Chat With Traders

Jeff Holden was once a kid watching his father get laid off during a department cut, realizing early on that he never wanted to be at the mercy of unpredictable market shifts, he wanted full control over his own destiny. Today, as the Head of Trader Development at SMB Capital, Jeff has transformed that drive into a career of identifying, recruiting, and mentoring prop traders into multi-million dollar, seven- and eight-figure performers. After starting as an independent trader working to find his own way, Jeff built his philosophy around structure, baseline consistency, and rigorous risk allocation. Rather than relying on guesswork or emotional "gut feelings," Jeff developed actionable frameworks like the "ASET" protocol to help traders systematically identify edge, manage risk, and scale capital. In this conversation, Jeff pulls back the curtain on how top-tier prop traders are actually built from the ground up. He breaks down the mechanics of price action and tape reading, why scalping serves as the ultimate baseline foundation, and how traders can bridge the gap between steady baseline income and aggressively swinging the bat on high-conviction A+ setups. In this episode, we explore:• How Jeff Holden develops high-performing 7- and 8-figure prop traders at SMB Capital• Jeff’s personal backstory and how a childhood lesson in market volatility shaped his trading philosophy• Why beginner and developing traders must focus on building a consistent baseline strategy first• The "ASET" Protocol: Allocation, Stop, Entry, and Target framework explained• Matching your individual personality and trading psychology to the right archetype and strategy• Jeff’s perspective on trading discipline, daily report cards, and long-term risk management About Jeff Holden:Jeff Holden is the Head of Trader Development at SMB Capital, one of the world's premier proprietary trading firms. Having started his career as an independent trader working to find his own way in the markets, Jeff now specializes in identifying talent, building desk playbooks, and guiding developing traders along the path to consistent, seven- and eight-figure profitability. He is known for his structured, data-driven approach to risk allocation, tape reading, and team trading dynamics. Links + Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-holden-357a1b31a/SMB Capital Website: https://www.smbtraining.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smbcapitalX (Twitter): https://x.com/smbcapital Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.00:00 How Top Prop Traders Find and Scale Their Edge04:05 A Bunch of Nerds Excited About Trading08:42 The Formula for a Trading Career: Baseline Strategies + A+ Setups 14:11 How Not to Approach Trading17:02 Consistency First: The 4-Month Consistency Rule19:55 How Jeff Started Trading & Why SMB Starts Traders with Scalping25:15 Deconstructing the “Bella Scalp”30:33 Price Action Scalping vs. Tape Scalping36:48 Is There a Point in Time a Trade Can Be Adjusted? 40:08 The ASET Protocol: Allocation, Stop, Entry, and Target Breakdown54:00 At What Point Do You Shut Your Computer Down?59:22 Do the Work and Analyze What's Happening in the Market01:11:21 The 3 Archetypes of Traders and Their Internal Self-Talk01:16:01 Commonalities of Traders' Personalities?01:18:38 Traits Jeff is Looking for in Traders01:21:53 Passion is Overrated in Trading01:24:18 Community Trading vs. Team Trading 01:28:56 The Single Greatest Thing That Developing Traders Need to Get Right01:32:04 Where to Follow Jeff Holden & SMB Capital Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Quirk began his career in 1987 on the fast-paced trading floors of Chicago, surviving the historic market crash that wiped out $1.7 trillion worldwide.From navigating open-outcry pits where a trader's word was their bond, Steve transitioned into market technology, helping build landmark tools at thinkorswim and leading trading strategy initiatives at TD Ameritrade. Today, as Chief Brokerage Officer at Robinhood, he sits at the intersection of retail investing, market structure, and financial innovation, shaping products for millions of retail investors.In this conversation, Steve shares key lessons from decades in the markets, the evolution of retail trading technology, and how removing friction like the Pattern Day Trader rule is unlocking the next era of retail investing. In this episode, we explore:• Steve’s early days in the Chicago trading pits in 1987• Why decisive decision-making and accepting being wrong 50% of the time is crucial• The transition from floor trading to building technology at thinkorswim• How Robinhood levels the playing field for retail investors and opens up global access• Managing risks: framing the absolute worst-case scenario before taking a trade• The impact of removing the Pattern Day Trader (PDT) rule for retail traders About Steve Quirk:Steve Quirk is Chief Brokerage Officer at Robinhood Markets. With over 35 years of financial markets experience, he previously led trading strategy at TD Ameritrade, developed innovative trading tools for thinkorswim®, and created the TD Ameritrade U program. Steve started his career in 1987 in the Chicago open-outcry pits across the CME and CBOE, and is a frequent market commentator featured on CNBC, Fox Business, and The Wall Street Journal. Links + Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-quirk-56148a22/X (Twitter): https://x.com/SteveQuirk_ Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 From Chicago Pit Trader to Robinhood Exec 02:57 What Pulled You to the Market? 07:17 Trading Pits Are More Organized Than They Appear 11:51 Transitioning to Creating Technology for Retail Trading 19:01 Leveling the Playing Field for Retail Traders 21:10 Giving People What They Want 24:45 Did You Fall in Love with Scaling Robinhood Like You Did with Trading? 29:48 What Robinhood Is Doing to Teach 32:12 Early Mistakes in Trading 34:31 Advice to People from Robinhood CBO 36:44 What's Your Next Product Going to Be? 40:24 What Is the PDT Rule? 43:23 What Is a Memory That Came to Mind in Your Trading Career? 45:16 Is There Anything in Your Life That Changed Your Line of Thinking? 46:22 Your Piece of Advice to Your Younger Self 46:57 Where Can Traders Find You? Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Brandt entered the commodity trading business in 1976 with ContiCommodity Services, survived years of market shifts, and turned a passion for price action into a legendary career spanning over 50 years as one of the world's premier classical chartists.After starting with Conti handling large institutional accounts like Campbell Soup Company and Homestake Mining, Peter went on to found Factor Trading Co., Inc. (now Factor LLC) in 1980 to trade proprietary capital. Author of the classic Diary of a Professional Commodity Trader and featured in Jack Schwager’s Unknown Market Wizards, Peter has spent over five decades navigating inflationary booms, market crashes, and the transition from open-outcry pits to electronic markets. Today, his edge is built on process, discipline, and classical charting principles that have stood the test of time.In this conversation, Peter pulls back the curtain on his five-decade journey, sharing the specific principles that have allowed him to navigate the markets for half a century. He breaks down why high win rates are a myth, how he caps risk at 60–70 basis points per trade, and how he transitioned from searching for quick wins to building a career as a master craftsman in speculation. In this episode, we explore:• Peter Brandt’s 50+ year journey from advertising to commodity pits and Factor Trading• Why high win rates are a myth and how the 80/20 Pareto Principle applies to trading profits• How Peter limits risk to 60–70 basis points per trade and why he never pyramids positions• Why he shuns indicators and diagonal trend lines in favor of horizontal classical patterns• Why the real edge comes from risk management and emotional control, not chart patterns• Peter's advice for the next generation on craft, capital preservation, and longevity About Peter Brandt:Peter L. Brandt entered the commodity trading business in 1976 with ContiCommodity Services, a division of Continental Grain Company. In 1980, he founded Factor Trading Co., Inc. (now Factor LLC), trading proprietary capital across forex, futures, fixed income, and equity markets. Over his career, he has managed trading activities for major institutional clients, including Commodities Corporation of Princeton, NJ.Peter is the author of Trading Commodity Futures with Classical Chart Patterns (1990) and Diary of a Professional Commodity Trader (2011), which held Amazon's #1 trading rank for 27 weeks. Featured in Jack Schwager's Unknown Market Wizards and named among the 30 most influential people in finance by Barry Ritholtz in 2011, Peter is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on classical chart analysis. Links + Resources:X (Twitter): https://x.com/PeterLBrandtWebsite: https://www.peterlbrandt.com/ Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 How a 50-Year Veteran Thinks About Risk Management05:42 Wanting a Career from Trading09:42 Taking 5 Years to Be Profitable15:20 Don't Quit Your Day Job to Trade Until You Have a Proven Track Record22:30 Cut Losses Short and Let My Winning Trades Run27:00 Understand the Risk and the Probability31:00 20% of My Trades Account for at Least 80% of My Total Profits36:08 Sizing Is Really Important and It Is the Reason Why a Lot of Novices Blow Out43:00 Removing Yourself from the Equation48:30 I Don't Believe in Optimization Where You Have a Set of Rules52:50 I Like Horizontal and Continuation Patterns54:38 I Don't Believe in Indicators Because They're Just Derivatives of Price1:00:00 Technical Analysis: Charts Resonated with Who I Am1:03:20 The Time Frame I Trade1:07:00 How Important It Is to Identify How You Trade1:09:15 Having a Mentor1:14:50 What Are You Most Proud of in Your Career01:20:09 I Enter Every Trade Assuming It's Going to Be a Loser01:26:05 Become a Craftsman of Trading01:33:48 You Can’t Go Broke Taking Small Profits, But You Will Go Broke Taking Large Losses01:35:40 Peter's Takeaway He Leaves to the Next Generation of Traders01:36:14 Where Can Traders Find You Trading Disclaimer:Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kory Hoang is not a veteran trader—he’s not someone who has been doing this 10-20 years. He’s someone who has been doing this for only a few years, yet he’s begun to make decent gains on his trading capital. Kory is also not a full-time trader …well, at the time of recording this—a few weeks ago—he wasn’t! Kory was a private equity analyst for Pitchbook, who traded on the side. But he’s since informed me that he’s handed in his notice and taken the leap to focus on trading (plus a couple startup projects). In terms of how he trades; Kory is a retail systematic trader. He’s running numerous algorithmic strategies, which he’s developed (all of which are fairly simple). These run on various ETFs, ETNs and even some cryptocurrencies. During our chat, we cover quite a bit; but mostly his journey and how he’s progressed to this point! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Scott entered the high-stakes trading floor of the London Metal Exchange at just 16 years old, survived years of trading under survival-mode pressure, and turned old-school pit wisdom into lifelong success. After starting with a three-month probation and carrying the weight of his father's legendary legacy, Paul developed a disciplined approach to the most volatile corner of the market: commodities and forex. Today, his edge is built on experience and his pit logic trading approach, using price and value to guide his decisions while human behavior gives him the confidence to take the trade.In this conversation, Paul pulls back the curtain on his Survival to Success Arc, sharing the specific setups that allowed him to survive and scale through market chaos. He breaks down the fundamentals of his strategy, the open outcry framework, and how he transitioned from trading under pressure to trading with total directional agnosticism. In this episode, we explore:• How Paul Scott Navigated 30+ Years of Volatility on the LME Trading Floor• Paul’s start at 16 years old and trading under extreme physical and mental pressure• The mechanics behind his pit logic trading approach• Why Timeframe Doesn’t Matter • Why every major trade should be simple enough to explain in one sentence• How Do the Big Money Trade?• The Traits Identified in Successful Students• His advice for beginner traders About Paul Scott:Paul is a veteran commodities and forex trader known for his raw, practical approach and deep generational knowledge. Starting with the guidance of his legendary father, Harry Scott, he has documented more than three decades of trading through massive market scandals and institutional shifts. He specializes in momentum strategies and order flow behavior, focusing on the intersection of horizontal value zones and trader psychology. Links + Resources:Website: https://paulscottfx.com/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulscott3066/videosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulscottfx/ Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 Why Technical Analysis Is Just Retail Noise 02:14 Being a Second-Generation Trader 06:36 The Pressure of Having a Trader Dad 07:48 What Was the Pit Really Like? 15:06 The Biggest Metal Scandal in History 21:00 Market Manipulation in the Digital Age 24:50 What Is Pit Logic? 31:56 Working with Goldman Sachs 37:05 Modern Retail Traders vs. Professionals 38:40 Can Traders Find Success Purely on Technicals? 44:00 Trading for a Client vs. Trading for a Company 42:55 Why Timeframe Doesn’t Matter 47:42 Explain Your Trade in One Sentence 49:39 Thinking About What the Institutions Are Doing 54:04 How Do the Whales Trade? 1:01:20 Let's Talk About Capital Preservation 1:06:17 The Traits Identified in Successful Students 1:12:27 Is There a Trade That Stands Out to You? 1:20:18 What Is Your Advice to Your Younger Self? Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Capablanca pursued architecture for a decade, culminating in studying under a Pritzker Prize winner at UCLA, before a life threatening brain tumor, massive medical debt, and student loans forced him to completely reevaluate his life.After starting from rock bottom and carrying the weight of massive debt, David developed an all-consuming, "burn the boats" pursuit of trading mastery that saw him sleeping in his office, living out of his car, and showering on Skid Row just to trade the 4 AM pre-market session. Today, his edge is built on rigorous fundamental deep dives, forensic research into small cap pump and dump schemes, and a strict risk management framework designed to survive predatory market algorithms.In this conversation, David pulls back the curtain on his grueling journey from rock bottom to short selling master, detailing how he reverse-engineered the strategies of market manipulators. He breaks down the anatomy of modern short squeezes, his absolute checklist for avoidable stocks, and why protecting your capital to survive the learning curve is the ultimate rule. In this episode, we explore:·        Surviving rock bottom, sleeping in a WeWork desk, and showering on Skid Row during Covid·        Waking up from a coma: The life-threatening surgery that gave David the "gift of urgency"·        How the Covid biotech mania changed his account forever·        Going undercover in Colombia: Inside David’s high-stakes investigation of a cannabis pump and dump·        Why David completely avoids trading Chinese and Singaporean small-caps·        The reality of Wall Street favoritism and the mechanics behind requesting a "trade bust"·        Analyzing early $60,000 losses About David Capablanca:David is an accomplished short seller, author, educator, podcast host, and founder of Friendly Bear University. Over a trading career shaped by intense study, he has built a verified seven-figure track record with a remarkable ninety percent win ratio. He has trained countless developing day traders, expanding his educational insights globally while championing an autodidact, highly disciplined framework to achieve true financial independence. Links + Resources: Upcoming Conference (October 12th): https://www.friendlybearuniversity.com/conference (Chat With Traders Team and Host Kevin Avery will be there live to co-host the forum!) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidCapablancaTrades X (Twitter): https://x.com/reverselong Instagram: https://instagram.com/reverselong Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=772328557 Website: https://www.friendlybearuniversity.com Pre-Order Short Selling Master Book: https://harriman-house.com/authors/david-capablanca/short-selling-master/9781804093290 Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 The Journey From Skid Row Showers to Short Selling Master05:14 Isolating from society to build an entrepreneurial identity11:05 Betting on Yourself Leaving Architecture15:02 Pattern recognition and risk management19:18 Waking up from a coma25:04 Selling the car, quitting alcohol, and sleeping on a shared office floor30:04 Trading the Covid biotech bubble34:13 Traveling to the Colombian jungle to verify a stock scam38:16 The moment David's spy-pen cover was blown by the cartel44:45 Why David completely bans Chinese stocks from his Trading50:24 How predatory algorithms map locate data to trap shorts55:04 Inside the New York Stock Exchange01:00:09 "Trade Bust" and the reality of Wall Street favoritism01:04:00 Reviewing early painful losses: The $60k loss01:09:04 Insider liquidity of after-hours news01:12:51 David's biggest winner01:17:57 The finish line of excellence01:20:12 Final piece of advice01:20:43 Where to Get The Short Selling Master Book Trading Disclaimer:Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Berry co-founded Positive Equity in 2008. Built alongside partners and traders who raised the bar, the firm operates trading floors in Ireland and Croatia. Over a 14-year stretch of verified clearing statements, his small losses, long career approach resulted in only five losing months.Most people think trading success comes from predicting markets. In reality, Jason's multi-decade longevity proves that true consistency comes from deep discipline, strict risk control, and surviving long enough for compounding to work, earning him a featured chapter in Jack Schwager's book, Market Wizards: The Next Generation.In this conversation, Jason pulls back the curtain on his journey from a remote Northern California commune to the chaotic trading floors of London and Dublin. He breaks down the realities of managing a decaying edge, his framework for identifying raw talent in trainees, and why surrounding yourself with a team of disciplined professionals is the ultimate source of career longevity.In this episode, we explore:·        How Jason transitioned from an isolated childhood to the chaotic London trading floors·        The hidden edges of the open outcry era and the nature of "elbow trades"·        What Jack Schwager and the Market Wizards team look for when verifying a trader's record·        The structural reality of Jason's risk-reward framework·        Why summer vacations can cause traders to become rusty and lose touch with the market tape·        How to spot decaying market edges through the P&L before they do catastrophic damage·        The core personality traits and tells that separate successful trainees from those who fail·        Jason’s outlook on which traders will survive the next decade of AI and machine learning About Jason Berry:Jason is a professional futures trader, co-founder of Positive Equity, and a featured market wizard in the book, Market Wizards: The Next Generation. Over a career spanning nearly 30 years, Jason has documented a legendary track record of consistency and durability. He has trained well over 200 traders, expanding his operations from Dublin to Croatia while championing a team-driven approach to market mastery. Links + Resources:X (Twitter): https://x.com/JasonHBerryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhberry Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 He Only Had 5 Losing Months In 14 Years 03:09 Introduction To Trading 09:33 Using Elbow Trades As An Edge 16:22 What Your Risk-Reward Looks Like 20:34 Can You Make A "Mr. Consistency" System? 25:29 What You Possess That Others May Also Have 30:23 Why You Get Rusty When Taking A Summer Vacation 35:56 How Important It Is To Constantly Innovate 38:51 What Traits You Can See In Your Trainees 45:10 The Single Greatest Rule In Trading 51:35 How Do You Scale Positions? 55:54 Which Traders Do You Think Will Survive The Next Decade? 59:45 Trading Euro Stocks 01:03:05 What The Next 30 Years Look Like For You 01:08:30 Have You Had Your Trainees Outperform You? 01:09:34 What Your Advice Is To Traders 01:14:11 Where Can You Find Jason Berry Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Schwager and George Coyle team up to look at what it takes to master the markets, combining classic wisdom with how modern financial markets work today.After studying top fund managers and over 100 years of market history, Jack and George wrote Market Wizards: The Next Generation to showcase today's best traders. These elite performers range from everyday traders who turned small accounts into millions to steady traders who almost never have a losing month. The secret to their success is matching their trading strategy perfectly with their personality.In this conversation, Jack and George reveal the core rules that great traders follow. They talk about unexpected strategies that surprised even them, like making huge profits trading agricultural futures or shorting small-cap stocks. They also discuss why basic chart reading works better for managing risk than company fundamentals, the reality of a tough work ethic, and why the most important lesson in trading is knowing when to step away from the screen. In this episode, we explore:·        How Jack Schwager and George Coyle started working together·        The three timeless trading rules that top traders have used for over a century·        The specific trading strategies that completely surprised Jack and George·        How to balance making big returns while protecting your trading account from large losses·        The main differences in managing risk between technical and fundamental analysis·        The story of an anonymous multi-millionaire musician who became a legendary trader·        The intense work ethic and personal sacrifices needed to reach the top level·        Final thoughts on why there is much more to a good life than just trading the stock market About The Guests: Jack Schwager:Jack is the author of the famous Market Wizard series, A Complete Guide to the Futures Markets, and Market Sense and Nonsense. He is a world-known expert on trading and financial markets, famous for showing the mindset and risk management habits of elite traders.George Coyle:George is the co-author of the new Market Wizards book. He is a writer, trader, system designer, money manager, and market strategist. After studying finance at The Ohio State University, he worked for 10 years in NYC at major hedge funds, including John A. Levin & Co. and Clovis Capital. He studied applied statistics at Columbia University, worked briefly with Victor Niederhoffer, and later served as a macro strategist in the US Virgin Islands. George also worked as the Chief Investment Officer for a family office in Chicago before returning to Ohio to run his own investment firm. Links + Resources:George Coyle: https://x.com/gfc4Jack Schwager: https://x.com/jackschwagerOrder Market Wizards: The Next Generation Book: https://harriman-house.com/authors/jack-d-schwager/market-wizards-the-next-generation/9781804093641 Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps:Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 The 3 Timeless Rules Shared by 100 Years of Market Wizards 07:57 The First Market Wizards Book 12:13 What George Coyle Was Trying to Solve 15:59 Why It Is Better to Keep Things Simple Rather Than Complex 22:19 Making Sure Your Strategy Fits Your Personality 28:21 The Two Main Types of Profitable Traders 31:55 Finding a Trading Edge in Today's Market Landscape 37:16 Interviews That Challenged Jack and George's Core Beliefs 42:51 Where the Younger Generation of Traders Succeeds 47:07 Core Personality Traits of Market Wizards 52:24 Understanding the Reality of Market Structures 56:03 The Real Problem with Pure Fundamentals 01:01:13 Jack's Most Memorable Moment from the Next Generation Interviews 01:03:50 George's Most Memorable Moment from the Next Generation Interviews 01:04:52 Where to Follow George Coyle and Jack Schwager Online Trading Disclaimer:Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Robbins is the author of The Trader’s Journey. He entered the financial markets 50 years ago with nothing but a dream, his friend, and a parental signature to trade the markets, surviving decades of tectonic shifts to navigate the transition from outcry trading to the digital age. After starting out at age 15 and carrying the weight of massive commission costs back in the 1970s, Peter developed a deeply disciplined, business first framework across multiple asset classes from day trading futures to position trading ETFs. Today, now retired, his edge is built on five decades of experience and an unwavering focus on self awareness, using strategy to outline his trades while deep psychological clarity gives him the execution resilience required to survive. In this conversation, Peter pulls back the curtain on his 50 Year Market Evolution, sharing the hard truths that allowed him to achieve true longevity in a game where most do not last. He breaks down the true mechanics of a trader’s edge, the absolute necessity of aligning strategy with personality, and how he transitioned from chasing the "Holy Grail" to mastering his own internal battle. In this episode, we explore:·        The Hard Truths of a 50 Year Trading Career·        The mechanics behind the two sides of a true Trader’s Edge·        Why it’s important to treat trading exactly like a serious business·        The importance of building an edge that matches your personality·       How Peter views position trading and selects industry leaders today·       Lessons learned from his early "Aha Moment" of learning to take small losses·       His advice for beginner traders caught up in false guru expectations About Peter Robbins:Peter is a veteran professional trader and mentor known for his remarkable market longevity and transparent approach. Starting his journey at just 15 years old, he has documented and shared his hard-earned insights across five decades of trading full-time, part-time, and in retirement. He specializes in longer-term position trading in ETFs and U.S. stocks, focusing heavily on trader psychology, limiting beliefs, and the structural discipline required for sustainable market success. Links + Resources:X (Twitter): https://x.com/prrobbinsAmazon (The Trader's Journey): https://www.amazon.com/Traders-Journey-Navigating-trading-success/dp/1804091669 Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 The Hard Truths of a 50 Year Trading Career 05:20 Peter's Introduction into Trading at 15 Years Old 12:15 The Real Reason Why Most Traders Fail 16:58 The Aha Moment 23:43 We're All Humans 31:21 Why Most Failures Are Execution Failures 35:46 Finding and Executing the Best Strategy for Your Personality 38:05 Debunking the Limiting Belief "I Have to Work Hard to Make Money" 44:21 Common Behaviors That Destroy Trading Accounts 47:40 Stop Looking for the Holy Grail 51:35 Where to Follow Peter Robbins and get his book The Trader’s Journey Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Temiz turned a $2,000 account into over $16 million in trading profits, starting from nothing as a part-time Starbucks barista. In this episode, he breaks down the real journey: the years of losing, how he transitioned from long breakouts to short selling, and the mechanical "guardrails" he used to survive long enough to succeed. After selling the rims off his car just to fund one last attempt at the markets, Alex discovered his edge in the volatility of momentum exhaustion. Today, his approach is built on extreme transparency and a deep respect for risk management, specifically through his "First Red Day" framework. In this conversation, Alex pulls back the curtain on his evolution from an aggressive gunslinger to a disciplined professional, sharing the psychological shifts and specific setups that allowed him to scale from four figures to eight figures. In this episode, we explore:·        How Alex Turned $2,000 into $16M+ in Trading Profits·        His transition from working as a Starbucks barista to full-time trading·        The mechanics of the First Red Day strategy·        Why he ignores his "average" to focus on adding to winning trades·        Using broker-level guardrails to protect yourself from ego-driven losses·        How Alex selects the stocks he shorts ·        His advice for traders struggling with the psychological pain of risk About Alex Temiz:Alex is a professional short-seller and the co-founder of My Investing Club (MIC). Known for his "First Red Day" setup and high-stakes momentum trading, Alex has documented over $16 million in verified profits. He is a vocal advocate for transparency in the trading industry, frequently sharing live trading recaps to help retail traders develop a process-driven approach to the markets. Links + Resources:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexTemizMICX (Twitter): https://x.com/AT09_TraderInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_temiz Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 How Alex Turned $2,000 into $16M+ Day Trading06:48 Working as a barista while trading10:08 Discovering Short Selling and finding his edge 15:13 Developing a healthy approach to trading20:31 When ego takes over a trade 25:18 Capitalizing on the once in a quarter A plus set up28:55 Becoming comfortable adding to your winner33:56 Why adding to losers is adding gasoline to a burning house37:12 Scaling out of size42:49 The mechanics of the First Red Day46:03 Still learning from other traders52:57 What winning looks like for you now56:06 Where can you find Alex Temiz Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Kalayjian started his journey on the floor of the American Stock Exchange in 1983, a time when the noise of the pits was the only heartbeat of the market. Over the next four decades, he didn’t just witness the evolution of trading, he conquered it, trading nearly two billion shares of U.S. stocks and surviving every major market cycle. From the high-pressure floors of the NYSE and COMEX to trading billions in capital for family offices, Steve’s career is a masterclass in longevity and adaptation. Today, he combines forty years of intuition with his proprietary software to identify the trends and reversals that others miss, proving that while technology changes, the core principles of price action remain the same. In this conversation, Steve pulls back the curtain on his 43-year journey, sharing the wisdom gained from his very first trade and the lessons passed down from his father. He breaks down the day-to-day routine of a veteran pro, and why building a community is the ultimate edge in a profession that can often feel like a solo battle. In this episode, we explore:·        Steve’s 43-year evolution from the American Stock Exchange trading floor to digital markets·        Growing up in a trading family and the lessons learned from his father·        The importance of consistency and risk management ·        The creation of his proprietary software to find the edge·        Steve’s perspective on the rise of Prop Firms ·        The daily routine and mindset required to trade·        Why being part of a trading community is vital for long-term success·        The biggest changes in market structure over four decades About Steve Kalayjian:Steve is a legendary market veteran with over 43 years of professional trading experience. Having traded nearly 2 billion shares over his career, he is a specialist in technical analysis and market forecasting. He is the founder of his own research and software firm, and has appeared on major networks like Fox Business and CNBC, and a dedicated mentor to traders worldwide through his YouTube channel and community. Links + Resources: Website: https://sktrading.live/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sktradingyoutubeX (Twitter): https://x.com/SteveKalayjianInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialstephenkalayjian Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.00:00 What 43 Years in the Markets Teaches You07:44 Did you know that this is what you wanted to do in life?12:27 Learning about consistency and risk management on his first trade17:10 Learning from his father22:12 Creating a trading software to find the edge26:22 Price leads and Indicators lag30:36 The biggest evolution in 43 years of trading34:58 What’s your day-to-day look like?42:44 What are your thoughts on Prop firms?48:35 How important it is to be in a community54:49 Steve's ultimate message to traders1:01:54 Where can you find @sktradingyoutube Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eduardo Briceño came to America from Venezuela with nothing but a dream, survived years of trading under survival-mode pressure, and turned $1,900 into $2.9 million in profits. After starting with a micro account and carrying the weight of supporting his family, Eduardo developed a disciplined approach to the most volatile corner of the market: small caps. Today, his edge is built on experience and his Triad Trading approach, using technicals to guide his decisions while fundamentals give him the confidence to take the trade. In this conversation, Eduardo pulls back the curtain on his Survival to Success Arc, sharing the specific setups that allowed him to scale a four-figure account into seven figures. He breaks down the fundamentals of his strategy, the penny stock framework, and how he transitioned from trading for rent to trading for generational wealth. In this episode, we explore: ·        How Eduardo Turned $1,900 into $2.9M Day Trading Small Caps ·        Eduardo’s move from Venezuela to the U.S. and trading under extreme financial pressure ·        How he survived the “survival mode” phase without blowing up his account ·        The mechanics behind his Triad Trading approach ·        Why it’s important to learn technical analysis first ·        The importance of building an edge that fits your personality ·        Why confidence in trading is difficult to teach and must come from experience ·        How Eduardo selects the stocks he trades ·        Lessons learned from his Biggest Lost ·        His advice for beginner traders About Eduardo Briceño Eduardo is a professional small-cap trader known for his remarkable consistency and transparency. Starting with just $1,900, he has documented his journey to $2.9 million in profits over six years. He specializes in momentum strategies and intraday volatility, focusing on the intersection of technical patterns and trader psychology. Links + Resources: X (Twitter): https://x.com/edu_trades Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edu_tradesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@edu_trades Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 How Eduardo Turned $1,900 into $2.9M Day Trading Small Caps07:57 When Eduardo Decided to Move to the U.S.12:23 Surviving the “Survival Mode” Phase15:40 Worst Case Scenario, “I’ll Just Get a Job”20:23 The Triad Trading Approach31:28 Why You Need to Learn Technicals First37:50 Building an Edge That Fits Your Personality40:50 Why Confidence Is Hard to Teach and Comes From Experience48:26 History Doesn’t Repeat, But It Rhymes55:14 How Eduardo Picks His Stocks59:28 Technical Setups vs Fundamental Confidence1:04:58 His Worst Loss When He was Tilted1:13:03 Why Trading Is Such a Tough Profession1:20:45 Be Disciplined And Stay Adaptable1:25:45 How Having a Family Changed His Trading1:36:00 Advice for Beginner Traders1:38:27 Closing Remarks and Where to Follow @edu_trades Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Stadie is a professional sports trader at Kero Sports whose work sits at the intersection of equities, sports betting, and prediction markets. After starting his trading journey in equities, Stefan evolved toward a more process-driven approach focused on price, liquidity, and market behavior. Today, his edge comes less from predicting outcomes and more from identifying mispricing, capturing inefficiencies, and operating across multiple markets in real time. In this conversation, Stefan shares how the same principles—crowd psychology, liquidity, and price discovery—show up across different environments, from stocks to sports to decentralized prediction markets. He also walks through his transition into arbitrage and market making, how he approaches risk, and what it takes to stay disciplined when operating in fast-moving, competitive markets. This episode offers a different lens on trading—one that challenges traditional thinking around prediction, edge, and where opportunity actually comes from. In this episode, we explore: ·        Why trading principles can transfer across completely different markets ·        The role of liquidity and crowd behavior in shaping price ·        Moving from directional trading to arbitrage and market making ·        How mispricing creates opportunity across fragmented markets ·        The reality of being limited or banned by sportsbooks ·        Differences between traditional financial markets and emerging prediction markets ·        Managing psychology and discipline in fast-moving environments ·        Why focusing on price—not opinion—can change your approach to trading About Stefan Stadie: Stefan is a professional sports trader at Kero Sports, specializing in market structure, arbitrage, and market making. He also trades equities and participates in prediction markets, applying a consistent framework centered on liquidity, psychology, and price discovery across different trading environments.   Links + Resources: ·        X (Twitter):  https://x.com/BronzeBeardd   Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  ●       Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com   Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.  00:00 Introduction 04:39 Early life, education and entry into oil & gas06:18 2020 oil crash and negative crude prices08:14 Early trading career, swing trades and going full-time09:18 Trading mistakes, position sizing and risk management11:33 Trading during the COVID crash and learning resources12:41 Transition to short selling and strategy shift14:14 Liquidity events and shorting tactics16:53 Entry into predictive markets and sports betting18:23 Arbitrage strategies and OddsJam scanner21:38 Bans from retail sportsbooks and joining Kiro Sports26:37 Polymarket, peer-to-peer exchanges and crypto betting29:04 How prices are set and market-making basics35:32 Market-making tactics, spreads and target returns40:31 Directional positions and daily activity in predictive markets41:43 Parlays, selling parlays and house edge44:10 Growth, regulation and insider-risk in prediction markets49:20 Comparisons with financial markets: liquidity, edge and crowds01:01:54 Gamification, responsible use, psychology and advice for newcomers01:10:00 Closing remarks and contact information   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Gaer’s career spans several major shifts in market structure — from the open-outcry pits of COMEX to high-frequency trading and now crypto derivatives. Sam began his career as a teenage runner on the COMEX floor during the gold boom of the early 1980s before becoming a copper pit trader himself. While most traders relied purely on instinct, Sam was already experimenting with technology — building early pricing tools that helped identify inefficiencies in spread markets. His path eventually led beyond the trading floor into exchange technology and market infrastructure, including building trading software that was later acquired by the New York Mercantile Exchange. In recent years, Sam has focused on crypto markets, where he applies traditional derivatives frameworks to volatility, options, and digital asset trading. In this episode, Sam shares insights from decades of experience across multiple market regimes and discusses how trading edge evolves as markets and technology continue to change. In this episode, we explore: · Getting introduced to markets as a teenager · Life inside the COMEX copper trading pits · Early use of computers to price commodity spreads · Inefficiencies in open-outcry markets · Building exchange technology and selling Trading Gear to NYMEX · The transition from pit trading to electronic markets · Market structure lessons from traditional derivatives markets · Why Sam shifted his focus to crypto markets · Opportunities in crypto options and derivatives · Convexity, volatility, and institutional trading frameworks in digital assets About the guest: Sam Gaer, Chief Investment Officer of the Directional Strategy at Monarq Asset Management, has more than three decades of experience across derivatives trading, exchange technology, and quantitative strategy development. He previously served as Chief Information Officer of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), where he helped modernize the exchange’s trading infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he was a floor trader on the COMEX commodities exchange and later founded Trading Gear, a technology firm whose trading software was acquired by NYMEX. Sam has also launched and managed quantitative trading strategies focused on derivatives and volatility markets, and today works on institutional trading approaches within digital asset markets. Links + Resources: · Website:  https://www.monarq-am.com · Email:  investors@monarq-am.com Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  Trade The Pool:  ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00   Intro and Background 01:48   Early career: COMEX runner to copper pit trader06:40   Programming background and early trading automation16:19   TradingGear: pivot to exchange software and NYMEX sale / CIO role21:09   Trading style evolution: scalping to event-driven and electronic trading23:42   High frequency trading, FINRA experience and entrepreneurship25:09   Transition into crypto: Katana Financial and early crypto market making28:01   Crypto derivatives focus: options, convexity and strategies34:19   Recent crypto market decline: causes, liquidations and regulatory uncertainty39:51   Institutional adoption, ETFs (IBIT) and market-structure impacts42:57   Tokenization, real-world assets and digital asset treasuries (DATs) 56:17   Reflections on markets, challenges and use of AI 58:36   Closing remarks and contact information   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Dave Mabe backtested his strategy, it outperformed his own discretionary trading — and changed how he approached everything. In this episode, we discuss gapping breakouts, expectancy, systematic trading, drawdowns, and the reality gap between backtests and live execution. A practical conversation for traders serious about building durable edge. In this episode, we explore: ·        How Dave got introduced to markets: From early exposure to investing through his family to actively seeking more control over his capital and moving from swing trading into day trading. ·        Why rules matter: The transition from discretionary decisions to systematic frameworks — and why trading without a process is a fast path to inconsistency. ·        Backtesting as a “superpower”: What backtesting really does for strategy development and confidence in your edge. ·        Reconciling backtests with real life: Practical realities of execution, slippage, and market structure — and how to build a feedback loop so your live results get closer to your simulations. ·        Drawdowns and mindset: How to handle periods where a strategy doesn’t behave as expected, and why many traders quit in drawdowns rather than at all-time highs. ·        Scaling a trading business: The difference between scaling size versus scaling breadth — and why uncorrelated strategies matter. ·        Practical first step for systematic traders: How to start adding structure to your trading with backtesting, even if you’re not a programmer.   About the guest:   Dave has been a professional trader and technologist for over two decades. As a former CTO of Trade-Ideas, he has unique experience at the intersection of algorithm design, real-time market data, and automated execution. Outside trading, he writes a popular daily newsletter on backtesting and systematic strategy development, and hosts the Line Your Own Pockets podcast focused on systematic approaches to markets. Links + Resources: · Link to Better Backtesting —Dave’s free multi-day email course on building strategies and improving them over time. · Trade-Ideas, Amibroker, RealTest — examples of backtesting and strategy development platforms discussed in context.   Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 Intro and Background 08:29 Stock Selection and Systematic Trading Rules 11:32   Position Sizing, Expectancy and Risk Management 16:50   Discovering Backtesting and First Backtests 18:40   Backtesting Principles, Sample Size and Common Pitfalls 20:34   Gradual Automation and Live Trading Implementation 22:17   Trading Journal and Reconciling Backtest vs Live 27:27   Scaling through Automation: More Trades, Better Results 29:26   Drawdowns, Psychology and Handling Setbacks 34:14   Tools, AI and Software for Backtesting and Coding 39:56   Common Trading Myths Debunked (Partials, Stops) 48:01   Getting Started: Practical Steps, Resources and Closing   Trading Disclaimer:   Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Ian sits down with John Assaraf, entrepreneur, behavioral neuroscience educator, and founder of NeuroGym, for a conversation about the invisible forces that shape performance — long after planning, analysis, and good intentions are in place. John shares his personal journey from a turbulent upbringing to building multiple multimillion-dollar businesses, and the pivotal moment at age 19 that reframed how he thought about success, identity, and commitment. From there, the discussion moves into the neuroscience behind habits, automatic behavior, fear, and why people often snap back to familiar results — even when they know what to do. This is not a trading tactics episode. It’s a conversation about execution, follow-through, and the human side of performance — in trading, business, health, and life. About the guest: John Assaraf is a serial entrepreneur who has built multiple multimillion-dollar companies, including helping scale a real estate organization to over $4 billion in annual sales and co-founding a technology company that later went public on the NASDAQ. He is the founder and CEO of NeuroGym, where he focuses on applying neuroscience to performance, habits, and behavior change. John is also the author of several New York Times bestselling books, translated into dozens of languages, and has been featured in films such as The Secret, where many people were first introduced to his work.   Links + Resources:  Free eBook: The Power of Visualization    Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com   Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.   00:00   Intro and Background 11:16   Mindset Shift: Interested vs. Committed 11:46   Behavioral Neuroscience and Goal Achievement 16:17   Conscious vs. Subconscious Mind 17:12   Creating Permanent Behavioral Changes 21:22   Emotional Regulation and Decision Making 25:30   Overcoming Self-Sabotage 35:20   AddressingFear in Decision Making 42:37   Inner Size: Exercising the Mind 44:27   Self-Sabotage and Financial Set Points 48:21   The Science of Goal Setting 50:17   Visualizing and Embodying Goals 54:40   How to reach John   Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the years, we’ve recorded hundreds of conversations with traders across different markets, strategies, and generations. And while no two trading paths look the same, certain moments tend to repeat — not moments of big wins or dramatic calls, but quieter turning points. The moments where something shifts internally. Where progress depends less on the market… and more on how the trader evolves. In this special episode of Chat With Traders, we revisit excerpts from past conversations with traders who reached those inflection points — moments that reshaped how they thought about risk, discipline, accountability, and longevity. It’s a collection of turning points — the decisions, realizations, and hard lessons that changed the trajectory of a trading career. Links + Resources: Episode039     Tom Dante      Episode236     Lance BreitsteinEpisode249     Jack KelloggEpisode036     Peter BrandtEpisode255     Vincent BruzzeseEpisode212     Kristjan KullamägiEpisode286     Jason ShapiroEpisode260     Patrick PeterssonEpisode259     Lukas Frölich (The Short Bear)Episode163     John “Rambo” MoultonEpisode250     Sunny Harris Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.  00:00 – Intro and Background 01:10 — Tom Dante - A moment of accountability that forced change — and lit a competitive fire.02:35 — Lance Breitstein - Why the best traders bet exponentially when the odds are truly skewed.04:00 — Jack Kellogg - The cost of obsession, burnout, and relearning how to live after the grind.05:25 — Peter Brandt - Market tuition, mistakes, and committing fully to a process (Featured in Jack Schwager’s Market Wizards)06:55 — Vincent Bruzzese - How wealth mindset — not strategy — shapes risk and decision-making08:25 — Kristjan Kullamägi - Scaling up, earning the right to push risk, and long-term conviction 09:55 — Jason Shapiro - Contrarian trading, positioning over prediction, and embracing discomfort (Featured in Unknown Market Wizards)11:25 — Patrick Petersson - The lesson learned at absolute rock bottom — and the cost of not cutting losses.12:55 — Lukas Frölich (The Short Bear) - Running trading like a business — and how progress compounds quietly.14:25 — John “Rambo” Moulton - Detaching from money to trade with clarity and consistency15:55 — Sunny Harris - Taking control after realizing professionals can lose, too.17:30 — Closing reflections20:20 — Outro / End Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:      Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by Jamaal Ghauri, a trader and fund manager who began his journey unusually early — first exposed to crypto markets as a teenager during Bitcoin’s early adoption phase, before moving into stocks and eventually options. Jamal walks through the full arc of his development as a trader: early overconfidence, aggressive options bets, a rapid run-up followed by a major drawdown, and the hard lessons that ultimately forced him to rethink risk, position sizing, and process. From there, he explains how he rebuilt by focusing on more structured setups, volatility awareness, and consistency over time. We discuss the evolution of his core strategies — including swing trades, breakout-style setups, and short-term options structures — and how those approaches are now applied within a multi-strategy fund he launched in 2025. Jamal also shares how he thinks about trade distribution, win rates versus loss severity, and why discipline and risk management ultimately mattered more than finding the “perfect” setup. As always, this conversation is about understanding how a trader thinks, how strategies evolve over time, and how real-world risk shows up differently than it does on paper. Links + Resources: Connect with Jamaal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamaal-ghauri-282947172/ Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 – Intro and Background 02:37 – Early Interest in Financial Markets 07:08 – Transition to Stock Trading 08:46 – Early Stock Trading Experiences 09:37 – Shift to Options Trading 10:32 – Learning Options Trading 11:22 – Developing a Trading Strategy 14:51 – First Successful Trades 19:04 – Account Growth and Setbacks 21:00 – Impact of the COVID Crash 32:06 – New Trading Strategies Post-Crash 37:24 – Becoming Profitable 38:22 – Performance in 2022 and 2023 41:07 – Establishing a Hedge Fund 44:40 – Hedge Fund Strategies 50:34 – Current Challenges and Advice Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠ Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A quiet, end-of-year reflection on the middle stage of trading — where progress is subtle, patterns are familiar, and the real work happens internally. Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●       Trade The Pool:  ⁠⁠⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠⁠ Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we examine what actually happens when crypto markets break — how leverage builds beneath the surface, liquidity disappears, and liquidation cascades turn volatility into systemic failure. Doug Colkitt, a quantitative trader and DeFi builder whose experience spans both traditional finance and crypto market structure. Doug began his career on Wall Street at Citigroup before moving into high-frequency trading at Citadel during the 2008 financial crisis. He later built and traded his own systems across futures, volatility products, and international equities, including running a major market-making operation in Turkish stocks. Today, Doug focuses on crypto and DeFi infrastructure, working with perpetual futures, liquidation mechanics, and exchange design. We discuss why traders still get wiped out when they think they’re hedged, how liquidation cascades accelerate, and what recent market failures reveal about leverage and market structure under stress. Links +Resources: Ambient Finance on X (Twitter): @AmbientFinance Website: https://ambient.finance Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●       Trade The Pool:  ⁠⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠⁠    Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00:00  Intro and Background 00:03:43  Starting Individual Trading and High Frequency Systems 00:04:09  Focus on Index Futures and Competitive Markets 00:06:15  Michael Lewis's 'Flash Boys' and HFT Accuracy 00:07:00  Impact of HFT on Smaller Traders 00:09:13  Market Makers and Price Competition 00:09:37  HFT Evolution and Market Dynamics 00:11:24  Trading VIX Futures and Market Inefficiencies 00:13:08  Transitioning to Medium Frequency Trading 00:13:34  Trading Turkish Equities and Market Makings 00:15:35  Exploring Cryptocurrency Trading 00:18:32  Diving into Decentralized Finance (DeFi) 00:20:06  Arbitrage Opportunities in Crypto Markets 00:22:00  Flash Loans and Risk-Free Trading 00:22:48  Adjustments to Trading Bots Over Time 00:25:11  Criteria for Trusting Decentralized Exchanges 00:28:46  Liquidity Providing and Yield Opportunities 00:29:16  Volatility and Risks in Liquidity Provisioning 00:31:47  Understanding Perpetual Contracts in Crypto 00:36:04  October 10, 2025 Crypto Massacre Overview 00:37:36  Leverage and Market Dynamics 00:41:23  Impact of Liquidations on Market Sentiment 00:41:43  Market Maker Behavior During Crises 00:43:45  Liquidity Issues in Centralized Exchanges 00:44:53 Hyper Liquid Vault and Liquidation Dynamics 00:45:55 Market Making Strategies and Risk Management 00:49:15 Insurance Fund Models in DeFi 00:51:43 Ambient Finance Project Overview 00:53:08 Separation of Exchange and Clearinghouse 00:54:14 Innovations in Perpetual Trading 00:55:46 Takeaways from the October 10th Massacre 00:57:03 Future Plans for Insurance Fund Integration 00:58:28 Real World Assets and Crypto Integration Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning guest Vincent Bruzzese — trader, former statistics professor, poker player, and former Hollywood behavioral analyst — joins Tessa for a candid discussion about navigating one of the most narrative-driven markets in years. Known online as “Hari Seldon” in the Real Day Trading community, Vincent is recognized for posting his trades live and delivering multiple years of standout performance, with returns north of 60% and even 80%.  In this episode, Vincent talks about why traders are struggling with discipline, how sentiment and storylines are overpowering both fundamentals and technicals, and what separates structured trading from gambling. He also shares how tools like his walkaway analysis help reinforce better habits and improve decision-making. Tessa and Vincent dig into mindset, process, relative strength, risk management, and how he rebuilt after blowing up his account twice. They also explore the emotional side of trading in a market that often feels disconnected from reality — and how traders can stay grounded despite the chaos.   Links +Resources:  ●      Follow Vincent on Reddit:  ⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/RealDayTrading/⁠ ●      Follow Vincent on X:  ⁠@RealDayTrading⁠ ●      Vincent on CWT ⁠Episode 255⁠ ●      Vincent can also be found in the OneOption Chat Rooms Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:   ●       Trade The Pool:  ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠    Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.   ●     00:00:00  Intro and Background ●     00:07:13  Market Analysis and Trading Strategies ●     00:09:00  Trading Mindset and Emotional Challenges ●     00:11:07  Market Trends and Skepticism ●     00:13:08  Market Irrationality and Future Predictions ●     00:14:41  Valuation Concerns and Institutional Influence ●    00:15:19  Psychological Aspects of Trading ●    00:16:30  Narratives and Market Bubbles ●    00:18:00  Passive Income Strategies in Trading ●    00:21:57  Long-term Investment Strategies ●    00:21:25  Personal Trading Experiences ●    00:24:08  Learning from Trading Losses ●    00:25:12  The Journey to Becoming a Trader ●    00:25:58  Mindset and Trading Psychology ●    00:30:45  Identifying and Avoiding Bad Trades ●    00:32:58  Overcoming Trading Challenges ●    00:37:48  Trading Strategies and Market Analysis ●    00:40:52  Current Market Conditions and Trading Decisions ●    00:43:20  Portfolio Management and Trading Style ●    00:46:39  Trading Preparation and Daily Routine ●    01:01:25  Navigating Market Volatility and Uncertainty ●    01:05:41  Final Thoughts on Trading and Market Dynamics   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian Carreon returns to Chat With Traders nearly three years after his first appearance, where he shared his remarkable journey through stage-five kidney failure and the discipline it forged in him as a trader. Today, he brings an even deeper perspective—on markets, on patience, and on the Box Strategy that has become his signature. Christian is a breakout trend trader who waits for compression, defines his levels meticulously, and only commits when price breaks cleanly from the “box” with tight risk and clear direction. In this conversation, he walks us through how his approach has evolved, how he sizes up with confidence, and why patience inside consolidation is the foundation of every edge he has. From day-trading futures for cash flow to swing-trading leading stocks for growth, Christian shares the discipline, structure, and gratitude that guide both his trading and his life.   Links + Resources:  ●      Follow Christian on X:  @trading_boxes ●      Christian on NinjaTrader Live ●      Christian on CWT Episode 254   Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  ●       Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com   Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. ● 00:00 Intro and Background ● 05:23 Kidney Donation Journey ● 06:37 Recovery Process After Transplant ● 09:45 Mental Focus During Recovery ● 12:51 Trading Goals and Adjustments ● 12:09 Risk Management in Trading ● 12:38 Sizing Up and Position Management ● 15:24 Identifying Trading Opportunities ● 16:23 Market Conditions and Trading Strategy ● 17:28 Support and Resistance Analysis ● 19:00 Using Indicators for Trading ● 22:48 Influence of News on Trading ● 24:00 Box Strategy Overview ● 27:18 Adapting Trading Strategies ● 29:40 Trading Discipline and Limits ● 32:10 Managing Investor Funds ● 33:15 Handling Market Events ● 36:03 Investor Mistakes and Adaptation ● 47:04 Reflections on Trading Journey ● 50:34 Catch up with Tessa Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Efrat t Levy is a cybersecurity expert with a PhD in Computer Science and AI from Ben-Gurion University—one of Israel’s top tech institutions. After years studying how to detect hackers through side-channel signals, she applied the same logic to trading. In this conversation, Dr. Levy explains how she uses machine learning to map non-repainting key levels that reveal the hidden order flow—the subtle timing and volume clues that expose the real intent of big players. She shows how correlated markets often move together at these key levels and how that insight helps her trade with precision and low drawdown. We discuss filtering noise, managing psychology, and bridging cybersecurity thinking with market analysis—exploring how data and discipline can uncover the quieter forces shaping market behavior. Links + Resources:  ●      Dr. Levy’s website:  https://ctpacademy.com/ ●      Dr. Levy’s email: efrat.levy@egindicators.com ●      Dr. Levy on youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@EGIndicators ●      Dr. Levy’s linktree: https://linktr.ee/efrat.levy   Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:  ●       Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.  ●   00:00 – Intro: From AI & cyber to trading ●     01:20 – PhD background, domains where AI applies ●     04:30 – First market exposure: anomaly detection for derivatives ●     07:45 – Side-channel analysis: uncovering hidden intent ●     12:10 – “Hidden order flow” and fingerprinting big players ● 18:30 – Single-tick levels vs. zones; why zones mislead ●     22:00 – The correlation filter: 3 of 4 assets hitting together ●     26:00 – Entries & stops: lowest drawdown mindset ●     30:30 – Managing trades by other markets’ levels ●     33:45 – Timeframe-agnostic approach; redefining “correlation” ●     51:00 – Instruments: indices, gold/silver/copper/platinum ●     56:00 – Psychological tripwires:streaks, missed A+ setups, ego risk ●     1:04:00 – How to reach Dr. Levy ●     1:05:00 – Catch up with Tessa   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a trader from Dallas built consistency—and a simple lifestyle of freedom in Southeast Asia—with a 30% win rate.  Diego Ivan Cortes Lopez grew up chasing perfection on the tennis court, where winning came naturally, but it was trading that taught him how to win by losing. After years of trial, error, and a six-figure setback, studying the methods taught by Oliver Velez, a prominent veteran professional trader, helped him rebuild his approach - focusing on daily support and resistance, clean reversal signals, and asymmetric risk-to-reward. Now trading large-cap stocks from Vietnam on a single 13-inch laptop with uncluttered charts and limiting his sessions to the first hour of the market open, Diego shows that real consistency and freedom come from mastering the math of risk and reward—and keeping both trading and life simple. Links + Resources:  ●      Diego’s Instagram:  diegoivan__7 ●      Diego’s Email: diegoivan0907@gmail.com    Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com TastyTrade:  https://tastytrade.com/ Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.  ●    00:00 – Early Life & Tennis ●     04:30 – Tennis Coaching & Business Success ●     09:00 – Early trading and the six-figure drawdown ●     14:00 – Rebuilding & Moving Aboard ●     20:00 – Finding Oliver Velez, relearning ●     27:00 – Today’s playbook: daily levels, 5-min entries, first-hour focus ●     34:00 – Risk, sizing, psychology, and “becoming a great loser” ●     40:00 – Living/trading in Asia; consistency over perfection ●     46:00 – Struggles, losing streaks, and long-term confidence ●     50:00 – Brief chat with Tessa   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by Jack Schwager—author of the legendary Market Wizards series and co-founder of FundSeeder—along with his partner and fellow co-founder & CEO, Emanuel Balarie. Jack shares what it really takes to be considered for a Market Wizards book: not one formula, but a mix of standout performance, disciplined risk, and an almost obsessive commitment to process and adaptation. Along the way, we dig into why survival so often hinges on position sizing and pre-planned exits, whether strategies like trend following can still hold up today, and the paradox of how fundamental convictions can actually work against risk management. Emanuel then explains how FundSeeder discovers talented but undiscovered traders worldwide, using analytics to measure performance and the FundSeeder Rise accelerator (now part of RQSI) to help top performers make the leap from trading their own accounts to managing outside capital. Think of it as a “farm system” for the next generation of fund managers. Few will ultimately make the cut, but every great manager starts somewhere—and if you’ve been honing your craft and building a real track record, this episode might spark the thought: why not you? Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 – Introduction and background 10:50 – What qualifies as “Market Wizards” performance 15:20 – Longevity vs. hot streaks 17:20 – Position sizing & cutting losses 19:20 – Obsession level + trainee mindset 24:20 – When edges die (index adds, VIX pattern) 27:20 – Trend logic vs. whipsaw reality 32:20 – Fundamentals vs. risk management 38:20 – “Know your exit before entry” 39:50 – FundSeeder origin story 42:20 – Evaluating traders (quant + qual) 48:20 – Why the Rise accelerator exists 52:20 – RQSI’s role in seeding talent 55:20 – Free analytics & benchmarking for traders 57:20 – How to apply / contact Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Links + Resources: FundSeeder: https://fundseeder.com FundSeeder Rise (accelerator): https://www.fundseeder.com/rise FundSeeder on X:  https://x.com/fundseeder Jack Schwager: https://x.com/jackschwager  | http://www.jackschwager.com/ Emanuel Balarie: https://x.com/emanuelbalarie Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A former competitive gamer, Mario Dimitroff from Bulgaria got his start on a local trading floor before discovering that the U.S. premarket session best fit his skills. Now trading for a living and doing nothing else, his news-driven, event-based scalping focuses on low-liquidity movers. Leveraging gaming-honed speed and pattern recognition, he quickly decides whether to ride momentum or fade to mean, enters/exits fast, sizes within liquidity, and sustains his edge by cutting losers quickly, avoiding drawdowns, and stacking small consistent wins. In this episode, you’ll hear how Mario turned his competitive gaming instincts into an all-in commitment to the markets and full-time trading career. Links + Resources: Mario’s YouTube Channel:  The Wall Street Cat - YouTube Sponsors of this episode of the Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com TastyTrade:  http://tastytrade.com/podcasts Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 01:30 Introduction and background 03:50 Early Experiences and Learning from Failure 07:38 Return to Trading During COVID-19 08:38 Working on a Trading Floor 10:51 Trading Strategies and Market Insights 11:14 Imposter Syndrome and Mental Challenges in Trading 14:57 Career Decisions and Trading Philosophy 18:49 Finding Trading Edge and Style 20:39 Scalping and Pre-Market Trading 21:40 Meme Stocks and Market Euphoria 24:07 Navigating Market Downturns 25:49 Understanding Euphoria and Market Psychology 43:54 Avoiding Drawdowns and Maintaining Profitability 45:48 Scalping Strategies and Risk Management 51:56 Biggest challenges as a trader 59:15 How to reach Mario 59:30 Chat With Tessa Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Online funding prop firms have captured the attention of traders in recent years. In this episode, the CEO of Trade The Pool, Michael Katz, joins the podcast to answer key questions and offer perspective from inside one of the leading firms. The conversation explores how these firms operate, what they mean for traders, and the common debates surrounding them.  The goal is not promotion of prop firms, but to pull back the curtain and provide a clearer understanding of the role prop firms play in today’s trading landscape.   Links + Resources:  ●     Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com   Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●      Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com ●       Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉https://us.plus500.com Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor.   Time Stamps: Please note - Exact times will vary depending on current ads.   ●     00:00   Introduction and background ●     05:02   Attraction to Funding Prop Firms ●     06:06   Risk Management and Evaluation Fees ●     10:08   Misconceptions About Prop Firms ●     11:58   Education and Community Support ●     15:35   Trading Evaluation Process ●     18:47   Success Rates and Trader Psychology ●     20:04   Adjusting Strategies for Prop Trading ●     22:07   Rules and Boundaries in Trading ●     27:51   Success Stories and Learning Curves ●     28:58   Psychology of Funded Trading ●     31:52   Trader Retention and Patterns ●     33:54   Scaling and Risk Management ●     38:42   Payout Rules and Compliance ●     40:29   Adapting Rules for Trader Success    Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in Germany without a financial background, Julian Komar became fascinated by stocks as a teenager. He moved past complex German trading products to concentrate on U.S. equities. Specializing in momentum and growth stocks on the daily timeframe, he blends fundamentals, technicals, and story analysis to uncover opportunities that put him in the best position for high-potential setups and riding powerful trends. As a disciplined breakout trader, he prioritizes risk control, market trends, and intuition gained through decades of experience. About Julian Komar Julian is a trader, mentor, and entrepreneur. With over 20 years of stock trading experience, he trades growth and momentum stocks using a systematic strategy, holding winners for weeks to months and cutting losers within days — a style that perfectly matches his personality. Julian’s passion lies in uncovering innovative companies with the potential to grow sales rapidly and achieve significant long-term success. He devotes 95% of his energy to research, searching for the next potential “super stock.” Trading Disclaimer Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Links + Resources Follow Julian on X:  https://x.com/BlogJulianKomar Julian’s Website: https://julian-komar.com/contact/ Time Stamps Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 Introduction and background 10:20 Fundamentals and technicals 17:30 Sister stocks 28:30 Trading the GFC 34:02 Worst drawdowns 33:00 The setup for the trade 43:00 Position sizing 52:30 Trading performance 1:08:35 How to reach Julian 1:09:00 Tessa Chats with Julian Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉⁠https://us.plus500.com⁠Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Trade The Pool:  ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From academic struggles at SUNY Albany to holding the world record for the largest prop firm payouts—roughly $4.5 million in total, Kyle Ng a.k.a. JadeCap’s journey started out like many aspiring traders. Sparked by a childhood friend's success in forex about 14 years ago, he found his way into the financial markets.  Like many traders, he went through the pain, losses and sacrifices and struggles, but at the same time he’s also unlike many traders, slowly building his edge through discipline, risk management, and a long-term mindset. Over the years, he’s leveraged prop firms to scale his returns, transitioning fluidly between forex and futures while adapting his approach to changing market conditions. Influenced by ICT’s teachings, his style blends patience, adaptability, and the wisdom to step back when the market calls for it. In this episode, we dive into the mindset behind the milestones, the real-life lessons from his trading evolution, and what it truly takes to thrive in trading. Trading Disclaimer Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Time Stamps Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 Introduction and background 10:25 Early trade experiences 12:30 Evolving strategies 16:55 Blowing up accounts 21:10 Evolving into a full time trader 25:55 Utilizing online prop firms to minimize risk 01:55 The real money is made with processes 35:05 ICT trading system 39:40 Success tied to intuition? 43:30 When to put the foot on the gas 50:00 Resisting the urge to change strategies 56:05 What Kyle struggles with 58:20 How to reach Kyle 58:40 Bonus Section:  Tessa Chats with Kyle – more on prop firms Links + Resources Reach Kyle on X:  https://x.com/jadecap_ Kyle’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JadeCap Kye’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jadecapofficial/?hl=en Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉https://us.plus500.comTrading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a teenager growing up without TV in rural Canada stumbles across CNBC in a college dorm and sees people making $100,000 in a day? For Chris Vermeulen, that moment changed everything—and kicked off a 25-year journey of trading triumphs, painful losses, and profound strategy shifts. In this episode, you'll meet a trader who’s lived through the tech bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, and everything in between. Chris doesn’t chase headlines or hype—he follows price, momentum, and something most traders overlook entirely: vibration and cycles. From blowing up accounts to walking away from day trading altogether, Chris now rides the market’s waves with a calm, calculated edge—making just 5 to 12 trades a year, knowing exactly when to sit still and wait for the right wave. His approach might challenge what you believe about risk, emotion, and even diversification. About Chris Vermeulen: Chris is a seasoned position trader with over two decades of experience navigating market cycles—from the tech bubble to the 2008 financial crisis and beyond. He’s the author of Technical Trading Mastery and the newly released Asset Revesting, where he introduces a disciplined, momentum-based strategy for managing risk and maximizing returns. He also founded The Technical Traders. Rejecting traditional buy-and-hold thinking but also having moved away from day trading, Chris believes that true portfolio growth comes from owning assets in confirmed uptrends and rotating out of those losing strength. His approach emphasizes technical analysis, price action, and timing over diversification, aiming to protect capital while achieving above-average returns. Links + Resources:  ●      How to reach Chris – Visit The Technical Traders Website: https://thetechnicaltraders.com/   Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●        Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉https://us.plus500.com Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. ●        Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dylan Maltman, an intraday futures and forex trader and founder of Apex Capital, must have had exceptional clarity starting at a young age. Introduced to the markets in a high school presentation by a prop firm, Dylan caught the passion for the potential of the markets and persuaded his way into a position at the firm. Learning about back testing, he became obsessed with dissecting every nuance of past data so as to create a system with high returns with minimal drawdowns by understanding where edge can be found, as evidenced in the performance of the algorithmic strategies. Emphasizing the significance of order flow analysis and robust back testing, he offers important insights for algorithmic, systematic, and discretionary traders. Links + Resources:  ●      How to reach Dylan – Visit Apex Capital Website: https://www.apexcptl.com/ Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉 https://us.plus500.com/en/multiplatformdownload?product=Futures&id=138516&tags=version2&pl=2 Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com/?afmc=1am Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erik Smolinski returns to Chat With Traders after his first appearance on episode 272, joining Tessa for a trader-to-trader conversation about the intricacies of options trading, a topic Erik is deeply passionate about. In this episode Erik digs into one of Tessa’s own options strategies, offering thoughtful feedback and sharing his expertise and experience from years in the game. With so many myths floating around about options, their discussion clears up some of the biggest misconceptions and gives listeners a practical perspective on how to approach this trading style. About Erik Smolinski: Erik is a Marine veteran, options trader, and investor in both real estate and startups. It started when a high school teacher introduced him to investing in 2007, which then changed the direction of his life. Over the years, he’s put in more than 30,000 hours to master his craft and became a first-generation millionaire before turning 30. From his school days to his time in the Marines and his work as a trader, Erik has always set his own standards instead of following the crowd. That independent approach—what he calls the Outlier mindset—has shaped his life. Investing lets him spend time on things he cares about, like traveling, working on cars, training, and helping others learn what he knows. Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉 https://us.plus500.com/en/multiplatformdownload?product=Futures&id=138516&tags=version2&pl=2 Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Trade The Pool:  https://tradethepool.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we catch up with Patrick Petersson, who returns two years after his first interview on Chat With Traders on episode 260, where he shared his incredible story of overcoming hardship to attaining success in trading as a professional trader. Patrick has become best known for his intuitive, price-action, news-based, scalping trading style. Shifting from trading as a lone wolf to collaborating with others, Patrick shares his personal transformation that he underwent by mentoring and guiding other aspiring traders to realize their greatest potential. In a refreshingly blunt conversation, Patrick shares practical, real-life trading topics and issues that traders are experiencing today, including the psychological and practical challenges of trading, and the role community and engagement plays in one's trading development. He also shares his thoughts on the sharp divide between traders risking their own capital and those cycling through prop firm evaluations, and the shortages of honest guidance for traders, and so much more. More about Patrick Petersson: Patrick has over 20 years of experience in the U.S. stock and futures markets. As a retired professional trader, he now guides traders of all levels and has been a driving force in trading communities such as the Chat With Traders and MenthorQ communities. Currently at MenthorQ, he developed the MenthorQ Blindspots and Trading Roadmap principles, which aim to simplify trading with the principle: Keep It Super Simple. He also hosts MenthorQ TV, where he interviews guests and shares trading strategies. Additionally, he is a father of two and resides in Dubai with his family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Martin, raised in a hardworking blue-collar community, embraced the same ethic. An entrepreneur at heart, he hustled from cutting grass when he was 12 to working all types of jobs including golf caddying and waiting at restaurants to starting businesses. Determined to transition into the white-collar working world and being at the right place at the right time, he was exposed to the financial markets.   He subsequently worked on Wall Street, managing commodity accounts. Despite the significant commissions, he realized that he could potentially earn more through an incentive fee. After three years at a brokerage firm, he started his own CTA. Emphasizing the importance of risk management, discipline, and emotional intelligence, and maintaining a mental edge in trading, he discusses his early experiences with commodities, the evolution of his trading strategies, and the significance of networking and mentorship. This episode of Chat With Traders is sponsored by Plus 500 and Trade The Pool. Click here to learn more about Plus500 and Trade The Pool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian Mayer, with an institutional trading background, transitioned from equities to forex, focusing on fixed sized mean-reversion strategies with fundamental correlations where structural edge is statistically likely. His initial losses led him to a research and systematic-driven approach, and back testing. He trades with fixed position sizes, wide stop losses, and avoids compounding to minimize exposure to fat-tail risks and black swan events. Emotionally disciplined yet honest about the psychological strain of prolonged drawdowns, Christian blends rigorous quantitative methods with thoughtful strategy design. With a successful track record, including a second-place finish in one of the World Cup Trading Championships in the Forex category, he also created GlobalFXanalytics.com to respond to the demands of traders wanting to understand more about his forex strategy and view his strategy’s performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A former engineer turned successful options trader, real estate investor and entrepreneur, Cody Yeh shares his incredible journey from the 9-to-5 grind to achieving financial freedom through smart investing and calculated risk-taking. We unpack his options trading strategies, mindset hacks for building wealth, and how he helps others escape the rat race and take control of their financial futures. Whether you’re a trading newbie or a seasoned investor, Cody drops pure gold you won’t want to miss. About Cody Yeh: Cody Yeh is a Canadian entrepreneur, investor, and YouTuber who left his corporate job to pursue full-time trading and coaching. Known for his transparent and no-fluff approach, Cody has helped thousands gain clarity on their financial goals and take practical steps toward financial independence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few people understand the minds of traders like Dr. Brett Steenbarger. As a psychologist who trades actively himself, he brings a rare combination of clinical expertise and practical experience to the world of financial markets. You might know him from his dynamic presentations at SMB Capital, where he breaks down the psychology of trading with remarkable clarity. His willingness to evolve his views over the years through his extensive work with professional traders and hedge fund portfolio managers, has shaped his own trading approach too.  His upcoming book, "Positive Trading Psychology," promises to share fresh perspectives drawn from these years of experience. Set for release this year, it adds to his already impressive collection of articles and books that have helped countless traders understand the psychological dimensions of market success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Ruffley transitioned from a highly competitive trading floor environment to trading professionally as a retail trader. His entrance into trading was unplanned - a mix of ambition, timing, and the right connections. After leaving university early, he took a finance job and then moved to Gibraltar, where he met traders running a new trading floor. Intrigued, he joined their intense graduate program, enduring six weeks of brutal tests where failure meant dismissal. The trading floor was an adrenaline-fueled world - rows of screens, high-stakes trades, and a culture of camaraderie and competition. This experience undoubtedly shaped his trading mindset, philosophy, and technique, where risk is not a dirty word, and size and speed are essential. Steve is also a trading mentor and the author of his latest book, “The Pro Retail Trader”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ross Haber’s trading philosophy is built on growth-focused strategies, heavily influenced by William O'Neil. Combining both technical and fundamental analysis, Ross emphasizes the importance of identifying leaders in strong market sectors and adapting to market cycles.   Optimizing the use of relative strength, moving averages, and volume analysis, and tailoring it to each stock’s unique personality combined with his ability to manage risk through strategic scaling techniques and sell stops has been one of the cornerstones of his success.  About Ross Haber During his tenure as Portfolio Manager at William O'Neil & Company from 1998 to 2001, Ross played a pivotal role in the firm's remarkable growth. As part of an elite investment team, he helped transform a $15 million portfolio into an impressive $850 million in assets under management. Ross has since co-founded Trader Lion, where he continues to apply his extensive market expertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick Bandazian Jr., a seasoned trader with over 15 years of experience in event-driven and merger-arbitrage strategies, reflects on transitioning from an analyst at JP Morgan and First New York Securities to establishing himself as an independent trader. Rick emphasizes his deep expertise in anticipating market moves based on nuanced corporate actions and his methodical approach to understanding catalysts. Despite the fast-paced nature of his work, Rick maintains consistency by staying disciplined, even during market lulls. Beyond trading, he’s a volunteer firefighter, driven by a strong sense of community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laurens Bensdorp's trading journey began with years of losses as a discretionary trader. Frustrated by inconsistent results and mounting stress, he embarked on a mission to develop systematic trading approaches. His goal was simple but ambitious: create reliable systems that would deliver steady returns while minimizing losses. This transformation wasn't overnight. Through years of careful development and testing, Bensdorp gained deep insights into the cyclical nature of his trading systems - understanding when they were likely to generate profits or face losses. His persistence paid off. By eventually creating and implementing over 55 different trading systems, he achieved what seemed impossible: better returns, smaller drawdowns, and remarkably, less time spent managing his trades. About Laurens Bensdorp Laurens Bensdorp launched his finance career at a Dutch venture capital firm in 2000, where he discovered his passion for trading. After years of studying successful investors' methods, he developed automated trading platforms that maximize profits while minimizing time investment. Featured in Van Tharp's "Trading Beyond the Matrix," Bensdorp went on to author two international bestsellers: "The 30 Minute Stocktrader" (2017) and "Automated Stock Trading Systems" (2020). Both books have been translated into multiple languages. As the pioneer of personality-based automated trading systems, Bensdorp now co-hosts seminars with renowned trader Tom Basso and mentors elite clients. Through his foundation, Fundación Albenco, he supports educational initiatives for underprivileged children in Colombia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inspired by the impact of predictive analytics on sales at Sam Miesse's tech company, he became interested in applying quantitative analysis to the small cap market. Spending nearly 2 years collecting data and observing how money moved into and out of many small cap stocks convinced him that there were repeating patterns which could be statistically exploited. After many back tests Sam finally had a system which processed over 10,000 small caps and produced 20-40 actionable daily opportunities. Starting with an experimental $10,000, his rigorously back-tested system gave him the confidence to stick with the signals, despite suffering a $500,000 daily drawdown along the way to growing his account to $3.8 million in less than 3 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Ritchie II shares insights from his trading journey, shaped by disciplined risk management and a strong focus on price action and fundamentals. Growing up with a renowned trader father, Mark’s passion for trading developed later in life through hands-on experience. He prioritizes finding stocks in long-term uptrends, identifying low-risk entries, and refining his edge over time. Emphasizing the importance of controlling emotions, Mark advocates starting small, scaling up only when confident in a strategy’s effectiveness. His trading approach adapts to varying market conditions, using timeless principles to maintain capital efficiency and manage risk, helping him navigate both bull and bear markets successfully. About Mark Ritchie II: Mark Ritchie II is a swing and growth trader, investor, and manager. He leads RTM Capital Advisors as a Managing Partner and CIO, a company that manages investments in U.S. stocks. He became well-known for winning Mark Minervini’s Triple Digit stock challenge in 2010 by making over triple digit returns in under six months. Between 2010 and 2014, he grew his managed funds tenfold, consistently compounding his portfolio year after year. This impressive traction earned him a feature in Mark Minervini’s Momentum Masters roundtable interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alfonso Peccatiello’s (also known as MacroAlf on X) approach to the financial markets is rooted in macroeconomic insights, identifying market imbalances, and disciplined risk management. Having managed a $20 billion fixed-income portfolio, Alf has seen firsthand how understanding market dynamics and timing can unlock significant value. His strategies focus on spotting crowded trades, leveraging market dislocations, and carefully sizing positions to maximize returns while minimizing risk. About Alfonso Peccatiello: Alfonso is the founder and CEO of The Macro Compass, a firm dedicated to democratizing access to professional macro analysis, tools, and portfolio strategies. Leveraging his extensive experience managing large institutional investment portfolios, The Macro Compass provides unparalleled financial education, unique macroeconomic insights, and actionable investment strategies. Prior to launching The Macro Compass, Alfonso served as the head of investments for ING Germany, overseeing a $20 billion portfolio. He also launched a discretionary global macro hedge fund, Palinuro Capital, in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We caught up with Steve B, a seasoned professional independent trader with 10+ years of experience in the financial markets we got to know closely through the Chat With Traders Community. Steve teamed up with our community cohost and mentor at the time, Patrick Petersson (featured on episode 260) to run the CWT Community Live Trading Room. They mainly traded futures on major indexes. Many community members were interested in their futures trading approach and streamlined looking charts with key levels derived from options market data, which helped build their trading roadmap. Alongside Patrick, Steve has been an influential mentor inside our community. He is known specifically for his "Confluence Trading" approach, which you'll learn about soon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined today by Robb Reinhold, the Head Trader at Maverick Trading. Robb shares insights from a captivating trading experiment that's sure to intrigue both novice and experienced traders alike. The Flat Earth Trading Society experiment was a year long experiment testing the power of consistent position management and following a systematic trading process. Using random stock selections, Robb and his team implemented a rigid position management strategy to prove that disciplined exits and managing losses are more crucial than well thought out entries. Tune in as Robb walks us through the strategy, execution, and key takeaways from this unique trading experiment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s Contrarian Trading and then there’s Consistent Contrarian Trading. Can you really make money by consistently going against the crowd? Does it take a certain type of personality to be able to trade this way? Jason Shapiro was featured in “Unknown Market Wizards” by Jack Schwager and he returns to Chat With Traders for an update after two years since we last spoke with him.  We delve deeper into his countertrend trading philosophy, learning about how he identifies overcrowded trades, and how market positioning and sentiment, rather than price, guide his trades, and focusing on the underlying mechanics that drive market moves. About Jason Shapiro: Jason has over 30 years of trading experience, navigating various markets including the 90s rallies, the 2000s tech bubble, the 2008 crash, and recent volatility in the last few years. His contrarian approach has made him a successful hedge fund manager, and he was featured in one of Jack Schwager’s recent Market Wizards books. He has managed money ranging from a few million to several hundred million dollars, gaining extensive knowledge of futures markets. Jason currently runs a one-man hedge fund using the CMR process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Magadini began his career as a proprietary trader for DRW Trading and Chopper Trading in Chicago and traded with SMB Capital as well. He later took a bold step, venturing out to trade his own book, bootstrapping crypto volatility with options and turning $50,000 into a staggering $1.3 million in consistent profits over nine years. In addition to his trading success, Greg co-founded Genesis Volatility – a crypto options analytics company, which caught the attention of Amberdata and resulted in an acquisition. Today, Greg serves as the Director of Derivatives at Amberdata, continuing to leverage his expertise in the derivatives space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often hear that having “Discipline” is the key to trading success. But many of us traders continue to struggle developing discipline and good habits for trading no matter how hard and how long we’ve tried. Could there be a deeper reason for this? As fellow human traders, we are commonly faced with our own programming that we are often unaware of. In this special episode, Sam Daghash, a professional coach and cofounder (alongside cofounder David Capablanca, featured on Chat With Traders Episode 257) of the Conscious Trading Academy specializing in helping traders overcome mental barriers, dive into aspects of a trader’s mindset.  If we cannot think greater than we feel, then this would compel us to be more aware of our mental states which can sabotage our trading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael shares his journey from aspiring NFL athlete to successful day trader. After a sports injury dashed his football dreams, he turned to day trading, teaching himself the ropes and overcoming early financial losses with the encouragement of his entrepreneurial mother. His trading strategy evolved over the years, focusing on short-selling highly volatile small-cap stocks after discovering his knack for it in 2021. His discipline, honed from years of football, helps him execute trades like a sniper—waiting patiently for the perfect setup before striking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Greer, a Long Island native, ventured into Wall Street trading inspired by his father. With a background in business management from Cornell University, he honed his skills at Sumitomo Bank, UBS, and Goldman Sachs. He and his team meticulously diagrammed every aspect of the markets, from liquidity to potential swings, which allowed him to exploit edges in his trading playbooks. Running multiple commodity books, including gold and platinum, was like piloting the Millennium Falcon—quoting prices to global banks and witnessing monumental market moves. He eventually ventured out on his own to day trade. From tech stock investments to day trading strategies, he emphasizes pattern recognition and trend analysis. Tony shares insights on risk management, recommended readings, and the importance of adaptability in the ever-changing market landscape. About Tony Greer Founder of TG Macro - Merging 25 years of trading expertise with 15 years of newsletter writing, providing fundamental, technical, and behavioral analyses. With experience at Sumitomo Bank, Union Bank of Switzerland, and Goldman Sachs, Tony is a seasoned professional.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting in classical violin and computer programming, Marsten Parker's path took a transformative turn when he ventured into trading. Despite a rocky start, his disciplined, algorithm-driven approach led to consistent returns, earning him recognition in Jack Schwager's book, "Unknown Market Wizards". We get to learn about his transition from discretionary trading to systematic trading, emphasizing the importance of statistical analysis over emotional decision-making. Marsten used his programming skills to create fully automated trading systems to take advantage of breakouts, mean reversion, IPO opportunities, and other strategies. About Marsten Parker Marsten has been a full-time individual systematic trader for over 20 years. He is featured in Jack Schwager's book, Unknown Market Wizards. Marsten is also the designer and developer of RealTest, a multi-strategy portfolio-level backtesting software. He has continued to evolve RealTest over the years as his primary tool for researching trading strategies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trading commodities since 14 years old, Professor Hanke started learning the importance of closely following macro economic factors which impact the prices of currencies, commodities and consumer goods. His evidence-based approach uncovers the deeper forces driving inflation and market fluctuations and challenges prevailing narratives as it relates to economics. By exploring macro topics often overlooked by the mainstream, Professor Hanke broadens our collective understanding and invites us to think more deeply and critically about the economic forces shaping our world. About Steve Hanke: Steve Hanke is an American economist and professor of applied economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Steve is known for his work as a currency reformer in emerging-market countries and served on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers. Very recently, Washingtonian magazine recognized Steve Hanke in their annual list of Washington, D.C.'s 500 most influential figures in shaping public policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saad Filali, worked for Goldman Sachs, specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions, then left and became a Trader. Understanding the thinking and trading styles of the many different market players is key to his trading, including those of institutions, sell side brokers, CTA’s, retail, and meme stock traders. Studying how they trade the volatility and news releases helps Saad to predict market movements and calculate suitable entry and exit points in his trades. Saad now manages his own fund, called Fiat Elpis Macro Fund, and relies on news flow and research. He looks for discrepancies between market pricing and fundamental valuations and considers the impact of different market participants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unlock the secrets to superior mental sharpness and explore groundbreaking strategies to boost your cognitive function, from nutrition hacks and exercise tips to innovative biohacking techniques. Ben Greenfield, a renowned expert in the health and fitness sphere, reveals his top methods for optimizing brain health. Whether you seek to enhance focus, memory, or overall brain power, this discussion offers valuable insights and practical advice to elevate your mental game for peak performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The lure of the markets seduced a successful musician into full time trading at a prop firm. Collaborating with other traders, Garrett Drinon learned the market signals, and other ingredients which go into great setups. Wanting to expand his reach, he uses his programming skills to create new algos which help him and his colleagues find the Unicorns and manage a larger portfolio than he could normally handle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a risk officer with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Will Gogolak was setting margin requirements and saw a wide variety of traders’ accounts and what separated the winning traders from the losing ones, before leaving to pursue his own trading and obtaining a PHD in finance and share his knowledge of quantitative analysis and market experience with students at Carnegie Mellon University. Combining his market experience with knowledge of statistics helps William create his custom buy the dip strategy with futures and leveraged ETFs, and focusing on probabilities and determining market direction for informed trading decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experiencing the noticeable communication differences between his childhood culture and his new home in the U.S., William Lam was driven to become aware of how his limiting thoughts imprinted from his family drove unhealthy unconscious actions. Learning how to shape his mental thought process played key roles in fulfilling big desires and creating a richer life. Hear how our minds are like operating systems to which we can influence for better or worse. We’re just scratching the surface in this episode, but it’s enough to get us to reconsider our thoughts and behaviors from a fresh perspective.   About William Lam: William is an expert in strategic mental and micro behavioral programming and founded UPGRD. He provides support to elite investors, traders, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals, assisting them in visualizing and organizing the data and functionalities of the human mind which can lead to improved mental efficiencies and optimal performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A humble beginning as a gopher in the intense trading pits of Japanese warrants was shocking for Gary Norden when he was a teenager. As this volatile market was beginning its meltdown, Gary saw how easily star traders lost immense amounts of money as past overconfidence and sloppy risk control undid their previous gains. This impressed upon Gary the importance of a risk averse stance to keep himself in the game. Practicing Order Flow Trading, hundreds of times per week, gives Gary the edge in this lost art. About Gary Norden: Gary’s trading career has spanned more than three decades. From being given his first derivative trading book by a Japanese Investment bank at the age of just 18, Gary went on to become a senior trader at a number of Global Investment Banks including NatWest Markets and ING Markets. In the mid 1990s he also spent many years in the trading pits of LIFFE as a ‘local’ option market maker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Azoria Partners, a global macro investment firm. Prior to Azoria, he served as the Head of Macro at Greenlight Capital, a two-billion-dollar hedge fund led by David Einhorn. He is also the founder of Incubate Debate, America’s fastest-growing high school debate league. As a former national high school debate champion and volunteer debate coach, he launched Incubate in 2019. James was fortunate to have the opportunity to display his talent and strategies to the well-known billionaire hedge fund manager David Einhorn, which also resulted in James getting exposed to new ideas and ways of looking at economies and markets. Unwilling to repeat the same mantra commonly put out by the financial media, James presents a fresh look at why the economy and the markets have multiple silver linings. Please note, Chat With Traders does not endorse any specific political viewpoint on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chat With Traders End of 2023 Message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up poor and living in violent neighborhoods didn’t stop Erik Smolinski from being motivated and curious. Erik only needed to hear a few words about investing including the power of compounding from his high school instructor to light the passion and determination to take ACTION. The discipline, responsibility, accountability, and patience he cultivated as a Marine Corp officer strengthened his ability to stick with his well thought out trading plans and persevere. His use of derivatives strategies help him to minimize painful drawdowns while creating consistent, long term market-beating returns. About Erik Erik is a Marine veteran, options trader, real estate and angel investor. He is a strong advocate for authentic investing information. Erik became a first generation millionaire before 30 through hard work and unwavering dedication to his Outlier mindset. He started investing in 2007 and has spent more than 30,000 hours honing his skillset. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experiencing the brutal bear market of 1973-74 impressed upon Tom the necessity to find ways to hedge risk. This began a multi year long quest to find the right combination of uncorrelated assets, technical indicators and adjust the weightings as needed to provide enough protection to fill in the potholes of equity drawdowns while retaining the bulk of upside potential. Having a sweet balance between risk and reward both in the financial markets and in his personal life has enabled Tom to maintain a serene disposition. Tom Basso’s Background: Tom Basso is an American hedge fund manager. He was president and founder of Trendstat Capital Management. He has authored two books, Panic-Proof Investing and the self-published The Frustrated Investor. In 1998, he was elected to the board of the National Futures Association. Basso graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York in 1974, where he majored in chemical engineering. Prior to his career in trading, Basso worked as an engineer for Monsanto Company. He became a registered investment advisor in 1980 and a registered commodities advisor in 1984. Basso established Trendstat Capital in 1984 and served as its CEO until his retirement. Having retired from active trading in 2003, he now manages his own portfolios and provides guidance to aspiring traders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every now and then, we like to switch things up and take a break from our usual program. Today, we present a special episode for that purpose. So, what keeps you in the trading game? The voices you hear in the podcast introduction belong to our listeners from all over the world. We share these voices with you because we believe you will be able to relate to them, just as we do. These voices mirror those of many traders like us who are on similar paths. They also serve as a reminder that we are not alone on this journey. We also reflect on the key messages and valuable lessons learned from the amazing guests we have interviewed, as well as the common threads that distinguish them from the rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The shock of his first major losing year in 2004 as a discretionary trader, propelled Rob Hanna to find quantifiable statistical advantages that would help mitigate the fluctuations in his equity curves. Knowing the dangers of curve fitting, in trying to find that ‘perfect’ system, Rob zeroed in on simpler approaches that would combine seasonality, overbought, oversold and Federal Reserve days. The result is a system that helps minimize anxiety and drawdowns while keeping him invested for the bulk of bullish moves. Rob Hanna’s Bio: Rob is a Registered Investment Adviser Representative for Capital Advisors 360. He has worked as a full-time market professional since 2001. Prior to joining CA360, Rob managed his own private investment fund from 2001–2019 and has also run Quantifiable Edges since 2008. Quantifiable Edges offers a subscriber letter and other services focused on quantitative market analysis. Over the years, Rob has spoken at major conferences for the Market Technicians Association (MTA), the National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM), and the American Association of Professional Technical Analysts (AAPTA) among others. Rob is a 1992 graduate of the Boston College Carroll School of Management. He lives and works in Massachusetts but serves institutional and individual clients across the US and Europe. You can find Rob through Quantifiable Edges, or on X (Twitter) @QuantifiablEdgs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paying to take and pass the Series 7 license as a teenager in the 1980’s led Bryan Holdford into the high commission world of stocks and options without mentors or the internet. Starting with investment newspapers Bryan tried many trading ideas without any risk controls. Despite frequent and numerous losses, he was hooked on the game of trading. Obsessive determination drives him to stay in the game despite a boom bust performance. Recently he seems to have found the right balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stinging losses with mutual funds in 2008 drove Dan to become an active manager of his portfolio. Enticed by the legalization prospects of marijuana, he dived into learning the fundamentals and technicals of the sector. Learning how these stocks traded relative to each other, he cultivated an awareness of the correlations between these companies. These interrelationships would later be applied to large cap stocks, Commodities and Crypto across different time frames to give insights on when to participate in Bull and Bear runs, and when to back away. Feeling the pain of big early profits evaporating over months, Dan was forced to cultivate a mental flexibility in trading by considering both Bull and Bear signs in every stock he follows. Combined with correlations over multiple time frames with other stocks in the same sector, influences from Commodities, the dollar and various sectors, he flushes out nuances with scalpel-like precision and is ready to flip bullish or bearish without attachment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An engineer at the core, Mark Bennell, a Private Trader who has been trading full-time for 15 years breaks down what it really means to “Treat Trading As a Business” and why this mindset was incredibly important in turning his trading around and why it has kept him in the game for this long. About Mark Bennell Mark Bennell is a Private Trader who has been trading for the last 18 years, 15 of those being as a full time trader. He holds a Diploma in Technical Analysis, a Diploma in Share Trading and Investment and the International Accreditation as a Certified Financial Technician (CFTe). His trading preferences include discretionary swing trading, scalping Australian equities, and swing trading and scalping the Forex markets.  Mark is also a trading mentor and enjoys utilizing his knowledge and experience to conduct live daily analysis on the Forex, Commodities and Indices markets, weekly workshop sessions and assisting others on their journey to become consistent traders. He has also been on stage and presented for the Australian Technical Analysts Association – Victorian Chapter and National Conference, and appeared in Trader’s Edge magazine in Australia, ‘Traders Story’ article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seeing and feeling the intensity and chaos of the trading pits back in the 1980’s, Pete knew immediately that trading was the career he had to have. Starting as a floor runner making $5/hr to later trading full time for a living Pete discovered the importance of finding stocks with relative strength during the bear market of 2002. Pete uses a top down 3 step methodical process which helps him zero in on stocks to go long or short. From longs to shorts, conservative credit spreads, high leverage options to occasional Lotto trades, Pete fine tunes his versatile strategies to match current market conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up poor in the Philippines, Gabriel sought a way to supplement his income. Dealing with the emotional challenges of giving up his profits in his long-term positions, he switched to trading to have a sense of greater control of the outcome. Starting out using many technical indicators, he later switched to just price action as it gave less false signals. After blowing up several accounts, he honed his skills to become the winner of the 21-Day Trading Challenge Contest inside the Chat with Traders Community and become a funded trader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seeking financial opportunities overseas just before the Great Financial Crises, Andres Granger was motivated to learn how to trade after falling victim to a Ponzi-like trading scheme. He worked hard and diligently studied order flow and scalping while trading Futures in different markets. Later, he was introduced to crypto through a prop firm, where he honed his skills to exploit large market inefficiencies through market neutral trading. Emboldened by these incredible opportunities, Andres then went on to create a crypto strategy fund. He’s the Co-founder and Head of Trade and Strategy Development at Active Digital Funds, one of the very few Crypto funds that runs all of their strategies fully automated, and one of the few audited crypto funds to make a positive return for clients in 2022. Recently, they won the award for Best Market Neutral Fund under $25m from HedgeWeek European Digital Asset Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special episode of a recording of a recent discussion that occurred within the Chat With Traders Community on a Zoom call. The discussion centers around Henrik Johansson, a beginner fellow trader, who embarked on a journey to obtain funding from a proprietary trading firm within a 60-day timeframe. Patrick Petersson leads the conversation with Henrik. If you recall, Patrick was a guest on episode 260. Patrick and Henrik traded together during this period with the goal of helping Henrik to achieve the goal of getting funded. They provide an overview of these 60 days for the CWT Community and offer valuable insights.  We learn about their process of selecting a suitable prop trading firm that catered to Henrik's requirements, strategies that helped him to overcome psychological barriers, factors behind Henrik's decision to modify his trading style, and the tools and indicators he incorporated in his trading practices, and about the three most significant lessons Henrik gained while trading alongside Patrick. This episode is especially enlightening for traders interested in the route of getting funded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First seduced by advertisements of easy money, Shay a.k.a. Humbled Trader learned that she had to find her own way of trading. Taking the skills she learned as a special effects artist in Hollywood, she created the popular Youtube channel for traders to share her trading wisdoms in a humorous creative way. Join us in the story of how Shay was able to quit her full time job to trade full time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in a family and culture strongly critical of trading as a profession, Patrick Petersson opened his first trading account on his 18th birthday and risked his reputation and family money to follow a deep growing passion he had for years. After blowing up many accounts, he found himself homeless and rejected by all in his family despite fully paying them back. Passion, determination, and persuasion gave Patrick another chance as he started managing money for wealthy clients. Join us in this unusual and fascinating journey as we learn about his trading and intuitive Jedi skills to make lightning-fast discretionary executions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lacking education, mentors or money, Lukas Frohlich, known to many as The Short Bear, became fascinated with financial markets when only 13 years old. Saving everything he could from jobs, he started trading before he could even legally drive a car. He created Youtube and Twitter accounts to share strategies, victories and defeats to help fellow traders improve their game. Obsessed with learning from mistakes, understanding gains and improving his process lead to outrageous gains in 2020 with his Agenda Trading strategy. Changing market conditions propelled Lukas into innovating new strategies quite different from what he started with. His focus, dedication and discipline for self improvement allowed him to branch out in new business areas helping others that go beyond just the trading world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dedicating significant hours to books and market analysis, Alexander Moreno sought regular counsel from a seasoned trading mentor. After refining his abilities through months of paper trading, he ventured into live trading, reaping consistent profits as planned. This success bolstered his confidence to trade full-time as a livelihood. However, the unforeseen market turbulence in 2008 unleashed his psychological struggles, leading to impulsive trading and ultimately, homelessness. This harrowing experience granted Alexander invaluable insights that he now imparts to others. This might be one of the most important episodes to listen to in a while when it comes to the topic of frank discussion on losses in trading and the practicality of managing risks so that traders can stay in the game long enough to have the opportunity to learn and improve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deep in debt after finishing Architecture school, David Capablanca, originally from Miami and host of the Friendly Bear Podcast, desired an alternative career with independence, freedom and potential for high earnings. Naturally drawn to a contrarian psychology, he zeroed in on short selling. The challenge of uncovering scams through a deep dive into company fundamentals, history of founders and visiting company headquarters overseas on a quest to find clues were the things that energized David and brought his trading approach to a whole other level. Let’s go on a “short” adventure with David today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an accident ended her career as a professional athlete, Louisa Nicola became a Neurophysiologist and human performance coach, in order to understand and share what improves and degrades the brain’s short term performance and long term viability. Adopting certain habits, diets and supplementing with technology can give us traders the edge needed for peak performance and overall mental well-being.   Bio Neurophysiologist and human performance coach, Louisa Nicola is the founder and head performance advisor of Neuro Athletics - a consulting firm that boasts the best athletes in the world. By using science driven data from EEG scans, lab tests and cognitive assessments, Louisa has a first class ticket inside the brain of elite NBA and MLB stars. Louisa graduated from the University of Sydney medical school and is currently completing her doctorate studying the effects of resistance exercise on the brain. Louisa serves on the board of Momentous, Tonal, and Klora. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a former poker player, heavy gambler, and professor of statistics, and after having had a successful professional career in the movie industry in Hollywood, Vincent Bruzzese (aka Hari Seldon of Real Day Trading group) took his poker skills and expertise on statistical predictive modeling of human behavior and ventured into the world of trading with a goal of finding an edge.  But, after blowing up his accounts multiple times, he had to go back to the drawing board and hone his trading skills, mindset, and discipline to become a high probability trader before putting in another dime into the markets. Vincent is an advocate for the small traders, and shares a more holistic and contextual approach to the markets and focuses on following the money which has led to his consistency in day trading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up poor with kidney disease as an immigrant from Mexico, Christian Carreon’s trauma with health issues and family financial instability resulted in the drive and hunger for financial success and security through redemption in the markets. Despite suffering through physical and emotional pain from his condition, his spirit and determination remained strong. He dove deep into the markets and after trial and error, eventually honed down and refined his systematic approach to a “trading boxes” strategy, which he explains. As an avid student of chart history, he gets comfortable with specific price setups which give him the confidence to go “all in”. Lacking basic day to day health impresses upon him the importance of being grateful in everything he does. In addition to trading using the mentioned "box" strategy, Christian is also the founder of Create Wealth Management where he applies a modified version of that strategy. He also started a private group called Paradigm Shift Trading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick is a finance professor, author, quant hedge fund manager and a connoisseur of financial history. As a young investor in Utility stocks, Patrick’s hunger to learn and apply the lessons of financial history helped him to maintain composure during the frenzied bubble market in the late 90’s and avoid most of the losses his colleagues suffered during the dot.com blowup. His studiousness, and growing aptitude for finding opportunities, resulted in him making valuable connections with mentors and business partners. His desire to understand history by analyzing data led to building quantitative trading models and eventually launching a quant hedge fund Palomar Capital. This episode is packed with so much rich information, wisdom, and humor.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up poor with learning difficulties, Yvan Byejee’s early trading failures drove him to understand his own emotional turbulence and instability in the mind through deep inner work. With a heightened sense of mindfulness, he embraced uncertainty and became systematic in his trading to develop an edge. Yvan discovered trading in the late 90s and has been trading for a living since 2006. He struggled and failed his way to eventual consistency and market success over time. He’s the man responsible for the creation of Trading Composure, where he generously shares with traders all over the world his knowledge, experiences, and wisdom of the inner game of trading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FTX collapse, arrest of Sam Bankman Fried, and the subsequent collapse of the crypto market opened new opportunities for Kasper Vandeloock, as some players were forced to exit the market. Note: There are 2 parts to this interview. Part 1 was recorded prior to the collapse of the crypto market due to the downfall of FTX. Part 2 (listen right after Part 1) is a follow-up interview with Kasper to get his perspective on the impact of the collapse of FTX and how it impacted his strategies. When Kasper was just 16 years old, he received his first Bitcoin as payment for his programming skills. Intrigued by the emerging opportunities in crypto currencies, he dropped out of high school to dive deep into learning everything he could about this fast-paced new type of finance and medium of exchange. Spotting market inefficiencies in prices between the different exchanges inspired Kasper to write his own programs which took advantage of delta neutral arbitrage opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a highly driven, methodical stock and futures day trader, Sunny Harris didn’t survive the four major market crashes, she thrived through them. A strong believer of technical analysis, back testing, and systematic trading, this vivacious Southern California trader and entrepreneur leveraged her background and skills as a mathematician and programmer to develop and refine her own trading system that she has come to rely on throughout her trading career. Listen to some enlightening and surprising perspectives from Sunny Harris, a mathematician, programmer, author, teacher, mentor, and veteran day trader who is very active in the markets every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting out juggling multiple jobs as a valet driver, firefighter and entrepreneur, Jack Kellogg at 18 years of age about 6 years ago dreamed of financial freedom, became laser-focused on saving money and learned everything he could about the stock market before turning to penny stocks. Jack's intense drive for success pushed his mental and physical health to unhealthy levels as he managed hundreds of trades, and at times in illiquid, unregulated securities that often saw hundreds of percent increases, quickly followed by spectacular collapses within just a few weeks. This multifaceted discussion takes us inside Jack's journey, which was met with setbacks and struggles, along with wisdom gained earlier than usual for someone so young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Electrical Engineer to Hedge Fund Manager, David Sun, previously on TastyTrade as a Rising Star guest went on to start his first hedge fund in 2018, and then went on to add a second one in 2021. Learn about one of David's concepts applying a systematic approach to Options trading. It has to do with these 3 things; stop losses (which is not common in options trading), how he takes advantage of high implied volatility (IV) - but not in the way most options traders would think, and his approach on managing the win size: loss size ratio, all to manage risk exposure and optimize edge. Looking for actionable ideas to explore? Then this is a must-listen-to episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's about time we have a discussion on Forex Trading, but this is not your average Forex Trading discussion. Some Forex traders may be unaware of how stop loss hunting and market manipulation is done by the smart money. Like many Forex traders, ex-stockbroker Djamal Adib experienced early losses which compelled him to study the inner workings of Forex trading, and how stop loss orders are hunted by the smart money.   Djamal spent four years pouring over thousands of charts patterns of different time periods and programmed his carefully back tested algorithms resulting in him winning an international Forex competition. He shares his enthusiasm and much wisdom of the opportunities and dangers of trading Forex and why you need an edge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seeing the great potential and opportunities available in decentralized finance and the crypto currency universe, Uri Klarman left academia with a PHD in computer networks and later specialized in Blockchain research. He started a company that would help crypto traders avoid the front running flash traders which had plagued Wall Street for years. Uri shares his contagious excitement and passion combined with his in depth knowledge about the history, technology and benefits of decentralized finance and crypto currencies which many feel that traditional markets cannot match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Shapiro has been a trader for 30 years and was interviewed in the Unknown Market Wizards book by Jack Schwager.  From early on Jason was a rebel who avoided group think and sought out contrarian trading opportunities in overhyped, or deeply oversold stocks and commodities.  Blessed by early trading successes, Jason retired to a beach in Thailand in the late 90’s and traded his account full time only to experience tragedy less than a year later.  The painful lessons he learned drove him to give up his opinions about markets and instead listen to what the market is saying by becoming a great market tape reader. You’ll hear how Jason finds great trading opportunities through a combination of weekly trader reports, media commentary and news events to put on his contrarian trades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ian Cox, new host from Seattle, Washington joins Tessa on Chat With Traders. Trading and investing since the mid-90s, Ian eventually worked his way towards success which afforded him early retirement, financial and time freedom. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing as you'll learn in this interview. It never is. Passionate about the financial markets, Ian continues to expand his horizons by continuing to stay curious, learn and grow, even as a veteran trader. He currently still trades stocks and options, but Crypto is what really captivates him these days. Learn more about Ian in a special interview that originally aired in early May on an episode from the Affirmations for Traders Podcast hosted by Tessa earlier in the year, and brought to you again right here on Chat With Traders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode won’t be for everyone… It contains no chatter about how to read charts, how to pick the direction of stocks, or even, how to handle your trading psyche. However, for some, this episode will spin minds and bend preconceived notions about trading. It shines a spotlight on what happens should you uncover a structural inefficiency that can be exploited, as was the case with today’s guest Moritz Seibert. Many know of Moritz as a trend following guy and someone with vested interests in the crypto market, but (almost) no one knows he was once arbitraging warrants on Germany’s DAX. It was an extreme edge, and he traded it rigorously for three years. Moritz has never publicly spoken about the arbitrage, until now! Over the course of this recap, he details all aspects: the market, the inefficiency, the trade, and the—inevitable—decay. To read the assisting article by Moritz: Click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re talking volatility with Kris Sidial, Chief Investment Officer at The Ambrus Group. His funds’ primary objective is to make outsized returns in the event of a market crash, and it therefore serves as a portfolio hedge for investors with heavily weighted long exposure. Kris tells of his prop trading roots, before going on to explain the long vol trade and positioning to profit from tail risk events. He also speaks to the other side of the equation; generating absolute returns in the meantime, via active trading strategies. There’s a lot to unpack here, but Kris does a tremendous job in explaining strategies and risk management approaches that’ll leave you with ideas to ponder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode consists of an extremely raw and unfiltered interview with veteran derivatives trader and self-proclaimed Merc Jerk, Jimmy Jude. As we rewind to the early 90’s, Jimmy relives the rough 'n tumble of CME’s Eurodollar options pit. Telling of power struggles, immense risk taking, and wisdoms gained from his peers. Jimmy also recounts some of the more notable—and chaotic—events he’s witnessed, such as; being front row to an $8-billion blow up in Nat Gas, when trading on the NYMEX floor. Then to finish, I ask Jimmy a few things about his way of trading nowadays; working structures on the VIX curve and E-mini futures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning guest and options veteran John Carter has become increasingly aggressive with his trading tactics, and as a result, has booked a multitude of large profits during the past few years. In this sequel to the popular Episode 69, John speaks on having surpassed the career milestone of 30-years trading—and how it’s groomed him to maximize recent market opportunities that’ve been present. More specifically, John recaps a mega options trade ahead of GOOGL earnings, then proceeds to address; trading psychology, taking a holistic approach, navigating markets in 2022, favoring tangible assets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this fourth episode in the My First Year Trading Full-Time series, we speak to retail trader Nicholas Bradburn. A few years ago, Nick innocently stumbled onto the infamous subreddit Wall Street Bets, which lead to the discovery of options and roaring cannabis stocks. After some meddling and a few hiccups (i.e. running out of money), Nick begun to take trading more seriously once the pandemic hit, the stimulus check hit, and his livelihood became uncertain. Remarkably, Nick remains a still-standing member of 2020’s Retail Army and has since made a commitment to full-time trading, having found consistency playing in the large cap arena. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the future hold for Chat With Traders podcast? An evolution is on the horizon. Full details revealed in this episode—featuring Aaron Fifield and Tessa Dao. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Childs—a financial journalist and co-host of NPR’s Planet Money—is author of The Bond King; a biography about industry titan, billionaire bond trader Bill Gross. Bill co-founded Pacific Investment Management Co (Pimco) in 1974, where he would become the worlds’ largest bond trader and revolutionise the market. Heading up the firms’ Total Return fund, Bill served as managing director/chief investment officer, until a shock departure in 2014. While Bill’s widely considered a market legend, beyond the surface, I had little understanding about his rise to fame and fortune; the primary reason I was motivated to invite Mary on the podcast, as she spent countless hours researching and conducting interviews to produce her book. In this episode, Mary walks through the life ‘n times of Bill and some of the standout trades that helped to put Pimco on the map—including a highly controversial position in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae during the financial crisis of 2008. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The promised and much-anticipated follow-up interview with Lance Breitstein… Lance was formerly a Senior Trader at proprietary firm Trillium. He earned the rank as ‘Top Trader’ in 2020 and 2021 with consecutive 8-figure years, also setting the firms’ all-time PnL record. While Lance appeared on the podcast only a few months back, the interview was recorded a few years back. However, this interview is very recent, it was recorded 13th June 2022—after Nasdaq declined 4% on the day, sparking initial comments about market context. Our discussion primarily revolves around several core trading concepts that have greatly attributed to Lance’s outstanding performance: The Broken Slot Machine, The Right Side of the V, and Channel Fundamentals. Furthermore, Lance shares wisdom on bet sizing and methods to accelerate your learning curve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I bring you a man who’s truly seen it all: Chris Cady Having surpassed 40-years as an equity index trader, Chris has lived through every type of market environment imaginable and reinvented himself several times over. But is experience all it’s hyped up to be? Well, that’s the opening line for our chat… From there, Chris delves into some of the best/worst times throughout his career in futures markets—and shares a captivating story about the “radical” silver traders and infamous Hunt Brothers. Later, Chris lays out his trading philosophy of “structure and process” and use of market profile analysis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices