What drives the appeal of macro hedge fund investing for investment professionals, and how does this approach position institutional investors for long-term success? In this episode of the Thematic Investors podcast, we speak with Ronnie Roy and Zach Kurz, two distinguished macro fund managers. Join us as we explore both Eastern and Western perspectives on topics such as tariffs, artificial intelligence, and more.
Kieran Cavanna, Host of Thematic Investors Podcast Series
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Throughout many of our past episodes on the Thematic Investors podcast, we have seen the differences in hedge fund investing strategies when East meets West. Given today’s trade and tariff environment, we wanted to expand the debate with two leading macro investors, pulling their insights on tariffs, U.S. exceptionalism, capital expenditures in areas like AI, and more.
We are honored to welcome Ronnie Roy, Founder and CEO of RV Capital, and Zach Kurz, Founder and CIO of PinnBrook Capital. In this episode, host Kieran Cavanna discusses the following topics with Ronnie and Zach:
- What makes mapping the scavenger hunt of macro trends so exciting to these hedge fund investors today?
- For Zach, how did a Sunday discussion with Stanley Druckenmiller influence the future of his investing strategies?
- For Ronnie, how was he able to ride the wave of volatility by creating interest rate products during times of crisis?
- What do each of these investors believe about global tariffs, and why a recession never fully materialized, as reported earlier in 2025?
- Given the speed and complexity of AI, how are AI goals impacting macro hedge fund strategies and the CapEx story? What could labor market risks look like in 6-8 months?
- How will President Trump's policies play out for the remainder of the year as it relates to China, Korea, India, and Japan?
- And more.
About Zach Kurz:
PinnBrook Capital
Zach Kurz is the portfolio manager of PinnBrook Capital, a New York–based macro firm managing roughly $600 million in its macro strategy. His path runs from Princeton (economics and applied math) to an early stint at Morgan Stanley, then to Duquesne Capital under Stan Druckenmiller, where he absorbed a liquidity-first view of global markets. He helped launch PointState Capital in 2011, building out the macro business, and in 2020 started his own firm. Today, his approach blends macro with thematic equity investing grounded in that training.
Ronnie Roy is the co-founder and portfolio manager of RV Capital in Singapore, an Asia-centric macro firm specializing in rates, FX, and credit that was launched in 2011 and now operates with a global footprint. After years in large institutions, he set out to manage his own capital and then external capital, drawing on a career spent across fixed income markets and co-founding RV. He started on India’s government bond desk in the early 1990s and went on to trade through major dislocations, including the Asian crisis and the LTCM collapse, experiences that shaped his risk framework and macro lens.
Kieran Cavanna is the Co-Founder and CIO of Old Farm Partners. Old Farm is a hedge fund allocation firm focusing on small and mid-sized hedge funds, as well as co-investment opportunities with $600m under management. Prior to Old Farm, Mr. Cavanna worked at Soros Fund Management where he served as the Head of the External Manager Selection team. Mr. Cavanna and his team performed due diligence on and allocated to a select group of hedge funds that deployed a wide variety of hedge fund strategies. Prior to Soros, Kieran was a Partner and the Head of Research at Titan Advisors, a $5b fund-of-hedge funds. In total Mr. Cavanna has been allocating to hedge funds for 18 years. Mr. Cavanna started his financial career at KPMG Consulting as Senior Analyst. Mr. Cavanna graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA and received an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Please note, the information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial and or our host, Kieran Cavanna. The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding investment planning.