eToro’s Elite Popular Investor HaoNing talks strategy, discipline and growth

HaoNing’s long-term investing approach has resulted in over 900 copiers.

eToro’s Popular Investor Program allows successful investors to build up their business by sharing their knowledge and strategies with copiers, who are able to replicate the trade of successful investors. HaoNing started investing in 2018 and was recently promoted to eToro’s Champion Popular Investor, after his year to date returns have beaten those of the S&P500.

Here, the impressive trader shares some of his strategies and insights:

Be patient

“I take a conservative approach to investing,’” says Hao. “Every month I invest a small amount of my savings in to one or two stocks, in order to grow my portfolio by dollar cost averaging. I put most of my monthly salary into the bank, so I have the money sitting there to buy stocks when there’s a market crash or a sell-off.” He credits this disciplined approach to having started trading when he was still at university. “I had limited capital, so I had to sit and observe the markets,” he says. “It was hard not to buy, especially if there was a market crash, but it taught me to wait.” Hao developed a watch list for when he had more capital – something he still uses to this day. “I have a long list of stocks I’d be happy to own,” he says. “I research companies on the list, and wait until the prices are right.”

Think long-term

Hao’s strategy is to hold stocks for at least ten years. “I don’t trade a lot,” he says. “I like to hold stocks for as long as possible, and spend more of my time planning when to buy a stock rather than when to sell it. I don’t sell if I don’t think there’s anything happening that could change the company’s future prospects.” This strategy means he often tries to buy chooses undervalued stocks which will stand the test of time.

Diversify

Hao currently has 17 stocks in his portfolio, ranging from big tech, fintech, pharmaceutical and ecommerce companies, to McDonalds to Disney. “I try and diversify my portfolio over time,” he says. “I try and take on some stocks that aren’t classified as high-growth, so I have a good range.”

Be responsible

When he first started trading with eToro, Hao was more speculative in his approach to buying stocks. But since becoming a Popular Investor, he’s aware that everything he does in his own portfolio, his copiers will do too, so he’s more measured in his approach. “Last year I bought Shopify stocks because I speculated the bull run would continue – thankfully it did, because COVID boosted ecommerce. But it was undeniably still a speculation,’ he says. “Today, I probably wouldn’t have bought that stock. I’ve definitely made some adjustments.”

Keep learning

Hao is diligent in his research, reading about companies he’s interested in and their CEOs before making any final decisions about what to buy. He reads books on how to improve his trading strategies and continues to learn as much as he can about the stock market and different strategies. He says: “I do a lot of research, and don’t make any decisions without making sure I understand as much as possible.”

Find out more about how you can copy HaoNing or eToro’s other traders at eToro