Wrap-Up 2025: Popular Topics and Reader Engagement

What Resonated Most with Readers This Year

Author

Nam Nguyen
December 28, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

As 2025 comes to a close and 2026 approaches, I hope you are using this period to spend time with family, recharge, reflect on the year that is ending, and plan for the year ahead.

This newsletter will be brief. As part of this reflection, I will recap the best- and worst-performing posts of 2025 to help guide research and content planning for the coming year.

Above all, I wish you happy holidays and a successful 2026.

In this issue:

The popularity of a topic is measured both quantitatively, through open rates, and qualitatively, through interactions with readers. However, much like alpha in investment management, open rates tend to decay over time and therefore need to be adjusted to account for the growth in readership.

The following themes performed particularly well and caught me by surprise.

Volatility of Volatility

The VVIX, or volatility of volatility, is an important market indicator alongside the VIX, yet it receives less attention in both the media and academic literature. Similarly, trading and risk management strategies involving VIX futures and options are less commonly discussed than those based on equity options.

Beta Calculation and Application

Beta remains a fundamental metric used in risk management, hedge ratio calculations, the CAPM framework, and WACC estimation, yet it continues to receive comparatively limited attention in research and practice.

Momentum Strategies

Momentum strategies are among the oldest systematic trading approaches, and it is unsurprising that they continue to attract strong interest.

Volatility Risk Premium

The volatility risk premium (VRP) also performed well, which is expected given that the VRP captures how options are priced in practice, and understanding it is essential for designing effective options strategies.

Honorable Mentions

The following topics also received solid engagement from readers.

Risk management is a critical component of portfolio management. Statistically, it did not receive particularly low attention—open rates were only slightly below those of popular topics. In the coming year, I plan to research and write more on this important subject.

And that concludes this wrap-up.

Thank you for being part of the journey, and best wishes for a happy and successful New Year.

Disclaimer

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