This 12 months’s bear market has left many traders deep within the pink, however Dan Niles says his Satori Fund has bucked the development. Niles mentioned the U.S.-focused long-short fairness fund is up this 12 months, outperforming the S & P 500 , which has declined round 20% in the identical interval. He didn’t disclose the fund’s precise efficiency. Key to the fund’s outperformance is their quick positions, in keeping with Niles. “We made cash at the moment. We’re up in August. We’re up for the 12 months. But it surely’s not due to our longs. It is due to our shorts,” he advised CNBC’s “Avenue Indicators Asia” on Thursday. “We’re relying on our shorts making income between now and 12 months finish and have extra shorts than longs within the portfolio,” he added. Shorting is a technique that sees traders guess the value of a inventory will fall. Niles mentioned he’s seeking to make cash on the quick facet by going after the “huge enterprise names” in tech, amid what he expects to be a sector slowdown as individuals reduce their consumption of internet-related providers post-pandemic. The Satori Fund additionally has quick positions in promoting shares, which he mentioned are underneath stress amid competitors from main streaming providers such because the likes of Netflix and Disney that “suck up adverts” which might in any other case go to conventional promoting companies. Each Netflix and Disney have introduced plans to supply lower-priced subscription tiers that include adverts. The Satori Fund additionally holds a number of lengthy positions, although Niles cautioned that these positions stay weak in at the moment’s market. “No lengthy place exists in a vacuum and all lengthy positions are prone to endure in an extra 25% drop within the S & P so they’re paired with shorts. We hope our longs will fare higher than the general market,” he mentioned. Money is king With market volatility set to persist within the near-term, Niles believes it Is necessary for traders to carefully monitor their portfolios. “For the retail investor that’s not capable of handle their portfolio full-time, we’d suggest money, regardless of shedding [about] 5-7% to inflation, somewhat than shedding an extra 25% to a inventory market decline,” he mentioned, becoming a member of a refrain of different funding execs urging traders to carry money of their portfolios. Greater than 20% of the Satori Fund’s portfolio is held in money, in keeping with Niles. Shares he likes When it comes to shares he likes, Niles mentioned he favors defensive firms towards the backdrop of a looming recession. “We imagine the financial system will enter a extra conventional recession in 2023 with slower progress and better unemployment pushed by larger charges, whereas inflation stays larger than the two% Fed goal,” he mentioned. Niles is not the one market participant who’s favoring a defensive stance. A slew of funding banks on Wall Avenue are urging traders to stay calm amid the market turmoil and spend money on firms with defensive traits — together with Morgan Stanley ‘s chief U.S. fairness strategist Mike Wilson. Niles likes Walmart as a defensive guess that might “profit from a recession as customers search for bargains.” He famous that the corporate gained market share in the course of the 2008 world monetary disaster, with the inventory delivering an 18% return even because the S & P 500 declined 38% over the identical interval. “Additionally they appear to be getting their stock points underneath management lastly,” he mentioned. Niles can also be bullish on a number of services-related shares. His fund purchased shares in on-line meals supply platform DoorDash for the “first time time ever” just lately. Niles highlighted the corporate’s “resilient client demand” and believes its second-half steerage was conservative. He additionally likes Uber as a approach to play the change in client spending from items to providers — as individuals start travelling once more and Uber drivers return to the highway in a post-pandemic world. One other favourite for Niles is the sports activities betting sector, which he mentioned is “one of many final markets of measurement” to go surfing. The sector is lastly centered on profitability, with progress of greater than 10% yearly for the following decade and revenues of round $200 billion, in keeping with Niles’ estimates. His prime choose on this area is Massachusetts-based sports activities betting agency DraftKings , for which he has forecast income progress of 60% this 12 months, and 40% within the subsequent three years. Bullish on commodities Niles additionally likes the commodity sector. “We imagine commodity costs will decline lower than anticipated from present ranges even throughout a recession in 2023 given low structural funding over the previous decade limiting provide,” he mentioned. Demand ought to enhance as China tries to stimulate its financial system with the upcoming election of Chinese language President Xi Jinping for a 3rd time period in October, he mentioned. As well as, Niles is bullish on copper demand because the world steps up its transition to electrical automobiles. “EVs devour two instances as a lot copper to construct and provide is prone to peak in 2024,” he mentioned.