This episode of the podcast piles on the knowledge about “return stacking” – the investment approach that lets you layer alternative assets and strategies on top of your traditional portfolio, like a perfect investment sandwich. Jeff Malec has stacked the deck with FOUR financial heavyweights – Mike Philbrick, Rodrigo Gordillo, Adam Butler, and Corey Hoffstein […]
Category: Market Strategies
18
Feb
2025
A Better Categorization of Mutual Funds & ETFs using Alternatives
The recent growth of sophisticated investment strategies inside of mutual funds and ETFs has started to blur the lines between traditional and alternative investments. Today’s innovative funds and ETFs increasingly employ strategies once reserved for hedge funds and institutional investors – using futures contracts, options, strategic leverage, and alternative investment techniques to generate returns and […]
14
Feb
2025
Top ETFs and Mutual Funds using Alts
Top ETFs and Mutual Funds using Alts Don’t recognize these categories? We thought it makes more sense categorizing via a more nuanced framework that focuses on how these products function within a portfolio rather than simply what assets they hold or what single strategy they employ. See the full breakdown of these categories and […]
03
Oct
2024
Is there Alpha in boring old Muni-Bonds, with Riverbend Capital
In this episode of the Derivative podcast, our host Jeff Malec sits down with Tim McGregor and Tom Hession from Riverbend Capital Advisors(@Riverbend_Cap) to dive deep into the world of municipal bonds. The discussion covers the unique inefficiencies and complexities of the $4 trillion muni bond market, which features over 75,000 different issuers across the […]
11
Jun
2024
The Carry Trade
What do you think of when you hear the term “carry trade”? We start thinking of the infamous Mr. John Devaney, who had to sell his 142-foot yacht named (wait for it…) “Positive Carry” during the financial crisis because of losses in his hedge fund due to the unwinding of, you guessed it — the […]
29
Sep
2022
Hurricanes, Cat Bonds, and the Billions at Risk with Dr. Jeff Masters and Chris McKeown
Otherworldly forces can affect the market and hurt it just as much. Hurricane Ian continues to bring surges, winds, and flooding to Florida, and we have our own hurricane swirling around the set. That’s right, we’re bringing two forces together this week in a mashup of two previous pods with Hurricane Hunter Dr. Jeff Masters […]
21
Jul
2022
Don’t Call it Private Equity, Seeking Value (and Tax Alpha) in Small Business with Adam Tkaczuk
It’s not every day you get to talk about investing and food in the same conversation, and this week, refinancing, restructuring, and investing in niche businesses is on the menu with Adam Tkaczuk (@Adam_Tkaczuk). Adam is a tax consultant, project CFO, and private equity investor. He raises debt, equity, and government subsidies for projects and […]
07
Apr
2022
Hedge Funds vs ETFs, Passive vs Active,70s Inflation vs Now, & Commodities vs CTAs with Simplify’s Mike Green
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 […]
31
Mar
2022
Why is intraday trading so hard, Where is the ES liquidity, and When are most market moves happening (overnight), with Deepfield’s CEO, Bastian Bolesta
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 […]
17
Mar
2022
Commodity Volatility, Global Macro, and Trend Following with Alan Dunne from Archive Capital
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The luck of the Irish is on our side as we celebrate today’s episode with Dubliner Alan Dunne, CEO and Founder of Archive Capital, a boutique multi-asset and investment research firm focused on global macro and managed futures strategies. Alan has worked in the financial markets and investment management industry for […]
