Member Info for Alas_Smith

I have disposed of my holding in this outfit which was purchased a few years ago. Having a big overhaul of portfolio to reduce shares that are under-performing. It co-incides with a gift that I am making to my children which I expect will be transformative to them.

A great sense of pleasure that it will be appreciated during my lifetime rather than when I eventually peg out. Good fortune to all

Stockready1, as the saying goes, elephants don't run, but they sure do have a lot of momentum. Sector rotation (as I see it) has growth in pharmaceutical, IT, emerging markets and M&A sectors. Construction (particularly Chinese led either in home country or others of influence) is waning but the transition from internal combustion to EV is waxing. RIO thus can be considered core for any portfolio as utterly reliable generator of dividends and any growth in the market cap a bonus as far as I can make out.

My long term average come rain or shine has been 13.25% compound growth. Of course there are down years (2022 was poor with -26.17%). The advantage of a high risk portfolio is that there have been many years of spectacular growth but sometimes boot on other foot.

Performance

2015 - 25.66%

2016 - 18.41%

2017 - 27.58%

2018 - 5.52%

2019 - 24.06%

2020 - 6.51%

2021 - 15.62%

2022 - (26.17%)

2023 - 12.98%

2024 to date 8.03%

In terms of a dividend stock with growth, I have recently bought shares in Diageo and, last year shares in Reckitt. Definitely a better point to buy shares in both now, but that is hindsight.

I hope this helps - nothing more than the musings of an old duffer. This week I have trimmed my technology holdings as I wish to make a cash gift to children. Providing a gift that is life changing gives me tremendous pleasure. Far better to do this while alive and no point being the richest corpse in the graveyard.

Thank you fromage for your considered words. I don't suppose my drab life is very much different from others except that I have always been self employed and thus do not have the luxury of a company sponsored pension. In retirement I will therefore be reliant on my savings with a bonus of a State Pension. The first obstacle faced is in stopping saving and instead drawing. And the 2nd one is the opinions of wise counsel and text books that all suggest de-risking a portfolio.

For me, mostly compos mentis, the prospect of a retirement of 30 years is not unreasonable for an active person with a wide range of hobbies to include skiing, karate, salmon fishing, motorcycling, painting, theatre and riding. This is the timescale for high risk and even if markets turn down, as they inevitably will, an annual loss of 20% has been seen at least twice, the most recent just a couple of years ago.

FWIW, I am eligible to receive the State Pension in the next 6 weeks. I am not yet ready to retire but I have not changed my investing strategy. I am invested for capital growth at higher risk. Yes, I won share in LGEN and RIO, both of which are extremely dull but are excellent generators of cash. Yields on both are such that I don't care whether there is growth in the MKT CAO or not because that was not the purpose of my investment. 3i, however, although it throws off a decent dividend is a holding for capital growth and I have been adding to my holding there as well as in tiddlers such as molten ventures (GROW) and Allianz Investment Trust (ATT).

The bulk of growth that I have achieved this year (and at times the largest daily losses) have been with holding on the NASDAQ and DOW.

Anyway, the world seems to need the raw materials that RIO provides, so no reason to sell holding, simply add when there are few other opportunities for growth elsewhere. That aside, at the point when I begin to de-risk my portolio to tweak investments in favour of income over capital growth, then RIO is an obvious candidate/

Well, July is over.... my portfolio suffered a loss of 1.5% and August has started off badly. If investing can be compared with a voyage, the seas have been very rough over the last few days. Yes, the swell seems to have subsided but it does not mean that turbulence is over.

AZN has been largely unaffected when compared with many in my portfolio. As world population will increase and more in understood in science, so EFFECTIVE treatments will be developed. AI, or rather machine learning, should reduce the time taken for research into both the necessary stimulants and blockers for disease and, as more information is available so there will be expansion of medicine and the narrowing of recipient so that, in time, bespoke treatment will be an option.

Sucafoods, FWIW, I believe that Mr Trump is a mendacious cretin with a pygmy intellect and a danger to world peace. That aside, there is a good chance that the American public in their wisdom return him to office. A second term could be hideous but could be blessed if there is something of catastrophe to impact Europe.

Defence and security of nations is the business in hand for BAE systems. The SP tends to thrive on worry.

Little else will be contributed by me in times future. Good fortune to all.

Today is a down day following a very poor day on US markets. Thursdays are usually a day for many companies to go xd which also tends to pull markets down. Long term the share price is expected to continue to test new highs, but at the moment America is toying with a recession that had been widely expected within 12 months of its first signal (November 2022).

Results were decent enough to me and I am always finding an eyebrow raised when my enthusiasm is not shared by others, but when I lose confidence in a company or its managers, I tend to sell my holding and look elsewhere. Easy to write and difficult to do.

My daily records for my portfolio valuation (since 1979) show more often than not July and August as flat months with September often in reverse but so far (for my portfolio) is has been sharply down.

Perhaps, stargate, Jeffries don't pay any attention to the chicken bones as they have a raised their hold note in place with target 1330p

I've no problem with the visual guide that charts provide, but attributing anything authoritative to future share price direction is dangerous.

Clued, this is an unusual election in that both candidates are known to markets.

If Trump elected we know that tax policy will be relaxed towards markets and high chance of a bubble created in years 1 and 2 with a deep correction at some point in either years 2, 3 or 4. We can also assume that although US will not withdraw from NATO, funding for weapons to prevent Russian takeover of Ukraine will be withdrawn and forced peace talks to advantage Russia to the detriment of Ukraine initiated.

The tragedy is that both are very old men, neither really up to snuff, one is visibly descending into senility and the other has a pygmy intellect, coupled with a propensity for exaggeration, lies and the flimsiest sense of a world beyond a fawning audience.

Although 40% of its business is within the US, 60% is not and it will take years to unravel the contracts in place and the dependence that US has on BAE Systems. I am not too fussed in the short term.

Mr Vance, has changed his tune from being wholly opposed to Trump and now his running mate. All very odd.

Market is far from bad. The S&P is up almost 20% this year, FTSE is struggling, DAX up almost 11% and CAC is struggling.

Midastouch2015, the market is not a single equity or a single sector or a single exchange. And the sooner that you grasp that, you may wish to revise your "handle" from reference to Midas to Croeseus.

Of course, you might not have had the benefit of a classical education and my remark is as lost as innocence when confronted with doubt

Https://www.socialeurope.eu/europes-nightmare-an-isolationist-america

Https://citywire.com/investment-trust-insider/news/bae-systems-bursts-into-smart-money-list-of-top-10-uk-stocks/a2445806

With the S&P, the most influential index in the world at recent and re-testing all time highs, some investors worry that they are too late to the party, others that it is time to get out and another that it is time to jump in.

Only short term hindsight will prove the sense or folly of any decision. All I know is that markets have expanded to reflect a growing world population and, as real wealth trickles down, so the upside growth has accellerated but at the expense of risk.

NATO expects member contributions of 2%. Why should the UK have a goal of 2.5%? Are we more vulnerable to risk? Is 2.5% enough? Yes and No. Yes that we are vulnerable to risk, but not of invasion but from compromise of our economic infrastructure and No because the rot started in the 1960’s and thus there are 60 years in which to make good.

That the CEO of Rheinmettal is an assassination target might be the wake up call for investors to direct a little more cash to defence sector. Despite this holding acting as a drag on my portfolio, I need to invest more cash for it to remain at a 2% holding in my portfolio

Decent write up in Money Week

I hold a small stake in LSEG bought a few months ago in anticipation of a change in Government. My hunch being to make London an attractive place to invest and launch.

Clued, while we cannot second guess what tax raising measures might be enacted in a change of Government, we do know that Rachel Reeves has been currying favour with the City. We do know that the country is in a financial mess and has been for some time, hence the freezing of income tax allowances and the cutting of thresholds for others. We also know that former Labour Government Policy has the aim to raise the living standards for those that work, provide elevated thresholds for those that cannot work and in doing so raise from those most able to afford such penalty.

Simplicity, understanding, fairness and impartiality are the key for approval. Lumping capital gains and income tax together makes sense to me. What also makes sense to me is that the Probate Office know at the point of death the estate of the deceased AND the distribution thereof so there is a good case to treat capital received as inherited wealth as a Capital Gain which is zero rated at death but thereafter treated under income/capital gain rules.

Robina, the primary duty of a Government is to ensure the protection of its borders. Defence for the UK is two-fold. First with our border controls, Air, Navy and Land Forces to include Police and Fire Brigades and second the broader defence to our immediate neighbour, Europe through NATO.

Should USA return Trump to office, NATO members, other than US will need to INCREASE defence spending as there is considerable evidence that reliance on US cannot be assured.

Politics is fascinating and made more so from a financial perspective. I have recently added to my holding.

FWIW, my holding in NVDA has been trimmed (again) and latest purchase is QCOM on NASDAQ

Yes, I know these are the fat, lazy days of summer, but as far as I can see the Mkt Cap is rather stuck in a rut and will bob up and down between 1325 and 1375.

The last 40 years have, (for me), been positive on most occasions in June, July and August for my portfolio as a whole. September a down month, October flat and then positive through to Feb.

2024 fels different and I cannot pit my finger on things. Might just be the mood of the people.

With the exception of planning for IHT when I eventually peg out, tax has never been a factor in the decision for an investment. In terms of long term, until last year I had just 1 equity in my portfolio held since 1979. It was Shell (in its various incarnations, (Shell Transport and Trading/Royal Dutch Shell/Shel) and gifted my remaining 50 shares to my younger son to seed his SIPP.

Scrip shares were beneficial in building my stake in Shell, but the real gains were from capital uplift. Minority shareholders with a holding under 1% issued share capital are not practically affected by share buybacks hence my preference for cash.

Clued - all these things that you point out are precisely why defence spending will continue. What is not known at this stage (and probably will not be known until the next budget) is the timeline for the next UK administration in reaching 2.5% GDP spending on defence.

GS based their opinion on information at the beginning of the year. Since then, there Wagner commander has died the head of the Russian Forces dismissed, 500,000 dead or severely wounded Russian soldiers and little ground captured. That is the information which has changed hence with hindsight the GS analysis seems without foundation. My hunch is that only now are sanctions starting to bite.

I rather feel that it will take 2 or 3 years for a solution to be agreed and in the meanwhile, it is necessary for the wider protection of NATO borders to support Ukraine. And, of course, it does not mean that a future assault by Russian can be ruled out.

Deluded, is perhaps, too harsh.