Beating Bitcoin at Scale with Directional Crypto Strategies | Sam Gaer of Monarq Asset Management
This episode is brought to you by VanEck. Learn more about the VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF: http://vaneck.com/REMXMax
Sam Gaer, CIO of Directional Strategies at Monarq Asset Management, joins Other People’s Money to discuss how he uses quantitative directional strategies to trade crypto assets and produce an institutional quality return stream that has outperformed bitcoin at scale. He explains how his experience as a market maker, executive, and self-taught electronic exchange technologist driving some of the most important technological advances in finance led him to “burn the boats,” leave tradfi, and go all in on building institutional crypto strategies with Monarq. He also discusses how institutional appetite for crypto hedge fund strategies is growing with increased regulatory clarity, greater availability of institutional level funds, and evolving market opportunities in crypto-native and crypto-linked tradfi assets.
Follow Sam Gaer on X: https://x.com/samg67
Follow Monarq on X: https://x.com/monarq_mgmt
Follow VanEck on X: https://x.com/vaneck_us
Follow Max on X: https://x.com/maxwiethe
Follow Other People’s Money on:
Apple Podcast https://bit.ly/4e7QJ1M
Spotify https://bit.ly/3Yhaazi
YouTube https://bit.ly/3C63VXR
X https://x.com/opmpod
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:43 Q4 Crypto Volatility
06:21 A Disappointing Year for Crypto Bulls
10:29 Taking Advantage of Extreme Volatility
12:50 Triple Barrier Risk Management
15:43 $REMX
16:26 Responsible Leverage
17:17 Is the 4-Year Cycle Over
21:55 Early Days Pit Trading
24:16 Building Electronic Exchange Technology
26:38 CEO of NYMEX Europe and NYMEX IPO
27:24 Move to FINRA
28:43 Building and Selling a Volatility Hedge Fund
29:15 Burn the Boats
32:14 Joining Monarq
37:14 Differences Between Crypto Fund Managers and TradFi
39:17 Institutional Adoption of Crypto Hedge Funds
44:27 Can Crypto Strategies Scale to Meet the Demand?
47:19 The Crypto TradFi Collision
49:57 The Difference Between Institutional and Non-institutional Quality Crypto Funds
54:13 Hyper Liquid and Other Market Improvements in Crypto
59:26 Will TradFi Take Over Crypto?
01:01:31 Digital Asset Treasuries
01:08:46 The Next Stage for Monarq
--------
1:10:11
--------
1:10:11
Why Metals Are Soaring While Oil Stalls | CME Chief Economist Erik Norland on Precious Metals, Oil, Copper, and More
Today's episode is brought to you by Teucrium. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/4gfI0fe
Erik Norland, Chief Economist at the CME Group, joins Jack Farley to discuss the wild volatility in commodity markets. With Silver up over 80% in the past year, Erik breaks down the technological shift from photography to solar panels that is driving demand. They discuss the global fiscal situation, where major economies from the US to Brazil are running deficits between 6% and 8% of GDP , creating a bid for gold prices as investors seek assets central banks can't print. Norland also covers copper, oil, and agricultural commodities. Recorded December 4, 2025.
Follow Teucrium on Twitter https://x.com/TeucriumETFs
Follow Erik Norland on LinkedIn uk.linkedin.com/in/erik-norland-a089124
Follow Jack Farley on Twitter https://x.com/JackFarley96
Erik Norland’s articles: google.com/search?q=erik+norland+cme&oq=erik&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgoIARAuGLEDGIAEMgYIAhBFGEAyBggDEEUYPDIGCAQQRRg8MgYIBRBFGD0yBggGEEUYQTIGCAcQRRhB0gEHNTk3ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
“What’s Driving Platinum and Palladium Prices?”: https://www.cmegroup.com/openmarkets/economics/2025/Whats-Driving-Platinum-and-Palladium-Prices.html
“Four Major Drivers of the Gold-Silver Price Ratio”: https://www.cmegroup.com/insights/economic-research/2025/four-major-drivers-of-the-gold-silver-price-ratio.html
“Is Crude Oil at a Major Inflection Point?”: https://www.cmegroup.com/insights/economic-research/2025/is-crude-oil-at-a-major-inflection-point.html
Follow Monetary Matters on:
Apple Podcast https://rb.gy/s5qfyh
Spotify https://rb.gy/x56dx5
YouTube https://rb.gy/dpwxez
--------
59:00
--------
59:00
China’s Involution Trap | Michael Pettis on China's Excess Savings, Industrial Overcapacity, and Exporting of Deflation
Learn more about the VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF: www.vaneck.com/REMXJack
In this episode of Monetary Matters, Jack sits down with Michael Pettis, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, to deconstruct the massive economic imbalances between China and the rest of the world.
For decades, the global economy has relied on a specific mechanism: China suppresses domestic consumption to subsidize manufacturing, and the US runs massive deficits to absorb that excess supply. Pettis argues this model has reached its limit. They discuss the concept of "economic involution," why China’s shift from real estate bubbles to manufacturing bubbles is dangerous for Europe and the US, and why the current tariff regimes are merely shifting trade routes rather than solving the problem. If you want to understand why the trade deficit keeps growing despite political intervention, and what a "Great Rebalancing" actually looks like, this is a must-listen. Recorded on November 24, 2025.
Trade Wars Are Class Wars book:
https://www.amazon.com/Trade-Wars-Are-Class-International/dp/0300244177
Michael Pettis’ Work At Carnegie Endowment For International Peace:
https://carnegieendowment.org/people/michael-pettis?lang=en
Follow VanEck on Twitter https://x.com/vaneck_us
Follow Michael Pettis on Twitter https://x.com/michaelxpettis
Follow Jack Farley on Twitter https://x.com/JackFarley96
Follow Monetary Matters on:
Apple Podcast https://rb.gy/s5qfyh
Spotify https://rb.gy/x56dx5
YouTube https://rb.gy/dpwxez
--------
1:18:26
--------
1:18:26
The Lopsided Expansion | Aahan Menon on Why Long-Term Forecasts Don’t Make Money, And The Growing Divergence Between AI CapEx And Labor Market
Monetary Matters listeners can get 20% of Prometheus Macro Substack here: https://www.prometheus-macro.com/subscribe?coupon=a60c1c9f
Aahan Menon, founder of Prometheus Macro and a trusted "quant's quant" for sophisticated hedge funds, joins Jack Farley to explain why his models are signaling a meaningful shift down in risk. While previously striking a bullish tone, Aahan reveals why his institutional strategies have moved from "max bullish" to neutral on equities and commodities.
Aahan breaks down a concerning divergence in the economy: while GDP and spending are being propped up by a surge in AI CapEx and top-heavy consumption, the underlying labor market is weakening. He explains the "circularity" problem of AI investment—eventually, CapEx must turn into consumption, which requires wage growth that is currently stalling.
Later in the conversation, Aahan challenges core macro beliefs, presenting data on why long-term economic forecasting and tracking "rates of change" generate negligible or negative alpha. He also details his current positioning, including being short homebuilders, long French bonds against Japanese JGBs, and his "Crisis Protection" portfolio. Recorded on November 25, 2025.
Follow Aahan Menon on Twitter https://x.com/AahanPrometheus
Follow Prometheus Macro on Twitter https://x.com/prometheusmacro
Follow Jack Farley on Twitter https://x.com/JackFarley96
Follow Monetary Matters on:
Apple Podcast https://rb.gy/s5qfyh
Spotify https://rb.gy/x56dx5YouTube https://rb.gy/dpwxez
--------
1:27:33
--------
1:27:33
Breaking Down Michael Burry’s Big Nvidia Short Thesis and Open AI’s Massive Loss Projections | Jack & Max
This Monetary Matters episode is brought to you by Fiscal AI. Save 30% off any paid tier at for Black Friday: http://fiscal.ai/mm
Jack Farley & Max Wiethe breakdown Michael Burry’s big Nvidia short thesis and the recent projections from HSBC that Open AI will lose nearly half a trillion dollars between now and 2030. They also discuss the recent repricing of Fed rate cuts in December and debate which companies are the biggest losers if AI turns out to be a bubble.
Follow Jack Farley on Twitter https://x.com/JackFarley96
Follow Max on Twitter: https://x.com/maxwiethe
Follow Monetary Matters on:
Apple Podcast https://rb.gy/s5qfyh
Spotify https://rb.gy/x56dx5
YouTube https://rb.gy/dpwxez
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:16 The Biggest Event in Macro
00:55 Breaking Down Michael Burry's Short Thesis for Nvidia
04:47 Semiconductors Are Historically Cyclical
07:08 Is Nvidia a Good Short?
08:25 Criticism of Burry's Analysis
16:38 Fiscal.ai
18:17 Open AI's Massive Loss Projections
24:26 AI Coding Agent Revenues
26:25 Can Nvidia Escape Unscathed?
29:54 Michael Burry's Substack Success
30:54 AI Spending's Impact on GDP
31:56 December Fed Meeting
Höre Monetary Matters with Jack Farley, bto – der Ökonomie-Podcast von Dr. Daniel Stelter und viele andere Podcasts aus aller Welt mit der radio.de-App