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COST + UNH or Not
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A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here

About

A daily, rule-based strategy that uses a COST + UNH core with cash protection, and opportunistic tilts to leveraged tech and bonds, driven by regime signals (volatility spikes, momentum, and drawdown checks). It aims to cushion risk with cash when markets are stressed and to participate in upside with selective bets when conditions look favorable.
NutHow it works
Here's what happens in plain language: - Every day, the system checks several signals to decide how to position the portfolio. - It starts with a cash overlay (BIL). If market signals look risky, the model puts cash on the table and limits exposure. - The intended equity core is COST + UNH. These two big, widely-followed companies form a relatively stable base instead of chasing hot, volatile sectors. - The system is divided into regimes: - Huge volatility: when a sharp price move happens in a short period (and certain momentum checks fire), the model shifts toward cash (BIL) and reduces equity exposure. - Normal market: the model aims to hold the COST + UNH core with a modest cash sleeve (about 10%). It may add a tilt to alternative bets if signals look favorable. - Bond vs Stock / Bond mid-term vs long-term: if bonds look relatively stronger (based on a blend of price-and-drawdown checks) the model tilts toward bond proxies (like TMF, IEF, TLT) and away from pure stock exposure. - Optional tilt opportunities include leveraged tech bets (TECL and TQQQ) when the market isn’t overbought and when mean-reversion conditions appear favorable (for example, when a short-term momentum measure is not extreme). This is intended to capture short-term upside if the market reverts toward the mean. - The logic uses a few specific checks: - RSI(10) on TQQQ vs a high threshold to mark extreme overbought conditions. - One-day cumulative returns on TQQQ to spot sudden volatility bursts. - Inverse-volatility style checks on COST and UNH over ~20 days to assess risk balance between the two core names. - Moving-average price tests (comparisons like current price vs a moving average) to gauge trend direction. - The result is a daily rebalanced mix that typically tokens roughly 10% cash, and the rest allocated to either COST+UNH core, or to one of the tilt instruments (TECL, TQQQ, or bond proxies) depending on the regime. - In short: it’s a disciplined, rule-based approach to protect capital in rough markets while staying exposed to a two-name core and selectively adding risk-on bets when signals look favorable. - Important caveats for lay readers: levered ETFs (TECL, TQQQ, TMF) magnify returns and losses; signals are complex and may underperform in certain regimes; past performance of any indicator is not a guarantee of future results; this is educational and should be backtested and understood before live use.
CheckmarkValue prop
Out-of-sample edge: ~50% annualized return vs SPY ~21%, risk-adjusted ~2.1, and a strong upside profile. A disciplined cash overlay and regime tilts aim to capture growth while protecting capital—though drawdowns can exceed SPY in stressed markets.
1M
3M
6M
YTD
1Y
3Y
Max
Performance
Compared to selected benchmarks
AlphaBetaR2R
0.280.780.230.48
Performance Metrics
Cumulative ReturnAnnualized ReturnTrailing 1M ReturnTrailing 3M ReturnSharpe Ratio
707.4%13.92%-1.77%0.2%0.85
30,509.3%42.93%-2.11%2.01%1.42
Initial Investment
$10,000.00
Final Value
$3,060,929.90
Regulatory Fees
$10,159.48
Total Slippage
$68,705.65
Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Apr 29, 2024
Trading Setting
Daily
Type
Stocks
Category
Regime-based, dynamic-asset-allocation, equity-bond-cash mix, leverage-tactical
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 52.85%. 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.