Hello, I am a private investor since 2012, with experience in Fintech and Internet industries.
My focus is value investing, combining the best aspects of value and growth. For this, I do not hesitate to look into Small caps or Emerging countries.
I had a few big winners such as adding to Bank of Ireland and MTN during covid for like 5 and 10 bagger on these reinforcements, but this was easy money.
I picked up the bottom in Alibaba and also on Brazil: https://x.com/ReturnsJourney/status/1748302709281656879
The Value methods historically outperforms:
PERFORMANCE:
I have been doing, unaudited, around 14% a year since I moved abroad again and opened my new brokerage account in 2018, and about 16% a year since opening the newsletter in 2021. I think that I only matured as an investor after covid and I am still learning. This is ok during a horrible time to be an EM, Europe value investor.
Significant portfolio performers over 80%
(July 1 - 2025)
TerraVest Industries Inc +451% since 2023
Newlat Food +218% since 2021
Glintt Global: +154% since 2024
First Pacific Co +145% since 2019 - Write up in 2021.
Embotelladora Andina +106% since 2021
Alpha Purchase +134% since 2024 - Idea I copied from “MadeInJapan” substack
Kaspi - Over 100% since 2022 - 43$ purchase price (ex dividends.)
Supreme PLC - 95% since 2022
HiddenPolish small cap with 0 write up - 94% since 2022
Hidden Brazilian quality with almost 0 write up - 92% since 2024
Airtel Africa +85% since 2023 - Thanks Spanish Fintweet
Coca Cola Femsa +84% since 2021
IMS SA +91% since 2023
Singapore small - 80+% since 2023 - (my broker shows 104% but I had made an earlier profit on the name years ago, messing up the total result).
Bank of Ireland over 80% with dividends since 2022 and +395% on my average prices.
Catalana Occidente +77% (below threshold but acquired by the founding family)
A closed idea was Associated British foods in 2022 that did 59% in a short time
Tim SA that did 77% in a short time too, but my real portfolio missed the upside here.
Alibaba was closed in Early 2025 at about 50%.
MTN group that I bought before the newsletter started is up 415% in my portfolio but it does not really count, since it was a quick post covid recovery.
Significant bad performers under 40%
Yes I was adding to some losers, so it’s skewing the game, but these are real returns on my holdings based on my strategy.
Beximco Pharma -36% since 2021 despite adding so let’s keep it in the hall of shame
UK small cap - 43% since 2021 despite adding so let’s keep it in the hall of shame
Significant performers over 80%
(since Newsletter started, as of May 19 2025)
TerraVest Industries Inc +466% since 2023 Idea not by me initially but good timing
Newlat Food +250% since 2021
First Pacific Co +153% since 2019 - Write up in 2021.
Embotelladora Andina +137% since 2021
Alpha Purchase +113% since 2024 - Idea I copied from “MadeInJapan” substack
Kaspi - Over 100% since 2022 - 43$ purchase price (ex dividends.)
Airtel Africa +86% since 2023 - Thanks Spanish Fintweet
Coca Cola Femsa +85% since 2021
IMS SA +80% since 2023
Bank of Ireland over 80% with dividends since 2022 and +371% on my average prices.
Catalana Occidente +77% (below threshold but acquired by the founding family)
There are three others getting close to 80%, more to come!
Significant bad performers under 40%
Yes I was adding to some losers, so it’s skewing the game, but these are real returns on my holdings based on my strategy.
Intrum AB -48% since 2023 despite adding
10X genomics - 47% since 2024
Beximco Pharma -36% since 2021 despite adding so let’s keep it in the hall of shame
Vietnam holding - 33% since 2021 despite adding so let’s keep it in the hall of shame
A closed idea was Associated British foods in 2022 that did 59% in a short time, or Tim SA that did 77% in a short time too, but my real portfolio missed the upside here.
Alibaba was closed in Early 2025 at about 50%.
However, I don’t do closed ideas and trades anymore as I switched to long term investing.
I have no automated way to track each performance including dividends and excluding past sales with my broker, and I am not interested in tracking +30 -30% movements.
Therefore I will track only large winners (+80%) and losers (-40%) disclosed in the newsletters.
The performance is based on real portfolio gains, including additions, and not on write ups. The newsletter is following a real portfolio with a long term approach.
Sometimes the portfolio return is not reflected in a timely write up (Kaspi), just shown in portfolio movements), and sometimes portfolio return is worse than a write up published after a significant drop already (Beenos write up).
Reasons to upgrade to paid.
1-The most complete portfolio of Emerging market companies around, with diversified stocks in all EM regions, and an experienced investor in South Africa.
2-A complete set of Euro small caps by the most pan European investor you can think of: A French person living in Spain who also lived in the UK and Ireland, and speaks German.
3-Your writer is a reader and watcher of investment ideas non only in English but German, French or Spanish, and will bring some to the table.
Thanks @Michael for all the Support: you can subscribe to his publication here
Thanks @Guy for all the support as well
