Chat With Traders

• 309 · Diego Ivan Cortes Lopez - Winning Through Losing: When 30% Is Enough

  How a trader from Dallas built consistency—and a simple lifestyle of freedom in Southeast Asia—with a 30% win rate.  Diego Ivan Cortes Lopez grew up chasing perfection on the tennis court, where winning came naturally, but it was trading that taught him how to win by losing. After years of trial, error, and a six-figure setback, studying the methods taught by Oliver Velez, a prominent veteran professional trader, helped him rebuild his approach - focusing on daily support and resistance, clean reversal signals, and asymmetric risk-to-reward. Now trading large-cap stocks from Vietnam on a single 13-inch laptop with uncluttered charts and limiting his sessions to the first hour of the market open, Diego shows that real consistency and freedom come from mastering the math of risk and reward—and keeping both trading and life simple. Links + Resources:  ●      Diego’s Instagram:  diegoivan__7 ●      Diego’s Email: [email protected]    Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com TastyTrade:  https://tastytrade.com/ Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.  ●    00:00 – Early Life & Tennis ●     04:30 – Tennis Coaching & Business Success ●     09:00 – Early trading and the six-figure drawdown ●     14:00 – Rebuilding & Moving Aboard ●     20:00 – Finding Oliver Velez, relearning ●     27:00 – Today’s playbook: daily levels, 5-min entries, first-hour focus ●     34:00 – Risk, sizing, psychology, and “becoming a great loser” ●     40:00 – Living/trading in Asia; consistency over perfection ●     46:00 – Struggles, losing streaks, and long-term confidence ●     50:00 – Brief chat with Tessa   Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 308 · Jack Schwager and Emanuel Balarie - Market Wizards, Measured: Inside the Criteria, Craft, and Grit

  We’re joined by Jack Schwager—author of the legendary Market Wizards series and co-founder of FundSeeder—along with his partner and fellow co-founder & CEO, Emanuel Balarie. Jack shares what it really takes to be considered for a Market Wizards book: not one formula, but a mix of standout performance, disciplined risk, and an almost obsessive commitment to process and adaptation. Along the way, we dig into why survival so often hinges on position sizing and pre-planned exits, whether strategies like trend following can still hold up today, and the paradox of how fundamental convictions can actually work against risk management. Emanuel then explains how FundSeeder discovers talented but undiscovered traders worldwide, using analytics to measure performance and the FundSeeder Rise accelerator (now part of RQSI) to help top performers make the leap from trading their own accounts to managing outside capital. Think of it as a “farm system” for the next generation of fund managers. Few will ultimately make the cut, but every great manager starts somewhere—and if you’ve been honing your craft and building a real track record, this episode might spark the thought: why not you? Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 – Introduction and background 10:50 – What qualifies as “Market Wizards” performance 15:20 – Longevity vs. hot streaks 17:20 – Position sizing & cutting losses 19:20 – Obsession level + trainee mindset 24:20 – When edges die (index adds, VIX pattern) 27:20 – Trend logic vs. whipsaw reality 32:20 – Fundamentals vs. risk management 38:20 – “Know your exit before entry” 39:50 – FundSeeder origin story 42:20 – Evaluating traders (quant + qual) 48:20 – Why the Rise accelerator exists 52:20 – RQSI’s role in seeding talent 55:20 – Free analytics & benchmarking for traders 57:20 – How to apply / contact Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Links + Resources: FundSeeder: https://fundseeder.com FundSeeder Rise (accelerator): https://www.fundseeder.com/rise FundSeeder on X:  https://x.com/fundseeder Jack Schwager: https://x.com/jackschwager  | http://www.jackschwager.com/ Emanuel Balarie: https://x.com/emanuelbalarie Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 307 · Mario Dimitroff - The Gamer’s Edge: High-Win Scalping in Pre-Market Madness

  A former competitive gamer, Mario Dimitroff from Bulgaria got his start on a local trading floor before discovering that the U.S. premarket session best fit his skills. Now trading for a living and doing nothing else, his news-driven, event-based scalping focuses on low-liquidity movers. Leveraging gaming-honed speed and pattern recognition, he quickly decides whether to ride momentum or fade to mean, enters/exits fast, sizes within liquidity, and sustains his edge by cutting losers quickly, avoiding drawdowns, and stacking small consistent wins. In this episode, you’ll hear how Mario turned his competitive gaming instincts into an all-in commitment to the markets and full-time trading career. Links + Resources: Mario’s YouTube Channel:  The Wall Street Cat - YouTube Sponsors of this episode of the Chat With Traders Podcast: Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com TastyTrade:  http://tastytrade.com/podcasts Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 01:30 Introduction and background 03:50 Early Experiences and Learning from Failure 07:38 Return to Trading During COVID-19 08:38 Working on a Trading Floor 10:51 Trading Strategies and Market Insights 11:14 Imposter Syndrome and Mental Challenges in Trading 14:57 Career Decisions and Trading Philosophy 18:49 Finding Trading Edge and Style 20:39 Scalping and Pre-Market Trading 21:40 Meme Stocks and Market Euphoria 24:07 Navigating Market Downturns 25:49 Understanding Euphoria and Market Psychology 43:54 Avoiding Drawdowns and Maintaining Profitability 45:48 Scalping Strategies and Risk Management 51:56 Biggest challenges as a trader 59:15 How to reach Mario 59:30 Chat With Tessa Trading Disclaimer: Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 306 · Michael Katz - Prop Goes the Trader

  Online funding prop firms have captured the attention of traders in recent years. In this episode, the CEO of Trade The Pool, Michael Katz, joins the podcast to answer key questions and offer perspective from inside one of the leading firms. The conversation explores how these firms operate, what they mean for traders, and the common debates surrounding them.  The goal is not promotion of prop firms, but to pull back the curtain and provide a clearer understanding of the role prop firms play in today’s trading landscape.   Links + Resources:  ●     Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com   Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●      Trade The Pool:  http://www.tradethepool.com ●       Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉https://us.plus500.com Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor.   Time Stamps: Please note - Exact times will vary depending on current ads.   ●     00:00   Introduction and background ●     05:02   Attraction to Funding Prop Firms ●     06:06   Risk Management and Evaluation Fees ●     10:08   Misconceptions About Prop Firms ●     11:58   Education and Community Support ●     15:35   Trading Evaluation Process ●     18:47   Success Rates and Trader Psychology ●     20:04   Adjusting Strategies for Prop Trading ●     22:07   Rules and Boundaries in Trading ●     27:51   Success Stories and Learning Curves ●     28:58   Psychology of Funded Trading ●     31:52   Trader Retention and Patterns ●     33:54   Scaling and Risk Management ●     38:42   Payout Rules and Compliance ●     40:29   Adapting Rules for Trader Success    Trading Disclaimer:  Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 305 · Julian Komar - When Story, Fundamentals, and Technicals Align

  Growing up in Germany without a financial background, Julian Komar became fascinated by stocks as a teenager. He moved past complex German trading products to concentrate on U.S. equities. Specializing in momentum and growth stocks on the daily timeframe, he blends fundamentals, technicals, and story analysis to uncover opportunities that put him in the best position for high-potential setups and riding powerful trends. As a disciplined breakout trader, he prioritizes risk control, market trends, and intuition gained through decades of experience. About Julian Komar Julian is a trader, mentor, and entrepreneur. With over 20 years of stock trading experience, he trades growth and momentum stocks using a systematic strategy, holding winners for weeks to months and cutting losers within days — a style that perfectly matches his personality. Julian’s passion lies in uncovering innovative companies with the potential to grow sales rapidly and achieve significant long-term success. He devotes 95% of his energy to research, searching for the next potential “super stock.” Trading Disclaimer Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice. Links + Resources Follow Julian on X:  https://x.com/BlogJulianKomar Julian’s Website: https://julian-komar.com/contact/ Time Stamps Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00 Introduction and background 10:20 Fundamentals and technicals 17:30 Sister stocks 28:30 Trading the GFC 34:02 Worst drawdowns 33:00 The setup for the trade 43:00 Position sizing 52:30 Trading performance 1:08:35 How to reach Julian 1:09:00 Tessa Chats with Julian Sponsors of Chat With Traders Podcast: Plus500:  Try futures trading with Plus500 >> Start with a FREE demo or claim a bonus up to $200 with an open account 👉⁠https://us.plus500.com⁠Trading futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Trade The Pool:  ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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