Welcome to your first weekly update of the Smart Money Masters portfolio.
With the “Trump trade” back on, markets had a strong week.
U.S. markets rallied, with the Dow Jones jumping 2.29%, the S&P 500 gaining 2.08% and the Nasdaq rising 1.77%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index continued its winning ways by recording a 2.43% gain.
Now, here is a quick reminder about your new Smart Money Masters portfolio.
Smart Money Masters is replacing your Alpha Investor Letter subscription starting this week. All of the terms of your current subscription will remain in place.
I’ve screened all of your current Alpha Investor Letter recommendations through the new Smart Money Masters methodology. As a result, six of your previous Alpha Investor Letter positions were transferred to your new portfolio. Add in Wilbur Ross’ Navigator Holdings (NVGS), recommended in the Smart Money Masters March 2017 newsletter, and you start off with a portfolio of the “Magnificent Seven.”
All seven of your Smart Money Masters positions rose over the past week. Bill Ackman’s #1 pick, Restaurant Brands International (QSR), surged 8.67% after reporting better-than-expected financial results. PayPal Holdings (PYPL), Costco (COST) and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) continued their winning ways with gains of 4.00%, 3.65% and 2.47%, respectively.
Also, all of your positions are trading above their 50-day moving averages and remain BUYs.
Portfolio Update
Based on the latest 13F filing, Bill Ackman added another 0.98% to his holding in Restaurant Brands International (QSR).
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2016 numbers on Feb. 15, after the closing bell. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 9.21%.
Costco (COST) reported that its January sales increased by 9% to reach $9.08 billion compared to last year’s $8.32 billion. Comparable sales growth was led by Canada with an 11% increase, followed by the United States with 6%.
Sincerely,
Nicholas A. Vardy
