The Philosophical Quant: A Trading Podcast

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The Philosophical Quant is a weekly series focused on trading education, strategies, and the psychology of trading. The show combines Michael Nauss’s technical analysis and quantitative trading expertise with Lia Holmgren’s focus on trading psychology and mindset. It is tailored for active traders (stocks/options) who want to sharpen their skills, offering a mix of practical how-to’s and critical discussions on discipline and personal development.

Episodes

  1. FEB 11

    AI “Kills Software”? IGV Crash + Mean Reversion Trades (NOW, FIGMA, MU, PYPL)

    In this episode of The Philosophical Quant, Michael and Lia react to a wild week: “end of the world” vibes on Thursday, then back near all-time highs. The focus is software after a fear-driven selloff in IGV, with the narrative that AI could replace software companies. We break down why the bounce can still look weak, what the Nasdaq and key moving averages are signaling, and why the broader market may be rotating into areas like Dow Jones, small caps, staples, biotech, and IWM. We break down current software stocks and discuss effective trading strategy applications. We also cover the nuances of RSI mean reversion and provide insightful investment analysis on specific stocks like PayPal stock, offering a comprehensive look at the current stock market dynamics. Then we get practical with the Trading Technique of the Week: a mean reversion RSI approach—not buying just because something is oversold, but waiting for RSI to recover and using tight risk. Michael walks through why he chose ServiceNow using IGV holdings, while Lia shares her Figma trade built around demand levels, oversold RSI, valuation context, and a structured plan. Finally, we jump into the Traders Clinic and answer audience tickers: MU, HIMS, and PayPal, focusing on parabolic risk, bear-flag behavior, exhaustion volume bounces, and the brutal reality of “bag holder supply.” If you want us to review a chart, sector, theme, or psychology/risk management question, drop it in the comments—this show grows off your questions. Chapters 00:01 – Welcome + viewers requested a software episode 00:36 – Lia on Thursday oversold + reversal 01:10 – IGV software ETF: AI fear narrative and selloff 02:28 – 200-week bounce + Nasdaq still choppy 03:05 – Nasdaq: 100-day test, trendline, data week + payrolls 03:58 – Rotation vs QQQ: RSP/IWM strength while software lags 04:33 – Rotation into Dow, staples, biotech, small caps; trade bounces 05:29 – Trading Technique: RSI mean reversion (wait for recovery) 07:10 – Picking “best in breed” via IGV holdings 08:18 – ServiceNow: tight risk, bounce setup, 2022 chop reference 08:45 – Lia’s Figma trade: demand level, target near supply, RSI oversold 10:03 – Mindset Minute: buying new lows + planning risk 10:50 – Lia’s framework: volume exhaustion, round numbers, valuation, puts 12:38 – Michael: assume you can be wrong; pre-define risk 13:35 – Lia: pros think “how much can I lose?” first 14:34 – Traders Clinic begins (audience tickers) 14:47 – MU: parabolic risk + bear-flag view 16:21 – HIMS: lawsuits/FDA narrative; RSI recovery plan 17:32 – Lia’s HIMS bounce trade: stop + gap-fill supply zone 18:48 – PayPal: broken trend, bag holders, slow recovery 21:49 – Close + ask for more questions Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this show are solely the opinions of the hosts’ and guests’ and do not reflect the opinions of Stocktwits, Inc. or its affiliates. The hosts are not SEC or FINRA registered advisors or professionals. The content of this show is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your financial advisor before making any investment decision. Read the full terms & conditions here: https://stocktwits.com/about/legal/terms/

    23 min

  2. FEB 4

    Palantir Gap Setup: Bull Flag or Trap?

    In this episode of The Philosophical Quant, Michael and Lia break down a wild, news-and-earnings-driven tape: a Palantir earnings gap that gets rejected, why “public distribution” and Stage 4 risk matter, and what it means when most volume is overhead and traders are trapped. Then we shift to the trading technique of the week: silver’s violent 25% drop, the psychology of parabolic moves, and why these become fast, tactical bounce plays rather than “hold and hope” trend trades. Lia shares how she prefers silver miners instead of pure silver because overnight gaps can wreck stops, and why she’d rather focus on cleaner charts like copper miners and defensive staples. We finish with a trade breakdown Michael is watching: using anchored VWAP around the prior high and a potential short setup into the 95–96 zone — expressed through ZSL (ultra short silver) to manage overnight risk and avoid expensive options volatility. Most importantly: drop your questions. Comment tickers, trading psychology issues, and setups you want us to cover, and we’ll build a weekly Q and A section around your feedback. Chapters 0:12 – Ask us questions + feedback (Q and A segment request) 1:15 – Earnings season and why gaps are hard to trade 1:32 – Palantir earnings gap up, then rejection 2:14 – Public distribution, Stage 4 risk, below 200-day 3:16 – Trading technique: “broken trades” and why to move on 4:42 – Silver mania to a 25% drop: what now? 5:22 – Why Lia prefers miners over silver (gaps, stops) 6:27 – Other parabolic examples and why they can chop for years 8:05 – Silver: trend traders step aside, short-term traders take fast trades 8:43 – Other metals and copper miners (cleaner action) 9:30 – Defensive approach: staples and buffer positions 10:57 – Mindset minute: how to deal with earnings season 11:34 – Hedging long-term holdings into earnings 12:45 – Trade breakdown setup: anchored VWAP and patience 13:54 – Plan: short into 93–96 area, using ZSL 15:27 – Why inverse ETFs help psychologically and for hedging 17:09 – Zones not exact points: “crayon, not a pencil” 18:37 – Reminder: ask questions for next episode 19:07 – Wrap Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this show are solely the opinions of the hosts’ and guests’ and do not reflect the opinions of Stocktwits, Inc. or its affiliates. The hosts are not SEC or FINRA registered advisors or professionals. The content of this show is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your financial advisor before making any investment decision. Read the full terms & conditions here: https://stocktwits.com/about/legal/terms/

    19 min

  3. JAN 29

    Range-Bound Market Playbook: Buy the Dip, Sell the Rip (Plus Apple + UNH Examples)

    Michael and Lia explain why 2026 may behave like a choppy, range-bound “midterm year” market and how traders can adapt with mean-reversion tactics like buying demand and selling supply instead of chasing breakouts. They cover practical examples (UNH dip-buying and an Apple dual-RSI setup), then shift into mindset: why having a written trade plan, matching stops to volatility, and respecting timeframe prevents the most common trader failure mode — turning short-term trades into long-term bags.

    27 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

The Philosophical Quant is a weekly series focused on trading education, strategies, and the psychology of trading. The show combines Michael Nauss’s technical analysis and quantitative trading expertise with Lia Holmgren’s focus on trading psychology and mindset. It is tailored for active traders (stocks/options) who want to sharpen their skills, offering a mix of practical how-to’s and critical discussions on discipline and personal development.

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