Broke as a Joke (Recession Plays)
Today’s Change (Aug 23, 2026)
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A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here
About
A rules-based playbook: follow the market trend; in uptrends own broad US stocks (with a long‑bond ballast when momentum is strong). In sharp selloffs, buy short‑term tech bounces; otherwise, sit in defensive stocks and short‑term bonds during downturns.
1) Check trend: is the S&P 500 (SPY) above its 200‑day average?
• If yes: if momentum is strong (RSI>60 = steady buying), hold ~55% long US Treasuries (TLT) and 45% split across SPY/QQQ/DIA/VTI (broad US stocks). If momentum is only OK, split across SPY/QQQ/DIA.
• If no: if the Nasdaq‑100 (QQQ) is very washed‑out (RSI<31), take a short‑term bounce in 2x QLD/ROM. Otherwise, go defensive: ~50% short‑term bonds (BSV) and ~50% in staple/healthcare stocks (e.g., KO, WMT, MCD, JNJ).
Out-of-sample, this strategy delivers 24.4% annualized return vs 22.6% for the S&P 500 and Calmar 1.27, signaling stronger risk-adjusted gains. A trend-barbell aims to ride rallies and guard against drawdowns with ~1.10x beta.
1M
3M
6M
YTD
1Y
3Y
Max
Performance
Compared to selected benchmarks
| Alpha | Beta | R2 | R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.14 | 0.82 | 0.59 | 0.77 |
Performance Metrics
| Cumulative Return | Annualized Return | Trailing 1M Return | Trailing 3M Return | Sharpe Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 654.18% | 11.01% | 2.33% | 3.36% | 0.63 | |
| 7,111.52% | 24.76% | 1.7% | 4.04% | 1.15 |
Initial Investment
$10,000.00
Final Value
$721,152.30Regulatory Fees
$1,241.53
Total Slippage
$10,123.91
Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Dec 17, 2022
Trading Setting
Threshold 5%
Type
Stocks
Category
Tactical asset allocation, trend following, momentum, defensive, recession, us equities, us treasuries, short-term bonds, leveraged etfs
Tickers in this symphonyThis symphony trades 18 assets in total
Ticker
Type
BSV
Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
Stocks
COST
Costco Wholesale Corp
Stocks
DIA
State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust
Stocks
DLTR
Dollar Tree Inc.
Stocks
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Stocks
KO
Coca-Cola Company
Stocks
KR
The Kroger Co.
Stocks
MCD
McDonald's Corporation
Stocks
MNST
Monster Beverage Corporation
Stocks
PEP
PepsiCo, Inc.
Stocks