Let’s start with a confession: every asset in your portfolio pays you in two different currencies. The first is returns. The boring, spreadsheet kind. The kind your CPA cares about. The second is feelings. The dopamine drip. The “honey, look what NVDA did today” kind. The kind that makes you screenshot your brokerage app and […]
Category: Trend Following and Systematic Strategies
21
May
2026
The Doctor who Traded Pork Bellies: Patrick Welton’s Journey from Stanford Oncologist to one of Trend Following’s Quiet Legends
In this episode, Jeff Malec sits down with Dr. Patrick Welton to trace his remarkable path from Wisconsin kid to Stanford oncologist to veteran futures trader and founder of Welton Investment Partners. Patrick shares how trading pork bellies and interest rate futures in the late 1970s to pay tuition evolved into a decades-long career shaped […]
05
Mar
2026
SuperCars, Salad, and Sumo Wrestlers: Inside One River’s Systematic Risk Mitigation Playbook with Patrick Kazley
In this episode of The Derivative, Jeff Malec is joined by Patrick Kazley of OneRiver explore how long volatility, convexity, trend following, and systematic macro can be combined in a capital‑efficient way to improve equity compounding and protect portfolios from major drawdowns. They discuss crisis “shapes,” why time-based rebalancing often beats intuitive drawdown triggers, how […]
23
Oct
2025
Engineering Alpha using Trend and Volatility on Equity Beta with Eric Leake of ALTUS Private Capital
Buckle up for a wild ride through the markets with Eric Leake, founder of Altus Private Capital, as Jeff Malec explores the investment world with a quantitative maverick who’s about to reveal the hidden playbook of market mastery! From analyzing market waves to navigating volatility, Eric uncovers his unique approach combining long-term equity market trend […]
02
Oct
2025
Beyond Buy and Hold: Q3 Asset Mgmt’s Quantitative Approach to Tactical Investing with Bruce Greig & Brad Giaimo
Join Jeff Malec as he sits down with Brad Giaimo and Bruce Greig from Q3 Asset Management, two investment pros who turned trading floor grit into a modern, rules-based quant shop helping RIAs build out tactical trading models for clients. From Brad’s formative days alongside Paul Tudor Jones to Bruce’s mathematical approach to market analysis, […]
07
Aug
2025
Beyond Traditional Trend: Leveraging Experience, Short Term, and Crypto with Mike Stendler
In this episode of The Derivative, Jeff Malec sits down with Mike Stendler of O’Brien Investment Group to explore their history and evolution of trend following strategies. Stendler shares insights into their innovative approach, blending traditional trend models with machine learning techniques across multiple time frames. They dive deep into the evolution of quantitative trading, […]
29
May
2025
Is Trend Following Dead? (Again…) A Deep Dive with Crabel’s Grant Jaffarian
In this revealing episode, Jeff Malec sits down with Grant Jaffarian (@GJaffarian) from Crabel Capital Management to dissect the current state of trend following. They explore the declining performance over the past 6 months, challenges in maintaining positive convexity, and the critical need for innovation. Grant offers candid insights into how trend following has evolved, […]
28
Apr
2025
Patience in Alts: Man Group Shows trend in Trend’s Initial Struggles
We’ve been discussing the challenges facing trend following strategies during April’s market volatility here in our post Paging Mr. Trend Following and in Jeff Malec’s, recent tweet thread. Many investors are understandably frustrated by the performance of trend and other alternatives during this market downturn. Right on cue, managed futures pioneer Man Group has published […]
08
Apr
2025
Paging Mr. Following, Mr….Trend… Following
We can’t blame you if you’ve been looking to put out an APB on trend following so far this year—needing some help from that Alts bucket in what is increasingly looking like an ugly market moment. The S&P 500 is now down 17% from its highs, while the Nasdaq and Russell indices have plunged into […]
03
Apr
2025
Trends, Tall Heads, and Transformations with Transtrend’s Harold de Boer
Dive into the fascinating world of trend following with Jeff Malec and one of the GOATs: Harold de Boer, a pioneering systematic trader who transformed his life path from a Dutch dairy farm into the sophisticated global investment firm Transtrend. In this episode, Harold shares insights into the evolution of trend following, discussing how understanding […]
