Steady

Markets are not, …

… but we are …

… steady.

Why?

Our plan is in place.

And, it’s acting out.

At such a time, when things are actually happening, should we just bail?

NO.

We had built up to this.

We had determined…

…to be liquid…

…at a time like this.

And now the time is happening.

We were mindful of not underestimating market-forces and how they influence the mind.

We knew we’d feel a sense of fear…

…but had taught ourselves to still act, by generating an environment of fearlessness.

And acting we are, fearlessly.

Funds have been going in, and will continue to go in throughout the fall, bit by bit.

This is our time.

When everyone is afraid, that’s when we play.

We are actualizing big profits by this action, because we are buying into margin of safety. Actualization will translate into real profits at a later stage. Sooner, than later.

You see, things take place very fast in the markets nowadays. Falls happen extremely quickly. Bear markets were capped at 15 to 18 months pre-CoVid. However, don’t you feel the speed of movement is much quicker nowadays?

So, currently, we are buying into margin of safety. Eventually we’ll pull some principal out and create cost-free holdings. Later, as levels pick up, we’ll be buying into momentum. Our entry quantum will increase with increasing levels, since entry-size is a function of portfolio-size for us. Also, the speed of translation into cost-free-ness will shoot up.

We will continue to create cost-free-ness through all cycles, sometimes slowly, sometimes faster.

Over time, our created cost-free-ness will become a sizeable legacy.

A-Gamers

Hey, …

…nowadays, …

…we only play our A-game.

There’s no time for formalities.

It’s late in the day.

All weapons are out.

This is the need of the hour.

So, what are the salient features of our A-game?

A well-forged, multiply-faceted, time-tested road map – our system of systems – our one Strategy. This one’s 360 degrees. It incorporates both trading and investing, and leads to very long holds in cost-free form. Includes more than twenty highly competitive, sharpened, edge-providing Modules, about which I wrote a few articles back. As far as strategies go, we are cruising in a Maybach on the Autobahn. No worries there.

Patience. In the last twenty odd years, we have learnt how to sit. Makes biggest money, said we know who. Patience is ubiquitous, or is it? Many people have developed it. Many are born with it. But then, many are not. And, markets demand their own kind of patience. Over the years, we have learnt and developed market-patience. We wait for our levels before acting. We sit on our Cost-Free-Ness, like, forever. We are not in a hurry. I ‘can behave’ as if this is my own module 🙂 (do allow me the indulgence), but patience is universal and out there for everyone to incorporate and exploit on their own.

Liquidity. This is a module. Am reiterating it here since it is key. Our initial small-entry-quantum strategy (remember, that’s how we started!) allowed us ample liquidity, always. Yes, we were always liquid in situations, when they came, while building up the backbone of our portfolios. Slowly, portfolio-size started to grow. Then came the incorporation of position-sizing, thanks to my learnings from Dr. Van K.Tharp. Subsequently, I instinctively added my own twist to this, making it Non-Linear Position Sizing (NLPS) that we follow. NLPS initially allows for small entry quanta. As portfolio-size increases, so does each entry quantum-size. However, the latter increases more than y = x, i.e. more than linear. This means that over the very long term, entry quanta become remarkably substantial in size. Nevertheless, we still maintain balance by perhaps Fine-Tuning entries and exits to the nth level, i.e. with huge win probabilities, which automatically / mathematically leads to lesser entries. Strategy thus goes on cruise-control. Furthermore, outstanding entry-prices, followed by Quick Generation of cost-free-ness make our very long-term holdings as Anti-Fragile (thanks for the term, Mr. Taleb) as possible.

Talking of cruise-control, our back-end allows for full Automation at button-clicks. All transactional trail-mail is auto-forwarded to every required avenue. It’s a one-time self-setup time-expense, so don’t be afraid of it, since the reward is disproportionately huge. Each avenue allows preview and further transfer / storage after button-clicks. Taxation? Button-clicks. Indexing? Button-clicks. Retrieval? Button-clicks. Viewing in any format? Button-Clicks (baby).

Time. We have all the time in the world. We do our own thing. Income is sorted. Wealth is being generated on auto, and is multiplying. Learn languages. Travel. Pro-bono. I teach kids. To manage their own finances. From a young age. Currently I’m teaching four kids. It’s a give-back, and they can pay it forward.

In a nutshell, that’s my A-game. I’ve taught it forward, so I can talk about a we. You’ve seen it develop in this space over the last 14+ years. I’ve nothing to hide. It’s for everyone to use and benefit from. The act of Giving gives me the most Satisfaction in life.

Approach

Hey,

Just did a mental review about my approach to the markets over the years.

Saw how I started out.

What was the motivation?

Strategy?

Mindset?

Outcome?

Then gauged these parameters after being in the markets for ten years.

And, finally, assessed the same as of today, after being in the markets for twenty years.

Here are a few observations.

Approach softened over the years.

Not in quantity. Will come to that in a bit.

No, approach became opportunity-linked.

One didn’t wish that the markets would be somewhere.

One played them where they were, as was worthy of that situation.

One wasn’t tense.

One had rules. Approach was now rule-based.

One enjoyed the approach.

It was relaxing.

It now gave a kick.

Now, there was feeling of achievement.

Of creation.

Of success.

Earlier, all this wasn’t there.

One was tense most of the time.

One followed markets all the time.

Sometimes, sleep eluded.

Now, after market hours, what market? When you don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist, for you.

I’d said I would mention quantity, which has been increasing steadily, since it’s a function of portfolio-size.

So, in a nutshell, benefits abound, upon ever-increasing quantity?

What’s happened?

What’s changed?

Have gotten into a groove.

Found a sweet-spot.

Entered a zone. The Zone, perhaps.

It’s like that ‘perfect’ cover drive, or an optimal trajectory golf drive shot resulting in a birdie for the hole. Don’t wish to use ‘hole-in-one’ here, that would be too much… .

In the Zone, you know things.

Someone outside the Zone will ask how one knows.

Don’t know. One just knows.

One can attach oneself to the swing of the Universe.

One is one with the swing.

It takes time to get into the groove.

For me, make that twenty years.

One becomes mouldable, and flows with the current of the Zone.

I enjoy my approach.

It’s not tangible.

Visibility is not my criterion.

What is, then?

Fulfilment.

If my approach is all I have when I die, I’ll leave with a feeling of fulfilment.

Opportunity

Knock knock.

Nobody home.

See you, bye. Maybe never.

Knock knock.

Come in.

This is the requirement.

No funds.

Bye.

Knock knock.

Hey. Funds not a problem.

Guts?

What if I lose?

Bye.

Knock knock.

I wish to invest and the risk is digestible.

Ok. Pull the trigger.

Should we wait for a better price?

Bye.

Knock knock.

Let’s pull the trigger.

Ok.

There.

Bye.

Hey, it’s been a month and I’m up 10%. Let’s cash out.

Ok. Bye.

Knock knock.

This time I’ll let my profit run. The last one doubled in 6 months, but I’d cashed out after a minuscule rise.

So you’ve learnt how to sit?

I keep a lookout for you. If I’m not home I get alerted to your presence, so that I can act in time.

Then, I always maintain ample liquidity for you.

The amounts I put in make my risk digestible, looking at the total size of my portfolio and liquidity.

Once you knock, I’m not afraid to pull the trigger anymore.

I’ve learnt to let multibaggers develop. I don’t nip them in the bud anymore.

Wonderful. Now add cost-free-ness to your repertoire.

Why?

It’ll trick your mind into holding your multibagger eternally, so that it is given the chance of becoming a megabagger.

Will do, thanks, cost-free-ness won’t cost me anything, right?

Not a penny.