Monthly Update #008 - August 2021
August is wrapped up and so is my (long) summer holiday. It is time that I return to my everyday schedule - nonetheless, the monthly updates continue as always.
Growth Portfolio
Unlabeled on the graph from left to right: Tattooed Chef, Xiaomi, Unity, Coinbase.
Overall it has been a great month for my growth portfolio. Nvidia (NVDA) continues its meteoritic rise after its 4:1 stock split and is crawling into significance in my portfolio. Its counterpart in my portfolio TSMC (TSM) saw some pushback this month as the effects of the China crackdown trickled into the southeast Asian markets. Further loss was migrated though as an agreement surrounding their upcoming plant in Arizona was finalized and as the company announced a 10-20% price hike across their product portfolio. The semiconductor shortage seems in full effect and for now, that means price increases are passed on to the customer.
Speaking of semiconductors Tesla (TSLA) held their first ever 'AI Day' on August 19th in which the company revealed their own in-house chip called the D1, which is part of Tesla's Dojo supercomputer and set to be many times more effective than anything else currently in place to train their self-driving models and simulations. Tesla today is using Nvidia chips, which within long will be replaced with this custom silicon. Interestingly, soon after news broke about Tesla joining the long list of companies in opposition to the Arm Holdings acquisition by Nvidia. The event, however, solidified Tesla as the leader in autonomous vehicles, revealing new details and impressive simulation algorithms and auto labeling generations ahead of their competitors. The event ended on a note resembling a publicity stunt, as Tesla revealed their plans for a humanoid robot called the 'Tesla bot' to take over repetitive, boring, or dangerous tasks in the future - with a prototype ready sometime next year. It seems to lack clear purpose and much substance, however definitely an attempt to create excitement for talent within robotics and automation to join the company.
August showed market beating growth for my portfolio and makes up for doing near nothing the month prior.
Tattooed Chef (TTCF) inexplicably fell off a cliff following earnings and then quickly recovered within a few days. I scrambled to gather capital for another investment in the $16-17 range but failed to come up with anything. Overall I continue to be impressed with this company and its ability to expand so quickly in such a short amount of time. Although no announcement has been made it seems the rumors have come true and Tattooed Chef has now joined the brands being offered on American military bases across the world.
Whatever money I did have left this month, has instead gone into Xiaomi (1810) as Chinese stocks are being crushed under new regulations and fear of government interference. I believe Xiaomi to be on the safer side in regards to whatever new consequences we can expect from the crackdown and their Q2 earnings report makes it clear how vastly undervalued this company is. Just this month alone, Xiaomi unveiled a new flagship phone, the Mix 4 with a market-leading under-display front-facing camera, a new home security camera, the Redmi 10 - an entry-level smartphone as well as two new incredible-looking laptops for the Indian market. They also announced they are doing away with the 'Mi' branding and defaulting to 'Xiaomi' in the future to simplify their portfolio as they continue to expand.
Oh... And they revealed a clone of the Boston Dynamics 'Spot' quadruped robot called the Cyberdog.
Dividend Portfolio
My dividend portfolio is doing well and is the rock I hang onto in these volatile times.
As has become the most common way to phrase this section: Not too much has happened in my dividend portfolio this month - Exactly like it should be. AbbVie (ABBV) has made breakthroughs in a phase 3 trial which could be a potential big win for investors over the long term, plans are progressing as expected for the Realty Income (O) merger and still, no real news is out surrounding the AT&T (T) Warner Media spinoff. As always I have bought a little more of my danish market ETF.
My dividend portfolio us up a little more than 20% for year. Honestly I did not expect that.
Here is a rundown of the dividends I received in the month of August:
| Name of Position | Payout Date | Amount (USD) |
| AT&T (T) | 03.08.2021 | $62.03 |
| Realty Income (O) | 16.08.2021 | $6.37 |
| AbbVie (ABBV) | 17.08.2021 | $43.03 |
| Total | Aug 2021 | $111.43 |
Total dividends received this month across all my portfolios – before taxes.
Dividends are still just a small part of my overall stock portfolio growth, but I love that each and every month I receive realized gains and that it all happens completely automatically and passively. I will continue to care for this portfolio until it will one day turn out a livable stream of income for me.
Website updates & Statistics
It might turn out that next month will see my American audience overtake my Danish one.
This marks the third month of a growing visitor number in spite on my new more passive strategy, which I am really enjoying. Near 2000 views in August.
Personal
On the personal side, I will keep it short this time around. Summer is over and school is back. I am back in my 2nd year of University or 3rd semester. My schedule this semester is a little all over the place, but the subjects seem super interesting. It is great to be back on campus and not just attending classes over Zoom. I will be testing my skills with the infamous microcontroller 'Raspberry Pi' and apparently turning philosophical about science and technology, amongst other things.
As I mentioned in the last update I will be joining Lenovo (0992) from September 1st. I am very excited about this opportunity and will be spending the day at their headquarters for the entirety of my first day. I am looking forward to what this role will bring and how it can help me grow and learn even more about the technology I love.
Hope you enjoyed the read and have a wonderful September.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, the opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own – always invest at your own risk.
