What I'm Trading - Ari
A systems engineer working in AI, Ari probably knows a bit more about technology than the average investor. With a focus on companies working towards a brighter, cleaner and more efficient future, take a look inside his portfolio as we ask Ari what he’s trading.
Occupation:Principal Data Systems Engineer
Industry: AI and GIS Technology
Age: 33
Location: Sydney, Australia
Hobbies/Interesting Fact About You: I love the outdoors and can’t resist good food. I love to hike and live to eat.
Stake portfolio size: ~US$45,000
What was your first investment on Stake?
Tesla was the first investment I made over a year ago.
In one sentence, define your investing style.
Every stock I select is future focussed and growing quickly (fundamentally).
Why are you in the market?
Firstly, I want my capital to work rather than seek rent (collect bank interest). There are so many options that I can diversify my portfolio to include conservative and more risky options. As an immigrant, the market provides me an opportunity to start investing and over time see my wealth grow. This is a great motivator to work towards building wealth.
What’s in your Stake portfolio right now?
I have Advanced Micro Devices ($AMD), Bigcommerce ($BIGC), Boston Scientific Corp ($BSX), Dropbox ($DBO), GoPro ($GPRO), Nvidia ($NVDA), Pfizer ($PFE), Palantir ($PLTR), Square ($SQ), and Tesla ($TSLA).
How are your returns so far?
I ticked over a 100% gain on my US portfolio a few weeks ago. I started using Stake in March, 2020.
Any other investments that are not on Stake?
I have the majority of my investments in my ASX portfolio. I hold Bitcoin and Ethereum directly and a tiny amount of precious metals.
What are you watching? Why?
Vulcan Energy ($VUL)
Vulcan has had a meteoric rise in value over the past year, and the Battery technology sector, in general, is a growth industry.
I am looking at sustainable energy ETFs in both the US and Australia. In my opinion, the energy sector is always going to be a good investment, but especially sustainable energy. Solar and wind energy are in the phase where it is taking over the established fossil fuel industry, and a steady inevitable change like this is not only good for the environment, but a good bet for wealth generation.
A new Australian bank that was recently listed, I am interested mainly because the economic policies in most western democracies, Australia included, are favourable towards banks, but Judo’s ($JDO) lending philosophy is more in line with my view of capital: Lending towards industry and small businesses rather than real estate.
Do you have a trading or investing role model?
Not really. All data and research shows that over time, managed funds do worse than the market. This gets worse when we are talking about personalities.
My investment choices are informed by the state of the company or in the case of ETFs, state of the industry, its roadmap, its general direction and perceived value.
What’s a piece of advice you’d give a newbie?
Start yesterday. This is probably the biggest cliche, but true.
What’s one mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?
Buying during the first few days of a highly publicised IPO. The higher the hype, the faster it dissipates. Now there are cases where the hype is justified, but you should always follow the fundamentals and choose a price threshold at which to buy and sell, and stick to it.
If you were to buy a US stock or ETF right now, what would you buy? Why?
The Battery Tech & Lithium ETF ($ACDC)
It is one of the few sustainable energy ETFs on ASX. Aligning a sustainable future goal with high growth is a win-win.
ICYMI: make your own decisions
This is not investment advice, just my opinion. It doesn’t reflect any opinions of Stake. I’m as fresh to this as the next person off the street. Do your own research and make your own decisions.