It’s been a while since I did a written portfolio update, mostly because nothing much changes month-to-month anymore (I still have monthly updates on the Instagram page).
However, a few new things have happened in the past quarter that some commentary on might be useful.
Crypto
Bitcoin has been holding in the 53k – 73k range for the last ~4 months.
This is a good thing!
When an asset establishes a strong base in a specific price range, any breakout from the range tends to be strong and sustained.
We are now almost six months post halving and I’m still confident Bitcoin is going to make new highs by the end of 2025 as I’ve predicted some time ago.
Every month I add a small amount of Bitcoin to the public portfolio using Easy Crypto.
You can read my guide on how to get started investing in Bitcoin here.
Right now the public portfolio owns approximately 0.3 Bitcoin, constituting 20% of the portfolio.
Stocks
Arvida was the biggest position in the portfolio until last month.
Since then, the price has almost doubled as a takeover bid was made by a US private equity firm.
I wrote multiple times about Arvida on the blog and how it was severely undervalued, and you were essentially buying $1 of NZ property for 60 cents, while getting a strong retirement aged care business on top for free.
Stonepeaks out of the US obviously saw the same thing and big $1.70 per share to takeover the entire company, while the price was languishing around the $1 range.
I had mixed feelings about the takeover, because I thought the bid price was too low (it’s worth at least $2.10 per share), and the business was great – I would have had no problem holding the stock for the next 5 years, where I think the price would have appreciated handsomely while collecting dividends along the way.
However, it’s still a good win and the portfolio will make around a $10,000 gain on that investment.
I’ve also sold the Myer position, as the Myer business is set to change significantly with it’s upcoming merger with Premier Brands.
Myer was a great investment because it was trading at such a low multiple (about 4x cashflow) with a few hundred million in the bank that losing money on it was almost impossible.
However, as it’s now merging with a larger company, it’s too hard to foresee how the company will do from here. I am generally not a fan of mergers – in my experience the companies rarely improve profitability, as combining businesses is messy and never goes as smoothly as expected.
I started buying Myer in the 30 cent range, and sold the entire position last month at 82 cents, so a nice gain on that investment too.
Other than that, we are seeing upward movement in a lot of the stocks in the portfolio.
Dusk has jumped from its low of 68 cents to $1.15 today.
Alibaba has jumped from its low of $68 to $107 today.
Summerset is now the biggest stock holding in the portfolio and trading at 52 week highs.
Positive things all around and much harder to find bargains these days, but am looking.
Interest rates
We are finally starting to see rates come down.
The Reserve Bank just cut rates for the first time in several years in August, and we can expect more cuts on the way.
The obvious result from this is cash now produces less return (because it earns less interest).
As this return continues to fall, other investments start to look more attractive, such as stocks and property.
I still have a strong cash position in the portfolio, but I won’t be surprised if stocks have a very good few years from here.
However, as we’re in a US election year and geopolitically things are a little gnarly (two ongoing wars) so it’s always prudent to have some dry powder.
Also mindful that Buffett is stockpiling cash like a madman, so trying to follow his lead and not overextend.
Bitcoin is also a strong substitute for cash during a period of falling rates.
Portfolio Breakdown
We have passed the $150k mark and are heading towards $200k!
This portfolio is made up of:
💥 BOOM weekly savings: $5,638
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🚮 Decluttering: $7,454
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💸 Matched betting: $47,847 (get started here!)
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📦 Flipping: $2,676 (get started here!)
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📝 Surveys: $150⠀⠀
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🖥️ Simple Courses sales: $11,384
🏋️♀️ 1-on-1 coaching: $390
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🎉 Sharesies bonuses: $145⠀⠀
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🧧Leftovers from Chinese New Year Instagram giveaway because people didn’t want free money: $90⠀⠀
🎁Leftovers from 500 follower Instagram giveaway because people didn’t want free money: $300
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💰 Personal dividends: $3,541
🖱️ Niche Site A (Home Remedies): $10,758
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🖱️ Niche Site B (Fitness): $4,149 (SITE SOLD!)
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🖱️ Niche Site C (Superfoods): $6,191
🖱️ moneybren.com (affiliate commissions): $15,060
💵 Interest: $254
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💹 Sharemarket gainz: $24,222 (get started here!)
💹 Crypto gainz: $11,500 (get started here!)
Top 10 Holdings
You can view all previous portfolio updates here.
Everything above can be done by you!
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