SI421: Taking CTAs Mainstream ft. Andrew Beer
Show notes
How reliable is 60/40 when stocks and bonds fall together? Andrew Beer joins Niels Kaastrup-Larsen to question the return forecasts and diversification assumptions behind traditional asset allocation. They explore how a systematic, non-emotional approach to tactical investing can help portfolios adapt as markets change. The conversation also sets out how to grow the CTA/managed futures pie by explaining the strategy’s value in language investors understand. They discuss why diversification across managers and realistic expectations for uneven returns matter for building investor confidence and encouraging lasting allocations.
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Episode TimeStamps:
00:00 - Why portfolios may need a more tactical approach
01:04 - AI, entrepreneurship and the changing world of work
08:07 - Complex systems and why the future is so difficult to predict
09:47 - Trend following performance and what is driving returns
13:59 - Why the traditional 60/40 portfolio is being questioned
16:20 - The problem with long-term asset allocation assumptions
22:41 - Diversification, market timing and the historical advantage of bonds
27:01 - What 27 years of managed futures data tells us
31:51 - Crisis alpha across the dot-com crash, GFC and 2022
36:08 - Correlation, alpha and the diversification case for CTAs
38:12 - Drawdowns and why tactical strategies can preserve capital
44:55 - Sharpe ratios and the problem of lumpy returns
50:39 - Why choosing the right managed futures manager is so difficult
54:57 - How managed futures can finally grow the pie
01:05:04 - Why the industry needs to stop getting lost in the technical details
01:08:14 - The danger of betting everything on one manager
01:13:02 - Why timing managed futures can make a good strategy look bad
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