Ken Grant is the president of Risk Resources, a risk-management advisory firm based in New York. In his more than two-decade career in risk management, he has advised such firms as SAC Capital, Tudor Investments and Cheyne Capital.

by Ken:

Tunes of the Trade
Section : High/Low
April/May 2005
Forget my normal risk-related blather for a moment and check out this list of the greatest trading songs ever
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Decent Exposure
Section : High/Low
October/November 2004
The most elegant concept in trading is also the most ignored. Playing your P/L can help you break on through
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Risk Is Your Mistress
Section : High/Low
December 2004/January 2005
Understand that fact, and you're more likely to trade successfully -- with your manhood intact
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Strictly Taboo
Section : High/Low
February/March 2005
Separating bunk from brilliance requires the wisdom to know the difference -- and a healthy dose of skepticism
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Time to Concentrate
Section : High/Low
June/July 2005
Everyone knows not to put all your eggs into one basket. But when do many baskets become too many baskets?
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Graduate School
Section : High/Low
August/September 2005
Sometimes -- both on the silver screen and on the trading screen -- even the happiest endings are merely a segue into oblivion
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Autumn Of Our Fears
Section : High/Low
October/November 2005
Close derivative calls and nasty correlation catastrophes loom like a tornado over an Oklahoma interstate. Be afraid.
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Heart of Darkness
Section : High/Low
December 2005/January 2006
Examining the Bayou debacle is an ugly but necessary exercise for a hedge-fund industry already under suspicion.
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Reset the Clock
Section : High/Low
February/March 2006
Shrug off the disappointments of 2005 and get your game on -- this year is already looking very interesting
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Brave New World
Section : High/Low
April/May 2006
If it's cowboys you crave, go see Brokeback Mountain. True-grit traders embrace low volatility and protect capital.
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I'll Meet You At the Bottom
Section : High/Low
June/July 2006
Ever wonder why risk managers have the ability to bust up a losing position at the exact moment it's about to turn around? Yeah, me too.
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Raw Speculation
Section : High/Low
August/September 2006
You could arrange to have a NASA supercomputer run around-the-clock trading simulations -- and still wind up dead wrong. And that's OK.
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Hedgie Shark Jump?
Section : High/Low
Oct/Nov 2006
We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring the hedge-fund community an important news bulletin: You're skiing into dangerous waters.
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It’s a Wonderful Irony
Section : High/Low
December 2006/January 2007
As Enron's Jeffrey Skilling heads to the Big House, it's interesting to consider what might have been.
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Belly Up
Section : High/Low
Feb/March 2007
My prediction for pork-belly futures in 2007 is a slaughter, but the rest of the market just might offer traders a chance to pig out
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Fat-Cat Tilt
Section : High/Low
April/May 2007
The investment field is becoming so overly skewed toward the biggest players that it’s only a matter of time before there’s only one skin left in the game By Ken Grant
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Belly Up
Section : High/Low
February/March 2007
My prediction for pork-belly futures in 2007 is a slaughter, but the rest of the market just might offer traders a chance to pig out
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It's a Wonderful Irony
Section : High/Low
December 2006/January 2007
As Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling heads to prison, it’s interesting to consider what might have been
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Hedgie Shark Jump?
Section : High/Low
October/November 2006
We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring the hedge-fund community an important news bulletin: You're skiing into dangerous waters.
> read more

Raw Speculation
Section : High/Low
August/September 2006
You could arrange to have a NASA supercomputer run around-the-clock trading simulations -- and still wind up dead wrong. And that's OK.
> read more

Brave New World
Section : High/Low
April/May 2006
If it's cowboys you crave, go see Brokeback Mountain. True-grit traders embrace low volatility and protect capital.
> read more

Brave New World
Section : High/Low
June/July 2006
If it's cowboys you crave, go see "Brokeback Mountain." True-grit traders embrace low volatility and protect capital.
> read more

Reset the Clock
Section : High/Low
February/March 2006
Shrug off the disappointments of 2005 and get your game on -- this year is already looking very interesting
> read more

Fat-Cat Tilt
Section : HIGHLOW
April/May 2007
The investment field is becoming so overly skewed toward the biggest players that it’s only a matter of time before there’s only one skin left in the game
> read more

Market Volatility: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
Section : Insider Info
March 2008
Geez, folks, I hate to sound like a broken record, particularly when I have nothing to offer but another regurgitated blog bite about how sucky things are, but I feel that I should go on record to say that this is a VERY dangerous tape. The trends discussed in the last edition of the Left Tail Report are still by and large in place, which means that I don't see any hope for a sustained rally, until both: a) There is full disclosure of losses in the financial sector; and b) The market has squeezed every last bit of rate cutting out of the Federales that is humanly possible.
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Threat Assessment

September 2008
As I mentioned last week, we are in uncharted waters. Well, now, we just lost our compass. I think that the failure of the rescue plan places the global markets in a condition where there is a meaningful possibility of complete shutdown. We will know more about this tonight, when we see how the rest of the world reacts, and more importantly, when we measure to what extent market participants try to hastily reduce their counterparty exposure to zero. This means calling in any and all cash available, and while I can’t say for sure it will happen, it’s a real possibility.
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Threat Assessment 2009
Section : Directions
November/December 2008
A veteran risk manager takes the long view on the troubled financial markets. And it's not all bad -- really.
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Threat Assessment 2009
Section : Features
December/January 2009
As one bank after another collapses, it becomes increasingly difficult to make sense of today’s turmoil, let alone figure out what the future holds. But one veteran risk manager is taking the long view on today’s troubled financial ­markets. And you might be pleasantly surprised to hear it’s not all bad — really.
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Threat Assessment 2009
Section : Directions
December/January 2009
A veteran risk manager takes the long view on the troubled financial markets. And it's not all bad -- really.
> read more

Threat Assessment 2009
Section : Features
December/January 2009
Call it the domino effect: As one bank after another staggers and attempts to find its footing on any available patch of solid ground, it becomes increasingly difficult to make sense of today's turmoil, let alone figure out what the future holds. But one veteran risk manager is taking the long view on today's troubled financial markets. And you might be pleasantly surprised to hear that what he forsees is not all bad -- really.
> read more