved all sorts of markets. While our human side rallies around the Ukrainian people, our financial minds turn to wondering what is going on and what impact this chaos will bring on? To get a clearer global picture, Luke Gormen, a research pro focused on the macro picture and CEO of Forest for the Trees (FFTT, LLC), joins us for a unique discussion of what he is seeing and the outlook for oil wheat, ruble, gold, treasuries, and more! We're getting into the trenches with Luke and talking what Putin’s grand gambit may be, including the danger to the U.S. dollar, new methods of financial warfare, who becomes the reserve currency in the end (the big $64,000 question), MMT, Gold, Oil, and Bitcoin. Stay tuned and discover where the delineation between the narrative and facts takes us! Chapters: 00:00-01:43 = Intro 01:44-09:12 = Putin's Gambit –   an Attack on the US Dollar? 09:13-25:26 = Financial Warfare, Peak Cheap Oil, MMT, Gold & Bitcoin 25:27-38:13 = Macro Research, Creative Freedom & Fiscal Spending 38:14-52:51 = The Mr. X Interviews, Sectors vs Asset Classes & Narrative vs Fact 52:52-01:05:47 = What Would You invest in? & Bitcoin Positions Follow along with Luke on Twitter @LukeGromen and visit fftt-llc.com for more information on The Forest for the Trees. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

With news of Russia invading Ukraine, it was as scary, market-wise, as it’s been since March of 2020 with global stock indices selling off rapidly overnight to send the Nasdaq into bear market territory, SP into correction, and the Nikkei to 15-month low. As the craziness ensued, VIX spiked up to 34 – so we got VIX expert Brian Stutland to come out of his foxhole to provide a unique overview of what is happening in the volatility world this morning and explain why he is so into providing some armor to stock portfolios via the VOL space. Brian's expansive knowledge of volatility comes from his days as a market maker/trader on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). In this episode, he shares his insightful perspective on various topics like: What makes the VIX so hard to benchmark, why it isn't tradeable, and how to make it tradeable Where he stands on the newer wave of traders and programs focusing on gamma flows and modeling dealer positioning What he envisions for the rest of the year...is another recession in store? Plus, Brian gives his hottest take on why the Fed needs to take action and not let inflation continue Chapters: 00:00-01:40 = Intro 01:41-10:29 = What a morning! VIX to highest level in a year 10:30-25:39 = Trading VIX Options in the Pits 25:40-37:47 = Replicating the VIX, Does Gamma matter? 37:48-48:45 = Rebalancing the Markets Pops & Drops 48:46-52:35 = Where does Vol go from here? 52:36-01:00:04 = Hottest Take Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianStutland and visit https://www.equityarmorinvestments.com/ to learn more. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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

From his days as a clerk in the S&P pits to becoming Chairman and CEO of EMC Capital, John Krautsack is here to tell us about his journey in the futures industry — and nothing is off limits! From his wild west pit days to working for one of the original turtle traders, the late Liz Cheval, to what it's like implementing a new vision and everything in between. With their Classic program having been around for 40 years, John gives us a glimpse into EMC’s recipe for long-term success. We're talking about building robust systems for trend following (EMC is featured in our latest Trend Following Guide here), various strategies, automated research, AI and machine learning, plus more. Hold on to your seats; this episode will take you on an adventurous ride! Chapters: 00:00-01:28 = Intro 01:29-07:40 =Crazy Pit Days 07:41-17:29 =An original Turtle & Secrets to a 40 year run 17:30-46:16 =EMC Classic: Building a Robust set of Systems 46:17-56:14 =EMC Alpha, Alpha+ & Machine Learning 56:15-01:08:37 =Trend Following Future, Bond Trends & Trending Lumber 01:08:38- 01:12:12 =Two Truths & a Lie Before you go, check out these items mentioned in this episode: Blog post: Liz Cheval: From Turtle to Titan Podcast: Trend Following Turtle Tails (and Tales) with Jerry Parker Whitepaper: Newly Released Trend Following Guide About John Krautsack:  John directs all investment activity at EMC and started his career in the futures industry in 1985 as an assistant to a prominent S&P 500 trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. From 1989 to 1995, he managed trading operations for De Angelis Trading/Crown Capital Management, JPD Enterprises, and ALH Capital. He joined EMC in 1995, overseeing trading and managing the portfolio until he assumed the role of Chairman in 2013. Don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter at @rcmAlts and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2, or LinkedIn , and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. 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