This article reports the actual results of personal brokerage accounts owned and managed by SignalStrike’s founders for the period stated, using the SignalStrike platform with self-selected parameters. These are personal-account results — not the performance of any fund or pooled investment vehicle, not shown net of any fund fees, and not independently verified by a third party. They are not investment advice, not a solicitation, and not representative of any other investor’s outcome; another person’s results will differ, potentially materially, with their own parameters, timing, and market conditions. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and momentum strategies have historically suffered severe drawdowns — see Momentum Crashes. See the full disclosures at the end of this article.
March 2026 was the hard month. A broad equity selloff hit every major benchmark, and the momentum baskets that stayed fully invested fell further than the index — the textbook momentum-drawdown pattern. The baskets that rotated defensively to cash protected capital and, in one case, finished the month positive. This is the most important month in the series to read carefully.
The short version. March 2026 was negative across the board — SPY −4.93%, QQQ −4.84%, SPMO −5.90%. Fully-invested momentum baskets fell harder than the index; defensively-rotated baskets fell less, and one finished positive. This month illustrates the drawdown risk inherent in momentum.
March 2026 in market context
March was a broad risk-off month. SPY fell −4.93%, QQQ −4.84%, and SPMO −5.90% — passive momentum actually fell more than the broad market, a reminder that a momentum tilt offers no protection in a correlated selloff. The founders rotated several baskets defensively to cash during the month in response to market and geopolitical stress.
Founders’ baskets — March 2026 results
Returns below are calendar-month figures for March 2026. Each basket column is the change in the founders’ actual end-of-day brokerage account balance; the SPY, QQQ, and SPMO columns are the same-month total returns (dividend-reinvested) for those ETFs.
| Basket | March 2026 | SPY | QQQ | SPMO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP500 Pure 60-Day | -9.72% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| NASDAQ 100 Composite 60-Day | -9.23% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| Russell 1000 Composite 60-Day | -8.85% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| NASDAQ 15 Pure Risk 60-Day | -7.55% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| S&P 30-Day Pure Risk | -4.11% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| Russell 2000 Pure 30-Day | +0.79% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
| S&P 15 Pure 30-Day | -11.53% | -4.93% | -4.84% | -5.90% |
Source: founders’ brokerage balances via signalstrike-portfolio.vercel.app; benchmark closes via Tiingo (dividend-reinvested). All seven baskets are individual brokerage accounts held by the founders.
⚠️ Performance disclosure. Returns shown reflect SignalStrike founders’ personal brokerage accounts for the stated period, achieved using the platform with self-selected parameters. They are personal-account results — not the performance of any fund, not net of any management or performance fees a fund would charge, and not independently verified by a third party. Any other user’s results will differ, potentially materially, based on their own parameters, entry and exit timing, and market conditions. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing involves risk, including the loss of principal.
What happened — abstracted commentary
March is where discretion mattered most.
Several baskets rotated entirely to cash during the month as market and geopolitical stress built — NASDAQ 100 Composite 60-Day moved to cash mid-month and held it through month-end; S&P 30-Day Pure Risk rotated to cash and re-engaged within the same week; and Russell 2000 Pure 30-Day rotated fully to a short-duration defensive position early in the month and held it, which is why it finished March positive while every equity benchmark fell.
The baskets that stayed fully invested — including SP500 Pure 60-Day and Russell 1000 Composite 60-Day — fell more than the broad index, the expected momentum-drawdown behavior in a correlated selloff.
S&P 15 Pure 30-Day executed a discretionary trade early in the month that the founders immediately identified as an error and reversed the following day, returning the basket to a 15-holding equal-weight construction. Its full March figure reflects that reversal plus the broad equity drawdown through month-end, and it was the steepest decliner in the series.
Methodology
- Basket returns are the calendar-month change in the founders’ actual end-of-day brokerage account balances, read from the public tracker at signalstrike-portfolio.vercel.app. Each monthly figure is the percentage change from the prior month-end balance to the current month-end balance, and the monthly figures chain exactly to each basket’s since-inception return.
- Benchmark returns (SPY, QQQ, SPMO) are calendar-month total returns computed from Tiingo adjusted-close prices, which incorporate dividend reinvestment.
- Benchmarks are references, not style-matched indices. SPY (broad market), QQQ (large-cap growth), and SPMO (Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF, a passive momentum implementation) are shown for every basket for consistency — they are not each basket’s underlying universe.
- No deposits or withdrawals occurred in any existing basket during the reporting months, so monthly account-balance changes equal monthly returns directly. The S&P 15 Pure 30-Day basket was funded once at inception (January 21, 2026).
- Dividends. Basket figures are actual broker account balances, which include any dividends received as cash; benchmark figures use dividend-reinvested adjusted-close prices. Both sides are therefore on a total-return basis.
- Holdings are never disclosed. Per SignalStrike’s content policy, the strategy commentary in this article describes rebalance types and mechanics only — never individual position names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these returns from real accounts or backtests?
They are from real brokerage accounts owned by SignalStrike’s founders. Each basket runs in a separate live account at Schwab or E*TRADE, and the figures are end-of-day account balances — not simulated or backtested results.
Are these returns representative of what a SignalStrike user would experience?
No. These are the founders’ personal accounts. A user’s results depend on their own strategy configuration, account size, brokerage, rebalance and execution timing, and tax situation. SignalStrike users build their own strategies with their own parameters; the founders’ baskets are not a model portfolio to replicate.
Why is SPMO included as a benchmark?
SPMO is the Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF — the most direct passive momentum comparison available. Beating the broad market (SPY) and beating a passive momentum implementation (SPMO) are different claims, so SPMO is included as the harder, more relevant benchmark for a momentum strategy.
What are the risks of these strategies?
Momentum strategies are vulnerable to severe, rapid drawdowns — especially during sharp reversals after extended trends, a pattern known as a “momentum crash.” Daniel and Moskowitz (2016) documented historical momentum drawdowns exceeding 70%. See Momentum Crashes.
Did the strategy “fail” in March?
The fully-invested baskets fell more than the broad market in March — the expected behavior of momentum in a correlated selloff, not a malfunction. The defensively-rotated baskets fell less, and one finished positive. The month is the clearest illustration in the series of why momentum carries real drawdown risk.
Further Reading
- Momentum Investing: How It Works and Why It Persists — the strategy these baskets implement.
- Momentum Crashes: The Hidden Risk in Momentum Investing — the well-documented failure mode, with Daniel & Moskowitz (2016).
- Risk-Managed Momentum: Scaling Exposure to Volatility — how risk management is applied at the ranking and portfolio layers.
- Public live tracker (updated daily): signalstrike-portfolio.vercel.app
Related Research
- Founders' Momentum Baskets: May 2026 Performance — How SignalStrike's founders' momentum baskets performed in May 2026 against the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and S&P 500 Momentum ETF, with full methodology.
- Founders' Momentum Baskets: April 2026 Performance — How SignalStrike's founders' momentum baskets performed in April 2026 against the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and S&P 500 Momentum ETF, with full methodology.
- Founders' Momentum Baskets: February 2026 Performance — How SignalStrike's founders' momentum baskets performed in February 2026 against the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and S&P 500 Momentum ETF, with full methodology.
Disclosures
SignalStrike is a software platform providing research, screening, and backtesting tools focused on U.S. equity momentum. It is not a registered investment advisor (RIA), does not provide personalized investment advice, and is not a broker-dealer.
The performance shown in this article reflects the actual end-of-day brokerage account balances of SignalStrike’s founders for the specific period stated, achieved using the SignalStrike platform with self-selected parameters. These are personal-account results. They are not the performance of any fund or pooled investment vehicle, are not presented net of any fund management or performance fees, and have not been independently verified or audited by a third party. They are not a model portfolio, are not representative of any other investor’s experience, and are not a projection or guarantee of future returns. Any other user’s results — whether using SignalStrike’s platform or otherwise — will differ, potentially materially, based on the parameters they select, account size, brokerage, fee and tax considerations, rebalance and execution timing, and discretionary decisions.
The founders applied discretionary overrides during the periods reported (for example, defensive rotations to cash, selection-mode changes, and manual position adjustments). These strategies are therefore rules-based with discretion, not fully mechanical.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Momentum-based strategies have historically suffered severe and rapid drawdowns during specific market regimes; some reported months were favorable for the strategy and are not representative of all market conditions.
Benchmark performance for SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust), QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust), and SPMO (Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF) is calculated from Tiingo adjusted-close prices, which incorporate dividend reinvestment. Direct investment in an index is not possible; ETF returns may differ from the underlying index due to expenses and tracking error.
This article does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or investment product. SignalStrike does not custody funds or execute trades on behalf of users; users execute through their own brokerage accounts at their sole discretion.
Securities products and services referenced are offered through users’ own brokerage accounts under existing custodial relationships. Advisory firms evaluating any tool for use with client portfolios remain solely responsible for fiduciary, suitability, and disclosure obligations under applicable law.
