April 2022
France has gone to the polls to elect their president. In the final run-off between the top 2 candidates from the first round, Macron faced off against Marine La Penne. Luckily for Europe, France rejected the far right narrative and voted Macron back in for another term. All is not lost in European politics.
The war in Ukraine continues, with an increase in support for Ukraine from western allies, notably the US, UK, Poland and the Baltic states. Europe also is still funding the Russian state through Oil and Gas purchases which is causing a problem. Russia has cut off supplies of gas to Poland and Bulgaria after they refused to pay in Rubbles. Germany being one of the most dependent European nations on Russian gas is slowly extracting itself from dependency giving them more freedom to support Ukraine. Rhetoric from Putin is increasing, threatening Nuclear retaliation for NATO support of Ukraine. All very troubling.
On a financial front, inflation is ramping up with supply chain issues and the fall out of money printing from the Covid pandemic. Mix in the increase in oil and gas prices due to the war and we are in a perfect storm.
The stock market has been very gittery, with tech stocks taking a big hit. The crypto market is also struggling. Crypto seems to be in sync with the regular stock market at the moment, reacting to macroeconomic factors.
On with the investment detail…
Investments
Same as last month, the ISA restrictions has given me a choice between Elfin Market and FreeTrade. Elfin Market got the nod. Then I had a moment of clarity and it dawned on me that I could make a Free trade investment as well as long as it was after April 6th, so the next tax year.
It’s nice to be back in yield farming. I’ve put in some new money but also moved some money over from my crypto holdings into yield farming. It’s definitely the most interesting investment area.
ElfinMarket. My last investment of the year for Elfin Market. I’ve had a good think about the platform and decided to continue next year putting £1000 per month in the IFISA product. I’m now sitting at £14000 with an income approaching £100 per month. Another year of invested money will put me in the £26000 range with hopefully an income of £200 per month. That might be a good place to stop. Invested £1000
Staking and Yield Farming. I haven’t invested further in YieldNodes as I am waiting for the first months return. Luna staking is also static. What I have done that’s interesting is investing in an automatic delta neutral strategy for UST. I’ve moved over $2000 UST from Anchor protocol to Aperture Finance using a delta neutral strategy on mirror KO (coca cola). The new money invested has gone to some more high risk yield farming strategies. Invested £500
Free Trade. A delayed investment to make sure I was in the new tax year. This months investment went high risk, straight into Ferrexpo. It’s price is significantly depressed due to its mining facility being in the Ukraine. I will do very well if it comes through the war intact. Invested £500
Total Invested £2000
Monthly Income
The new phase of my income generation looks to be on the cusp of happening. After zig-zagging in an ever tighter range for the last year it’s finally started on an upward direction. A generous increase this month should be accompanied by a further increase next month which will take me over the £2K mark for the first time this year. It should dip the next month but hopefully stay above the £2K mark.
On with the detail…
TheSunExchange. Nothing unexpected this month. A small drop from the last couple of months as we move away from the summer sun. Income £59
CrowdProperty Another disappointing month with only a modest income. I get regular updates on all the projects and they are progressing steadily. Supply chain issues are definitely affecting the industry. At least the market is very buoyant so when the projects eventually finish they easily sell or get refinanced. Income £13
ElfinMarket A steady rise this month taking the income here over the £90 range. A further increase over the £100 will happen next month. I’ve decided to continue with my IFISA allocation to Elfin Market for another year. This time next year should bring the income level above the £200 per month which is probably where I will stop. Income £93
Euro P2P lending limps on. Most of my remaining loans are fairly long term so it is taking time to exit the platforms. Income £12
Crypto lending across NEXO, Celsius, and Luno has continued to be stable. My BTC position continues to creep up, slowly increasing the income. In June there should be a jump in income from NEXO, as I have been locking my NEXO tokens up for a year for a higher interest rate. I have locked them up in tranches once a month. The first tranche should mature in June and then monthly there after. Income £309.
YieldFarming and Staking has had a healthy increase in income this month as the first return from YieldNodes comes in. There was a small decrease from Anchor as I transferred almost a third of my UST to Aperture Finance. Earnings from LUNA staking is consistent with last month. Income £510
JuicyFields is bringing in my largest income now. A small increase from last month which should be the trajectory from now on. I am following a plan of partial withdrawal and partial re-investment. This should ensure my goal to withdraw my initial investment and also increase my monthly income. I am anticipating August as the month I become risk free with this investment. Income £826
FreeTrade has dropped this month. Income is ticking along with a zig-zag performance. Income £46
Total Passive Income £1856
I’ve finally broken out of the ever tightening trend, with a clear upward momentum on my income from passive investments. I haven’t broken above the anomalous result from April 2021, but I should be there next month.
The Lazy Way 2 FIRE 