The Kaoboy of Convertible Arb with Michael Kao

Saddle up everybody, because we’ve got the UrbanKaoboy on this episode, who’s ridden everything from ponies to draft horses to mustangs over his 30+ years in the investment game, doing commodities and derivatives at Goldman in the 90s, risk arb at Canyon Partners, and then opportunistic/value at his own fund Akanthos Cap Mgmt, before hanging up his spurs and focusing on running his own family office. We’re talking with Michael Kao about the credit culture in LA investment firms, trading the Goldman roll in commodities, how corporate debt = short puts and equity = long calls, the trading pits, finding long gamma in a short gamma arb strategy, convertible bonds, arb trade structures, Star Wars, pricing synthetic options, credit spreads blowing out, needing good marginability, Michael Saylor's diamond hands, the potential train wreck that is MSTR's balance sheet, and more. This was a fascinating look into the mind of an opportunistic investor. Chapters: 00:00-02:24=Intro 02:25-13:41=Drexel, LA, and the Goldman Commodity Roll 13:42-36:50=Canyon, Akanthos, and Convertible Arb 36:51-55:45=MSTR, Saylor, and the Capital Structure 55:46-01:01:19=Tokenized Residential Real Estate 01:01:20-01:08:02=Star Wars Fanboy Follow along with Michael Kao on twitter @UrbanKaoboy  And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Derivative, and follow us on Twitter, and our host Jeff at @AttainCap2 or LinkedIn, and Facebook, and sign-up for our blog digest. And visit our sponsor, the CME Group at www.cmegroup.com to learn more about futures and options. Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, business, or tax advice. All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RCM Alternatives, their affiliates, or companies featured. Due to industry regulations, participants on this podcast are instructed not to make specific trade recommendations, nor reference past or potential profits. And listeners are reminded that managed futures, commodity trading, and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. As such, they are not suitable for all investors. For more information, visit www.rcmalternatives.com/disclaimer