# SI405: Why Most Trend Following Improvements Should Fail ft. Rob Carver

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-traders-unplugged-761537/si405-why-most-trend-following-improvements-should-fail-ft-rob-carver
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-traders-unplugged-761537/si405-why-most-trend-following-improvements-should-fail-ft-rob-carver.md
Podcast: [Top Traders Unplugged](https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-traders-unplugged-761537)
Published: 2026-06-20T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: http://localhost:8888/TopTradersUnplugged/ttu-2021/homepage/si405-why-most-trend-following-improvements-fail-ft-rob-carver
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/333d131c-63be-4552-80e0-dae6da0871be.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/top-traders-unplugged-761537/episodes/si405-why-most-trend-following-improvements-should-fail-ft-rob-carver
Duration seconds: 4330

## Resource

Trend following investors are constantly searching for ways to improve performance, but not every improvement survives contact with reality. Rob Carver joins Niels Kaastrup-Larsen to explore whether investors should chase the strongest trends, how different asset classes contribute to returns across market cycles, and why overfitting remains one of the biggest dangers in systematic investing. They also discuss the rise of AI generated trading strategies, the debate around perpetual futures, the changing role of economic data, and what diversification really means when markets become driven by a handful of dominant forces. ----- 50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE ----- Follow Niels on Twitter , LinkedIn , YouTube or via the TTU website . IT’s TRUE ? – most CIO’s read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written  here . And you can get a free copy of my latest book “ Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio ” here . Learn more about the Trend Barometer here . Send your questions to  info@toptradersunplugged.com And please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on  iTunes  or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast. Follow Rob on Twitter . Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Introduction and summer optimism in the UK 02:10 - Middle East developments, SpaceX and the new Fed Chair 06:13 - Concerns about economic data and market transparency 10:38 - Trend following performance and current market positioning 14:39 - How Rob evaluates strategies and portfolio construction 19:57 - The factor zoo and true sources of return 22:37 - What trend following adds beyond traditional risk…

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## Transcript

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