009 - The Sydney Special - The New Turtle Traders & The Genius of Classic Trend Following

The Sydney Meet-Up of the New (and Old) Turtle Traders

The financial Markets are in a perpetual state of flux, constantly evolving with changes in technology, shifts in regulatory landscapes, and the dynamic entry and exit of market players, all while business cycles ebb and flow.

In the face of such uncertainty, how do we navigate these turbulent waters? How can we effectively process the barrage of information available? Does the conventional wisdom of "buy and hold" withstand scrutiny when faced with substantial drawdowns of 50% or more? How do we truly maximize returns and minimise draw-downs? Are there secrets to investing hidden in plain sight?

Within the intricate tapestry of the market's daily dance, where buyers and sellers engage in the complex choreography of the free-market system, noise and confusion abound. Yet, amid this chaos, certain traders and investors have thrived over extended periods. They've capitalized on discerning patterns amidst the clamor, leveraging systems and methodologies that exploit fundamental, enduring human behaviors such as fear, greed, and the propensity to follow the crowd - and follow trends.

There are some time-tested, quantitative processes that were refined by the legendary Chicago traders Rich Dennis and Bill Eckhart and they passed these skills on to a group of budding naïve traders in the 1980s. These traders became known as 'the turtles'. With us today is one of those trainees, who now has a track record that extends many decades, and a new breed of adherents to these principles…

Enter the modern-day "turtles" that adhere to a "classic trend-following" approach. How do they navigate the markets, and what adaptations have they made? What principles guide their actions? Well, what better way to unravel these mysteries than to spend a few days in Sydney with them, which is exactly what we've done, and here we are on beautiful Pittwater Harbour, at the offices of ECCM on Scotland Island, talking 'classic trend following' around the barbie with the legends of the game! …