Hedge fund conference in Abu Dhabi (and a Risk Management Trade Alert)

As I was leaving for NYC last week, I traded emails with Anthony Scaramucci about getting together to talk hedge fund business and politics and to catch up. The mooch runs a multi-billion dollar fund of sorts that invests in hedge funds and other things, as he used to come on my Fox Business TV show all the time and we’ve hung out in social circles and what not over the years.

Anyway, he couldn’t get together last week and instead ended up inviting me to Abu Dhabi for his hedge fund industry conference called SALT. My wife, my five year-old daughter and I had been planning to come to NYC in mid December but we worked it out so that my wife and I are instead going to Abu Dhabi together where I’ll be attending the conference and my wife will be mostly relaxing.

This will be the first time since before Amaris was born that we’ll have the chance for the two of us to get away together alone for a few days (Lyncoln’s not going with us). I’ll be traveling to and fro and attending the hedge fund conference the week of December 9-13, although as usual, I’ll send out a Trade Alert and/or analysis if there’s anything major going on while I’m gone.

I’m sure I’ll get a lot of insights and/or some great contrarian ideas while I’m at the conference to share with you into year-end.

Other than that, I’m hustling to catch up after being in NYC most of last week, as I am also finally getting cranking on the Latest Positions ratings and analysis.

And I am making a few trades today, mostly locking in some profits, trimming a little bit and nibbling a few put hedges here. I’m not turning bearish or looking to change my overall stance much, but it’s probably not a bad idea to just manage some risk here.

Here’s what I’m up to today:

Trimming 10-15% of my BA.

Trimming 5-10% of my SPLK.

Trimming 5-10% of my SQ.

Nibbling just a tiny bit of AAPL puts, dated out to January with strikes around $245.

Buying a tiny bit of puts on the following indices: DIA, IWM, SPY, SMH.

Nothing major. Like I said, just managing risk a bit here and catching a little breath.