STE's Stocks Investing Journey

Having spent so many years navigating the ups and downs of the stock market, I am more convinced than ever that equity investing boils down to just two words: market cycles. <Image credit: Fidelity Investment> There is no such thing as permanent value in the stock market; there are only shifting trends that take turns dominating different periods. What was highly sought after yesterday won't necessarily stay in the limelight today, and the "bad stock" that nobody wants right now doesn't mean it won't have its day to shine tomorrow. The future of a stock is always an unknown variable. Think back to a few years ago when the world was trapped in a super low-interest-rate environment. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were the absolute darlings of local Singaporean investors. Back then, who didn't have their portfolio packed to the brim with REITs? High dividend yields and stable cash flows made them look like the ultimate safe haven. All blogs, YT ch...

Riding the Market Waves: Trump Tariffs and the Market Volatility Hi Everyone! It’s me again, it has been quite some time since the last update of my Portfolio in December 2024, and now maybe it's time to share my thoughts on the latest market rollercoaster. If you’ve been following the news or your portfolio’s ups and downs, you’ve probably felt the turbulence from the recent market rout sparked by Trump’s tariff liberation day . My portfolio’s been doing a bit of a yo-yo dance this year: up 11% early on, then down to -2% when the tariff war hit, and now rebounding slightly to +7%. It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin! But as I reflect on this, I’m reminded that this kind of volatility is just par for the course. Markets are chaotic, non-linear , and driven by sentiment, but for long-term investors like us, these dips are just noise in the grand scheme of the investing world. Let’s unpack what’s happening, why it’s not worth losing sleep over, and how we can position ourselves to...