Chat With Traders

This episode features Dr. Yves Hilpisch—the founder of The Python Quants.TPQ do a lot of good for those involved in quantitative finance, they; frequently host meet-ups and workshops, have developed platforms and analytics libraries, and often contract to exchanges, banks and hedge funds for custom Python development.Yves is also a three-time published author, with his most notable title probably being “Python for Finance” which was released through O’Reilly. He regularly gives presentations and speaks at events on the subject of quant finance, and lectures at Universities too.Over the next sixty minutes, you’ll hear us unpack many subjects related to being a quant and why programming in Python can be a useful skill to have in your toolbox.Note, some of the discussion in the later part may be a little heavy for non-programmers. So if there is something that doesn’t make sense or you’d like more context around, please just write in the comments at the bottom of this page and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trader I interviewed for this episode is; Ryan Moffett from Blackpier Capital.Having been involved with markets for about 12 years now, Ryan has experience in trading, strategy design, portfolio construction and even alternative investments—all, while working for several firms (one of which, managed upwards of $2B).More recently though, Ryan’s ventured out to start a fund of his own, where he wears the badge of Lead Investment Manager.Some of the subjects we check off during this episode, include; the snapping point that lead Ryan to pursue trading and cold-call 50 fund managers for guidance. How he was able to form various mentoring relationships, the first steps of starting a fund and the unseen challenges.Plus we discuss options, strategies and research, but the highlight for myself was hearing Ryan’s insight on deliberate practice and mental discomfort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, for the second time on Chat With Traders, my guest is Morad or better known as; Futures Trader 71.As you could imagine, FT is a futures trader, he’s also very short-term and has been trading for about 16 years now. During this time, he was the founder of a successful prop firm and more recently, has started a brokerage; Stage 5 Trading.First time around (on episode 37) we spoke extensively about FT’s path of becoming a trader, market profile and volume profile, and creating a legacy. This time we spoke about all new topics…For example; how to learn a new skill, how to measure your progress besides PnL, how to remove attachment to the outcome, how FT uses a regressive risk management strategy, and plenty more too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is Alan Farley, who took his first trades in the late-80’s.Alan is an active swing trader, and most of his positions take place in the US equity market—although he occasionally trades index futures and currencies too.In 2001, Alan released his first book, The Master Swing Trader, which may be the best-selling book on the subject). He’s also a regular contributor to The Street and Investopedia, having written hundreds of articles over the years.Subjects you’ll hear about include; the unusual way in which Alan got a well-rounded education of financial markets. Some of the big lessons that shaped him into the trader he is now, in particular, the concept of convergence and divergence. Plus, we talk about the dynamics that generate price movement, and much more too.---Sponsored by RealVisionTV.com, which is best described as the Netflix of finance. So quit watching lame TV—start watching the smartest minds in finance. Get a FREE 7-day trial here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Crudele started at a very young age on the CME floor, and he has one really interesting story about coming up as a trader…It does involve some pretty drastic failures, burning through significant amounts of cash, and a whole lot of perseverance. But, he eventually broke through and went on to have years of making six and seven-figures, while heavily trading the E-Mini S&P 500 from it’s inception.In our chat, you’ll hear about Anthony’s multiple blowouts and comebacks, his turning point as a trader, his approach to trading futures today, and a healthy reminder to protect your downside.---Sponsored by RealVisionTV.com – Real Vision TV is pretty much like Netflix, but purely for finance and investing—it’s a real treat! Get yourself a free 7-day trial to start streaming now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raoul Pal has a history rooted in the hedge fund industry, and with him, he carries more than 25+ years of experience in financial markets.For a number of years he worked at Goldman Sachs where he co-managed the hedge fund sales business in equities and equity derivatives. He later moved on to GLG, one of the largest hedge fund groups in the world, where he launched their global macro fund in London.Today, Raoul no longer manages client money but continues to invest his own. He also writes a premium research newsletter, The Global Macro Investor, and is the co-founder of Real Vision TV.In this episode we navigate through some uncharted waters which have not been explored previously on this podcast. So in addition to macro investing, technical analysis and hedge funds, we discuss theoretical economic models, business cycles, negative interest rates, and why the world is economically in a frightening position.---Sponsored by TradeStation.com – With TradeStation, you’ll have access to a wide-range of markets and products, an award-winning platform, favorable commissions, and a sharp support team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As I’m sure you already well aware, Jack Schwager has been involved with financial markets for many years, he’s the author of the acclaimed Market Wizards series and others, and he’s also the co-founder of FundSeeder.During our talk, we go behind the scenes of the Market Wizards and Jack shares his experiences from conducting interviews with trading royalty and some of his most memorable moments.Of course, I ask Jack to flesh out some of the great knowledge he’s learned from this—discussing; self-confidence, sacrifices, what separates a profitable trader from a super trader, and the issue with seeking comfort.You’ll also hear an update on FundSeeder, as well as something you might be very interested to know, what trading books does Jack recommend to others?The New Market Wizards is now available as an audiobook on Amazon. Get a free copy---Sponsored by TradeStation.com – A fully-licensed online broker, serving traders globally. Get the benefits of an award-winning platform, competitive commissions, awesome support, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re about to hear a really interesting conversation I had with Dennis Dick.Dennis first started out meddling with penny stocks, before soon joining a well-established prop firm known as; Bright Trading—this was in the late 90’s. To this day Dennis remains with the same firm, still as an active short-term equities trader, but also as their Market Structure Analyst.If his voice sounds familiar, that’s probably because he’s the co-host of Benzinga’s PreMarket Prep live morning show too.Some of the key talking points that come up over the next 60 minutes, include; scalping, surviving as a short-term trader in a high frequency world, various order types, and the opportunities that can be found trading the open (this is actually where Dennis makes 50% of his money each day—within the first five minutes).---Sponsored by TradeStation.com – TradeStation, an award-winning broker, equip clients with remarkable technology for an advantage in competitive markets and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our featured guest for this weeks interview is, Saul Knapp.Saul originally started out as a runner on the floor of the LIFFE exchange (in London), when he was just 16 years old. Later moving on from there, he’s had various roles as a risk manager for proprietary trading firms, at times, monitoring positions for as many as 120+ traders. Today, Saul lives in Spain where he runs a small prop firm of his own.In regard to how he trades, Saul is a spread trader who’s most active in the energy markets. So, spread trading is something we cover during our conversation, as well as his observations from being a risk manager and helping other traders improve.If you have any questions, or if there’s anything which you’d like further explanation on, just write in the comments below to get a response from Saul.---Sponsored by TradeStation.com – Get ultra-competitive commissions, support from fully licensed brokers, powerful analysis tools and an award-winning platform, plus more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dan Aisen—one of the co-founders of IEX, and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Finance (2015).Dan got his start at RBC where he developed their flagship execution algorithm, THOR. This was also where he met and worked under Brad Katsuyama—one of the other co-founders and CEO of IEX, who was heavily profiled in Flash Boys.As many of you may already know, IEX is an Alternative Trading System (ATS), or more commonly referred to as a dark pool. However, they’re currently in the midst of filing for exchange status.During our talk, I asked Dan more about the projects he worked on at RBC, how IEX went from nothing more than an idea to an operating trading venue, and why they’re on a quest to make markets “fair”.We also discuss the “speed bumps” which have been implemented at IEX, the mechanics of dark pools, and general chat about the broader market structure.[FREE: An unreleased interview with trader, Peter Brandt]Peter’s been a market speculator for 45+ years, and is undeniably one of the greats. Listen to his wisdom in our second interview—available here only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices