Reflections on a torrid Q1
Hi dear readers,
It’s been a while since I last wrote, was busy with life and I was kinda lazy to write over the past few months. Anyway as you can tell that my portfolio was not spared from the market bloodshed over the past few months. Till date my portfolio is down -16.54% which is way more than the 7.11% drawdown by the Nasdaq index. My portfolio was badly hit by both the software selloff and the Middle East tensions recently. It did not help that 2 of my biggest positions - Pltr and Sofi dropped hella lot haha
Anyway I used the opportunity to deploy some spare bullets into the market - around 38k YTD and I still have bullets on the sideline so that I can continue to buy if the market weakness continue to persist.
As you can tell from photos 4 to 7, I bought quite a fair bit of stuff during the past 3 months..
1. Sofi
2. Pltr
3. Circle
4. Netflix
5. Alphabet
6. Meta
Also I used the opportunity to sell my Nvidia at a relatively good price and bought Netflix at the bottom before getting rid of it to build a bigger position in Meta.
Hoping the worst is over and the market will start to trend up for the rest of the year. I am still aiming to end the year up around 20-30%. Always zoom out when in doubt. Stay safe in the markets and till the next time.
Reflecting on the first quarter’s market turbulence, I found that maintaining a disciplined investment approach was crucial to navigating the downturn. Despite a significant portfolio decline of over 16%, which was notably worse than the Nasdaq’s 7.11% drawdown, these periods of volatility offered opportunities to buy quality stocks at attractive valuations. For example, my purchases of SoFi, Palantir, Circle, Netflix, Alphabet, and Meta were strategic responses to market softness and geopolitical uncertainty, such as recent Middle East tensions. One important lesson I learned is the value of flexibility with capital allocation. Deploying around SGD 38,000 year-to-date while keeping some liquidity ready allowed me to capitalize on continued market weakness without overexposing myself. Timing sales is equally important — selling Nvidia at a relatively strong price and reallocating into Netflix and subsequently increasing my Meta position helped balance risk and potential returns. From a risk management perspective, it’s critical to ‘zoom out’—keeping a long-term perspective when short-term volatility strikes. Though my portfolio took a hit, aiming for a 20-30% annual gain remains my target, demonstrating the importance of patience and conviction in proven investment themes. Another aspect worth sharing is assessing individual stock volatility within your portfolio. Some tech stocks like PLTR and SOFI showed sharp declines, but their long-term potential and market position justified holding and adding on dips. For investors facing similar headwinds, consider blending active repositioning with strategic cash reserves to navigate uncertain times. Monitor market trends but avoid emotional reactions that might disrupt your investment thesis. Lastly, keep an eye on external factors like geopolitical events—they can create both risks and opportunities in equal measure. This experience has reinforced that market corrections, though painful, can open doors to strengthen a portfolio if met with a proactive and informed mindset.
It will pay off!