Alpha Exchange

With a curious mind and keen desire to learn how things work, Robin Wigglesworth has always found the complexity of financial markets fascinating. Now the editor of the well-regarded Alphaville markets blog, Robin has been with the Financial Times since 2008 and through this period he’s covered episodes of crisis in traditional markets, and more recently, within the cryptocurrency realm. Robin shares his perspectives on how vastly the terrain has shifted in the delivery of financial media, pointing to the emergence of Twitter as a source of important information. In Robin’s words, “journalism is best when it is quite heavily criticized”.The balance of our conversation is about Robin’s excellent book, “Trillions”, a deep dive into the history of index funds and the massive growth in passive investing. Through his work we learn of the key developments and the key people whose contributions led to the juggernaut that is passive indexation today. Laying out the early academic research that called into question th