So far the SMT is having a pretty decent start to the year.
The stock portfolio is outperforming the S&P for the year at +4.3%
The energy portfolio is up +7% (If I marked to market the energy portfolio would be up 8.5% but I haven’t closed the natural gas position yet so I don’t know how this trade will finish.)
I’m being very cautious with the metals but have still managed to outperform gold for the year with a 5.2% gain.
The currency portfolio is the one spot where I have struggled. It’s down 6.3% for the year. I think I can bring this one back and end the year in the green once the dollar turns back up. I’m currently getting into position for that to occur during the second half of the year.
And finally the Quest portfolio is up a little over 120% so far.
Gary, you have been doing great! What is the Quest program?
It’s a high risk, high reward portfolio. We don’t use any serious money. Just gambling money.
Can I sign up to participate in this?
You can get Quest alerts by signing up for the aggressive portfolio.
How did the Quest port do in 2014 (in terms of percentage up or down) and how well did it do in any other years that it was active?
We made 1000% on the first Quest before missing a trade and going back to 0. The next attempt made it to 300% before going back to 0.
I’ve changed tactics and eliminated the metals from the quest as that market is too manipulated to have much chance of sustained gains. I think if I stick to energy, dollar and the S&P the odds will be better of making larger and more sustainable gains.
When you say “going back to zero” does this mean you just went back to the original amount invested, or did the accounts need to be replenished? I remember you were originally talking about turning some relatively modest amount into 100K was the original amount $500 or was it $1000?
Back to $0.
We are trading options, so usually if I miss a trade it means the account is severely damaged or goes back to 0.
Obviously it’s impossible to never make a losing trade so at some point traders who are taking Quest trades need to pick a spot where they are satisfied and jump ship. My goal is to try to take a $1000 initial stake and turn it into $100,000. To do that I would need to make about 5-7 winning trades in a row. The odds of doing that are small. So everyone needs to be willing to cut and run at some point.
Good thing you got bullish on the market Gary! It’s screaming and roaring forward!
Ted
Yea it’s been roaring since 2009
I wish I understood options better. I know the basics but, no doubt my own fault, I have never investigated how they work in detail. Next time I am on a long, boring train or plane journey I must make an effort to read more about them in detail.
Off to look up ‘Options for Dummies’.
🙂