By Carol K. 

Readers may recall my post about the need to be invested in the stocks and ETFs focusing on the future economy. Sectors such as genomics, artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G technologies, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We presented options among the best performing ETFs invested in these spaces, and I went with the ARK Invest family of actively-managed ETFs.  ARK utilizes an active management strategy because it doesn’t track an index and selects the best-positioned companies in their respective niches.

Skin In The Game

Putting my money where my mouth is, I invested in five of these ETFs in early-to-mid August.  Since, the returns have been spectacular.  Consistent with my market view (see my Monday post),  I’ve taken profits on most of the positions.  My mantra is usually to let my winners run, but we perceive market risk as unduly high, and as they say,

“bulls eat, bears eat, and pigs get slaughtered”

I am a long-term investor but reject the passive and indexing strategy and prefer to “buy low and sell high,” using the Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett model.

Currently, we at GMM believe the U.S. stock market is extraordinarily overvalued. Coupled with the political event risk, we expect a sharp correction, similar to last March and the 2018 “nightmare before Christmas” downturn, which will allow me to get back into these positions much cheaper.  I am also putting a shopping list together.

Excessive Returns

The following table illustrates the returns on my investments/trades from August 5-11 to October 14-15. These are real money trades, folks, not some hypothetical recommendations by Wall Street talking heads who have no skin in the game.

REITs

I am also holding two other stocks (dividend payers) as a play on the COVID-economy and e-commerce — Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) STAG Industrial and Prologis. Both REITs own warehouse properties leased to some of the biggest names in e-commerce, including Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and the USPS.

I began buying STAG in March, which has returned 26.3%,  including dividends.

I also bought my first shares of Prologis (PLD) on September 24, returning 10.5% to date (10/15/20). I expect both names to outperform heading into a holiday season where e-commerce will likely dominate holiday shopping.

STAG has a 4.37% dividend, and PLD’s yield is 2.18%.

Personal Note

In my Monday post, I mentioned my setback in my battle with Ovarian Cancer and how my chemo regimen needed to be changed.  I received some good news yesterday that the new chemo drugs are working.

Thank you so much for all your support, friendly notes, and comments. I have an incredible support group of family and friends, including many of you, which has helped me through this difficult time.  No matter what you are going through, never give up!

Disclaimer: I am not offering financial advice, nor am I a financial advisor. I hold no professional certifications. I do not manage money/investments professionally for third parties and only manage my portfolio and assist family members’ with their investment portfolios.  I am a member of the Global Macro Monitor (GMM) team, with my main focus on stock picking. Information provided in this post is not investment advice, and my conclusions are based on my analysis.  Investors should consider performing their in-depth due diligence before buying or selling securities.