Your Interviews

Ten minutes with....

Georgios Tsiourvas (Shipping, Trade and Finance 2002)

1) What is your current position/occupation?

I am the founder and editor of "The Macro Navigator". This mainly means that I am writing a daily newsletter on global macro economics and the related trading opportunities. 

2) Why did you choose to study at Cass?

The STF course was recommended by a friend and it suited in giving me flexibility between a carrer in business or banking and law, which at the time was still an option for me.

3) How did Cass influence your career development?

It definitely helped me find out that my true passion was about markets. In that sense it set me up for additional preparation for what I am doing today. "The Macro Navigator" is not something one can start writing just from one day to the next. It's a process, a learning process mainly, truly a mix between experience and knowledge.

4) How did your latest venture "The Macro Navigator" come about?

It started as an added value service when I was still working in the city. I felt it would be a good thing also for myself to put the structure behind the thinking on paper on a daily basis. It would keep me in control of the story I am telling and this again would make it easy for the reader to keep following the theme. There was a need to explain supposedly complicated relationships with a fresh, common sense based, direct approach. My readership consists of people that get bombarded with reading suggestions by an army of sales and research people on a daily basis. If they pick up your piece to read on a frequent basis, you must be delivering quality.

After my employer got acquired by a bank I received plenty of encouragement by readers to keep the newsletter going. I also received some requests by people who are running websites to write for them. All this made the decision to start "The Macro Navigator" on a professional basis very easy.

5) Who is "The Macro Navigator" aimed towards

"The Macro Navigator" is essential reading when you are looking for global macro economic trends as a theme to trade. It support a discretionary "swing trading" style, which means it is looking for market swings that might last from several days to several weeks or months. Professional traders, portfolio managers as well as private individuals who trade on a frequent basis will find it very helpful, interesting, sharp and entertaining from many perspectives. But also people with a more long term approach, ie asset allocators, or even you and me switching our pension from one fund to another can derive value and money making ideas out of "The Macro Navigator". Everyone really, who wants to be on top of things and who is interested to get an idea today of what most newspapers will write in 6 or 12 months should read "The Macro Navigator" on a daily basis.

6) What exactly does "The Macro Navigator" entail

It's general aim is to generate tradeable ideas across asset classes, such as FX, Stock Indices, Bonds and Commodities on a frequent basis. It will do this using a top down analysis approach. The big picture in mind based on common sense fundamentals and financial history, The Macro Navigator will use technical analysis as well as momentum and sentiment analysis in order to identify the right price and the right time. It comes as an e-only publication that gets updated between 220-250 times per year.

7) When you are not commentating on trading markets, what is your favourite thing to do in London?

I like meeting friends, be it for playing basketball or for other social gatherings. The nice thing about London is that there is always something happening, there is never stand still. Ideas get taken up and passed on. Information moves quickly and that flow of people and ideas keeps the place alive. This is why it is so nice to live here, it just doesn't ever get boring.

8) What does the future hold for you?

Hopefully, "The Macro Navigator" will get taken up by subscribers and I will be able to improve the product over time. I do feel that I have found my niche here, let's hope the market agrees with me...