Helical Portfolio Update through April 2013

TMFHelical — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:32:25 GMT

It has been a long time since the Helical Portfolio has been updated. Largely, it has been a good thing that I have been busier than usual since the start of the year, but it has reduced the time available to ruminate on my portfolios. My last update was at the start of the year, where I commented on the 2 year pe...

Helical Portfolio 2nd annual update - Part 1

TMFHelical — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:26:01 GMT

Helical Portfolio 2nd annual update (Part 1)

Before delving into the annual portfolio update I have a comment on this blog. I have been unable to commit the time to provide the weekly healthcare notes. The exercise of recording notes on what I read was useful, but it turned a 30 minute per day exercise i...

A Look at Established Biotech Companies

TMFHelical — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:39:49 GMT

A look at the forward performance of the top Biotechnology/Pharma firms as viewed by Pharm Exec’s industry audit.

Each year Pharm Exec performs a composite analysis of the industries top (by revenue) pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical firms. The ranking of these firms, via an evolving series of financial metrics, is an effort to look back at the generation of value to shareholders. For the

Healthcare News of Note through 11/11/2012

TMFHelical — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:27:18 GMT

Healthcare News Week of 11/5/12

Thinking about having your genome sequenced? I know I am (sometime anyway). One blogger doesn’t think she wants that information quite yet and details why.

Whether to stent or have b...

Helical Port - Grinning

TMFHelical — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:16:44 GMT

While the market seems to have thrown a hissy fit on the Obama reelection, the Helical Port simply shrugs it off. The healthcare market most likely saw this as a bit of a removal of uncertainty. While the port was down for the day, this was less than 0.5% (copared to > 2.3% for the S&P), and 4 of the 10 holdings were up on the day. That and having plenty of cash on hand has be a bit pleased today.

Two weeks worth of my unusual blend of heavily hyperlinked healthcare news I found noteworthy. Some last minute political stuff for those who need to read one more thing before voting today (I took care of that this morning).

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Healthcare News Week of 10/22/12

Wow. Apparently the list of customers who bought the injecta...

Helical Portfolio Update - Getting Slowly Reinvested

TMFHelical — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:35:08 GMT

The Helical Portfolio is closing in on 2 years old now, with 22 months of returns under its belt. The market took a breather this past month from the run it has been on since early June. The Helical Portfolio was over weighted in cash (given hindsight) for that period and has underperformed. With the market se...

Helical Portfolio Additions

TMFHelical — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:21:19 GMT

In the last months update I noted the Helical Portfolio was 44% cash and thus unbalanced to low risk. I would like to guide this portfolio to an even spread of 1/3 low, medium, and high risk, but will deviate from that as conditions dictate, i.e. when I do deviate I note why. While I do think the market is overb...

Healthcare News of Note through 10/19/2012

TMFHelical — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:22:44 GMT

Healthcare News Week of 10/15/12

Keep them smiling? Under a pay for performance provision, hospitals risk a 1% medicare reimbursement reduction if they do not keep their patients.. happy?. This is now the case under HCAHPS, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare...

Healthcare News of Note through 10/14/2012

TMFHelical — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:33:59 GMT

Healthcare News Week starting 10/8/12

Are accountable care organizations (ACOs) the answer to the problem of escalating care costs? In theory, they should help move from a system where the incentive is on performing procedures to one more focused on outcomes.

Some news of note from the week. Select stories with some brief commentary. Not sure how consistent I will be with this kind of summary, but we'll see.

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Weekly Healthcare News of Note:

Each election season the New England Journal of Medicine captures the difference in the platforms of the two major candidates in regard to healthcare policies.

This pdf link is the side by side commentary from Barak Obama and Mitt Romney on their positions.

I have intentionally modeled the Helical Portfolio on the pyramidal behavioral framework. This structure is described in the Shefrin and Statman 2000 paper “Behavioral Portfolio Theory”. The BPT theory considers how investors deal with the potentially conflicting goals of both increasing and preserving wealth. ...

Helical Portfolio Update – Steady Course for Now

TMFHelical — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:43:49 GMT

The Helical Portfolio is now 21 months old, and as I noted last month currently cash heavy. The market continues to chug along, and I continue to be nervous and seemingly overly cautious. I intended this portfolio to be monolithic in regards to risk, which in the behavioral framework I employ means 1/3 low risk, 1...

Helical Portfolio Update – The Burden of Cash

TMFHelical — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:10:30 GMT

The Helical Portfolio is now 20 months old, and seemingly on the brink of maturity. It has grown through its late teen (months), to be a conservative, shy, and perhaps fearful portfolio. [Aside: I have been trained to write scientifically and to never personify – one lesson that has never taken]. Th...

More on MAKO

TMFHelical — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:10:18 GMT

I commented last month on my decision to sell MAKO Surgical and sit on the sidelines, despite still thinking quite highly of the company's prospects. The key reason for this was I am of the opinion that they will IFthey can demonstrate ...

Helical Portfolio Update – Thoughts on Insurers

TMFHelical — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:14:03 GMT

I just can’t seem to get health insurers correct. So I’ve sold them off until I can get a better grasp on the landscape. First let me give the portfolio numbers from the close of last month, then try to get my disjointed thoughts on health insurers down in one place.

The Helical Portfolio (a real Roth IRA) is now 19 months old. It did not have a ...

Reconsidering MAKO in the Helical Portfolio

TMFHelical — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:11:02 GMT

As I continue to carefully consider (i.e. can't make up my mind) on how I feel about health insurers currently, another item has come to the forefront of consideration for the Helical Portfolio. MAKO Surgical (groan) ... again.
The Helical Portfolio has a couple of guidelines that automaticly trigger ... consideration (not action necessarily, but review and comment). I find it helps me immen...

More on SCOTUS and the ACA

TMFHelical — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:09:21 GMT

I blogged previously on the Supreme Court ruling regarding the affordable care act. It has certainly been a market mover for health care stocks.
The ruling is here.
A little holiday post, now that I have cleared my 'quiet period' on the Helical Portfolio as of 6/230/2012. I've blogged on this port for 1.5 years now, and done well with it. First the numbers, then the changes.
The portfolio ended June at $70,029.77 and held $20,235.57 (29%) in cash (counting trades still unsettled on 6/30). The portfolio ...

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