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4-3-2-1 Dragon

4-3-2-1 Dragon is a fixed-allocation portfolio reviewed on a quarterly cadence. Its hypothetical backtest runs through 2026-07-23. BestFolio supplies the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access. The recorded 2020-10-01 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical. Users review each scheduled signal and place any resulting trades in their own brokerage. BestFolio does not execute trades or provide personalized investment advice.

Cadence
Quarterly
Backtest data through
2026-07-23
History boundary
The recorded 2020-10-01 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical.
Rule / approach
1. 30% SPY, 10% AVUV, 30% KMLM, 20% ZROZ, 10% GLD 2. Rebalance quarterly; 1.5x and 2x variants use capital-efficient or 3x ETFs 3. Differs from Cole's 2020 paper: see deviations table below
BestFolio supplies
the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access
Customer action
Review each scheduled signal and place any required trades in your own brokerage; BestFolio does not execute orders.
Costs and exclusions
net of a modeled one-way transaction cost (10 bps, scaled up to 3x under stress); taxes, fund-expense drift, or market impact are not modeled
Freshness
The latest available backtest ends 2026-07-23. A run timestamp is not exposed here, so no stronger freshness claim is made.
Next expected action
First trading day of October (quarterly); scheduled 2026-10-01 at 09:30 ET. Review the published signal before placing any trade.

4-3-2-1 Dragon at a glance

4-3-2-1 Dragon is a fixed-allocation portfolio by Community Research across US Equity, US Small-Cap Value, Managed Futures, Long Zero-Coupon Treasuries, rebalanced quarterly. Backtested 1986-06-30 to 2026-07-23 (40.0 years): 8.9% CAGR, 1.13 Sharpe, -19.6% max drawdown, 7.9% volatility.

Type
Fixed Allocation
Author
Community Research
Rebalancing
Quarterly
Risk
Moderate
Period
1986-06-30 to 2026-07-23
CAGR
8.9%
Sharpe
1.13
Max Drawdown
-19.6%
Volatility
7.9%

4-3-2-1 Dragon Fixed Allocation Portfolio

The 4-3-2-1 Dragon is the community's retail-friendly distillation of Chris Cole's Dragon Portfolio (Artemis Capital, 2020). Cole's original allocation is 24% Equity, 18% Fixed Income, 19% Gold, 18% Commodity Trend, and 21% Active Long Volatility. The Active Long Volatility sleeve uses long-dated equity options and tail-risk strategies that are not available in a retail ETF wrapper, so the community substituted a larger managed-futures sleeve and a small-cap value tilt that approximates the regime diversification at the cost of giving up the explicit long-vol exposure.

This implementation runs 30% SPY, 10% AVUV (small-cap value), 30% KMLM (managed futures for crisis alpha), 20% ZROZ (long zero-coupon treasuries), and 10% GLD. Quarterly rebalance. Variants include a 1.5x capital-efficient version using NTSX/GDE substitutions, and a 2x leveraged version using UPRO/TMF/UGL.

4-3-2-1 Dragon: frequently asked questions

What is 4-3-2-1 Dragon?
Multi-asset all-weather allocation inspired by the Artemis Dragon Portfolio: equities + small cap value + managed futures + long zero-coupon treasuries + gold. The 4-3-2-1 ratio balances growth and crisis alpha.
Who created the 4-3-2-1 Dragon strategy?
4-3-2-1 Dragon was developed by Community Research. It is based on Cole, C. (2020). The Allegory of the Hawk and Serpent. Artemis Capital Management..
What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of 4-3-2-1 Dragon?
Backtested from 1986-06-30 to 2026-07-23, 4-3-2-1 Dragon returned 8.9% CAGR with a -19.6% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 1.13. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How often is 4-3-2-1 Dragon rebalanced?
4-3-2-1 Dragon is rebalanced quarterly. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
Is 4-3-2-1 Dragon a fixed or tactical strategy?
4-3-2-1 Dragon is a fixed-allocation (strategic) portfolio: it holds a set allocation and rebalances on schedule rather than rotating based on market signals.

Backtest Performance (1986-06-30 to 2026-07-23)

Metric4-3-2-1 Dragon
CAGR8.9%
Max Drawdown-19.6%
Sharpe1.13
Sortino1.86
Volatility7.9%
Calmar0.46
Total Return2983.3%
Backtest Period40.0 years

Strategy Details

Type
Fixed / Strategic
Rebalancing
quarterly
Risk Level
moderate
Variants
3
Author
Community Research
Source
Cole, C. (2020). The Allegory of the Hawk and Serpent. Artemis Capital Management.

Asset Classes

  • US Equity
  • US Small-Cap Value
  • Managed Futures
  • Long Zero-Coupon Treasuries
  • Gold

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