Odds on Open

Ethan Kho

Conversations with leading thinkers on trading and investing. Hosted by Ethan Kho. Produced by Patrick Kho.

  1. 1d ago

    Ex-Citadel Quant on Trading the Most Asymmetric Market - Neel Somani

    Apply to Onyx’s Junior Tech Graduate Scheme here: https://verichain.io/apply/0aa1debe-ac6c-452f-9421-da6cbf4a3e8cIn this episode of Odds on Open, former Citadel quant researcher Neel Somani breaks down the opaque market structure and alpha generation mechanisms driving institutional power and natural gas trading. Neel explores the foundations of competitive edge within power markets, detailing how transmission line congestion, binding physical grid constraints, and localized supply-demand dynamics create highly asymmetric, high-skew assets. The conversation dives into the operational reality of central research desks within multi-manager commodity platforms, focusing on how quants model weather variance, fuel costs, and thermal generation outages to inform relative-value basis trades. Neel also provides a masterclass on institutional risk management and portfolio construction during extreme tail-risk events, using the 2021 Texas freeze to illustrate how top PMs navigate position sizing and delta-neutral execution when illiquid power grids face catastrophic supply shocks.Shifting from liquid macro markets to the frontier of technology, Neel analyzes the massive infrastructure constraints and power demand scaling driven by AI data centers, outlining the site selection economics and temporary generation plays dictating the space. He evaluates the structural career opportunity cost of entering quantitative finance today relative to the AI paradigm shift, challenging junior talent and MFE students to build defensible technical moats in hardware and GPU kernel optimization. Finally, the discussion delivers a sharp variant view on venture capital valuation models, predicting a severe compressed pricing event for digital assets and software companies as low-switching-cost agentic architectures fundamentally disrupt traditional growth economics, customer retention metrics, and customer acquisition costs (CAC).00:00 Intro00:01:12 Quant researcher execution models within multi-manager hedge funds00:06:17 A message from ONYX00:07:35 How transmission line congestion drives alpha in power markets00:13:24 Capital intensity and managing risk profiles of high-skew assets00:19:19 Why commodity desks prefer domestic power over geopolitical oil risk00:22:55 Portfolio construction and risk mitigation during tail-risk freeze events00:31:36 Capitalizing on the physical infrastructure constraints of AI data centers00:36:25 How agentic architecture redefines software engineering and technical moats00:43:04 Quant career opportunity cost relative to the AI paradigm shift00:56:15 Variant views on venture multiples and agentic customer acquisition economics

    1 hr

  2. 6d ago

    LTCM Co-founder Victor Hagani: “Taking Risk Is Always a Negative.”

    Apply to Onyx’s Junior Tech Graduate Scheme here: https://verichain.io/apply/0aa1debe-ac6c-452f-9421-da6cbf4a3e8cIn this episode of Odds on Open, we sit down with Victor Haghani, co-founder of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) and founder of Elm Wealth, to dissect why institutional alpha frequently breaks down during the position sizing phase. While standard market commentary focuses heavily on asset selection, Haghani establishes that optimizing your risk-adjusted return is an independent, non-zero-sum discipline that dictates long-term survival. We explore the structural friction between expected value and compound return, the misapplication of the Kelly criterion by sophisticated Wall Street portfolio managers, and how treating variance as an internal financial fee reshapes quantitative portfolio construction and risk management.The discussion shifts to edge verification through Haghani’s famous "Crystal Ball" experiment, analyzing how elite macro traders and advanced LLMs process information asymmetry against historical market regimes. Designed for hedge fund analysts, quants, allocators, and advanced finance students, this section provides a rigorous framework for isolating compensated systematic risk from uncompensated idiosyncratic risk. We close with an actionable breakdown of how practitioners should mathematically model and discount their own human capital, offering a definitive blueprint for maximizing lifetime smooth capital accumulation without succumbing to high-volatility ruin.00:00 Intro01:27 LTCM: Why sizing matters more than selection03:00 Expected value vs. risk-adjusted value in portfolios05:15 Why sophisticated investors struggle with sizing bets08:20 The zero-sum reality of beating the market09:30 A message from Onyx10:35 Why most firms lack a risk-adjusted return rubric12:55 Risk as an internal "fee" in portfolio construction16:30 The math of sizing concentrated stock positions20:50 The hidden danger of high-volatility wealth22:20 "How to become a billionaire" is the wrong question27:25 Testing the "Crystal Ball" hypothesis with Wall Street Journal data34:55 How LLMs perform at macro trading games40:35 Can individual investors generate alpha sustainably?47:40 Solving for optimal sizing at Elm Wealth50:25 Risk limits for young investors and human capital57:55 How to estimate the value of your human capital1:02:45 Why changing minds on investing is nearly impossible1:07:35 The most critical factor for a stable wealth curve

    1h 12m

  3. Jun 4

    Quant Hedge Fund Partner: Raising Capital Is Harder Than Generating Returns

    Apply to Onyx’s Junior Tech Graduate Scheme here: https://verichain.io/apply/0aa1debe-ac6c-452f-9421-da6cbf4a3e8cDeWayne Louis (Versor Investments) returns to break down the part of the business almost no one explains: not generating returns, but raising the capital to scale them. After Versor pulled in half a billion dollars for an event-driven strategy with just two and a half years of track record, DeWayne walks through exactly how allocations from multi-managers and managed-account platforms actually get done — and why he argues raising capital is harder than making money.We get into the screening hurdles multi-strats apply (Sharpe thresholds, team, factor orthogonality), how to pitch a secretive pod without knowing its book, and the systematic, data-driven machine Versa built to quantify merger arb across 26 years of catalyst events. Then the conversation turns to the capital-raising playbook itself: external vs internal allocations, fee structures, fund-of-funds vs pods, and why branding and storytelling — not buzzwords like "uncorrelated," "quantamental," or "AI" — are what move an allocator from apathy to conviction.A sharp, tactical episode for emerging and mid-sized managers, allocators, and anyone trying to understand how capital really flows through the multi-manager ecosystem.00:00 Intro01:22 Sourcing capital from multi-strategy managed accounts06:45 Pitching alpha relative to common hedge fund factor exposures09:21 A message from Onyx09:55 Designing systematic models for fundamental event-driven catalysts14:25 The multi-manager due diligence and verification process20:14 Structural mechanics of internal versus external balance sheet allocations28:28 Portfolio transparency differences: Multi-managers versus fund of funds31:55 Why institutional branding is harder than generating returns37:01 Strategic branding mistakes made by emerging fund managers46:46 Applying systematic data frameworks to the capital raising process53:33 Quantifying risk profiles to match multi-manager attributes58:03 Why separately managed accounts dominate institutional allocations01:06:12 Operational skill sets that build robust asset management firms01:12:23 Retaining institutional capital through transparent variance communication

    1h 16m

  4. May 28

    Ex-WorldQuant Head of Data Strategy: Quants “Don’t Care About the Stock Market”

    In this episode of Odds on Open, we deconstruct the evolution of alternative data and alpha generation with Matt Ober, former Head of Data Strategy at WorldQuant and Chief Data Scientist at Third Point. We dive deep into the institutional framework required to scale systematic trading strategies, the cultural friction of implementing quantamental processes within long-short equity pods, and the specific mechanisms used by portfolio managers to extract a variant view from massive datasets. From the factory-floor automation of PhD-led quant shops to the high-stakes risk management of activist fundamental funds, Matt reveals how market microstructure and data-driven edge define success in liquid markets.Explore the shift toward the "degenerate economy" and the rising institutional utility of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket for hedging structured KPIs. We analyze the future of decision intelligence through the lens of LLMs and MCPs (Model Context Protocol), discussing how traders, analysts, and allocators can maintain differentiation in a regime of rapid alpha erosion. Whether you are optimizing portfolio construction, refining factor exposure, or seeking a competitive advantage in venture capital, this conversation provides a masterclass in leveraging social networks and information symmetry to secure uncorrelated returns.00:00 Intro01:18 The WorldQuant thesis: Mining alternative data for systematic alpha05:06 Integrating finance expertise into PhD-heavy quant factory pipelines07:00 Scaling the quant factory: Automation and the researcher pipeline09:46 Monitoring dataset performance: Risk controls and alpha decay11:07 A message from ONYX16:38 Quantamental shifts: Transitioning data strategy to fundamental funds22:29 Institutionalizing "Old Guard" firms via top-down data buy-in26:38 Networking for quants: Comparing Tulchinsky and Loeb’s sources of edge32:44 The Degenerate Economy: Prediction markets and the volatility of attention39:42 Non-consensus career bets: Why selling beta is a stickier strategy45:01 Sourcing venture alpha: Identifying exceptional founders and GTM wedges52:30 Institutionalizing prediction markets via structured KPI hedging01:00:39 How MCPs and LLMs democratize decision intelligence01:03:08 The single source of edge: Leveraging social network information

    1h 4m

  5. May 24

    The Secret to Uncorrelated Alpha in Crypto - Leigh Drogen on Starkiller Capital’s Sharpe Ratio of 4

    Apply to Onyx’s Junior Tech Graduate Scheme here: https://verichain.io/apply/0aa1debe-ac6c-452f-9421-da6cbf4a3e8cLeigh Drogen, CIO of Starkiller Capital, joins the podcast to dissect the mechanics of a market neutral DeFi strategy currently operating at a 4 Sharpe ratio. We move past surface-level crypto narratives to analyze the quantitative scoring of protocol risk, code provenance, and the identification of incentivized spreads in carry trades. Drogen outlines a rigorous framework for position sizing based on a 1% max-loss rule and explains how Starkiller modulates risk across market regimes to extract uncorrelated alpha while avoiding the pitfalls of unsustainable yield and "f*****y risk" in liquid digital asset markets.The discussion shifts to the persistent alpha of cross-sectional momentum and why Starkiller views block space as a commoditized asset, drawing parallels to the fiber optic glut of the late 90s. From the market structure of token unlock schedules to the evolution of prediction markets like Estimize and Polymarket, we explore the intersection of regulatory arbitrage and table selection. This episode provides institutional-grade insights into portfolio construction, trend following, and the risk management frameworks required to navigate the liquidity and volatility of the modern crypto regime.00:00 Intro01:09 Mechanics of a 4 Sharpe market neutral DeFi strategy03:24 Quantifying protocol risk and code provenance06:40 Case study: Exploiting incentivized spreads in carry trades09:51 A message from ONYX10:53 Three primary sources of alpha in liquid crypto markets14:28 Capacity constraints and institutional yield compression18:54 Position sizing via the 1% max loss rule21:38 Pro-cyclical returns and the risk modulation framework26:44 Compounding capital through trend following and cross-sectional momentum33:35 Why momentum is the only persistent behavioral alpha38:52 Why block space is worthless: The fiber optic analogy42:30 Mitigating "f*****y risk" and vampire attacks in shorts48:39 Extracting alpha from token unlock schedules and market structure51:20 Lessons from building Estimize and the SEC/ForceRank fight55:00 The Polymarket origin story: Arbitraging regulatory hurdles01:01:45 Career risk premia and the value of "eating shit"01:05:34 Table selection: Positioning your career on the right macro curve

    1h 9m

  6. May 14

    “Market Crashes Are Good for My Strategy” - One-Man Hedge Fund PM George Livadas

    Apply here: https://onyxcapitalgroup.com/uni-studentsGeorge Livadas, Portfolio Manager and founder of Peregrine Capital, joins the show to break down the mechanics of running a concentrated, defensive long/short strategy as a solo PM. We explore how George generates alpha by systematically avoiding "hedge fund hotel" crowding, focusing instead on microstructure edges within niche sectors like non-bank financials and packaging to maintain a variant view. George details his portfolio construction framework—balancing core quality compounders with tactical value—and explains the math behind delivering equity-like returns while maintaining a beta-adjusted net exposure of approximately 35%.The conversation shifts to the evolving market regime, specifically how the dominance of multi-manager pods has created liquidity opportunities for patient, independent traders to exploit short-term data noise. George shares his technical survival guide for short selling, from managing volatility in "fraud and fad" names to recalibrating his process following the 2021 SPAC boom. We conclude with a deep dive into macro risk management, discussing how to insulate a portfolio against geopolitical tail risks and the psychological discipline required to develop a professional PM skill set without a traditional institutional pedigree.How do you stay independent in a market dominated by pods?00:00 Intro01:18 Selection criteria and sizing for defensive longs06:04 Sponsor break: Onyx Capital Group anniversary event06:42 Portfolio construction: Balancing quality and value factors09:13 How the SPAC boom changed short-side portfolio construction13:42 Why nimbleness and independent thinking generate alpha20:06 Capitalizing on the short-termism of multi-manager pods28:18 Managing macro tail risks without being wrong-footed38:26 Why defensive strategies offer an "inverse pod" return stream42:04 How to develop a professional PM skill set54:37 Circle of competence: Identifying disastrous longs and shorts

    1h 8m

  7. May 7

    “If it is easy and obvious, there is no edge in it” - TD Quant Matt Schrager

    In this episode of Odds on Open, TD Quant Matt Schrager discusses the microstructure of municipal bond market making and the technical challenges of extracting alpha from illiquid fixed income instruments. We analyze the shift from low-latency HFT frameworks to the probabilistic modeling and statistical pricing required for securities with fragmented liquidity. Matt details the mechanics of systematic inventory management, risk-adjusted P&L optimization, and the cultural integration of elite proprietary trading teams within institutional balance sheets.Schrager outlines a variant view on finding edge in "ugly," inefficient markets, focusing on the structural opacity of private credit and the electronification of commodities. The discussion covers the evolution of market efficiency, the role of LLMs in credit due diligence, and recruiting strategies for resilient quantitative talent. This episode provides actionable insights for hedge fund analysts, quants, and PMs on the relentless process required to maintain a competitive advantage in evolving market regimes.00:00 Intro00:01:29 Announcing OOO's Newest Sponsor00:02:20 Liquidity and latency differentials in the municipal bond market00:06:37 Probabilistic modeling and statistical pricing for low-frequency instruments00:10:50 Adapting HFT simulation and backtesting to illiquid fixed income00:20:33 Systematic inventory management and risk-adjusted P&L optimization00:27:36 Transitioning proprietary trading culture into a global bank infrastructure00:34:10 Scaling electronic market making into commodities and investment-grade credit00:41:24 Identifying edge in gnarly and inefficient corners of the market00:45:23 Structural opacity and the liquidity evolution in private credit00:56:21 Why elite trading organizations prioritize relentless process over magic01:04:16 Recruiting for resilience and the velocity of fundamental improvement01:11:02 How AI-native skillsets redefine talent in liquid market regimes

    1h 16m

  8. Apr 30

    Ex-Tudor Quant PM: “There Hasn't Been a New Idea in Trading for 15 Years”

    In this episode of Odds on Open, we go deep into the mechanics of edge, credibility, and the structural evolution of the hedge fund industry. Host Ethan sits down with Tom, a veteran Quant PM formerly of Tudor Investment Corp and Moore Capital, to deconstruct what separates the top-tier "pod shops" from the bottom 40% of funds that fail to preserve capital.Tom challenges the common perception of market randomness, arguing instead for a deterministic view of market structure where alpha is captured by modeling participant incentives rather than just price action. We discuss the "Unified Field Theory of Finance," the operational reality of running a billion-dollar book, and why the most dangerous trap for a PM is the "gamma trap"—trading steady returns for catastrophic tail risk.00:00 Intro01:18 Building institutional credibility for early-stage managers03:01 The Pareto distribution of hedge fund returns04:25 Applying the Unified Field Theory of Finance to fair value08:14 Trading against human incentives in a deterministic market13:54 Why allocators don’t steal alpha from prospective PMs18:26 Organizational advantages and risk management in pod shops25:16 Evaluating career edge in quantitative finance for 202630:48 Paul Tudor Jones and the art of game selection33:42 Analyzing the economic viability of starting a new fund35:16 Identifying common retail pitfalls: Mean reversion and arbitrage38:55 Why there hasn't been a new trading idea in 15 years43:22 Case study: Building NLP systems and managing strategy decay50:33 Managing tail risk: Physics vs. deterministic financial distributions55:33 Identifying the gamma trap in short-volatility strategies59:10 Career pathing for PMs after a fund blow-up1:07:53 SBF and FTX: Credibility vs. the "Founder-Genius" archetype1:13:44 Establishing proof-of-concept through audited multi-year returns

    1h 16m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Conversations with leading thinkers on trading and investing. Hosted by Ethan Kho. Produced by Patrick Kho.

Information

  • Creator
    Ethan Kho
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ethan Kho
  • Show Website
    Odds on Open

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