Monthly Update #009 - September 2021
September has ended, I am awake, and it is time for another update on my portfolio performance, my claimed dividend, and whatever events may have occurred.
Growth Portfolio
Unlisted on the chart in order: Xiaomi, Tattooed Chef, Unity, Coinbase.
The month has been mostly flat for me, which I guess in itself is a win with September usually being red for the general markets. This time around they have certainly taken a beating, mostly tied to the world being uneasy with the situation in China. Xiaomi (1810) has obviously been hit the hardest, but as I am still working on building my position here, it could eventually turn into a blessing. I am confident that Xiaomi will avoid the worst of the crackdown - but it does continue to trend down alongside all other Chinese stocks. I made two small purchases of the stock in September and lowered my average to 25.8 HKD from around 27. Unfortunately my largest purchase of the stock I made at just around 30 as I at the time thought it would be my last chance to pick it up in the 20's range.
An almost 10% difference in my growth portfolio performance in September in comparison to the broader market. I am up 20% year to date.
Tesla (TSLA) reported delivery numbers this Saturday - technically the weekend right after September markets closed - but I thought it fit better here than in next month's update. Once again they managed to beat expectations with 241.300 deliveries this quarter - a total of 627.000 for the year. They are up 73% YoY despite every single other automaker in the world seeing huge declines in sales and deliveries. If this trend continues - Tesla growing at the pace that they do and others declining rapidly - they will be producing as many vehicles as General Motors (GM) by the end of next year. In the same time frame numbers were down 33% of this particular giant of the industry with a total of 446.997 deliveries in the third quarter. All is of course being blamed on the semiconductor shortage which is setting major factories on standby all over the world, but some may theorize that demand for new EVs is finally starting to overtake that of ICE. Long-time Tesla bull Cathie Woods has this very interesting insight to share:
I do expect the chip shortage to better throughout 2022 and Tesla may take a little longer catching up to GM and others than current trends reveal, but nonetheless, it is not far away. Tesla is growing into its high valuation every single quarter and when an industry-wide crisis like this one is unable to slow them down in the slightest it speaks volumes of their leadership and execution. If you are wondering why I have not yet sold any of my Tesla stock this is exactly why despite being up big over the years.
Dividend Portfolio
I continue to build upon my dividend portfolio while focusing on balancing all positions equally.
Finally after a few months of nothing much: My dividend portfolio saw some love in September. With this year’s total dividends collected and a small cash contribution, I doubled my position in Realty Income (O). Realty Income is my favorite REIT and uniquely pays out its dividend each month. But the reason I decided to buy another chunk right now is that I am awaiting the finalization of the merger/spinoff deal they did with VERIT (VER) earlier in the year. Once things are in place I will receive shares of a brand new office REIT based on the number of shares I hold in Reality Income. Receiving an entire new dividend-paying stock as a sort of dividend just from holding is right up my alley and I have been excited for a long time for it to go through. We should not be far off now and I am glad I was able to buy more shares in time.
My dividend portfolio is down for the month, mainly within real estate which has all been affected by the Evergrande situation in China.
I waited for the price per share to drop below $70 for Realty Income and as soon as it did I had an order ready to go through. As per usual when I am a little impatient I am reminded of why I should not: As of writing the stock trades at $66 per share, which is right along my original entry price - so of course, I should have waited. But given that I intend to hold this stock for the rest of my life I am just happy to see my dividends increase from next month on.
Here are my dividends for all of September. Looking forward to seeing that extra digit coming from my favorite REIT in October.
| Name of Position | Payout Date | Amount (USD) |
| MIcrosoft (MSFT) | 13.09.2021 | $91.13 |
| 3M (MMM) | 14.09.2021 | $14.54 |
| Realty Income (O) | 16.09.2021 | $6.27 |
| Nvidia (NVDA) | 24.09.2021 | $0.79 |
| Total | Sep 2021 | $112.73 |
Total dividends received this month across all my portfolios – before taxes.
Microsoft by the way, which sits in my growth portfolio but still pays a nice dividend, has announced an increase in their dividends going forward - up by 11.5% to $0.62 per share.
Website updates & Statistics
Congratulations to the Singaporean readers who made the list this month :).
Personal
Getting straight into the not-so-fun part of this update: I quit my job at Lenovo. I only just started on September 1st, but already within 30 days, I figured it was not the right place for me to be. I prioritize my studies and will continue to do so and this was a matter of practicality and promises not being upheld in order to make the many hours fit in with my schedule. It has not been the most fun month for me and for the first time in years I am without an income from a job. But I decided it was better for both parties to not waste too much time trying to make something work that would eventually fail. I am now on the hunt for a new job - and I hope to find something that is right for me. That means I will aim to find something even more relevant for my studies - rather than just tech, I will be looking to find a role within design, UX, or interactivity.
And so I am working on my portfolio again which I may share here when I feel it lives up to the quality I aim for. Besides school, my schedule for October will then be entirely free - which means I should be able to apply for any job I find to be a good fit. I hope you all have a great month and success in your endeavors.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, the opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own – always invest at your own risk.
