Daniel Ivandjiiski
Daniel Ivandjiiski | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1978 Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Occupation(s) | Financial blogger, former investment banker and capital markets trader |
| Known for | Founder of Zero Hedge |
Daniel Ivandjiiski (, born 8 November 1978) is a former investment banker and capital markets trader originally from Bulgaria, now residing in the United States and working as a financial blogger. He launched the website Zero Hedge in January 2009, where he continues to serve as publisher and chief editor.
Early life and education
Ivandjiiski was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and completed his secondary education at the American College of Sofia in 1997. He subsequently relocated to the United States to pursue molecular biology studies at the University of Pennsylvania, initially aiming for a career in medicine until 2001.
Career
Ivandjiiski began his finance career in July 2001 at New York-based investment bank Jefferies & Co. That November, he successfully passed his Series 7 and 63 securities licensing exams. In October 2004, he transitioned to Imperial Capital LLC in Los Angeles before returning to New York in May 2005 to join Miller Buckfire LLC.
During his tenure at Miller Buckfire, Ivandjiiski faced allegations from the FINRA in March 2006 concerning insider trading involving Hawaiian Holdings. He reportedly earned $780 by trading on non-public information ahead of a financing announcement. Subsequently, on 3 September 2008, FINRA imposed a lifetime ban preventing him from acting as a broker or associating with broker-dealer firms.
Prior to this sanction, Ivandjiiski had joined Wexford Capital LLC, a Connecticut hedge fund led by former Goldman Sachs traders, in September 2007. Following the FINRA ruling, he departed Wexford Capital and published the inaugural post on Zero Hedge on 9 January 2009.
Zero Hedge
Daniel Ivandjiiski and other contributors write under the shared pseudonym "Tyler Durden," a reference to the novel Fight Club. In March 2011, Time ranked Zero Hedge ninth among its list of 25 Best Financial Blogs.
Publications such as The New Republic and New York have identified Ivandjiiski as the site's founder, highlighting his Bulgarian nationality, the FINRA disciplinary action resulting in a permanent securities trading prohibition, and familial ties to Krassimir Ivandjiiski—his father—who operates the contentious Bulgarian news outlet Strogo Sekretno ("Top Secret"). This platform is portrayed as an independent alternative media source but has been characterized by some critics as exhibiting pro-Russian leanings.
On 29 April 2016, Colin Lokey, a former employee of Zero Hedge, disclosed to Bloomberg that Daniel Ivandjiiski and Tim Backshall, a credit trader based in San Francisco, are principal figures behind the site. Lokey also noted Ivandjiiski’s residence in an upscale home in Mahwah, New Jersey, remarking on the contrast between their affluent lifestyle and the site’s populist messaging.
Personal life
Daniel Ivandjiiski’s father is Krassimir Ivandjiiski, a publicist and editor specializing in political news. A 2020 article by The New Republic referred to Daniel as a prodigy proficient in multiple languages and an accomplished pianist.
Except for a brief period working at Imperial Capital LLC in Los Angeles, Ivandjiiski has predominantly lived within the New York metropolitan area. He married Blair A. Kress in October 2007; according to Bloomberg reports from 2016, they resided in Mahwah, New Jersey. Kress filed for divorce two years later citing "irreconcilable differences."
External links
- Daniel Krassimirov Ivandjiiski: FINRA, CRD#: 4445294 Broker Registration Record
- Strogo Sekretno, Bulgarian news outlet managed by Krassimir Ivandjiiski, father of Daniel Krassimirov Ivandjiiski