How to Diversify Your Trading Portfolio

Whether it is fund managers, traders, or financial planners, diversification is a battle for everyone. It is a strategy by which you combine different investments in one portfolio. The more variety you have, the higher the return you will get. It’s just a way of avoiding risk in online trading. Without diversification, you are exposing yourself to volatility which can cost you significantly.

You are a successful trader only if you learn how to balance risk and a good way of doing that is to diversify your portfolio. The idea is to spread your portfolio across different classes of assets. It can mitigate risk and volatility. Ultimately, you will have peace of mind and a good night’s sleep.

Why Should You Diversify Your Trading Portfolio?

Let’s say your trading portfolio mainly comprises of stocks of GSK. If for some reason, the company didn’t go good business, and its share prices drop, imagine what will happen to your portfolio. Its value will drop noticeably.

However, if you had invested in stocks of GSK along with airline stocks, tech stocks and others, only a part of your portfolio would have suffered. Who knows the other stocks are doing well and they offset the loss of the GSK stocks. Do you still think diversification is no good?

It is recommended to diversify your portfolio not just across different types of companies but different types of industries. In other words, the stocks should not correlate.

Key Components of a Diversified Portfolio

You must be wondering what makes a portfolio diversified. Well, it primarily comprises of 4 components i.e.

Domestic stocks:

Stocks are an aggressive part of a portfolio. Since they are long-term investments, the opportunity for growth is higher. They do carry risk but not as much as the short-term stocks.

Bonds: Bonds are less volatile as compared to stocks. They offer regular interest income. They serve as a cushion against the ups and downs of the stock market. If you are one of those traders who whose preference is safety or growth, then bonds are meant for you. However, bonds don’t offer higher returns like stocks. You can go for fixed income investment such as international bonds as they offer higher yield but they are risky.

Foreign stocks:

These stocks perform differently as compared to domestic stocks. You will have exposure to more opportunities, of course. Keep in mind these stocks have a higher return rate and higher risk.

Other short-term investments:

These investments include short-term Certificates of Deposits (CDs) or money market funds. CDs is a savings certification. It has a fixed maturity date and a fixed interest rate. You can’t withdraw your funds until the maturity of the investment. The interest rate is higher as compared to money market accounts. Although the risk is higher, too, you are compensated for it by earning a higher interest rate. Money market funds are relatively stable and you can convert them into cash very easily. It’s best for those who want to preserve their principal. The return is lower as compared to bonds but they are safer.

Tips for Diversifying Your Portfolio

Trading is an art. To practice a disciplined approach, you need to invest with a diversified portfolio.  You can weather the storm with diversification. Follow these tips if you are having a hard time:

First things first, you must spread your wealth. Never put all your money in one stock or industry. Keep your options open. Consider investing in ETFs, commodities, real estate and more. For bigger rewards, go global. That doesn’t mean you end up investing in hundreds of different investments. 20 to 30 investments are more than enough.
Don’t mind adding fixed income to your mix. It helps hedge your portfolio against market uncertainty and volatility. Such funds have a lower fee which means you don’t have to invest a higher amount of money to keep your portfolio risk-free. Likewise, the operating costs and management costs are minimum.

Don’t just settle, keep on adding investments to your portfolio whenever you can. Use dollar cost averaging to smoothen out everything. This strategy will help cut down the risk as you buy shares when the prices are low.
Diversification also means you know when to get out of the market. As you observe changes in the market conditions, you will be able to know when is the right to sell and move to another form of investment.

Some people hire professionals to help them develop a diversified portfolio. If that’s you, the first important thing to understand is whether you are getting what you paid for. Keep in mind, cheap services are never any good.

The Bottom Line

Diversification can help you manage risk and reduce volatility. Remember that whether it’s CFD trading or any other type of trading, diversification does not eliminate risk completely. Since the market has its own way of working, it has the potential to affect all stocks and investments. The key is to find a balance between risk and return. This will help ensure that you achieve your financial goals and sleep well at night.