Skip to Content
Symphonies
COST + UNH or Not
Today’s Change
—

A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here

About

A defensive 10% sleeve that usually splits between Costco and UnitedHealth, shifts to T‑Bills when markets flash stress, and only in rare panics buys a small 3× tech bounce. Decisions use simple heat/trend/stress checks on stocks and bonds.
NutHow it works
Checks daily. Default: split between Costco (COST) and UnitedHealth (UNH), tilting to the steadier one. If the Nasdaq‑100 (QQQ) is above its 25‑day average and long bonds (TMF) aren’t stressed, hold COST/UNH. If stocks look overheated or fall fast, move to T‑Bills (BIL). In rare panics, if tech is very oversold, buy a 3× tech fund (TECL) for a brief rebound. Uses simple signals: 0–100 heat (RSI), drop from peak (drawdown), short‑term returns, and bond‑vs‑stock strength (BND vs SPY; IEF vs TLT).
CheckmarkValue prop
Defensive sleeve with big upside. Out-of-sample annualized return ~49.6% and Calmar ~2.11, Sharpe ~1.19. T-Bills in stress; COST/UNH core, occasional TECL. Strong risk-adjusted growth versus the S&P 500.

Loading backtest data...

Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Apr 29, 2024
Trading Setting
Daily
Type
Stocks
Category
Defensive equity sleeve, tactical rotation, momentum and mean reversion, risk management, daily rebalanced
Tickers in this symphonyThis symphony trades 11 assets in total
Ticker
Type
BIL
State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF
Stocks
BND
Vanguard Total Bond Market
Stocks
COST
Costco Wholesale Corp
Stocks
IEF
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
Stocks
QQQ
Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
Stocks
SPY
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Stocks
TECL
Direxion Daily Technology Bull 3x ETF
Stocks
TLT
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF
Stocks
TMF
Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X ETF
Stocks
TQQQ
ProShares UltraPro QQQ
Stocks

FAQ

A Composer symphony is an automated trading strategy that executes trades based on parameters of your choice. Some symphonies are similar to holding one ETF in normal conditions and rotating to a different ETF when market conditions shift, for example a 5% drop in the S&P 500, while others use complex rules with dozens of triggers. However, complex doesn’t always mean better. A simple, well-structured symphony can be just as effective as an intricate one. Learn more about how symphonies work here.

"COST + UNH or Not" is currently performing the same as yesterday today. Performance updates in real time during market hours.

"COST + UNH or Not" is currently allocated toBIL. Holdings automatically adjust as market conditions change based on the strategy's rules.

Year-to-date, "COST + UNH or Not" has returned 52.72%. You can adjust the performance chart above to view returns across different time horizons.

The maximum drawdown for "COST + UNH or Not" is 23.50%. The maximum drawdown measures the largest peak-to-trough decline. It's an important metric to evaluate risk and the strategy's behavior during market stress.

To invest in "COST + UNH or Not", simply click the Invest button on this page. You'll need to open an account with Composer if you don't have one yet, then you can start investing. Composer will automatically execute the trades for you based on the strategy's rules. Composer also supports trading individual stocks, ETFs, and options.