To The Moon

In this trading contest, @Keanho secured second place with good results. “My main job is in banking, and after the 2020 pandemic, I began focusing on U.S. stock investments. I ended up competing purely by accident—I even forgot I was in the competition!” His routine approach involves collecting dividends from blue-chip stocks, while in the U.S. market he seizes short-term trading opportunities with holding periods usually not exceeding three months.

Winning Strategy Analysis 🥰

🔹 Unintentional Winning Logic
He didn’t adjust his strategy for the competition, continuing to hedge risks from tariff wars using volatility ETFs like VIXY.
At key moments, he trimmed some positions to maintain a cash allocation above 30%, mitigating potential downturn risks.
He believes that “when market volatility intensifies, doing less may outperform frequent trading.”

🔹 Stock Selection and Risk Control Guidelines
Singapore Market: Focus on high-dividend blue-chip stocks for steady returns.
U.S. Market: Capture event-driven opportunities such as policy changes and earnings announcement windows.
Strict Position Control: No single stock exceeds a 15% allocation, with the VIXY hedge ratio dynamically adjusted based on market fear.

Market Perception and Investment Philosophy 🥰🥰
@Keanho firmly believes that “luck is part of success”:
In 2023, his strategic use of VIXY helped him successfully hedge and avoid the impact of the March banking crisis.
In early 2024, he decisively reduced his tech stock positions, inadvertently dodging a pre-earnings sell-off surge before Nvidia’s report.
He states, “When the market experiences extreme volatility, holding cash is a strategy in itself.”

Core Principles 🥰

1️⃣ Avoid Excessive Risk Exposure: Diversify holdings across different asset classes to lower systemic risks.
2️⃣ Shorten Holding Periods to Adapt: In a volatile market with frequent major events, keep positions for less than a quarter.
3️⃣ Reserve a Counter-Trend Arsenal: Always maintain at least 20% cash to counter unforeseen black swan events.

Three Tips for Investors

🎯 Defensive First: Use tools like VIXY to hedge tail risks and safeguard your assets.
🎯 Event-Driven: Stay alert to tariff policies, Federal Reserve decisions, and other market catalysts for timely positioning.
🎯 Contrarian Moves: In times of market panic, remain calm and seize opportunities to buy quality assets at discounted prices.

💡 Key Quote: “In this era of unpredictable black swans, lasting longer is more important than earning quickly.”

The following is his interview content:

1. Congratulations on your outstanding performance in the stock trading competition! Could you briefly introduce your background and investment experience?
   I’m working in the banking industry and have been actively investing in U.S. markets since the start of COVID.

2. How did you develop your investment strategy during the competition? Did you make any adjustments based on market changes?
   I did not make any specific changes for the competition. In fact, I was surprised by the win because I had forgotten about it. However, I have been conscious of the impact of the tariff war and have hedged the risk by moving more of my portfolio into ETFs like VIXY on a short-term basis. So I guess I’m lucky that the timing aligned.

3. What was the biggest challenge you faced during the competition, and how did you overcome it?
   As I mentioned, I had forgotten about the competition. However, during this period, the key challenge was to keep calm and avoid taking excessive risks. I trimmed part of my portfolio to manage the downturn.

4. What factors did you prioritize when selecting stocks or making trading decisions?
   I buy blue-chip stocks in the Singapore market for dividends, and in the U.S. market, I look for stocks with trading opportunities since I prefer not to hold them for long.

5. How did you balance risk and reward during the competition? Were there any specific risk management measures in place?
   As described above, I did some hedging by buying into VIXY.

6. What do you think was the key to your success? Was it technical analysis, fundamental research, or something else?
   It was a combination of a lot of luck and an understanding of what’s happening in the market.

7. What advice or insights would you offer to other participants or newcomers looking to join future competitions or enter the real market?
   Stay calm, prepare for downturns, and avoid taking excessive risks.

8. What were the most important lessons or insights you gained from this competition?
   Stay calm and patient, and always be ready with cash to invest when the timing is right.

9. If you had to summarize your investment philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?
   Because market cycles are getting shorter and significant events occur more frequently, I try to limit my exposure by diversifying into other investments.