The Portfolio: 24Q1

This issue of The Portfolio is a summary of my financial situation for the 2024 Q1. The other posts (previous quarters) can be found at links at the bottom of this webpage, under Continue Reading. You can also download the full post in PDF below.

24Q1 Report

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Recap

The overall conclusion reached, expect our government & institutions to extort/drain as much money as possible from us in order to float its currency. The Department of Justice is shelling out more than $6 billion to private companies to manage its asset forfeiture investigations, raising alarm from one nonprofit law firm that accuses police of "treating ordinary Americans like ATMs" and seizing their cash. Asset forfeiture is the process through which the government seizes money or other property that is believed to be linked to a crime. Most federal forfeitures are civil, meaning the government can keep the seized property without ever charging the owner with a crime. Individual taxpayers, businesses and corporations collectively owed $688 billion in unpaid taxes for the returns due 2022. Unfortunately, we have a government that prefers to tax its citizens into poverty to line the pockets of politicians, donors, lobbyists, staffers, corporations, institutions, executives, and the already wealthy elite.

I didn't expect how quickly the US would manipulate the "free market" by sanctioning and sabotaging Russia's (Iran & Iraq) oil, gas & energy, while seizing/ buying oil, and relying on corporate actors like Chevron & W. Buffett to become the world's top exporter of LNG. Big Money is fleeing US stocks. Not only is it foreign nations cutting ties, and now I think it's also the wealthy finding a more exclusive scheme. Major asset managers like JPMorgan, Brookfield, & Blackrock are relying heavily on cash-rich investors in the Middle East and Asia to fuel their growth. About 40 percent of the capital the firm (BAM) has raised in the past year comes from those two regions and U.S. clients are becoming a smaller part of the business. Ever since stocks got "democratized" and self-directed (f.k.a "dumb money") has been flooding the market, the market whales get weaker and weaker against the currents. So, the government jacks the interest rates, offering a safe haven in treasuries, but it's not exclusive enough for the wealthy. The market whales simply create new lakes through credit, real estate, and shadow banking. Nonbanks have expanded quickly and provide some 60 percent of all consumer and business credit.

I believe the concept of a soft landing is disingenuous and subjective, ignoring the working and poor class, who are struggling to survive at current prices. Therefore, the landing may be soft for the folks at the top, but for the folks that make up much of the foundation are being crushed and the folks in the upper middle are being compressed. Unfortunately, the corruption of our government will allow sanction and seizure of anyone that resist the status quo, just look at the pro-Israel/ anti-protest bills introduced in Congress. So, in the coming year (& beyond), fight back, resist, and dismantle this unjust system and any & all systems upholding corruption, greed, war, & disease.

The Portfolio

Buy, Sell, Watch

Starting this year focused on asset managers & financial institutions. Tokenization (aka digitalization) of assets is on the rise, NFTS was only the trial run, physical assets are next. If you've been paying attention, you'd know I'm obsessed with everything Brookfield, so their asset management arm is my Top Stock Pick. Region-wise, India & Nigeria are setting up for major growth.

23Q4: I exited PNGAY, sold shares in EADSY, UBER, & BYFC and added USDC, KO, AGM, SCCO, VZ, TGT, TMUS, DG, GM, IBN, KBR, EMLC, UBS, DIS, AXP, MRK, BAM, HKXCY, CMCSA, & ALLY. Stocks on my watchlist: ALLY, BAM, LEMB, VZ, STWD, DTEGY, GOLD, IBN, SCCO, AFL, AXP, USB, HKXCY, CMCSA, TMUS, & JPM.

24Q1: I exited BYFC & F and sold shares in AAPL, MSFT, UBS, ETH, UBER & SCCO and added DIS, IBN, DGIN, PIN, DHT, UBS, USB, JPM, BAM, BN, DG, TGT, UL, AAPL, MSFT, GM, CMCSA, TMUS, DTEGY, VZ, CP, CGW, CMF, XLU, SPGM, GOLD, CBON, SPXS, ARCC, VICI, & KBR. Stocks on my watchlist: ALLY, BAM, LEMB, CP, IBN, PIN, MSFT, SCCO, AXP, HKXCY, CMCSA, TMUS, & JPM.

Top 10 Allstars

This section discusses/reports on the top holdings of the portfolio. There had been a few expected changes, as previously mentioned I sold shares of Southern Copper (SCCO) to lock in gains before supply chain issues and material hoarding start affecting stock prices. Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI) & Comcast (CMCSA) has been replaced with Disney (DIS), which I didn't expect & Brookfield Asset Management (BAM), which was intentioned. [TOTAL: $6,532.25]

23Q4: SCCO, AXP, ALLY, TOLZ, MRK, VZ, UL, AFL, OHI & CMCSA.

24Q1: AXP, ALLY, SCCO, TOLZ, MRK, VZ, UL, DIS, AFL, & BAM.

Small Bets

This list is composed of my smallest positions. As previously mentioned, I exited Broadway Financial Corporation (BYFC). I added a special mention, SPXS to watch/ benefit from any market pullback. I don't know what I'm going to do with RTX Corporation (RTX) (formerly known as, Raytheon), I don't want to intentionally invest in the active wars taking place. So, I guess I'll sell off gains while collecting the dividend payments until I'm completely out. I plan on adding to T-Mobile (TMUS).

23Q4 Tickers: BYFC, RTX, & TMUS

24Q1 Tickers: SPXS, RTX, WBD, & TMUS

Top Performers

This list is composed of my top performing positions. I added a special mention, Ethereum (ETH) has been benefitting from the move to bitcoin/ blockchain ETFs, and also set as a major component for tokenization. I sold shares of SCCO and the stock still trending up.

23Q4 Tickers: AGM, AXP, & SCCO

24Q1 Tickers: AGM, AXP, ETH & MRK

Worst Performers

This list is composed of my worst performing positions. Telecom is being dominated by T-Mobile (TMUS/ DTEGY) followed by Comcast (CMCSA), leaving Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) to scramble for more market share. AT&T (T) is proving to be more of a legacy- dividend trap, propped up by institutional money funds and congressional puppets. Barrick (GOLD) has fallen even more, despite the pullback on USD international use and central bank interest. Disney (DIS) announced a $3 billion dollar share buyback, a 50% dividend increase, and a $l.5-billion investment in Epic Games, the group behind the popular game Fortnite, to build a Disney Universe. Which has lifted it off the list and placed Sofi (SOFI) back on.

23Q4 Tickers: HOOD, VZ, T, DIS, & GOLD.

24Q1 Tickers: HOOD, GOLD, T, SOFI, & VZ.

Dividend Payout

Top Dividend Payers this quarter were STWD, SCCO, & AGM. This quarter's dividend total: $135.53, Previous quarter: $167.65. This quarter's results -$32.12 (-19.16%). Jan. $35.13, Feb. $55.67, & Mar. $44.73, compared to the previous year, -$30.02 (-53.92%), +$14.72 (+35.95%), -$8.49 (-18.98%), respectively. Total of 45 payments made. This quarter Jan. came back low and unable to surpass previous year payouts, due to Albertsons (ACI) paying out a huge dividend to grease the Kroger merger. March results surprised me, I was expecting continued growth, but it turns out many companies lowered their payouts. Below, is a line chart featuring the past 4 yrs. of Q1 dividend payments. Chart 1 is an overlay chart displaying each payment by month.

Surviving Capitalism: D.M.T.

The title "Surviving Capitalism" seems fitting post-COVID, being that locally the intellectuals are faulting high inflation, wealth inequality, employment redesign, and political mistrust for the state of world affairs. When intellectuals speak of the state of world affairs on a macro level, they're discussing deglobalization, multipolarity, and tokenization (asset controls).

I believe the overall portfolio provides a comprehensive look into America's markets, economy, & international affairs. Starting this year focused on asset managers & financial institutions, noted a majority of recent capital fundraising coming from Asian and Middle East investors. While government, states, and their institutions are requiring massive investments to fund billions -trillions dollar deficits, the Fed will hold rates higher, at least until the second half of the year, when the markets realize the price of global debt repayment.

This is why the portfolio is positioned to capture any financial gains from the massive government (& corporate) bond market, India's growth, USMCA trade benefits, asset accumulation by large managers, and consumer focused products & services. The majority of stocks/ ETFs in the portfolio pay dividends that will continue to be compounded into an asset-backed safety net, reflective of current world affairs. That being said, following the trend and narratives being pushed by various industries, western institutions are trying to minimize the negative effects of D.M.&T. Hopefully, gains can be made without sanctions and other restrictions negatively effecting the bet.

Conclusion

The overall conclusion reached, the word "recession" has lost its urgency, since governments has displayed their largesse when it comes to fulfilling their agenda, disregarding the working class. Both political parties practice trickle-down economics via crony capitalism to set low living standards for the majority (working class). In recent years, the governing class has publicly displayed who & what is worth investing in; and unfortunately, that's not homelessness, hunger, war, or poverty.

Capitalism and imperialism seem to go hand-in-hand, requiring monopolies to exploit labor, natural resources, and the exploitation of finance capital. The connection is further illuminated as we witness politicians voting as shareholders rather than Representatives, increasing their equity portfolios and personal net worths, rather than building a better society for us all. We witness the connection as politicians choose to financially exploit foreign nations with sanctions and tariffs to control their resources.

As a moral capitalist, I believe we should reject government & institutions brand of capitalism. Their brand of capitalism finds it acceptable to give billions in bailouts to mismanaged corporations, rather thousands to working people. Their brand of capitalism has produced pollution, terror, disease, selfishness, and helplessness. Their brand of capitalism is a poison, used to extract your life from you to power their agenda.

Therefore, brace for the Global South/ Global Majority to attempt to reshape the world order; deglobalization serves as the result of the BRICS+ nations and America (NATO nations) fighting over resources. Tokenization is the collaborative scheme between Wall Street and governing elites to further control global assets & resources via digital contracts. Then there’s multipolarity, the claimed desired result of the Global South, claiming to want a fair and equitable world, not ruled solely by America.

It’s crazy that I have to say this but: none of this is investing advice and you should do your own research and never take the word of someone else without doing so. All investing involves risk, and only you can decide what to risk and is worth risking for. And you look stupid trying to sue someone because you followed blindly.