Systematic execution eliminates bias that discretionary trading cannot.
NovoDyn applies quantitative research, rules-based execution, and systematic model development to regulated futures and securities markets — identifying structural pricing patterns and deploying capital through defined, repeatable processes. Human judgment sets the framework. Automation executes within it.
Disciplined Systematic Investment Research Since 2011.
NovoDyn Advisors is a regulated systematic investment firm specializing in quantitative research and structural pricing strategies across regulated markets.
NovoDyn Advisors, LLC
NovoDyn Advisors, LLC was formed in 2011. The firm was established to develop and deploy systematic, rules-based investment strategies across regulated futures and securities markets using quantitative research, machine learning, and automation.
The firm serves two primary audiences: financial advisors seeking capital-efficient portfolio frameworks for their clients, and investors seeking systematic program exposure directly. NovoDyn's featured program — the NovoDyn Structural Alpha Trading Program — is a portable alpha and return stacking framework (these terms are used descriptively and do not imply guaranteed positive returns) that combines futures-based market replication with a non-directional, non-trend-following separately-managed systematic overlay. All programs are implemented through regulated brokerage and Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) relationships selected for regulatory standing and operational capability.
Registration & Membership
NovoDyn Advisors, LLC maintains active regulatory registrations.
- CFTC: Registered Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA)
- NFA: Member since 2011 · NFA ID #0435960
- Registered Investment Adviser · CRD #156451
NovoDyn's dual registration as both a CFTC-registered CTA and a state-registered Investment Adviser allows programs to be implemented through multiple account structures — serving both advisors managing client portfolios and investors participating directly.
Additional information is available at the NFA's BASIC system at nfa.futures.org/basicnet and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at adviserinfo.sec.gov. Searchable IARD/CRD number: 156451.
Quantitative Research & Systematic Model Development
NovoDyn's research platform focuses on identifying and acting upon structural pricing patterns within regulated markets — applying statistical arbitrage, mean reversion dynamics, calendar spread analysis, and quantitative model development.
- Quantitative research applied to futures market structure
- Calendar spread and contango dynamics across commodity, financial, and digital asset futures
- Integrated risk monitoring and position-level controls
- Continuous model development and refinement since 2011
Institutional-Grade Execution & Oversight
NovoDyn's systematic programs are implemented through regulated brokerage and Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) relationships selected for their regulatory standing, operational capabilities, and risk management infrastructure.
Execution counterparty and custodial arrangements are maintained with institutional partners across the regulated futures and securities markets in which NovoDyn operates — with redundant relationships to ensure execution continuity.
All trades are executed via remote servers monitored continuously. NovoDyn's execution infrastructure operates around the clock, providing uninterrupted oversight of all open positions regardless of market session or time zone.
NovoDyn Advisors — Management Team
All principals are verifiable through the NFA's BASIC system at nfa.futures.org/basicnet and FINRA BrokerCheck at brokercheck.finra.org where applicable.
Series 3 · Series 65 · CFA Charterholder
Thomas Balestrery brings more than 25 years of institutional asset management experience to NovoDyn, spanning managed futures, equity hedge funds, derivatives structuring, and portfolio management across domestic and international markets. A CFA Charterholder and member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals, he has held senior roles at Creditanstalt Investment Bank, El Paso Merchant Energy, and co-founded First Mercantile Capital — a Russia-dedicated hedge fund — giving him a perspective on alternative investments that spans both quantitative analysis and real-world market stress. At NovoDyn, he leads the firm's investor relations efforts and supports the firm's quantitative analysis work, bringing the same analytical rigor to client engagement that he applies to portfolio analysis.
Series 3 · Series 65
John Laughlin has been managing commodity exposure and market risk since 1988, when he founded Ameristar Fuels and built it into one of the largest independent jet fuel suppliers to commercial airlines, overnight carriers, the military, and NASA. That three-decade immersion in commodity markets — where derivatives aren't academic instruments but operational necessities — became the foundation for NovoDyn Advisors, which he established in 2011 to apply that same discipline to the systematic design and algorithmic trading of futures and equities. Based in Houston, he focuses the majority of his time on statistical arbitrage, AI-driven risk modeling, and the development of futures-securities hybrid models — the quantitative research at the core of NovoDyn's evolving trading programs.
Series 3 · Series 65
John Nobile brings hands-on operational experience from inside the managed futures industry, having served as Chief Operating Officer of a registered CTA and Commodity Pool Operator where he was responsible for trading strategy development, risk management, and day-to-day operations. That inside perspective — understanding how systematic trading programs are built, managed, and marketed from the ground up — informs both his compliance oversight and his approach to advisor and investor relationships at NovoDyn. He serves as the firm's Chief Compliance Officer.
Series 3 · Series 65
Chris Thompson is a founding Managing Member of NovoDyn Advisors and serves as President. An engineer by training, he built and led Airtrol, Inc. into one of North America's leading manufacturers of air pollution control systems — experience that directly informed the design of NovoDyn's back-office infrastructure and operational framework. In addition to his role at NovoDyn, he maintains outside business activities as a licensed Health and Life Insurance professional. He holds Series 3 and Series 65 licenses.
Series 3
Scott Waldheim brings more than a decade of experience in the oil and gas commodity markets, where he remains actively engaged in trading operations. That ongoing market experience informs his role at NovoDyn as Chief Technology Officer — overseeing the firm's technology infrastructure and back-office reporting systems.
Business background information is derived from NFA registration records and is provided for informational purposes. Prospective investors should independently verify registration status through NFA BASIC at nfa.futures.org/basicnet.
Get in Touch
For advisor inquiries, investor disclosure documents, or program information, please reach out directly. All communications are confidential.
150 W. Burberry Circle
The Woodlands, TX 77384
NFA ID #0435960 · CRD #156451
Strategy Risk. References to "non-directional," "structural pricing patterns," and "quantitative market patterns" describe the firm's general design objectives and do not imply the absence of risk. Strategies may experience significant volatility and losses during periods of market stress or unexpected correlation shifts. These conditions can change rapidly, and there is no assurance any strategy will profit from identified patterns. Non-directional positioning does not guarantee reduced risk or positive returns in any market environment.
General Disclosure and Registration. This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation to buy any commodity interest or security. Any offer will be made only through official offering documents, which should be carefully reviewed before investing. This website is intended solely for residents of the United States and does not constitute a solicitation or offer to any person in any jurisdiction outside the United States, including the European Economic Area. NovoDyn Advisors, LLC is registered with the CFTC as a Commodity Trading Advisor, is a Member of the National Futures Association (NFA ID #0435960), and is registered as an Investment Adviser (CRD #156451). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Trading futures and derivatives involves substantial risk of loss, is not suitable for all investors, and past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.