Matthew Tuttle has strong opinions about investing, and that’s reflected in the suite of four exchange-traded funds his company, Tuttle Tactical Management LLC, launched last month.
All four actively managed products are based on his trend aggregation model that he says puts a different twist on traditional tactical asset allocation, which Tuttle posits does well in straight-up or straight-down markets but tends to flail during choppy markets. He believes his trend aggregation approach differs by having well-defined strategies for all market conditions.
As described on the company’s website, Tuttle Tactical Management's investment style analyzes trends, countertrends and fundamental statistics, enabling it to choose holdings based on confirmed market information.
The firm's four new products share the same birth date (May 8) and the same U.S.-centric focus. The group comprises the following:
• Trend Aggregation Aggressive Growth ETF (TAAG)
• Trend Aggregation Dividend Stock ETF (TADS)
• Trend Aggregation U.S. ETF (TAEQ)
• Trend Aggregation ESG ETF (TEGS)
“What we’re looking to do on an overall basis in, for example, our growth funds—the Trend Aggregation Aggressive Growth and the Trend Aggregation U.S. funds—is two things which historically have been impossible but I don’t think are impossible,” Tuttle explained. “That is to beat the market both on an absolute and risk-adjusted basis, and to kick its ass on a risk-adjusted basis. We’re looking to have a lot lower volatility on a daily basis; but more importantly, a lot lower drawdowns [in down markets] while still beating it on the upside.”
All four funds invest across U.S. equities and other asset classes. They use individual stocks for the equity portion, and ETFs for the non-equities.
Regarding equities, everything is U.S.-based, though Tuttle said “there might be the occasional Alibaba or something like that.”
He cited a couple reasons for his focus on U.S stocks.
“One, if you don’t have to leave the U.S., then why?” he asked. “Our clients are U.S.-based and they see what’s going on in this market. And we like stuff that’s very easy to trade. To me, investing isn’t about spreading around my assets. It’s about wanting to make money and not lose it.”
And when it comes to U.S. stocks, Tuttle is focusing on what he believes are the “haves” in the post-Covid world. His take is that traditional equity indexes were designed for the pre-Covid economy, and they now include too many companies and sectors that aren’t built to capitalize on the new realities such as the work-from-home movement and the increased proclivity for people to get more stuff online, among other trends.