Member Info for Alas_Smith

Once again, apologies for matters off topic.

There will be little further contribution from me.

News today of investment in Zopa.

Well, I don't think I have read such utter BS from someone who has the audacity to claim connection as a supplier to housebuilders on the one hand, intricacies of hedge funds on another with acquaintenance of old school stockbrokers for good measure.

Directors are under no obligation to own shares in the company they manage.

.... well, the explanations for the poor results are plausible enough and the managers have taken the opportunity to add to their exposure. Forward statements are (perhaps deliberately) muted. It has been, I suspect quite a big shock to the managers but at least they have identified non-core assets to eliminate. of most concern to me was the reduction in margin. BUT, the flip side, of course, that in the events that results are poor, might as well get as much out as possible from which improvement should be made in future periods. First point in a decade to have stalled growth.

Not inclined to execute a bargain at this stage but will wait for the dust to settle, look more closely at the numbers and make a considered decision.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/18/mongolia-has-concerns-about-rio-tintos-management-of-oyu-tolgoi.html

Barnet - I am not qualified to give any financial advice whatsoever.

You have not actually understood that many here are trying to help you. I am an investor and don't care about short term movement or the noise spouted through conjecture, and the typical waffle that the BB communities have. (For 10 years I contributed as The Troglodyte on Interactive Investor followed by 19 years on ADVFN as Erogenous Jones) - waffle is familiar and I can generally spot BS from a country mile. I detest those that claim to be short - somehow, they never (apparently) make a mistake and always have a winning trade. More BS as far as I am concerned.

You seem obsessed with GAMBLING and using leverage to claw back your losses made in the past. You seem to have not understood why you lost money only that you want to chuck good money after bad to "get it all back". Well, sunshine, that is simply not going to happen. You will just continue to make the same mistakes and although you might from time to time, pick a winner, you are impatient and that is not beneficial to investing.

I have provided already 5 companies that you would do well to really understand and learn about. By all means use candlesticks, tea leaves, every tool in the limited arsenal that you have thus far discovered, but if you don't understand how to read a balance sheet or understand geopolitical or have trust in the managers, then you will be taken to the cleaners every time.

You at least have admitted that you have got it wrong. Did all the companies you chose to place a bet on go bust, did you get cold feet and cut your losses, or perhaps (and this is my hunch) you were forced to cover losses called from margin calls?

I shall continue to add to ASML, RIO and many other holdings as finances permit. Have you ordered a copy of the book that I suggested?

Finlay1, only you can make the decision whether to buy or sell any equity. That you ascribe authority in looking at the order book, charts and patterns and making decisions based on bargains executed in the past then good luck to you. Quite frankly any bargain executed on the LSE is a bargain where the deal is usually published in real time - I really don't care whether it is interpreted by one software platform or another as a buy or a sale - quite unimportant.

What is important is to understand what the company does, how it earns its money and whether future earnings will change for the better or the worse. No matter haow many charts you look at, in the most minute of detail, it really will not give you that information.

So, while I am sure that your comments were intended to be of benefit, I'm afraid that at best was (by me) considered hogwash.

Within a few days, the company will release information in a trading update. The playing field will be level at that time.

New investors sometimes struggle to really get to understand what a company does and where it earns its money. Quite a bit of this information is buried deep inside the accompanying notes published with the results. Sometimes companies and usually the larger ones, go out of their way to make certain that they are considered in the very best light.

When considering investing in any business, surely the first thing to look at is the company website and, if possible navigate to the corporate side so that you don't get distracted with the "superficial" public facing side. You want facts, as many as you can discover and try and establish where changes have ocurred and why they have occurred.

RIO had a terrible press last year with the destruction of caves. Not as disastrous as say BP with the Mexico oil spill but from the PR perspective to the consumer facing public, truly awful. RIO is not a consumer facing "brand" and is often tarred by well meaning groups for what is considered environmental destruction by dint of being a miner.

The "soft side" of RIO is discovered in the regularly udpated publication of the potted history. The link is below

https://www.riotinto.com/-/media/Content/Documents/Invest/Financial-news-and-performance/Fact-Book/RT-Fact-Book.pdf

So, as usual, my timing is poor, but this is, I suspect more consequential on Mr Market worrying about inflation or supply bottlenecks rather than the prospects for ITRK as a business. Since certification, testing and all the paraphanalia that ITRK does, is needed or a requirement for many businesses whether consumer, commercial or industrial facing, inflation should have minimal effect on ITRK.

Anyway, that is my rationale for holding ITRK and as the world is starting to re-open their economies, I forecast an uplift in work throughout the winter and well into 2022. I do not believe that this is yet to be priced into the shares so will continue to add as finances permit.

This article caught my eye.

https://www.firstpost.com/business/indian-economy-in-recovery-mode-from-covid-19-crisis-says-world-bank-president-david-malpass-10053401.html

Finlay1, I have been building my portfolio for the last 40 years. Traders in the old days were "blue buttons" - well before "Big Bang". High volume, high frequency dealing has only really been around for a couple of decades but has been adopted by those claiming to be traders through Contracts for Difference and other leveraged instruments. Most, according to the disclaimers on their advertisements, lose money.

A trades (those trades that are consequent on the use of an algorithim) are sometimes used by fund managers running substantial funds. They have an agenda, either to accumulate shares at a lower cost or nil overall cost, reduce holding so as not to disrupt the market or lastly to provide liquidity.

That you are involved in the supply to constructions is of high importance to the debate. But to claim that traders effectively walked the price down (and, by inference, probably up) is pretty ripe! And further that this is through US hedge funds is fanciful.

News yesterday was that Liontrust has loaned some shares in TSTL to a sister company but from what I can discern, it is simply a case of transferring a little small change from a trouser pocket to a coat pocket. The effect, of course for one or both of the Liontrust funds is to give an artificial raising or lowering of the NAV and, in the event that the share price recovers lost ground, the ability to bank a profit.

It is precisely why I prefer holding shares directly in quoted companies rather than pooled resource. I do, though have interest in many Investment Trusts to provide exposure to sectors or geographies I have difficulty in researching as fully as I would wish.

The SP remains weak.

Not sure that I would claim a couple of bargains, each of £50k is big. To me, just seems a domestic punter is nervous ahead of news that is set to be published on 18th.

We know that approval has been given for licence of a foam product in some States in US and applicaton is being made for extension. The worry for investors is the cautionary remarks that the US recovery is under pressure from inflation and high energy costswhich is slowing growth. In such circumstances, investors tend to run for shelter. Shelter is not generally provided by AIM equities!

If you recall, Barnet, I remarked on a company called ASML. there has been a decent comment today

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/chip-machine-maker-asml-will-grow-into-a-500-billion-business.html

So, while chips are in short supply, once made, they are very cheap. This is a classic "Warren Buffet" type company with the advantage of monopoly economics, leader of the pack, very high price of entry to compete so a huge economic moat. There are not many shares around and 100 shares is going to leave a bit of a throbbing feeling in the wallet. It is the sort of company in which to own shares and forget about them for 40 years or more.

Have you discovered your 5 shares from the myriad available on the London Stock Exchange or would you like a couple from the Nasdaq to consider?

SaleSale, I am not authorised to give investment advice.

For Investment Trusts, a good starting point is https://www.trustnet.com/ another good source of information is QuotedData and, of course, Citywire and navigate to Investment trust Insider. Many of these are strategic so be a little fuzzy when searching out the gems.

FWIW, a large bargain was executed on my behalf a few months ago in a fund that is very much under the radar, Aubrey Global Emerging Markets. The last 40 years have seen incredible growth in stock market valuations led by consumerism in the West. Well, the emerging markets want a piece of the action, and, let's face it the engine is probably China followed by India and then Brazil in terms of the fastest growing nations.

So, while infrastructure is, without doubt of high importance to the developed world, the undeveloped world wants consumerism.

Playing devils advocate for a moment, so although infrastructure is essential, maybe there is more money to be made on the fringes so it would be things like conveyor belts for miners or portable power solutions for remote communities to will allow for water to be pumped for irrigation.

Back to your question - the obvious contenders that spring to mind are TRIG, Ecofin and Global Utilities - I have held investment in TRIG (very dull and relies on consistent issue of rights for growth) but my preference is for UEM, Utilico Emerging Markets that is based in the countries that should have the greatest growth potential, are involved in ports, containers, railways and airport hubs. I repeat, not investment advice, but I hope might give you a few ideas that in turn might resonate with you.

Good luck.

I wonder if Barnet has found 5 shares yet. Monkey with a pin rings a bell......

Those experts claiming that furlough is the cause of weak share prices are, I fear, peddling nonsense. Inflation is the problem at the moment, coupled with soaring cost of gas.

Today, though a competitor company Michelmersh is down and IBST is up - neither is doing particularly well to be frank.

Although traders get awfully excited about short term movement, investors accept that prices rise and fall, moods change and short term froth is blown away as long term strategies play out - strategies from the past as well as those considered for the future. Construction tends to slow down in the winter months to allow stock to be created, stored and prepared for distribution.

Cannot pretend I am content to see the share price where it is, but am not unduly worried that my investment is currently slightly under water.

I believe that buying around the sort of levels seen recently will reward shareholders in the short term with a rise in the SP. If you look at the 10 year chart, £50 was a ceiling in 2019, tested and eventually broken deciselvely in December last year to have an aggressive ride to new highs before crashing down again.

Miners have generally been regarded as the mayhem equities and prone to wild movement. The world is awash with “money” printed by Governments to keep their economies from collapse. Conversion into infrastructure will absorb the inflationary effect and infrastructure needs raw material. Logically this should translate to increased profit.

I must admit that I am rather bewildered that the share price has remained so weak. Yes, the update was pretty flat but nothing to suggest guidence change. Not long now until the numbers are published and we will all have information upon which to base decision.

I've dipped a toe in with a purchase for elder son in his ISA. It has been interpreted as bargain executed on the "sell" side.

India is expected over the next decade to become the 3rd largest economy but has rather been overlooked by global investors preferring China.

I held a lot of shares in Nvidia, Adobe, Zoetis and Adyen. Between Feb 22 and March 23, my portfolio dropped 39%. Nothing sold or bought.

For elder son, however, his bonus arrived in the middle of March and his portfolio was started. It rose 55% on the year with 100% growth from EasyJet, AFC energy and smaller but impressive growth from RDSB and Throgmorton IT. EasyJet were sold just after it peaked (luck) and AFC had a flurry of interest. That portfolio is not doing as well this year and is only up 4.6%