I tried an app that recommends stock picks based on your astrological sign. Here's what it's like to discover your investment portfolio match made in the heavens.
The first page you see upon opening the app bestows a bit of wisdom underlying the unexplored field of astrological investment strategy.
It then tells you exactly what the app can do for you. Wouldn't it be great if all apps did that?
On the last screen before moving on to complete your profile, Bull & Moon promises to provide your portfolio match made in the stars.
You're then asked to input some basic information so an algorithm can determine your astrological sign, and thus, pair you with some stocks you'll hopefully get along with.
After inputting my information, the app quickly identified that I'm a Gemini.
When I clicked the "see matches" button, it returned the six stocks I'd be most compatible with and additional information about each company.
In addition to Nasdaq and International Paper, my recommended portfolio includes Excelon, Nike, Public Storage, and Jefferies Financial Group.
Here's the year-to-date performance for each of the companies in my suggested portfolio:
- Nike: 20.72%
- Nasdaq: 25.6%
- International Paper: 14.5%
- Excelon: (-1.7%)
- Public Storage: 3.34%
- Jefferies Financial Group: 18.4%
- Average: 13.47%, compared to the S&P 500's 20% gain
According to Greenberg, the app uses an astrology application programming interface (API) to determine the compatibility rating, which is scored out of 100.
As seen in the pictures above, there are two tabs on the top of the screen titled "Best" and "Random."
Your suggested portfolio can be found on the "Best" tab by swiping left and right, while the "Random" tab cycles you through a seemingly endless list of stocks with their respective compatibility ratings.
By scrolling down a bit, users can stumble upon some data on the stocks they've just been matched with.
A supplementary factor that's grounded in just a bit more of technical financial analysis is provided in the form of an average analyst rating.
According to the app, the analyst rating is scored out of 100 and based on earnings prospects, valuations, and fluctuations in the company's share price. It also provides an average price target from analysts covering the stock.
Greenberg said this information is pulled into the app through another API.
Bull & Moon includes data from six analysts covering the Nasdaq, resulting in an average price target of $107.33. According to Bloomberg data, 18 analysts cover Nasdaq and the average price target is $105.11.
For International Paper, the app includes data from three analysts, bringing its average price target to $40.50. As of Tuesday, 15 analysts covered International Paper with an average price target of $46.23, according to Bloomberg data.
Once you've gone through the app once, the interface is pretty straight forward. A small yellow icon in the top of left of the screen will bring you to the page seen below, which describes the trials and triumphs of "investing as a Gemini."
While I currently don't invest to avoid a conflict of interest with my profession as a financial journalist, I have traded and owned stocks in the past.
The Bull & Moon app says as a Gemini investor I have "two different personalities in one and you will never be sure which one you should trust." I'm not sure I feel that way, but let's continue anyway.
The description of investing as a Gemini carries on to say: "Their investment style is sociable, communicative and fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. They are fascinated with the market and are extremely curious, with a constant feeling there is not enough time to invest in everything they want to."
It's unclear how this description was created, but I can admit that I do indeed identify with some of the traits mentioned above. However, I would use almost none of them to describe how I would invest, if I did invest.
MSCHF, the studio behind Bull & Moon, communicates with its customers over text message. A representative from MSCHF shared this text with Markets Insider:
According to the message above, a devoted MSCHF fan dumped $100,000 into the portfolio recommended by the Bull & Moon algorithm.
A representative from the studio said in an email to Markets Insider, "Who knows if they really did it ... but this is the text we got."
Greenberg estimated that at least a few hundred people have texted MSCHF saying they invested in the stocks suggested by Bull & Moon.
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