Ex-prop trader on why solo trading is a different game, and how to win with real edges & portfolios of noisy strategies
Kris Longmore of Robot Wealth went from aimless data mining to an equity partnership at a Sydney prop firm, all because a professional trader asked him one question: "What's your edge?" In this episode, he explains why solo trading is a completely different game from professional trading, and why success comes down to picking games you can actually win. We cover why keeping your day job isn't a failure, the two fundamental ways traders get paid, and how to build a portfolio in layers: robust risk premia at the base, with flow and seasonality trades stacked on top.
Kris also shares specific strategy ideas, including the SPY/TLT month-end rebalance, the bond end-of-month effect, equity stat arb and long volatility into earnings. He explains why breadth beats polish when your portfolio is small, why you should automate only what you need to, and why machine learning is a tool, not an edge. Members can catch the bonus segment, where Kris breaks down his research process: the three questions he asks of every idea, why he doesn't hold out data, and why a slam-dunk result should make you nervous.
My Write Up: https://algoadvantage.substack.com/p/the-part-time-trader-part-1
Research: https://algoadvantage.substack.com
Courses & Community: https://algoadvantage.io/collective
Music:
Intro & Outro created by me on Suno - Algo Analogue I call it.
Pre-Intro - Your Destiny from HookSounds - No subscription licensing.
Tags: #SystematicTrading #QuantTrading #SoloTrader
Contents:
0:00 What’s Your Trading Edge?
8:30 The Question That Changed Everything
17:58 How Solo Traders Should Get Started
27:00 Building a Diversified Trading Portfolio
36:03 Exploiting Predictable Rebalancing Flows
45:17 How to Find Real Trading Edges
52:52 The Systematic Trader’s Tech Stack
59:12 R vs Python for Quant Trading
1:04:16 Why Machine Learning Isn’t an Edge
1:07:10 The Four Hats of a Solo Trader
