A Review of My Recent U.S. Stock Trades and Lessons Learned
Hello, everyone. Today I’d like to take a systematic look back at my recent U.S. stock trades and my account’s overall performance. As of today, my year-to-date return is 270%, and at its peak it even reached the 600% milestone. That said, I’ve also been reflecting seriously on how I could have done a better job managing drawdowns. There’s still plenty of room to improve in this area.
As for my recent portfolio adjustments, I sensed potential trouble in the market on October 12. My main concerns were the CPI data and the risks that could come with the AI-related narrative. I picked up on these warning signs early and made the decisive move to reduce my positions. Over the three days from the 12th to the 14th, I gradually closed out most of my holdings. My account is now positioned quite defensively, with as much as 70% in cash and only a small number of shares remaining. I’m quite pleased with how promptly I acted to reduce risk this time.
Looking back at my trading over the past six-plus months, there have been both wins and losses. One of my better moves was taking advantage of the market low in late March this year to add to my positions. That allowed me to capture most of the subsequent gains in the semiconductor sector. The mistake I regret happened near the market high in June. I hesitated when it was time to take profits, and that lack of decisiveness directly led to a significant drawdown in my account afterward.
Now, let’s get into the details of my individual stock and options trades. Among my most profitable positions, LITE was a particularly successful trade: I bought on dips below $800 and took profits in the $1,000-plus range. I opened my MRVL position at $150 and exited safely after taking profits around $300. My cost basis for AMD was between $450 and $500, and I successfully sold at $620. MU performed especially well in the earlier stages. I bought at $310 and successfully took profits in the $950–$1,060 range. My options trades in AAPL puts, USO puts, and PANW calls also delivered quite good results.
Of course, there were also some disappointing trades that have lessons for me. For example, with MU, which had made me a substantial profit early on, my later trades only broke even. My entry cost for AMAT was as high as $600, and I ultimately exited at a loss or close to one. My USO position is currently sitting on an unrealized loss. RKLB brought me substantial profits between April and May, but the portion I bought when I re-entered the position is now showing a small loss. Finally, WOLF, which I bought at a cost of $55, is also currently showing a paper loss.
Hello, everyone. Today I’d like to take a systematic look back at my recent U.S. stock trades and my account’s overall performance. As of today, my year-to-date return is 270%, and at its peak it even reached the 600% milestone. That said, I’ve also been reflecting seriously on how I could have done a better job managing drawdowns. There’s still plenty of room to improve in this area.
As for my recent portfolio adjustments, I sensed potential trouble in the market on October 12. My main concerns were the CPI data and the risks that could come with the AI-related narrative. I picked up on these warning signs early and made the decisive move to reduce my positions. Over the three days from the 12th to the 14th, I gradually closed out most of my holdings. My account is now positioned quite defensively, with as much as 70% in cash and only a small number of shares remaining. I’m quite pleased with how promptly I acted to reduce risk this time.
Looking back at my trading over the past six-plus months, there have been both wins and losses. One of my better moves was taking advantage of the market low in late March this year to add to my positions. That allowed me to capture most of the subsequent gains in the semiconductor sector. The mistake I regret happened near the market high in June. I hesitated when it was time to take profits, and that lack of decisiveness directly led to a significant drawdown in my account afterward.
Now, let’s get into the details of my individual stock and options trades. Among my most profitable positions, LITE was a particularly successful trade: I bought on dips below $800 and took profits in the $1,000-plus range. I opened my MRVL position at $150 and exited safely after taking profits around $300. My cost basis for AMD was between $450 and $500, and I successfully sold at $620. MU performed especially well in the earlier stages. I bought at $310 and successfully took profits in the $950–$1,060 range. My options trades in AAPL puts, USO puts, and PANW calls also delivered quite good results.
Of course, there were also some disappointing trades that have lessons for me. For example, with MU, which had made me a substantial profit early on, my later trades only broke even. My entry cost for AMAT was as high as $600, and I ultimately exited at a loss or close to one. My USO position is currently sitting on an unrealized loss. RKLB brought me substantial profits between April and May, but the portion I bought when I re-entered the position is now showing a small loss. Finally, WOLF, which I bought at a cost of $55, is also currently showing a paper loss.