 IFTA's 38th Annual Conference Speakers
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Keynote - Tom Hougaard |
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Reusing Basic Technical Analysis — Envelope Fitting Strategies and Trend Turning Points Presenter: Shinji Okada, CMTA, CFTe, MFTA The strong performance of the stock market attracts both institutional and individual investors. Even without advanced technical analysis, investors can identify trends and turning points by refining basic tools. In this session, the speaker will demonstrate an innovative approach to using envelopes—adapting them to recent price movements—to better capture trends and key turning points, offering a practical strategy for effective market analysis.
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Shinji Okada, MFTA, works for a financial information vendor in Tokyo, where he provides technical analysis training to service development teams and users, including brokers, traders, bank analysts, and securities firms. His career began at a brokerage firm following the completion of his master’s degree in political science.|
TBD Presenter: Alex Spiroglou, CFTe, DipTA
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Alex is a professional, rules-based futures trader with over 25 years of experience across all major asset classes—including equity indices, FX, fixed income, and commodities.|
Strategic Crypto Portfolio Building with Technical Analysis Presenter: Victor Pershikov, CCAS, MFTA This session explores how to apply technical analysis to construct a well-balanced cryptocurrency portfolio, featuring major assets such as BTC, ETH, SOL, and others. Given the unique volatility and behavioral patterns of the crypto market, technical analysis must be applied with precision and strategic intent. The speaker will share practical insights into the most effective tools and techniques, offering a step-by-step framework for identifying high-potential assets. Attendees will learn how to recognize recurring chart patterns, assess market timing, and apply TA methodologies to make informed asset selection decisions. Whether you're a trader or long-term investor, this presentation will provide actionable guidance on how to leverage technical analysis to navigate and capitalize on the dynamic crypto landscape.
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Viktor Pershikov is a professional technical analyst with over 17 years of experience in financial markets, with the past eight years focused on the cryptocurrency sector. He previously served as Senior Analyst at 8848 Invest, a Swiss-based cryptocurrency investment firm, and is now the Founder of SWR Capital, an investment company specializing in managing digital asset portfolios for private clients.|
David Linton, MFTA |
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Ashraf Mohamed, ESTA |
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Rolf Wetzer, Ph.D., MFTA, CFTe |
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Jörg Scherer, CFTe |
27 September - Saturday
How to Become a World Champion in Trading Using Technical Analysis
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Keynote - John Bollinger, CFA, CMT |
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How I Won the World Cup Trading Championship Using Dark Pools & Order Flow: Trading the Unseen with AI Presenter: Dato’ Dr. Nazri Khan (a.k.a. DDNK), MSTA, CFTe In today’s fragmented, algorithm-driven markets, dark pools have emerged as crucial execution venues for institutional flows, yet remain largely invisible to most traders. These off-exchange platforms, designed for anonymity and large order sizes, now account for a significant portion of global equity volume, disrupting traditional price discovery and concealing critical trade intentions. This session, led by Dato’ Dr. Nazri Khan (DDNK)—a globally recognized market strategist and Robin Cup winner at the World Cup Trading Championship—explores how advanced AI and data intelligence are unveiling insights into these opaque liquidity pools. With a remarkable track record of over 1,000% cumulative returns across four consecutive quarters in 2024, DDNK will reveal how he leverages real-time dark pool data, order flow analysis, machine learning models, and alternative sentiment signals to detect institutional footprints before they impact public markets. From pinpointing hidden accumulation zones to forecasting volatility spikes, his AI-driven strategy combines quantitative rigor with tactical market timing. Attendees will gain actionable insights into the tools and methodologies needed to decode non-lit order flow, optimize execution, and enhance alpha generation in an increasingly automated and concealed trading environment. Designed for professional traders, fund managers, and quantitative strategists, this presentation provides a tactical roadmap for transforming dark liquidity into a powerful informational advantage, where mastering the unseen is the new edge in global markets.
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Dato’ Dr. Nazri Khan, widely known as DDNK, is a Certified and Licensed Fund Manager and currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer of Berjaya Mutual Berhad. With over 20 years of experience in financial markets, he is recognized for his expertise in technical analysis, portfolio strategy, and investor education. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Manchester and a PhD from Multimedia University. Additionally, he is a Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) from the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA) and a Certified Member of the UK Society of Technical Analysts (STA).|
Patrick Nill |
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Andrea Unger |
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Max Schulz |
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Gema Goeyardi, MFTA, CAT, CFTe, CWM, CSA, CTA, CFI, CFII, MEII, IG |
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Options +1 Speaker |
28 September - Sunday
Exploring New Horizons in Technical Analysis with AI and Portfolio Optimization Using Options
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Keynote - John F. Carter |
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Technical Analysis in the Age of AI: Enhancing Strategies with Metalabeling to Reduce Noise and Errors Presenter: Dr. Carlos Jaureguízar Artificial intelligence holds great promise in algorithmic trading, but one core challenge remains: financial markets are dominated by noise and sparse, inconsistent signals. Unlike other domains where patterns are clear and reliable, financial data often misleads, making many AI models theoretically impressive but practically unreliable—a classic case of garbage in, garbage out (GIGO). This presentation explores how we can overcome GIGO not simply by cleaning data, but by enhancing the quality of input signals through the integration of technical analysis (TA). Instead of discarding traditional trading strategies, AI is used to optimize and refine them. By applying proven TA methods first, we improve the signal-to-noise ratio, creating a more stable foundation for AI. This is where metalabeling becomes essential—framing strategies as machine learning problems with structured inputs, optimized models, and adaptive feedback loops. Furthermore, we address the issue of concept drift—the reality that market dynamics change over time. Rather than retraining models reactively, we employ drift detection techniques to recognize and respond to changing conditions in real time, maintaining model relevance without constant reconfiguration. Attendees will gain insights into how AI and traditional TA can work together, not in competition, to build more robust, adaptive, and profitable trading systems.
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Artificial Intelligence for Volatility Forecasting: Turning Market Uncertainty into Strategic Advantage Presenter: Giovanni Trombetta, Electronic Engineer, CFTA and Michael Trequattrini, CSTA Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we understand and manage financial markets—streamlining microstructure operations and redefining how volatility is forecasted. In an increasingly complex, data-rich environment, the ability to anticipate market fluctuations is vital for traders, portfolio managers, and risk professionals. In this session, Giovanni Trombetta and Michael Trequattrini will explore the machine learning techniques at the forefront of volatility prediction, a cornerstone of effective risk management and strategic planning. From classical statistical models to advanced deep learning frameworks, the speakers will demonstrate how AI can deliver more accurate and timely volatility forecasts. Given volatility’s cyclical behavior, it presents an ideal use case for high-precision predictive models. However, the effectiveness of these models hinges on the quality, structure, and availability of data. The discussion will cover best practices in feature engineering, the role of alternative data sources, and the practical challenges of deploying AI in live trading environments. By combining theory with real-world applications, this session offers a clear and actionable perspective on how AI is reshaping volatility forecasting and risk management in modern finance.
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Giovanni Trombetta is an entrepreneur and electronic engineer specializing in artificial intelligence algorithms for quantitative finance. His core expertise includes evolutionary algorithms and machine learning models, which he applies to the development of automated trading systems, asset allocation strategies, and financial modeling.
Michael Trequattrini is a research fellow at the University of Perugia, where he develops discrete and continuous latent variable models for applications in quantitative finance. His work focuses on alpha generation, leveraging artificial intelligence to design innovative trading and asset allocation strategies.|
Brett Villaume, CMT, CAIA |
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Options Thorsten Eberhart |