In June this year, the NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) announced that U.S. had entered an economic recession beginning in February. This recession came after the longest economic expansion in the US history—from June 2009 through February 2020—of about 128 months in … [Read more...] about Buy businesses that are recession proof
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A look back at BREIT performance
Two years ago, I did a blog post on Blackstone’s real estate investment trust called BREIT. It had just opened its doors to retail individual investors like me. At the time, I was looking to increase my investments in commercial real estate (CRE) assets and thought that it was a … [Read more...] about A look back at BREIT performance
Breaking out to a new high
On June 9th, as the stock market came within 5% of its previous record high, my portfolio reached a new all-time high. That day, my portfolio nudged just above its prior record high made on February 19. Credit for this outperformance (since the broader stock market has yet to … [Read more...] about Breaking out to a new high
How are my dividends holding up?
According to a recent WSJ article, eighty-three U.S. public companies have either canceled or suspended dividend payments so far this year. And another 142 companies have reduced their dividends. The journal went on to predict about 10% decrease in dividend payouts overall this … [Read more...] about How are my dividends holding up?
I closed my Apple bet
About a year ago, I had opened a hedged Apple (AAPL) position. The goal was to invest cash in an asset where I could benefit from the upside but also limit my downside risk. The cash I had invested was my dry powder cash—the kind of cash that I would need some day to buy stocks … [Read more...] about I closed my Apple bet
Seeking wisdom in trying times
In my last post, I wrote that I have been buying stocks. Well, since then I continued buying stocks as the market dropped even further. At the time, I reported I had invested 60% of my dry powder cash. Today, I am 70% deployed. As the stock market fell 35% below its peak, I … [Read more...] about Seeking wisdom in trying times
Be greedy
Two weeks ago, I wrote that I have bought (or sold) very little in my stock portfolio in past twelve months. But that changed rather quickly in last two weeks. The stock market had been worried about the COVID-19 pandemic for a few weeks. But then on February 27, it dropped 10% … [Read more...] about Be greedy
My portfolio is getting top-heavy
I break down my stock holdings into three distinct buckets: long-only stocks, long-only stock index funds, and long-short stocks and options (for income primarily). From these, my long stock holdings are by far the largest bucket as you can see in the following pie chart—from a … [Read more...] about My portfolio is getting top-heavy
I like Interactive Brokers
Today’s post is about a business I own since 2015 but I hadn’t bought any new shares in last three years. It’s a business that I am very familiar with. I am not only a shareholder but also a long-time customer. I use its tools and services extensively in my investing work. I … [Read more...] about I like Interactive Brokers
Portfolio update 2019
It has been two years since we took a deep dive into my investment portfolio. A few things have changed over the last two years—even though my portfolio’s overall allocation is more or less the same. I have discussed bits and pieces of these changes in past blog posts. Just … [Read more...] about Portfolio update 2019