Roddy Huang
Math @ Cornell • Continental Philosophy • Quantitative Research
Math major at Cornell who fell down the rabbit hole of continental philosophy. Nietzsche, Heidegger, Lacan, Marx—not as abstract games, but as lenses for understanding power, markets, and the structures that shape reality. Now turning that analytical intensity toward trading, macro strategy, and finding edge where others see noise.
Quick Stats
Interests
Intellectual Foundations
Nietzsche
Will to power as underlying dynamics. Master/slave morality in market structures. The eternal return and what it means to fully commit to one's path.
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
Heidegger
Dasein and authentic existence. Being-in-the-world as irreducible to parts. The question of Being applied to market phenomenology.
"We are ourselves the beings we inquire about."
Lacan
The Real, Symbolic, Imaginary orders. Desire and lack at the heart of markets. Discourse analysis as tool for understanding market participants.
"The unconscious is structured like a language."
Marx
Commodity fetishism in modern finance. Ideology as structural force. The tension between material conditions and market narratives.
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world..."
The Contrarian Edge
Most people see markets as places to buy low and sell high. I see them as complex adaptive systems driven by human psychology, institutional flows, and the perpetual battle between fear and greed.
My approach combines:
- →Quantitative rigor: Systematic backtesting, factor analysis, volatility surface dynamics
- →Macro awareness: Understanding the bigger picture—rates, flows, policy
- →Behavioral insight: What are participants actually doing vs. saying?
Trading Strategies
EMA crossovers with Heikin-Ashi smoothing, options volatility arbitrage, systematic factor-based approaches
Macro Research
Real estate thesis development, interest rate dynamics, sector rotation, cross-asset correlation analysis
Poker & Games
Game theory applications, hand analysis, bankroll psychology, reading opponents (in poker and markets)
Featured Projects
EMA Crossover Strategy
Systematic trading strategy using Heikin-Ashi smoothing with EMA crossovers. Includes backtesting framework with MFE/MAE analysis.
IV Surface Analysis
Options implied volatility surface construction and analysis. Intraday data collection via ivolatility API for volatility arbitrage research.
Stochastic Models
Current coursework in stochastic processes applied to financial modeling. Markov chains, martingales, and option pricing.
Why 9-5 Offsuit?
In poker, 9-5 offsuit is statistically one of the weakest starting hands. Most players fold it immediately. But that's exactly the point.
Edge doesn't come from playing premium hands—everyone knows how to do that. Real edge comes from understanding when the "wrong" play becomes right. From reading situations others miss. From playing the player, not just the cards.
The same principle applies to markets. The obvious trades are priced in. Alpha lives in the spaces others ignore—in the 9-5 offsuit opportunities.
Read more about poker strategy →Let's Connect
Whether you're interested in quantitative finance, trading strategies, continental philosophy, or just want to chat about poker—I'm always open to connecting with like-minded people.