I was trying to figure out what was going on with my portfolio, currently up 3.8% TODAY (much more than the S&P is up the entire year to date).
In general: There were a good number of jobs created, unemployment fell, but inflation wasn’t worrisome. A Goldilocks scenario.
Nektar currently up 10.9% TODAY. Well perhaps because they had fallen from as high as $110 or so a month or two ago (as I remember) to yesterdays close of $80, then submitting (with FDA’s approval of the submission) their NDA on N-181. And tomorrow they will give their report on N-214. And they announced another collaboration, with an additonal drug company, of another drug combination with N-214, and the other company is paying for 100% for the study apparently (which sorta, kinda, implies that the other drug company knows that all is well with N-214).
Nutanix currently up 5.5%. Well it was at $58 before that fake news came out. And they announced very great results, which people may now be figuring out, and the CEO was just on Cramer. Who can explain these things?
Twilio up 6.2% today. I haven’t a clue why. Maybe people are finally figuring out what’s going on.
Pure up 4.7% today? Well we’ve had a lot of discussion about Pure on the board.
Pivotal up 3.5% today. I wouldn’t read anything into this at all. Pivotal has been going up and down in this range for a couple of weeks at least. But maybe people are learning about it. It’s a new IPO after all.
Square, Shop, Alteryx, Okta all up 1.55% to 2.5%. my guess is “General” up above.
And Mongo is down a quarter of a point. Who knows?
Saul
23 Likes
I was waiting for someone to post about this! After reading some of the recent deep dives and doing my first monthly review for May, I sold off 5 companies and now have just 11.
Can’t say which yet, but my port is up 9% today thanks to this board.
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Granted,
This is one day. But it’s a good reminder not to time the “expensive market” and just find the best dang companies we can.
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Can’t say which yet, but my port is up 9% today thanks to this board.
That beats my current 6.85% for the day…well done!
My big winners are HUYA and IQ up 11% each, but everyone in tech is up, it seems.
It is interesting to look at S&P chart and Nasdaq chart, and it becomes apparent Tech is still leading this rally for sure.
Dreamer
I am up 3.4% today thank you Saul et al. My portfolio is now over where I said I was gonna cut and run, being 2 years from retirement. But but but . . .
John
Dying to see what NKTR does Monday after ASCO
Well . . . ANET was so far down it was scary. 22% or so. I think I trashed it at 15% ala Saul (no reds)so 15% - 3.9% leaves a long way to go.
Caveat:
I am no expert.
For what its worth, I don’t worry about short term gyrations of the market.
Saul - I read your write up on MF’s strong buy and keep forever mantra (BTW I know this is an exaggeration - but they do tend to push ‘not selling’ hard). I agree over all with your approach - I buy when I have a thesis that says this is the best company to own for the next 5 years, and sell when the thesis is proved wrong, or I have a better idea, or it has just grown too much. I do think about valuation too, and I also diversify - I have a number of value stocks, consumer staples, mid-stream oil and REITS in my portfolio and also use options. If tech goes down, I want stocks that are not tracking too closely with it, that will let me pick up the bargains - and vice versa for the other categories.
But I really understand the Fool advice also. I think the biggest mistake most investors make is to get caught up in the emotion of the market. To buy when stocks are rising, and sell when they are falling. It’s a good way to buy high and sell low. I would say, if you can control your emotions, do your due diligence and be confident in your thesis for any stock, then you should sell when there is something better. But if you aren’t confident you can control your emotions (and data shows that most people can’t) then it is better to buy and hold.
I mention all this because I think it is a lot healthier for most investors not to care about our companies or worry about the stock price until we see material news on them. If the over all market goes up or down - well I don’t time the market anyway. I want to know if my company has done something to increase or decrease its position in its market. If not, I’d rather practice my meditation and keep my breathing calm as it goes up and down 
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Saul,
First, thanks for getting me back into the market. I rode the chairlift with Northern Builder this winter and he convinced me to start reading your board and get back involved. I had a series 7 back in the 80’s and worked downtown in New York for Fundamental Brokers (FBI) for a few years. In 89 a week after the crash I watched two very nice men be walked out of the building. They had families, mortgages, car payments and a lot of other stuff. A few months later I went back to school, safety. I kept up with things for a while and did well after 911. Took everything I had and put it in the market as soon as it opened again. I was able to buy my own practice from that money. The last 13 or so years have been busy, and I let someone else do the investing, leave it to the pros… After seeing what I was in, and the returns were just keeping up with the market I knew it was time to get going again.
I have read your knowledge at least twice all the way through, and reference it often. I am following your portfolio, and now have the spread sheet to compare my portfolio to yours. Thanks to NB and you I am in companies that are good companies, and ones that I know what they are doing and how they are operating. Its fun again, love the tech stuff at work. And this allows me to see where it is going before it gets to sleepy dentistry.
I have a question that should be easy to answer. I keep trying to find the P/E TTM for companies that don’t list it. It is listed simple on the knowledge, but still evades me.
Example, I do not have any Shopify in my portfolio. I don’t like to shop and when I looked them over I just can’t get excited about them. They are one of your top percentage stocks. I looked over there numbers and am suspisious they are overcooked right now. But, I cant confirm that myself because I cant get the P/E…
Thanks again for getting me back involved!
Surfdoc
5 Likes
What’s going on is not rocket science… the incredible talent on this board, the deep dives, the constant explanations of why it’s better to drop and get rid of laggards or companies that will not give one a double or triple in the next year or so, price anchoring, leaving options well alone, plus for those that believe in what you have so laboriously researched, not panicking when things turn sour(for a few weeks at a time it seems) but also adding along the way to your conviction stocks…this is the key imo.
I believe this board gives us the education and grounding to beat the markets on a consistent level and can only thank Saul and all here plus TMF for our success. And long may it continue.
So for the first time in ages I decided to see how I have been doing. Rarely look at monthly increase or decreases, just go by instinct, common sense and market conditions. Since Jan 1st and until the close today without amzn and appl which I have held for many years I am up 29% With them 59%. Don’t like to normally discuss this as it can all change in a blink of an eye short term but must admit was slightly staggered to say the least.
My holdings are…and not in any % order.
Amzn
Aapl
Ayx
Nktr
Ntnx
Shop
Sq
Anet
Nvda
Msft
Algn
Mongo
Pvtl
Okta
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What’s going on?
Well personally I’m feeling Blessed.
In my 40 + years of investing I was never was able to beat the indexes - until I found this board.
Now I’m not saying that the only reason I’m feeling Blessed is because of market returns, but no doubt that’s part of it 
Thanks everyone.
Steve
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There’s a Wall Street adage.
Too much success is, in itself, an excellent warning.
But it sure is fun while it lasts!
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