Investors & Friends:
The last time I blogged was December 12, 2013. I was hoping to blog again before now but better late than never. The lack of time was a result of my responsibility and team growing at work. In particular, I assumed responsibility for managing all of the Compliance activities for the seven thousand plus resources who provide services to our largest customer. I needed extra time to get a handle on my new responsibilities. Now that that's well in hand, I can get back to growing Investrio.
The last time I blogged was December 12, 2013. I was hoping to blog again before now but better late than never. The lack of time was a result of my responsibility and team growing at work. In particular, I assumed responsibility for managing all of the Compliance activities for the seven thousand plus resources who provide services to our largest customer. I needed extra time to get a handle on my new responsibilities. Now that that's well in hand, I can get back to growing Investrio.
I will use this blog post to re-introduce you to our portfolio, which is named the Investrio Stock Selector Fund (ISF). As of January 25, 2015, our portfolio holdings are:
Our current investment strategy mimics what's commonly known in the hedge fund industry as a Long-Short Fund. Really, it's not complicated. It seeks to profit through a combination of long and short equity positions. In our list of portfolio holdings, you will notice that we have taken a few short positions, including FXP, which is a negative bet on China growth; TBT, which is a negative bet on lower U.S. interest rates; VXX and VXZ, which are negative bets on lower stock market volatility; and SPY, which is a negative bet on the U.S stock market and the largest among our short positions. Having these short positions is like having an insurance policy. On the one hand, it limits our portfolio's return. But on the other hand, it protects us when this "bull" (pun intended) market starts to deflate. We believe it's just a matter of time. (In the next blog post, I'd like to write more on the indicators that are flashing warning signs about the current stock market.) If the market deteriorates, our short positions profit, and we plow the profits into purchasing more shares of our favorite wide moat companies at lower prices.
In 2015, we continue to pursue our goals. First is to increase our capacity to analyze companies and investment opportunities. Second is to expand beyond equity investments into other areas, for example, land and real estate, business development, and bond markets. Third goal is to acquire new customers. Currently we have customer assets under management (AUM) of 716,900 dollars. If you have an interest in working as part of a start-up or know someone who does, I would be happy to discuss opportunities. In particular, we're looking for skills/experience that support our three goals above: stock and investment analysis, customer acquisition, and knowledge of other investment areas.
Thank you for investing your time in reviewing this. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Ted Mertyris
Lead Fund Manager
| Companies Symbol |
Description |
| IBM | International Business Machines |
| BRK/B | Berkshire Hathaway |
| COH | Coach |
| GME | Game Stop |
| MAT | Mattel |
| O | Realty Income |
| CVX | Chevron |
| PFE | Pfizer |
| VZ | Verizon |
| AMZN | Amazon |
| FAST | Fastenal |
| XOM | Exxon Mobil |
| MA | Mastercard |
| YUM | Yum! Brands |
| QCOM | Qualcomm |
| GM | General Motors |
| EBAY | Ebay |
| CMCSA | Comcast |
| SYMC | Symantec |
| MSFT | Microsoft |
| DOW | Dow Chemical |
| KO | Coca Cola |
| UL | Unilever |
| SYY | Sysco |
| BX | Blackstone Group |
| T | AT&T |
| EMC | EMC Corp. |
| CSCO | Cisco Systems |
| V | Visa |
| GE | General Electric |
| BAC | Bank of America |
| TM | Toyota Motor |
| Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) Symbol | Description |
| VWO | Vanguard Emerging Markets |
| IWM | iShares Russell 2000 |
| SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF (*short position*) |
| FXP | ProShares Ultrashort FTSE China 50 |
| TBT | ProShares Ultrashort 20+ Year Treasury |
| PBP | PowerShares S&P 500 BuyWrite Portolio |
| DBC | PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund |
| GDX | Market Vectors Gold Miners |
| USO | U.S. Oil Fund |
| VXX | iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures |
| VXZ | iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures |
Our current investment strategy mimics what's commonly known in the hedge fund industry as a Long-Short Fund. Really, it's not complicated. It seeks to profit through a combination of long and short equity positions. In our list of portfolio holdings, you will notice that we have taken a few short positions, including FXP, which is a negative bet on China growth; TBT, which is a negative bet on lower U.S. interest rates; VXX and VXZ, which are negative bets on lower stock market volatility; and SPY, which is a negative bet on the U.S stock market and the largest among our short positions. Having these short positions is like having an insurance policy. On the one hand, it limits our portfolio's return. But on the other hand, it protects us when this "bull" (pun intended) market starts to deflate. We believe it's just a matter of time. (In the next blog post, I'd like to write more on the indicators that are flashing warning signs about the current stock market.) If the market deteriorates, our short positions profit, and we plow the profits into purchasing more shares of our favorite wide moat companies at lower prices.
In 2015, we continue to pursue our goals. First is to increase our capacity to analyze companies and investment opportunities. Second is to expand beyond equity investments into other areas, for example, land and real estate, business development, and bond markets. Third goal is to acquire new customers. Currently we have customer assets under management (AUM) of 716,900 dollars. If you have an interest in working as part of a start-up or know someone who does, I would be happy to discuss opportunities. In particular, we're looking for skills/experience that support our three goals above: stock and investment analysis, customer acquisition, and knowledge of other investment areas.
Thank you for investing your time in reviewing this. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Ted Mertyris
Lead Fund Manager
Investrio
