Looking back, I would describe 2025 as a very fruitful year for me as an investor. Despite the sharp sell-off in April, U.S. equities rebounded strongly and went on to set new record highs. Volatility was high, but overall I am satisfied with my investment returns, especially considering how quickly market narratives shifted throughout the year.
A large part of my performance came from AI-related names. Stocks like Palantir $Palantir Technologies Inc.(PLTR)$ , Nebius, and CoreWeave were major contributors, and they reinforced my belief that being positioned early in structural themes still matters. Even though sentiment toward AI cooled toward year-end, the gains achieved earlier in the cycle made a meaningful difference to my overall portfolio.
AI Investment
I also managed to ride the drone theme wave, particularly through ONDS $Ondas Holdings Inc.(ONDS)$ . This was a reminder that smaller, emerging themes can deliver outsized returns when timing and conviction align. I continue to hold this position, as I believe the long-term potential is far bigger than what has already been realized.
ONDS
Tesla $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$
Tesla
One of the most important lessons I learned in 2025 was the need to lock in partial profits during periods of extreme upside. During euphoric surges, especially in AI names like Nebius and CoreWeave, failing to take some profits often meant giving back a large portion of gains during the subsequent cooling phase. This was a hard but valuable lesson.
Lesson learned
Emotion management and execution mattered more than having the "right" idea. Even great stocks can hurt performance if position sizing and profit-taking are ignored. 2025 forced me to mature as a trader, not just as a stock picker.
Emotion management
Looking ahead to 2026, my goal is to improve my trading skills further and apply the lessons learned from this year. I'm aiming to be more disciplined, more consistent, and more adaptive to changing market regimes. If I can do that well, I'm hopeful of achieving around a 20% return in the coming year.
My 2026 Goal
As a retail investor, I focus mainly on the US and Singapore markets, combining a mix of technical trading and long-term investing strategies. I enjoy analyzing charts, spotting patterns, and making calculated moves based on both market sentiment and fundamentals. While I'm not a professional, I treat my portfolio seriously and continue to learn and grow with each trade. If you're also navigating the markets and enjoy discussing stocks, options, or market trends, feel free to follow me. Let's learn and grow together as a community.
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