Pandemic Portfolio

Barrick Gold (GOLD)*

Sector: Gold mining

Barrick Gold Corp (GOLD) is considered the Best-in-Breed gold miner, engaged in production and sale of gold and copper as well as related activities such as exploration and mine development. The company holds interests throughout the world in the form of Barrick Nevada, Golden Sunlight, Hemlo, Jabal Sayid, Lagunas Norte, Lumwana, Porgera, Pueblo Viejo, Turquoise Ridge, and many more.

A hedge against the unlimited printed of fiat currencies and the unstable nature of gold ETFs, Barrick Gold is the Pandemic Portfolio’s protection against financial unstability due to the pandemic.

Caterpillar (CAT)*

Sector: Industrial

Caterpillar (CAT) is the best-in-breed when it comes to construction equipment, and, strangely enough, is now a play on  artificial intelligence.

How?

CAT announced in its recent earnings call that the company’s seeing a huge rise in sales to build data centers where the majority of A.I. computer equipment will be housed.

Chevron (CVX)*

Sector: Energy

Chevron (CVX) is one of the best (if not the best) oil and gas companies on the planet. Additionally, CVX recently started expanding into renewables with little doubt that this will be an ever-increasing part of the company into the future.

Despite the inarguable need for humanity to turn to renewable energy sources, the transition could potentially still take decades so the need for oil and gas will remain a top priority meaning Chevron should be an excellent long-term investment.

Costco (COST)*

Sectors: Big Box Retail, International Growth

Costco (COST) is the leading big-box membership retailer and is the second biggest retail chain in the world second only to Amazon (AMZN). Costco management practices ESG principles (Environment – Social – Governance) by looking out for its employees, its shareholders, its customers, and its communities.

Key to Costco’s success is how it makes money – it makes almost no money from the items and services it sells. Costco’s profits come from annual membership dues, growth in membership, retention of existing members, and expansion into developing countries.

Crown Castle (CCI)*

Sectors: 5G, Technology, Internet

Crown Castle International (CCI) specializes in leasing cell phone towers and offering fiber-optic cable solutions to the major phone service providers including Sprint (S), T-Mobile (TMUS), AT&T (T), and Verizon (VZ).

CCI has a long track record of good performance, however, recently Elliot Management, an activist investment firm, opened a position in CCI with a plan to extract more value for the company.

Elliot’s history of bringing out value in companies – sometimes aggressively – combined with the introduction of 5G makes CCI a company worth investing in.

Digital Realty (DLR)*

Sectors: The Cloud, Data Center, Internet, Technology

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) owns data center, colocation, and interconnection properties supporting cloud and information technology services, communications, and social networking including data centers for clients in financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and consumer products.

Microsoft (MSFT)*

Sectors: The Cloud, Gaming, Software, Technology

Microsoft (MSFT) is likely unknown to no one, makers of the world’s #1 operating system, Windows, along with the most popular office software suite, Microsoft Office.

Once a stodgy slow-growing company, Microsoft has transformed itself from being a stodgy software company into a diversified technological powerhouse, dominating everything from Software as a Service (SaaS), cloud data with its Azure service, e-sports and e-gaming with its Xbox video game studios, and much more.

Pepsico (PEP)*

Sectors: Consumer Products, Global Growth

Pepsico (PEP) is the maker of Pepsi, but also the owner of a diversified selection of brands including snacks and foods. You probably know their brands but didn’t know Pepsico owned them including Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, Cap’n Crunch, Pastaroni, Quaker Oats, Rice-a-Roni, Aquafina, Mountain Dew, H2oh!, Gatorade, Manzanita, San Carlos, Agusha, and more.

In this portfolio, Pepsico offers security since, during a recession, food stocks tend to outperform as people must always buy food – no matter how dire their economic situation may be. Plus, Pepsico’s ~3% dividend yield is nice to have in an investment.

Pepsico is Best-in-Breed in the space, even more so than competitor Coca-Cola (KO) thanks to its excellent management and diversified portfolio of brands which makes the company a lot more than a “sugar water manufacturer.”

Union Pacific (UNP)*

Sector: Transports, ESG

Union Pacific (UNP) is one of a handful of train companies, responsible for the vast majority of heavy transport throughout the United States.

Additionally, UNP’s incredibly efficient diesel locomotive engines make this tranport also an Environmental/Social/Governance (ESG) play, strangely enough.

Waste Management (WM)*

Sector: Industrial

Waste Management, Inc. (WM) provides waste management, recycling, and environmental services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.

In addition to disposal sites, WM also owns material recovery facilities (MRF) and is developing landfill gas-to-energy conversion facilities as well as transfer stations.

Also, a surprising ESG (Environmental-Social-Governance) play, Waste Management supports the communities in which it operates in a variety of philanthropic ways.

* Indicates a stock that yields a dividend. Reinvested dividends provide significant long-term gains and can also offer solace during periods of market downturns.

Pandemic Portfolio #51

Pandemic Portfolio #51

I execute a profitable move selling Costco (COST) before earning and buying it back after; I take profits in Waste Management (WM); I reinvest dividends in Barrick Gold (GOLD), Chevron and Microsoft (MSFT); and give strategy updates for CAT, CCI, DLR, PEP, SLV and UNP!

Pandemic Portfolio #50

Pandemic Portfolio #50

I add TWO new positions: Caterpillar (CAT) and Union Pacific (UNP); I add to Barrick Gold (GOLD); take profits in Costco (COST); and gives updates on the rest!

Pandemic Portfolio #49

Pandemic Portfolio #49

I add to Chevron (CVX); take dividends in Costco (COST), Crown Castle (CCI), Digital Realty (DLR), and Pepsico (PEP); add to DLR; and update the rest!

Pandemic Portfolio #48

Pandemic Portfolio #48

2023 was a Rough Year for the Portfolio, plus I received dividends in Barrick Gold (GOLD), Chevron (CVX), Microsoft (MSFT), and Waste Management (WM).

Pandemic Portfolio #47

Pandemic Portfolio #47

Whipsaw Volatility Roared Across the Portfolio! I add to Chevron (CVX), reinvest dividends in Costco (COST), take profits in Waste Management (WM) & Digital Realty (DLR) twice, and so much more!

Pandemic Portfolio #46

Pandemic Portfolio #46

Volatility reigns and I add to Chevron (CVX) & Pepsico x2; plus I reinvest dividends in Crown Castle (CCI), Digital Realty Trust (DLR) and PEP.