In the following paragraphs, we will take a dive into the latest publicly available information regarding the positions of a selection of renowned funds. Said information comes from the 13F filings that they have to report on a quarterly basis. It is important to note that said information can be disclosed up to 45 days after the end of said quarter.
In the case of this analysis, the reports reflect the holdings of the funds on the 31st of March of 2022. Holdings between that date and the date the report is published can vary, meaning the reports may not reflect the funds' actual holdings. Nonetheless, said reports give a great amount of information regarding the strategy and thoughts of the fund managers.
This analysis will start by looking at Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates. As of the end of this first quarter, the hedge fund had 968 positions with a total market value of 24.8 billion dollars. The number one position of the hedge fund is the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF with a value of more than one billion dollars. Representing 4.22% of the whole portfolio, Bridgewater was long emerging markets as of the 31st of March of 2022. Dalio increased his position by 200 million dollars between Q4 of 2021 and the latest filings. He also increased his holdings in Procter and Gamble by that same amount during the same time frame.
Micheal J. Burry’s Scion Asset Management portfolio was composed of 12 stocks as of the end of this first quarter. About 35% of the weight of the fund is allocated to the GAFAM group through the positions in Apple, Alphabet and Meta Platforms. But it is important to note that Burry is shorting Apple’s stock.
Micheal J. Burry became famous after calling the US housing bubble of 2008 and shorting subprime loans. The Big Short is an excellent movie that traces the story of Burry and other Wall Street investors who gained millions from their bets. At the end of 2021, Burry exited a short position he had on Elon Musk’s Tesla after the stock kept increasing in value.
Apple’s stock price had lost 18% of its value in 2022 as of the 31st of May amid a strong tech sell off that has wiped out a fifth of the Nasdaq’s composite value. Burry’s portfolio is short Apple but long Alphabet and Meta Platforms, meaning that the legendary investor specifically targeted the company but not the broader Big Tech sector.
George Soros' family office had a stake worth almost 1 billion dollars in Rivian, the famous EV company that is trying to compete against Tesla. The stake, representing 15% of the portfolio, has seen its value slashed in half since the fund’s last 13F filings. On the last day of 2021, the stake was worth a little over 2 billion dollars and represented 28% of the fund’s total value.
As the chart below shows, the price of Rivian’s stock was of approximately 50 dollars at the close of the first quarter of the year. On the last day of May the stock closed at 31 dollars.
Second quarter update ¶
On the 15th of August, fund managers had to send their fund’s holdings as of the 30 of June to the SEC.
Dalio’s holdings have lost around a billion and half dollars, or 4% of their total value. His position in the FTSE Emerging Market ETF has lost around 35% of its previously reported value, thus dropping to the seventh position in his portfolio.
Micheal Burry’s Scion Asset Management has sold all of its previous positions and disclosed a 3 million dollar position in The GEO Group.
The recent market rout has probably made Burry change his mind and sell all of his positions.
Soros' family office lost almost one billion dollars in value compared to its previous filing. Its Rivian’s stake has been slashed in half during the meantime.