Independent Research
As data increasingly becomes commoditized, free thinking becomes priceless.
FFTT, LLC launched in 2014 with one goal in mind – to marry our unique dot-connecting abilities with our in-depth analytical work and our relevant historical perspectives to create differentiated, money-making insights that help our clients’ investment process and investment outcomes.
Unique Perspectives
“The task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what no one has yet thought about that which everybody sees.” -Arthur Schopenhauer. FFTT’s research routinely “thinks what no one has yet thought about that which everybody sees” – this new perspective adds significant value to our clients’ investment process and outcomes.
In Depth Analysis
FFTT marries its unique thought process with detailed analysis of the topics its writing on, not just identifying new ways to think about opportunities and risks, but also providing an investable themes backed by rigorous analysis and supporting charts.
Critical Thinking With Integrity
Having the physical ability to “think what no one has yet thought about that which everybody sees” is of little use to clients unless one has the integrity and independence to share those thoughts with clients. As an independent research firm wholly-owned by Luke Gromen, we have the ability to communicate to our clients in great detail “what no one has yet thought about that which everybody sees.”
About Luke
Luke Gromen has become one of the most respected names in the global research sector. Having been in the industry for 20+ years and earning a reputation as a client-focused analyst with an unparalleled ability to make broad connections between increasingly siloed industry news and drawing conclusions that help investors understand the bigger picture. Luke offers unique and insightful research derived from a wide variety of sources that provide a clearer picture of global macroeconomic, thematic, and sector trends.
Luke founded FFTT, LLC in early 2014 to address and leverage the opportunity he saw created by applying what clients and former colleagues consistently described as a “unique ability to connect the dots” during a time when he saw an increasing “silo-ing” of perspectives occurring on Wall Street and in corporate America. FFTT caters to institutions and sophisticated individuals by aggregating a wide variety of macroeconomic, thematic and sector trends in an unconventional manner to identify investable developing economic bottlenecks for his clients.
Prior to founding FFTT, Luke was a founding partner of Cleveland Research Company, where he worked from 2006-14. At CRC, Luke worked in sales and edited CRC’s flagship weekly thematic research summary piece (“Straight from the Source”) for the firm’s clients. Prior to that, Luke was a partner at Midwest Research, where he worked in equity research and sales from 1996-2006. While in sales, Luke was a founding editor of Midwest’s widely-read weekly thematic summary (“Heard in the Midwest”) for the firm’s clients, in which he aggregated and combined proprietary research from Midwest with inputs from other sources.
Luke Gromen holds a BBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Cincinnati and received his MBA from Case Western Reserve University. He earned the CFA designation in 2003.
About the Mr. X Interviews
The Mr. X Interviews: Volume 1
How is the US’ relationship with the world changing after the 2008 financial crisis? Why is that relationship changing? What will those changes potentially mean for the US and global economies? We rarely hear such topics discussed in the mainstream media. That’s why, in Mr. X, Luke Gromen presents us with a conversation between himself and a fictional US sovereign creditor.
The Mr. X Interviews: Volume 2
The United States is in a financial crisis, and in The Mr. X Interviews, Volume 2, Luke Gromen analyzes why. This follow-up to Gromen’s first book reintroduces the mysterious Mr. X, a fictional sovereign creditor who has befriended Luke, and through a series of insightful conversations, shares with him his concerns about the United States’ financial situation.
