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The month that was:
October was another good month for the market. The Nasdaq went up by about 4.7%, the Dow went up by about 2.5%, and the S&P 500 went up by about 2.3%. On October 29th, Nvidia became the first company ever to be worth $5 trillion. Gold also went above $4,000 an ounce for the first time.
There was one scary day. On October 10th, President Trump threatened to put a 100% tariff on Chinese goods, after China limited exports of rare earth metals, which are needed to make electronics, cars, and weapons. The S&P 500 fell 2.7% that day, its worst day since April. But the two countries started talking again, and the market recovered within a few days. On October 29th, the Fed cut interest rates again, to between 3.75% and 4%. However, Fed Chair Powell said that another cut in December was "not a foregone conclusion," and the market fell a little.
On October 1st, the U.S. government shut down. Every year, Congress has to pass a law to give government agencies money to operate. If Congress can't agree on that law, the government has to shut down parts of its operations. Hundreds of thousands of government workers are sent home without pay, and others, like air traffic controllers, have to keep working without being paid until the shutdown ends. Government reports, like the jobs report and inflation report, also stop coming out, which makes it harder for the Fed and investors to know what is happening in the economy.
Shutdowns usually don't affect the stock market very much, because they are temporary and the workers eventually get paid back. But the longer a shutdown lasts, the more it can slow down the economy. Companies that work for the government, like Booz Allen Hamilton and SAIC, can also be hurt because their contracts are delayed.
Buys -
Bought 13 ISRG at $463.41
Intuitive Surgical makes the da Vinci robot that helps doctors do surgery through tiny cuts. It is the clear leader in surgical robots. I bought shares on October 21st, and the next day the stock jumped about 14% after strong earnings.
Bought 2 TMO at $561.00
Thermo Fisher has gone up a lot since I bought it at around $415 in June. I added two more shares, because its business is improving.
Bought 8 ADBE at $357.65
Bought 25 ONON at $42.38
Bought 7 CSL at $339.99
Bought 7 UFPT at $191.16
Bought 21 KDP at $27.77
I added to Adobe and On Holding, and I started new positions in Carlisle, which makes roofing materials, UFP Technologies, which makes parts for medical devices, and Keurig Dr Pepper, which makes coffee pods and soft drinks.
Sells -
Sold 25 CNC at $36.73
On October 29th, Centene reported better than expected results, and the stock jumped. I sold my shares for a profit of about 17%.
Sold 19 NVO at $54.79
I sold most of my Novo Nordisk shares for a profit of about 6%.
Sold 7 SAIC at $92.49
Sold 5 IT at $236.75
Sold 5 CDW at $157.02
I sold some SAIC, Gartner, and CDW shares for losses.
Buys and Sells -
Bought 42 DECK at $102.90
Sold 52 DECK at $87.20
I bought more Deckers right before its earnings report. On October 23rd, Deckers gave a weak forecast for the holiday season, and the stock fell about 15% the next day. I sold all of my shares for a loss of about 16%.
Bought 42 CMG at $40.11
Sold 62 CMG at $33.70
On October 29th, Chipotle lowered its sales forecast for the third time this year, because younger customers are spending less. The stock fell about 18%. I had added shares that week, and I sold all of my shares for a loss.
Bought 15 BAH at $100.57
Sold 25 BAH at $89.20
On October 24th, Booz Allen Hamilton lowered its forecast because of the government shutdown and spending cuts, and the stock fell. I sold all of my shares for a loss of about 12%.
Bought 106 ALSN at $83.03
Sold 61 ALSN at $77.50
I bought a lot of Allison Transmission this month, but the stock fell after its earnings report, and I sold more than half of my shares for a loss of about 7%.
Bought 7 FDS at $294.83
Sold 16 FDS at $280.06
FactSet kept falling because of worries about AI, and I sold more shares for a loss of about 12%.
Bought 7 EFX at $231.94
Sold 7 EFX at $232.62
Bought 5 ACN at $250.72
Sold 3 ACN at $249.08
Bought 5 BMI at $187.70
Sold 5 BMI at $182.56
Bought 5 WCN at $173.21
Sold 5 WCN at $168.38
Bought 7 TSM at $305.40
Sold 7 TSM at $303.06
Bought 10 SYK at $369.25
Sold 10 SYK at $363.99
Bought 19 TOST at $38.94
Sold 19 TOST at $35.80
Bought 50 RKT at $18.16
Sold 50 RKT at $16.36
I also made many short-term trades in Equifax, Accenture, Badger Meter, Waste Connections, Taiwan Semiconductor, Stryker, Toast, and Rocket Companies. Most of them ended in small losses.
Even though the stock market went up this month, I lost money on many of my trades. My biggest mistakes were buying Deckers and Chipotle right before their earnings reports. I have made this same mistake many times this year, and I need to stop. I am going to try to make fewer trades and hold my best companies for longer.
Thanks for reading my newsletter!