So a large portion of my income over the last ten years has come from fannying around with stocks. On the US markets, not UK. Any other investors here who enjoy a flutter?

Apple on the up again…. as is Netflix…. Google can’t go down…. ever… can it? If you ignore the Trump factor/ Middle East implosion.

I am now trying to focus on long-term growth markets such as DNA ‘designer’ drugs, internet security companies and 3d printing.

Anyone else care to share? Or would you rather I just shut up and got a proper job….

I play the game, currently only in the UK, have just filled the paperwork out to trade US shares.

Have done quite well out of it, I like making the educated gambles. It is nice to make £££ from my keyboard.

I am watching/investing in

BP
Spire
Capita
Rightmove
Google
Amazon
BA tabacco

I am into rdsb rather than bp, payday today as it happens. Depending on your buy in price you should be looking at a now sustainable 5% yield paid quarterly.

BAT too, been my star performer this yearalthough its off its highs it will be back.

Also look at unilever ulvr although highly priced, you can play spot the ulvr products when you get bored shopping in sainsburys.

Tbh if you arebuying for income the buy in price is academic, some you win some you lose.

Good luck btw

Capitalist pigs!

No fair play really , how did you start? I am a capitalist piglet

Only dabble a little. Need to do a lot more research before I play with more money.

RDSB and Sound Energy are my current investments.

Mainly funds here, lots of US tech stuff so have had a good year. Some individual stocks, safe utilities for income.

I started many years ago with £250 per month, since then various share schemes have helped out, especially when I cashed them in and reinvested.

I’m probably the otherside of your US trades.

Pleasure to be doing biz with you

I’m interested in dabbling a bit. How do i go about starting? what sites do I go to?

I’m interested in dabbling a bit. How do i go about starting? what sites do I go to?

Open an account at http://www.hl.co.uk/ (other brokers are available but HL are the easiest site to use). Bung them some cash and choose your stocks/trusts/funds etc.
Funds spread the risk a bit, allowing you to invest in multiple stocks in one hit.
Take Tips from pundits or the bloke down the pub with a pinch of salt.
For the basics of how everything works read “The Naked Trader” by Robbie Burns.
READ THE PAPER!
Good Luck.

Soooo… if you had £500 to buy some shares, which ones? IQE?

Soooo… if you had £500 to buy some shares, which ones? IQE?

Well they’ve just about doubled in the last few months so it depends on whether you think they have legs. I’m holding on to mine, FWIW…

Are you wanting a quick punt or long term growth?

Another Sounder here, lth. Amazing prospects.

Soooo… if you had £500 to buy some shares, which ones? IQE?
Well they’ve just about doubled in the last few months so it depends on whether you think they have legs. I’m holding on to mine, FWIW…

Are you wanting a quick punt or long term growth?

Quick punt I suppose, just to get a feel for it.

Another Sounder here, lth. Amazing prospects.

What has?

Sound Energy (SOU), long term holder. I haven’t got the cojones to trade this one.

Quick punt I suppose, just to get a feel for it.

Russia.
Their main export is Oil. OpEC has just agreed to reduce production. Non OPEC, inc Russia, has agreed too. The price of oil is going to rise.
EU sanctions on Russia are ending this year and quite a few smaller EU nations are getting pissed off with being shouted at by Germany. French president to be, Fillon, wants to cosy up to Putin, and Donnie J positively loves him!
It could go tits up if the OPEC deal falls through, but Saudi Arabia won’t let it. THey’ve had to resort to selling the family silver to break the US shale boys, and now they’re broke (relatively). Like a footballer with a gambling habit, coming to the end of their career…
There are plenty of ETF’s focussing on Russia, or JPMorgan Russian (JRS).

Read, Where are the customers yachts? Among the quotes:

10. On who’s to blame for poor advice: “The burnt customer certainly prefers to believe that he has been robbed rather than that he has been a fool on the advice of fools.”

Reading this with interest, I’ve just started small scale after a tip from a friend. (Amur minerals, a small exploration mining company on the up if anyone’s interested in a punt. I’ve done ok out of it)
What companies for the best dividends? If I’m looking for some long term investments who should I be looking at?

For long term investments, Scottish Mortgage are a reasonable punt, as is India. Buy and forget…

OP well done to you. The Nasdaq (lots of tech stocks) has doubled in 10 years plus some currency gains too. The most important thing imho is to back the right market/sector then the individual stock is a secondary decision.

I don’t trade individual stocks mostly as it been forbidden in almost every work contract I have had for the past 20 years (I am an investment manager and personal trading is regarded as a conflict of interest). I did dabble around in the banks post 2009. I tend to allocate my pension and have had a focus on US and Asia past 10 years. We are now at a very interesting tipping point with potential for the US to move ahead strongly (markets are postive on Trump) and downside in Asia (over leveraged, increasing regional competition)

@mitsus mining companies are like buying a lottery ticket, could be worth a lot or zero. Always rumours and price run-ups based on “discoveries” as well as a leveraged bet on commodity price

mitsumonkey, that swhy i bough t a load of RDSB shares last christmas. They were as low as they had been for about 5 years and i was very confident that they would only go one way. Plus knowing very little about investing i wanted a rock solid company which as i was contracting for Shell at the time i knew they were. Their dividends are around the 5% mark. And i just reinvest every quarter.

BUT i know very very little about this game, i work with a very smart lad who has done extremely well out of it but none of it was luck. He does an extraordinary amount of research into where he plows his money into and waits. He plays the longer game.

I got burned with mining* stock that was tipped, went unlisted pretty much overnight. Worse thing about it is that it still shows up as a line on my portfolio. In reality probably a good thing, as keep reminding me of the “dead cert” going wrong.

Was a good lesson, and fortunately an early one, was only in it for £250.

*sector pretty much irrelevant, can happen with any share.

/edit
Oh, monkey with a pin very worth reading.

Well done rdsb holders. The smart money turns them over and buys them back as the share price does not get over 25 gbp, now they re at 52 week highs at just below 23. Watching with interest as to how far they go this time. I hold some for income and some as a punt.

Other income stocks as asked above,

Tobacco – bat and imt. Both yielding similar but imt will at some stage be bought out, it may be a long wait or it may be next year.

Pharma – gsk

National Grid is a good play as its low 9 quid and will pay out c 70p as a special divi next year post sale ofits gas infrastructure.

For income look at what neil wooodford holds and copy his portfolio, his biggest holdings are on his website.

The mkt has priced in all the above of course so its 3rd hand news.

My mixed bag portfolio yields 5% which i am more than happy with, it was designed as such. I expect capital growth of 2% so combined growth of 7%, compounded thats a doubling every 10 years.

Dont forget in all this that central banks are following policies of deliberately mis-pricing risk globally. Hence, valuation and other key drivers are massively distorted. Bonds and equities are both mispriced. Take care.

We are now at a very interesting tipping point with potential for the US to move ahead strongly (markets are postive on Trump)

Indeed, but US stocks are already very expensive, so could it all be about to go pop?

The late Sir John Templeton often reminded us that “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”

Donnie seems to have introduced quite a bit of Euphoria to the markets…

I also got burned by mining stock/tips from friends. I wont invest using word of mouth-they’re probably too late to invest in by that point and carry very high risk. I do have a list of mining companies that are still in the exploration/permit stages and as soon as I get the news feed they’ve located what they’re looking for I’ll make a small investment. Patagonia Gold and Alecto minerals are 2 I’ve got news feeds from. Too risky just now though.

Small mining and energy stocks are all very well if you’ve already developed a nice portfolio over the years. If your small punt on a tungsten mine goes tits up and loses all your investment it’s no big deal as it may be just 1% of your portfolio.
If it’s one of three of four stocks you hold it’s a very big deal indeed.

Good point re asset markets being inflated. Impatience is expensive, always keep some cash in hand to snap up some bargains.

Donnie seems to have introduced quite a bit of Euphoria to the markets…

People see him as very pro-business. Is that euphoria or reacting to a new President and his “make America Great Again” agenda ? He’s speaking about spending trillions on US infrastructure, great for construction built with US materials by US workers. Corprate tax cuts to pursued companes to bring money back onshore etc ? I think the reaction is legitimate

os short-sigheted. US equities are expensive but have been bouyed by excess liquidity. Yellen now has to withdraw this slowly….caveat emptor.

Corprate tax cuts to pursued companes…

😉

I think you’re right. 2017 is going to be a very interesting year indeed!

I made about over 40% out of Amur in 3 months, dragged my initial investment out leaving ‘free’ shares as a suck it and see investment, we still think it has legs.
Bought BP with the money I got out.
I agree mining companies are massive gamble but op asked if we’d like to share so I did.

This isn’t me taking a pop at people who invest and/or play the markets, but a genuine question.

What are your ethical considerations when investing? If you’re investing in companies like BAT and oil producers, do any ethical concerns you have take a back seat to profit, or is it possible to invest ethically?

Bp shell and barclays make up my investments this year

All have doubled at least as I hold plus div’s which has kept me happy.

Fundsmith trundling along turning over a steady income and maintaining value

Flops have been woodford fund. Which has been floating between a few. Hundred in the red to breaking even. But never any more.

I never act on tips. I watched the Falklands oil exploration companies strip thousands out of colleagues. “Can’t go wrong they said”

Mind you when I bought shell a colleague was buying shares where we work with the advice to me that “they cant go any lower” -they dropped to half that value the next month and have stayed there since.

ECG factors are becoming increasingly relevant

Still overshadowed by excess liquidity plus need for yield – ring any bells?

Flops have been woodford fund. Which has been floating between a few. Hundred in the red to breaking even. But never any more.

I invested (thankfully) at launch and am getting a good return at the moment, fingers crossed it stays that way!

Most of my HL funds are doing okay which is more luck than judgement though!

What are your ethical considerations when investing? If you’re investing in companies like BAT and oil producers, do any ethical concerns you have take a back seat to profit, or is it possible to invest ethically?

Tricky one…
I recently sold my stake in BAe because of their involvement in Yemen, and gave the proceeds to Warchild charity. (You could ask; what did I think the’d be used for?), but that doesn’t preclude me from sticking Saudi petrol in my car.
I wouldn’t knowingly invest in Indonesian funds that grow palm oil, or any co that exploits animals. I would imagine there are quite a few nasty surprises in most funds.
It is possible to invest ethically, and there are “ethical” funds, but they all have different remits.

1)US shares are not overpriced if you strip out the tech companies.
2)Time in not timing is most important fact.
3)Enron and Lehmann Brothers were viewed as solid companies before they went to the wall.
4)”Successful investing is easy,it consists of finding two or three great companies and sitting on your Ass”.Charlie Munger.
5)A punt is not investing it is gambling.
6)View yourself as part owner of a company and not the owner of shares.Concentrate on the fundamentals/prospects for that company AND NOT ITS DAILY PRICE MOVEMENTS!
Good luck.

3D printing is not the way to go