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TCM: Our Portfolio

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Here on this page, you’ll learn all about our various investments, card collections, and wager slips. We own shares of various stocks in the American stock market. We have a good collection of trading cards and memorabilia… and we’ve placed winning wagers on a wide variety of sports games. This is a place for you to verify our talk. Right now, you’ll see just how expansive and large-standing we are.

The Stock Market

Excel in the stock market.

Becoming confident in investing in the stock market is vital to the long term growth of your savings. It is a skill that every young adult should cultivate so that as we increase our income we have a savings plan in place. At the Card Merchant, we want to help you strategize a personal savings plan by building a stock portfolio that takes into account your personal risk tolerance and tax situation. There are different strategies that can maximize your savings and we want to introduce them to you.
SPDR Gold Shares Logo
SPDR Gold Shares
Smith & Wesson
CRISPR

Trading Cards

Did you know…

The first trading cards were printed in the 1860s by a sporting goods store? The first trading card was of Brooklyn Atlantics player Albert Spalding. Trading cards are a key piece in any sport. It allows spectators to have more commitment to their favorite players. The trading card market has grown in the last two decades in a way that many large investment firms are now categorizing the card industry as its own asset class.

As a long time collector, I have treated sports cards as a hobby and an investment vehicle. However, I have always maintained the mindset of buying cards that I believe the market is undervaluing whether or not I choose to keep or sell the card. The Card Merchant team will help you get the cards you want at the right prices, and also find investment opportunities outside of your personal collection to make a profit.

Wager Slips

Oh, sports betting!

Sports betting should be done for fun and should not be considered an investment. However, when profit is made from your investments in surplus and your risk tolerance has not been met, putting money on sports wagers and reinvesting the turnout can be a good strategy. However, know that with sports betting the most important thing to know is when to cash in your profits. The more wagers you place, the greater the probability of loss becomes.

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Our Stock Portfolio

Gold

For the past year Gold has out-performed the S&P 500 twenty percent to eight percent. The success of Gold over the past year has not been discussed enough and is only now beginning to gain coverage due to the uncertain Geo-political climate. The lack of attention to the yellow rock signals a perfect time to enter, because when the broader market recognizes the price stability of gold more buyers will appear. The Price of gold over the past two years has been fluctuating between $150-$190*, which is a tight price band relative to other stocks in the market. However, as the economic and Geo-political landscape of the world changes, so will investor preference.

The book Mastering The Market Cycle by Howard Marks was my inspiration for this trade idea as it taught me that a stock’s value is not only linked to its ability to generate profits, but also the economic environment. The environment of the stock market boom in the 2020s was dominated by low interest rates. The reward for fund managers to invest their money in safe assets such as Gold was minimal in comparison to stocks. Companies had the ability to grow faster by taking out cheap loans, however now with the rise of interest rates combined with an uncertain geo-political arena, the cycle now returns to safer assets, Gold being one of them.

Trading Strategy

You might be asking yourself, “how is investing in gold even feasible without going to a Jewelry store!” Well nowadays every niche in the market has a fund, and so does Gold. If you look up ticker symbol GLD you will find the SPDR Gold Trust*, which is a fund that follows the price of Gold.

At the time I’m writing this the price of Gold sits at $185. I believe Gold to be a good buy between $170-$180 for the near future and a strong buy below $170. Based on the two most recent price rallies 2005-2011 and 2015-2022 I can see Gold reach a price of $250. I will scale up my position as the price fluctuates, but I do not plan on selling my position in the near future because of the safe nature of Gold prices.

Our Stock Portfolio

Smith & Wesson

Personal protection has always been a prominent concern in the United States. Smith & Wesson is one of, if not the most recognizable personal firearm producers in the US. Year to date it is up more than 60% fueled by strong earnings in the first quarter and an increase in their dividend yield.

An increase in the dividend yield signals to the market that a company expects future profits to grow, and as a result new buyers will be encouraged to buy the stock at higher prices. This trend is clear in the trading of Smith & Wesson stock, as the stock price rose by 20% the day after the dividend increase and strong earnings were announced on 6/22/2023. Stocks that swing by large percentages on positive news indicate a strong sentiment around the company. The increase in the price might not be immediate as you can see in response to the earnings report in September.

Trading Strategy

I have noticed from trading the Smith & Wesson Stock that the stock is strong along the  $8 to $13 price level and is a safe buy at or below this point. The rally in price will begin to lose steam at $17, which is where you will begin to see people taking short term profits. If you have a large position in the stock I would consider taking profits. I have around 50 shares between my Roth IRA and Brokerage account and want to continue to grow my position. If I see the price rise to $17 I will consider selling shares in my Roth account since the capital gains will not be taxed. As for my shares in my brokerage account, I plan on holding onto them until the price approaches $20. However, if I notice that there is a price point the stock has trouble moving above or the stock is performing poorer than the broader market, I may consider taking profits earlier. 

Our Stock Portfolio

CRISPR

From 2017-2019 I worked in a cancer research lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. The lead researcher I was working with told me that CRISPR would revolutionize the way we treat diseases arising from gene mutations. Gene editing was still in its early stages at the time, far from an FDA approval, until December 8th 2023 when the first gene editing therapy by CRISPR was approved to treat Sickle Cell Anemia.
As an investor, it is important to allocate a portion of your funds for investing in companies of the future. This mentality combined with my knowledge of the company pushed me to begin my investment. I say “begin my investment” because the process of opening a position in a company should be done in stages, especially long term investing.

Trading Strategy

Dollar Cost Averaging is the best way to maximize the return of a long term investment. The strategy involves buying stocks in smaller blocks over a longer period of time, with a focus of purchasing along the downturn of a stock’s price. As you can see I purchased stock of CRISPR throughout the span of three months as the price was fluctuating downwards. Because my mentality of this trade was that this is a long term stock I slowed down my purchase in favor of other trades.

This was a costly mistake as the stock skyed from $38 to a high of $75. Knowing when to exit a trade is the hardest skill in investing. However, the phenomena of “buying the rumor, and selling the news” signaled to me that it was time to exit the trade for the time, and re-enter the trade when the price had cooled. I sold six of my nine trades at a solid 20% profit.