About this episode
In this episode, we examine what actually happens when crypto markets break — how leverage builds beneath the surface, liquidity disappears, and liquidation cascades turn volatility into systemic failure.
Doug Colkitt, a quantitative trader and DeFi builder whose experience spans both traditional finance and crypto market structure. Doug began his career on Wall Street at Citigroup before moving into high-frequency trading at Citadel during the 2008 financial crisis. He later built and traded his own systems across futures, volatility products, and international equities, including running a major market-making operation in Turkish stocks.
Today, Doug focuses on crypto and DeFi infrastructure, working with perpetual futures, liquidation mechanics, and exchange design. We discuss why traders still get wiped out when they think they’re hedged, how liquidation cascades accelerate, and what recent market failures reveal about leverage and market structure under stress.
Links +Resources:
Ambient Finance on X (Twitter): @AmbientFinance
Website: https://ambient.finance
Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:
? Trade The Pool: ??http://www.tradethepool.com??
Time Stamps:
Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.
00:00:00 Intro and Background
00:03:43 Starting Individual Trading and High Frequency Systems
00:04:09 Focus on Index Futures and Competitive Markets
00:06:15 Michael Lewis's 'Flash Boys' and HFT Accuracy
00:07:00 Impact of HFT on Smaller Traders
00:09:13 Market Makers and Price Competition
00:09:37 HFT Evolution and Market Dynamics
00:11:24 Trading VIX Futures and Market Inefficiencies
00:13:08 Transitioning to Medium Frequency Trading
00:13:34 Trading Turkish Equities and Market Makings
00:15:35 Exploring Cryptocurrency Trading
00:18:32 Diving into Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
00:20:06 Arbitrage Opportunities in Crypto Markets
00:22:00 Flash Loans and Risk-Free Trading
00:22:48 Adjustments to Trading Bots Over Time
00:25:11 Criteria for Trusting Decentralized Exchanges
00:28:46 Liquidity Providing and Yield Opportunities
00:29:16 Volatility and Risks in Liquidity Provisioning
00:31:47 Understanding Perpetual Contracts in Crypto
00:36:04 October 10, 2025 Crypto Massacre Overview
00:37:36 Leverage and Market Dynamics
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