The Retail Rally Trap | Kris Sidial on Market Fragility and the Risks of Buy the Dip

In this episode, Kris Sidial joins Jack Forehand and Brent Kochuba to break down the mechanics of tail risk hedging, why most volatility strategies fail, and how his team approaches dislocations in the market. We explore what's really driving volatility behind the scenes, the evolving market structure, and why the current environment may be far more precarious than it appears. If you’ve ever wondered how professional vol traders monetize chaos—or why volatility can stick around far longer than people expect—this episode is for you. Topics Covered: What tail risk funds are and why many of them underperform How to build a long volatility strategy that doesn’t bleed capital Why rebalancing is a critical component of portfolio resilience Liquidity fragility and how it amplifies market moves Retail's role in the latest rally and the fading institutional bid Structural risks created by passive flows and policy shifts Monetizing volatility spikes The psychological traps that lead to poor volatility trading decisions Why volatility might stay elevated for far longer than most expect