Today is the last day of January. After the stock market rout this month, it is time to take stock of the current portfolio allocation and articulate the game plan for the rest of the year.
Entering January, I had moved about 25% from cash/ fixed income into equities to bet on US Federal Reserve's interest rate rise. Also included in the move was a tactical bet on the January effect. As things stand, this move turned out to be wrong. A review of my portfolio shows there are 3 areas of stress, namely, a collection of oil & gas (O&G) stocks, a 15% concentration in Global Logistic Properties (GLP) and stocks in general. The current war chest level stands around 37%. The past 3 weekends were spent analysing what is happening to China, O&G stocks, GLP, potential bargain hunting opportunities and the adequacy of the war chest......