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Rob Koyfman on learning from your mistakes

Rob Koyfman is the founder and CEO of Koyfin, a financial data and analytics platform that gives investors tools for researching asset classes and market trends.

Before founding Koyfin in 2016, Koyfman held several analytical roles at institutions including Tekne Capital Management, Lyxor Asset Management and Citi, where he was head of macro and thematic trading strategy.

On this episode of Opto Sessions, Koyfman reveals what sources inform his thoughts, as well as recalling an important lesson he learnt about how to spot changes in the market.

 

Listen to the interview:

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Who’s your investing hero?

One investor I really like following on Twitter is this guy named Mark Dow. He used to be at a hedge fund called Pharaoh, which has a really similar style to what I described before, which is marrying fundamentals and technicals. He’s super active on Twitter and shares his thoughts. I think he's a really, really good investor. That's someone I would highly recommend for other people to follow.

“One investor I really like following on Twitter is this guy named Mark Dow... He’s super active on Twitter and shares his thoughts. I think he's a really, really good investor. That's someone I would highly recommend for other people to follow”

 

 

What’s your top tip for your younger self?

To moisturise more, every day.

 

What’s your favourite book?

I read The Fountainhead when I was younger and that book sort of stuck with me. I love the protagonist, Howard Roark. It’s a long book, but it’s one that’s stuck with me.

 

What’s an important lesson the market has taught you?

In late 2008 early 2009, I was starting at Caxton Associates, and I lost a lot of money betting that the markets were going to go lower. That’s because I had a view and I refused to believe that that view wasn't right. That’s when I started to think about and really value technical analysis, when I heard other traders using technical analysis say: “hey, something’s changing — you can’t see that definitively in the data, but the market is telling you that something’s changing.” For me, that was a big lesson — a very costly lesson — but a great lesson to internalise.

 

Are you bullish or bearish on Bitcoin over the long term?

I’m a Bitcoin sceptic. I’m sceptical that Bitcoin will retain value unless there's going to be a very clear use case for it. I'm open to the idea, but let’s just say I’m sceptical.

“I’m a Bitcoin sceptic. I’m sceptical that Bitcoin will retain value unless there's going to be a very clear use case for it. I'm open to the idea, but let’s just say I’m sceptical”

 

 

What’s your favourite place in the world, and why?

I love Tel Aviv. I love Tel Aviv because it’s on the beach. I love the beach. I love the people that are in Tel Aviv. It’s got such an incredible vibe. It’s much more diverse than the rest of Israel… very open-minded. There’s lots of positive energy, great music, unbelievable food. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance to go there.

 

For more market insights from Koyfman, including an exploration of his investing process and more on how he is refining the Koyfin platform, listen to the full episode here.

 

 

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Listen to the full interview and explore our past episodes on Opto Sessions.

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