SI351: The Two Tribes of Trend ft. Richard Brennan

As trend followers push through one of the toughest environments in years, Rich and Niels unpack what’s actually driving the pain. They draw a sharp line between two camps in the industry - those who focus on standalone market behavior and those who manage trend as a portfolio-level phenomenon, and explain why that distinction now matters more than ever. From the ripple effects of tariff policy to the quiet fragility in institutional positioning, this episode traces how structural shifts are colliding with legacy assumptions. Also on the table: AI’s growing role in model development, the hidden costs of bad data, and what it really takes to build a resilient, scalable process in a world where noise is cheap and conviction is rare. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE ----- Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or via the TTU website. IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here. And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here. Learn more about the Trend Barometer here. Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.com And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast. Follow Rich on Twitter. Episode TimeStamps: 00:13 - Introduction to Systematic Investing 03:55 - The Shift Towards AI in Trading 11:25 - The Rise of Idiosyncratic Trend Following Post-2020 21:42 - The Impact of Recent Market Dynamics 25:39 - The Rise of Retail Trading in Futures 34:09 - The Panama Method of Historical Adjustments 42:32 - Understanding Backtesting and Data Integrity in Trading Models 47:36 - Navigating Capital Constraints in Trend Following 55:14 - Understanding AI in Trading Strategies 01:00:14 - The Challenges of AI in Trading and Strategy Development 01:04:44 - The Impact of AI on Humanity Copyright © 2024 – CMC AG – All Rights...