Sachin Kotecha is Professor at the International Trading Institute (ITI). His teaching covers the major asset classes and the analytical disciplines that connect them, organised around a structured, cross-asset framework that integrates idea generation, fundamentals, technicals, sentiment, risk and psychology into a single trading decision.
The emphasis across every module is on understanding why markets move and on building a repeatable analytical framework — not on memorising setups or following signals. Students are encouraged to develop their own structured process, to distinguish analysis from a trade, and to think critically about risk before reward.
Equities & Equity Indices
Equities are claims on future earnings. Teaching covers individual stock analysis — earnings, revenue, margins and valuation — alongside index-level behaviour, including the construction and concentration of indices such as the Nasdaq and S&P 500. A central theme is the relationship between interest rates, bond yields and equity valuations: rising real yields compress the present value of distant earnings, which is why growth and technology stocks are often more sensitive to rate changes than defensive sectors. The syllabus also covers sector sensitivities to different macro regimes, market breadth, and the distinction between company-specific (idiosyncratic) drivers and broader macro forces.
Fixed Income, Bonds & Interest Rates
Fixed income is the foundation of the global financial system. Teaching covers bonds, yields, yield curves, duration, credit, and the distinction between sovereign and corporate debt. Students learn to read the yield curve — what a steepening or inversion signals about growth and policy expectations — and to understand real yields as a cleaner measure of the policy and growth backdrop. The relationship between bond yields and every other asset class is a recurring theme: higher yields attract capital and support a currency, but they also discount future earnings and can weigh on equity valuations.
Foreign Exchange (Forex)
Currencies are traded in pairs, which means FX analysis is always relative — comparing two economies at once. Teaching covers the dominant drivers: relative monetary policy, interest-rate differentials, inflation, labour markets, growth, and the capital flows that respond to all of these. A key concept is that expectations matter as much as levels: the gap between what the market has priced in and what a central bank actually does is where much of the opportunity and risk lies. Students also learn to read economic data relative to expectations rather than in isolation, and to use cross-asset confirmation — checking whether bonds, equities and commodities tell a consistent story — before committing to an FX view.
Commodities
Commodity prices are set by supply and demand, the macroeconomic cycle, the US dollar and geopolitics. Teaching covers gold (driven by real yields, the dollar and safe-haven demand), crude oil (the most macro-sensitive commodity, driven by global growth and OPEC+ supply decisions), and industrial commodities. The dollar-commodity inverse relationship is a core cross-asset concept: most commodities are priced in dollars, so a stronger dollar tends to depress commodity prices. Students also learn how commodity moves feed back into inflation, which feeds into central-bank policy, which moves currencies and equities.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is a young, evolving market whose behaviour is shaped by market structure, liquidity, and shifting correlation regimes with traditional assets. Teaching covers Bitcoin as the market benchmark, the distinctive market structure of crypto (exchange concentration, derivatives positioning, on-chain flows), and the increasing importance of global dollar liquidity as a macro driver. A key analytical point is that Bitcoin's correlation with traditional assets is not stable — it has behaved like a high-beta tech asset in some regimes and traded on idiosyncratic drivers in others. Identifying the prevailing regime is essential, as is disciplined risk management given the asset class's exceptional volatility.
Derivatives
Derivatives are instruments whose value derives from an underlying asset — tools for expressing views, transferring risk and constructing precisely defined exposures. Teaching covers futures (standardised contracts providing leverage and the ability to go short), options (asymmetric risk/reward profiles and the Greeks — delta, gamma, vega, theta), and the high-level concept of swaps. A central theme is trade construction: matching the instrument to the thesis, defining invalidation before entry, and understanding that leverage magnifies both gains and losses. The distinction between hedging (managing existing exposure) and speculation (taking the other side) is also covered, along with how understanding who is hedging and why can itself be informative about market positioning.
Trading Strategies & Trade Construction
Teaching covers trade idea generation — where potentially attractive opportunities come from — and trade construction, which is the process of matching an instrument to a thesis with defined risk. Students learn to distinguish a thesis (the reasoned view of why a market should move) from a setup (the specific price structure that offers an opportunity to act), and to understand that good trades need both. The emphasis is on building a repeatable process rather than memorising patterns.
Risk Management
Risk management is the discipline that governs whether a trader survives long enough for their edge to compound. Teaching covers position sizing (determined by the distance to invalidation and the risk you are willing to take, not by conviction), the distinction between invalidation (where the thesis is wrong) and a stop loss (the execution of that decision), drawdown control, and the mathematics of recovery — a 50% loss requires a 100% gain to recover. Survival precedes success.
Macroeconomic Analysis
Macroeconomics is the broadest frame for every market. Teaching covers growth, inflation and employment as the three pillars of the macro backdrop, and how the trajectory of each — not just the latest print — is what informs a view on the policy path. Students learn to read economic data relative to expectations, to understand revisions and the broader policy context, and to identify which macro driver is in the ascendancy at any given time.
Central-Bank Policy & Forward Guidance
Central banks set the price of money, which is the foundation of every asset's valuation. Teaching covers monetary-policy stance (accommodative, neutral, restrictive), the expected path of rates, and forward guidance — what central banks communicate about the future, which often moves markets more than the current rate itself. Students learn to read dot plots, speeches and minutes for shifts in the expected path, and to identify the gap between market expectations and the central bank's own guidance.
Cross-Asset Relationships
Markets rarely move in isolation. Teaching covers the relationships that connect asset classes: how bond yields influence currencies and equities, how the dollar influences commodities, how commodity moves feed back into inflation and policy, and how risk sentiment flows across markets. Cross-asset confirmation — checking whether related markets corroborate a thesis — is a core discipline. A technically attractive setup in one market is not necessarily a complete trade thesis if the cross-asset picture contradicts it.
Technical Analysis
Technical analysis seeks to understand how a market is behaving. Teaching covers market structure, trend, support and resistance, momentum, volatility, and multi-timeframe analysis. The purpose within the framework is not merely drawing lines on a chart — it helps convert an analytical view into a structured trading decision by determining where and when an idea becomes actionable, and where the risk/reward of acting on a fundamental view is favourable.
Market Sentiment
Sentiment analysis seeks to understand what the market is already expecting. Teaching covers consensus expectations, speculative and institutional positioning, fund flows, options positioning, volatility pricing, risk appetite, and market breadth. The distinction between fundamentals (what the underlying environment suggests) and sentiment (what participants currently expect and have already priced) is central. The data matters; the gap between the data and expectations can matter more.
Why Understanding Multiple Asset Classes Matters
Understanding multiple asset classes matters because markets are interconnected. A currency move is informed by bond yields. A commodity trend is influenced by the dollar. An equity market is shaped by the macroeconomic and policy backdrop. A trader who understands only one market sees a fraction of the picture — and risks acting on a view that related markets may be contradicting. Cross-asset understanding also provides confirmation and contradiction. If a currency thesis is sound, the bond market should be telling a consistent story. If a commodity view is correct, the dollar and the growth backdrop should be compatible. When related markets disagree, the thesis needs to be re-examined — or the risk needs to be smaller. This is why a multi-asset framework is not optional for a trader who wants to understand markets rather than trade patterns in isolation.
How Macro and Markets Connect
A core theme of the teaching is how macroeconomic developments transmit through markets. The chain runs from data to policy to rates to assets: Inflation rises → the central bank is expected to tighten → bond yields rise → the currency may appreciate (attracted by higher yields) → but higher yields also discount future earnings, which can weigh on equities, particularly long-duration growth stocks. Growth slows → the central bank is expected to ease → bond yields fall → the currency may weaken → lower yields support equity valuations → but weak growth also pressures earnings. A supply shock pushes commodities higher → inflation rises → the central bank faces a dilemma (growth is weak but inflation is rising) → the policy response is uncertain → markets reprice. These chains are not mechanical — they are tendencies, and expectations matter as much as the data itself. But understanding the transmission mechanism is what allows a trader to anticipate how a development in one market is likely to affect others, and to check whether the cross-asset picture is consistent with a thesis.
The Trading Process
The teaching follows a structured analytical process that moves from understanding to decision to review. Analysis describes what is happening and why. A trade is a specific, risk-defined commitment to a view. The framework exists to bridge that gap deliberately — so that a thesis becomes a trade only when the risk is understood and defined. The process can be summarised as: analysis → decision → risk → execution → review. Analysis identifies the opportunity. Decision determines whether it deserves capital. Risk defines what can be lost and what would invalidate the idea. Execution follows the plan. Review — what was the thesis, was it right, was the risk managed well — is what turns experience into improvement. Without review, experience is just time passed.
Educational Philosophy
The teaching is built on a single principle: teaching traders how to think, not what to trade. Rather than providing signals or instructions, the focus is on helping students understand why markets move, build a repeatable framework of their own, and make better, more disciplined trading decisions. Three commitments underpin the approach. First, that understanding why markets move matters more than any single trade. Second, that a structured, repeatable process produces better decisions over time than discretion alone. Third, that risk management — defining what can be lost and what would invalidate an idea — is the discipline that governs whether a trade is worth taking at all. The teaching is strictly educational. It does not provide signals, guaranteed results, personalised financial advice, or any promise of profitability.
What does Sachin Kotecha teach?
Sachin teaches across the major asset classes — equities and indices, fixed income, forex, commodities, cryptocurrency and derivatives — and the analytical disciplines that connect them, including trading strategies, risk management, macroeconomic analysis, central-bank policy, cross-asset relationships, technical analysis and market sentiment.
Where does Sachin Kotecha teach?
Sachin is a Professor at the International Trading Institute (ITI). Beyond the institute, he provides customised one-to-one mentoring through sachinkotecha.com.
What is the teaching approach?
The approach is structured and cross-asset, integrating trade idea generation, fundamental analysis, technical analysis, sentiment analysis, risk management and trading psychology into a single decision-making framework. The emphasis is on understanding why markets move and building a repeatable process — not on memorising setups or following signals.
Is the teaching suitable for beginners?
The teaching covers material relevant to a range of experience levels. For those newer to trading, the structured approach helps build good habits early. For experienced traders, it provides a framework for refining an existing process. What matters is a genuine commitment to developing a structured approach.
How is teaching different from mentoring?
Teaching at the institute follows a structured curriculum across asset classes and disciplines. Mentoring is customised and one-to-one — designed around each trader's specific experience, markets, objectives and constraints, rather than a fixed syllabus. Both are strictly educational.
Does the teaching provide signals or financial advice?
No. The teaching is strictly educational. It does not provide signals, guaranteed results, personalised financial advice, or any promise of profitability. Students remain responsible for their own trading and investment decisions.