Q1 2025 Portfolio Review | Back below $200,000 and on the downtrend

The portfolio has dropped significantly in Q1 2025 compared to 2024 all time high from the Trump effect. In 2025, every time Trump appears, it seems to make the market dump as 2025 seem to be all about tariffs and how to screw the world up.

It’s been tough looking at the portfolio and seeing it drop in value as Tesla and Bitcoin both hold a significant position in my portfolio and so the fall has been ouch.

Stocks

The stock holdings in my portfolio has been falling as Tesla gets hit by auto tariffs and deliver lower numbers of cars for Q1. There has been wave of unhappiness towards Elon which is being directed to Tesla car owners.

With that, we have seen individuals scratching and damaging Tesla cars and it will have some impact on the sale of Tesla. I think the brand of Tesla do seem affected and Q1 deliveries number isn’t looking good. Almost all bets are now on FSD and Optimus so if nothing happens by June or by this year, we will need to assess.

Adding CSPX as per monthly addition, other than that, nothing much.

Crypto

Just holding onto existing positions, Bitcoin has retraced quite a bit from it’s highs but is holding up pretty well in the face of tariffs. Ethereum has been performing horribly, basically not looking at this portfolio as I think there have been better times and hopefully better times ahead too.

REITs

This portfolio has been holding up not bad, adding monthly contributions to it, not huge and could have earned more if placed elsewhere but looking at the drop in the US stock market, glad to have this around.

I will continue to add here and hold on till retirement? haha, I think it does seem more like capital preservation kinda investment and dividends is the added bonus. Does seem nice to have something not drop as drastically compared to the US stock market.

Options

Not doing much on this end as volatility is real high but I did do a few covered calls the past week to earn some small change but with this volatility, I will see how, not an everyday kinda thing.

Holding on tight

It is difficult to feel secure or think that the market will be able to recover back to it’s high but we all know that this will be over except we don’t know when. It might drop further and it can get scary when looking at your portfolio every time you open the app.

I try not to check my portfolio often and don’t think so much about it. I have already automated my buys so it will continue but I will add some buy actions to take advantage of this downturn. Will be getting in by batches.

I have heard so many people around mentioning that they should have sold it last year when the market was at an all-time high but to be honest, heck, we though 2025 will be a bull market with Trump mentioning that he thinks the interest rate should be cut but look where we are. Well, we can be grateful that all we have to think is how much money we have lost and not whether will we be able to have our next meal. Grateful for that and all in all, great buying opportunity although we don’t think how low is low and how long this will last.

Options - The solution to income and capital growth?

My friends have been doing options in the stock market, buying puts and calls based on where they think the stock will be headed. With that said, one of them have just broken even but made himself pretty busy managing the options and the other have earned some money from it.

I was thinking if I should go in and start doing options as well as the FOMO hits hard when they share about their experiences especially when the trade is profitable. But I am lazy and don’t want to be stressing about positions. I did covered calls during the bear market and overall did earn some. But the bull market is here now and I do not have much cash on hand to do cash secured puts so I am happy holding my spot positions.

My friends said it is a good time to get into options as the volatility is high and market seems to be going well but I know it’s not that easy.

Taken from ChatGPT: Options trading is a form of financial trading that involves buying and selling options, which are contracts that give the buyer the right (but not the obligation) to buy or sell an underlying asset (like stocks, commodities, or currencies) at a specified price on or before a certain date. Options are a type of derivative because their value is derived from the underlying asset.

Why 0DTE options are getting popular

One of my friend buys a 2 weeks to a month call/put but manages it daily and he says that once there is a certain profit, he will proceed to close it within the day. I didn’t really ask the details but it sounds tiring and so far he is profitable from what he shares.

Taken from Chat GPT: 0DTE options (Zero Days to Expiration options) are options contracts that expire on the same trading day they are purchased. These ultra-short-term options have gained significant popularity among traders in recent years due to their unique characteristics and potential for high returns.

I guess there is an adrenaline rush or excitement doing 0DTE options like you are earning money daily easily. I did not ask if he was earning money overall but I guess he is?

Using Covered Calls and Cash Secured Puts to earn some income?

I like using covered calls and cash secured puts as you will not lose money but in a way lose out in future gains if the stock soars up as covered call would mean that you would need to sell it once it hits the strike price and if the shares burst past the strike price, you miss out.

With cash secured puts, you miss out if the stock keeps going up and doesn’t come down to your strike price for you to get the shares at the lower price. In a way, it is a good way to earn some income although holding shares in the long term could turn out better in the case of covered calls. I have missed out in some gains for covered call so I only occasionally sell it. You don’t lose money but lose out future gains which is all right for me.

I do like the concept of cash secured puts but in that case, you would need to have some capital especially for shares that I would like to have in my portfolio.

Overall, I prefer holding spot positions and options are kinda secondary or optional in my case. What are you thoughts in using options as an income?