wikifolio TradersTalk: Mathias Braun

The TradersTalk enters the next round: In this issue we spoke with Matthias Braun. As “Mathias76”, the trained engineer implements his trading strategies on wikifolio.com.

What was his trading highlight of the last 360 days? What advice does he have for novice traders? We will find out about this and much more below.

Happy reading!

Tell us your name.

My name is Mathias Braun

Under which username can you be found on wikifolio.com?

On wikifolio.com, I am active under the user name “Mathias76”.

What is your profession?

I am currently working as an engineer in the automotive industry.

How did you discover trading?

I see myself more as an investor.

How does your typical trading day look like?

As needed, I limit trading to my spare time. I consider reading current economic news important in order to make corrections to individual positions if necessary.

How many wikifolios do you currently manage? Are you already a “Real Money” trader?

I currently run six wikifolios, of which four are already investable. Two wikifolios have the “Real Money” status. The plan is to fully use the eight allowed wikifolios again.

What are your reasons to publish your trading strategy as a wikifolio?

Financial products such as funds, ETFs and certificates are usually very obscure. In addition, many are also expensive and difficult to tax. wikifolio offers private investors a good alternative to the already existing financial products on the market. With the certificates one can also invest smaller amounts in a broadly diversified manner. The platform also offers a high degree of transparency.

How would you roughly outline your trading style (on wikifolio.com)?

I select companies from a specific industry. I pursue a mid- to long-term investment strategy with my wikifolios. Furthermore, diversification should spread the risk. I do not touch leverage products.

Are you satisfied with the development of your wikifolios?

Yes, I am very satisfied. Since the creation date of 27 Oct. 2013, my wikifolio “Real Estate Companies” has achieved +52% and 180,000 euros of invested capital as of 16 Feb. 2015. I hope that some of my wikifolios are also able to convince in the long term. Perhaps one of the wikifolios can even support savings plans.

No, that’s why I already discarded several of my trading strategies / ideas (See my closed wikifolios). There are several reasons for this: Not enough time. The idea was not promising enough. Another user created a better wikifolio with a very similar trading strategy. wikifolio.com only allows eight wikifolios per user.

What was your trading highlight of the last 360 days?

Last year I was able to offset the losses of E.ON with the price gains of Lang & Schwarz.

How do you assess the stock market year 2015?

I’m no clairvoyant. From minus 50 percent to plus 30 percent, I think everything is possible.

Which markets are currently the most fun/make the most sense?

I focus on stocks in the real estate, pharmaceutical and consumer industries from Germany, from the European and the American market.

Which stocks or securities do you currently favor in the medium term?

I consider it wrong to fixate on one stock or one industry. My three current favorites are: Patrizia Immobilien, Novartis and Mondelez.

What was the hardest lesson you had to learn on the market?

A total loss during the dot.com bubble.

What advice would you give to a novice trader?

It would be advantageous to understand the financial products one buys or trades. One should always keep an eye on the current market environment, the economic situation and politics, since something unforeseen could happen at any time.

What book can you recommend to other traders?

I recommend the Franz-Eberhofer series by Rita Falk, it at least gives you something to laugh about. A subscription to a financial magazine such as Focus Money would not hurt in my opinion.