The latest Investing Matters Podcast with Jean Roche, Co-Manager of Schroder UK Mid Cap Investment Trust has just been released. Listen here.
@OilMonkey - Thank you, that is very insightful. I find it hard to think in baby steps and tend to go from zero to hero. I forget that, during the ascent, many platforms of support are placed. I've only been back in the game since April and, then, only venturing into AIM in the last couple of months. Having seen so many stocks rise seemingly on a whim to crazy levels in a day, only to crash the next week, I am to be mindful that some - like GGP - can be a bit more stable!
@Jerryspaniel - Once upon a time, yes, but I am much better at buying and holding now having researched and also having a bit more faith in my convictions. It is more the psychological pressure that a person must feel when facing profits in the 1000s%. Having never been in that position, it is hard to imagine the temptation, opportunity or not. It is a situation that not many would have to face in their lives and most, when faced with a new experience that is potentially life changing (in either direction) would panic.
Greetings Greatlanders. I have been with this share just a short while, so missed the huge gains some have experienced. I've invested in other minnows hoping they may mature into behemoths but something I have been wondering is how so many of the LTHs here kept the faith and didn't cash in all their chips when they were seeing 200% gains... 500% gains... 1000% gains and more?
I have a couple of 100%ers and find the temptation not to cash those in hard to resist at times (mainly to shove those profits in here) so I cannot imagine how hard it must be to keep on keeping on when profits and percentages are at numbers hard to fathom.
Having read between the lines on this BB, it seems that some were encouraged during dark days by those who, perhaps, understood the technicalities a bit more (I don't mean charts, I mean metal in the ground) but, seeing as most BBs are full of contrarian wotnots who just seem hell bent on getting their knickers in a twist and throwing insults, I don't think I'm going to find much useful info to cling any hats to.
Genuinely very interested to hear from you.
Zion.
Hey Gorman43. I only have a small holding (compared to many) and got in at a higher price than you. I won't be making the big kahuna buck$ that many are (and sincerest congrats to you all!), but I decided to top up figuring that even a 25 or 50% rise adds a chunk. Of course, your choice and all that. Good luck, whatever you do.
Thought this might be of interest (from thetakeoverpanel.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/code.pdf?v=7Nov2019):
"2.9 ANNOUNCEMENT OF NUMBERS OF RELEVANT
SECURITIES IN ISSUE
When an offer period begins, the offeree company must announce,
as soon as possible and in any case by 7.15 am on the next business
day, details of all classes of relevant securities issued by the company,
together with the numbers of such securities in issue. An offeror or
publicly identified potential offeror must also announce the same details
relating to its relevant securities as soon as possible and in any case
by 7.15 am on the business day following any announcement identifying
it as an offeror or potential offeror, unless it has stated that its offer is
likely to be solely in cash.
Any such announcement should include, where relevant, the International
Securities Identification Number (“ISIN”) for each relevant security.
If the information included in an announcement made under this Rule
changes during the offer period, a revised announcement must be made
as soon as possible.
NOTES ON RULE 2.9
1. Options to subscribe
For the purposes of this Rule, options to subscribe for new securities in the
offeree company or an offeror are not treated as a class of relevant securities.
2. Treasury shares
Only relevant securities which are held and in issue outside treasury should
be included in the announcement."
@Rr101 Not sure if you know, but you can get Stocks & Shares ISAs - the same yearly allowance with tax-free gains. I am sure most large platforms provide them and you should certainly be able to achieve greater than 1-3% gains - the oil stocks have large dividends plus they should recover in the next few years. It can also be worth looking Stateside as there are several interesting and exciting opportunities to be had over there.
I use Hargreaves & Lansdown, but have no particular loyalty to them, they were just the platform I chose on day one and am now familiar with. They all have different fees, pros & cons so it is worth shopping around. With funds - if you go that route - keep an eye on any fees that you may pay with them. If you believe that the FTSE will reach the highs it went to pre-Covid, once the dust settles, there are funds that track that, along with other indexes, so they can be worth looking at as well.
Take a bit of downtime to thoroughly assess your goals over time and to do a lot of research. These boards are great, but do look outside of them as there is a wealth of information out there. A few choice picks at this stage should see you well.
I wish you nothing but the best :-)
Hey Rr101. I was very lucky having inherited a sum that was very large for me. I sat on it a bit, scratching my head, then Brexit happened and the market collapsed. Next thing I know, I am buying gold and bank shares thinking 'surely this lot will go up'. It did, I declared myself an investing genius, promptly losing everything I had gained by day trading, spread betting and generally diving in an out of stocks in a very impatient fashion.
I got fed up with this and hated seeing the red so handed over the lump sum (thankfully, mostly intact) to a wealth management company whilst I could sit around, scratching my head again.
I had an impending sense of doom and, after being in a band for a couple of decades, wanderlust so decided to put that lump sum into an apartment overseas. Withdrew the money in July 2019 and travelled a lot to decide where to buy. Ultimately, that decision resulted in Croatia and I put an offer in on an apartment back in February. All was going swimmingly until C19 put a pause on things. So, there I was with a big lump of cash with nothing to do so I looked at the stock market again and threw some in there, along with premium bonds.
The apartment deal went through in July so most of the cash was gone, but I was hooked again. 'I'll only use a little bit of this', I promised myself, keeping the rest in the relative safe-haven of premium bonds. But that didn't last long and more and more of it went back in to stocks. There were so many "bargains" around that, to me, looked like no-brainers that I couldn't resist.
I have learned patience and have learned to ignore the rest, trusting my own research and tolerance to risk. I put extra money in as and when, to average down on some positions, averaging up on others (such as when Tesla was announced to be heading toward the S&P 500). When travel can start up again, hopefully by Spring-time, I will be renting out the apartment so the income from that will be put into the markets. Depending on the volatility, I may hedge a bit more and put it in funds, or dividend payers (most likely both).
I'm self-employed so don't have a fixed income. If you do though, an idea is to pick a stock or two (or a couple of funds) and pay a fixed amount in monthly. You then benefit from averaging your price whilst building a decent stake. Pick things that pay dividends and you benefit from the compounding effect as well.
Hope that gives you some food for thought. There is an awful lot of skill involved in making gains fast with trading (with a smidge or two of luck) and it isn't a skill I posses. Maybe I will learn it one day but, at the moment, I am playing it relatively safe whilst trying to absorb as much information (many, many books and YouTube videos) as I can about all aspects of investing and trading.
Hey Islandgirl - I'm not Max and do not know Max, other than from the boards. I am easily found and do not hide who I am. Just an eager investor in this company that learned a long time ago not to bother with BS :-)
Hi Rr101. Personally, I believe the best thing you can do is determine whether you are an investor or a trader. That decision might be made due to your attitude to risk, screen-time you have, disposable income or many other factors.
I would love to be able to trade alongside invest but my timing is atrocious. There is just something in my psyche that makes the wrong decision at the wrong time. Part FOMO, part being a chicken, part greed. After realising that about myself I came to the conclusion that I would probably do better investing rather than trading.
Since deciding upon that route, I have done much better. No longer do I stock watch and fret about every movement. I take a long term view on a company and base my buying decisions (mostly) on where I believe the company will be in 2-10 years. In my portfolio I hold a mixture of recovery stocks (ie RR, NEX), dividend payers (Shell, GSK, BP), disruptors (Tesla, Beyond Meat) and then some slightly riskier AIM stocks, although in areas I believe have future growth (precious metals, blockchain). I also hold gold, silver, crypto and, thanks to having an artistic bent, fine art and antiques.
If you cannot sit in front of a screen studying charts and minute fluctuations, it may be that investing is a better option for you. There is no right or wrong answer, just what you are most comfortable with.
As they say, DYOR and GL!
Peace.
You know, I always thought the point of bulletin boards were to discuss something all the contributors had an interested in? I come here as I want to read others' thoughts and opinions about a company I am invested in. I want solid information from those that can interpret things better than I, or have far more experience. In other words, I come here to learn.
Sure, it doesn't always need to be serious and it can be fun to daydream about eventual SPs but, to get to the (few and far between) posts that are actually worth reading necessitates pages and pages of dirge, knicker wetting and puerile insults.
I just don't get it.
Peace.
Hi all. I was signed up for the AGM but totally missed it. Would someone mind synopsising it for me? I went to the UFO website but couldn't see any updates. Apologies if I'm just being blind - the sun has made a rare appearance and the glare has made my eyes go fuzzy...
Cheers!
Zion
@DC26 - If you have Amazon Prime, there are several documentaries on BTC and blockchain, all of which can explain things far better than I. They do a good job of explaining why there is a compelling case for diversifying a portfolio with them. Not sure if right this second is the best time to get into BTC - it is either going to re-trace in a rather dramatic fashion or burst forth - but there are plenty of articles and opinions online that explain the near-term risks/rewards to help you decide. Good luck!
I think it depends what age bracket you are in. Millennials hoover up Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as, to them, gold, silver and other precious metals are seen as old fashioned. Crypto is "their" thing and, like most young, they want to place their stake in the ground.
The blockchain technology on which Crypt currencies are built is certainly here to stay and it will disrupt a lot of industries. It is the future and seeking out companies at this stage that have their hand in it can be seen as a wise thing to do. Of course, finding the next Microsoft out of all the budding sprouts is not an easy thing to do.
What I do like about BTC in particular is that the amount in circulation is limited, with the final coins to be mined in about 100 years. Most are already in circulation and the incentive to mine further is halved every four years or so. We have just had one of those halvings, which is one reason for the price rising.
Where BTC will go from here is anyone's guess. It's at pretty much an all-time high. If it breaks through that it has no resistance for a while. A lot of people are buying to hold it at the moment, so it sure does stand a chance.
I hold some BTC, some Ripple, Litecoin and Etherium. Not in huge amounts - averaging in - but with more and more institutions, banks and investments companies getting involved, I can't see them going anywhere soon. Spending them will become easier as well now that places like PayPal have come on board. I watched a doc the other day and some chap on there ten years or so ago bought a cup of coffee for two bitcoin which, today, is about $36,000! Bonkers.
I'm by no means an expert on any of this, just trying to keep up. I have no children so won't have grandkids to sigh and try to carefully explain to me AGAIN how to work the sodding block-chain derived cyber toaster, orwhateverfancynonsensebelongsinourfuture....
I do also hold gold/silver and, obviously, have positions in mining companies. Certainly, the desire and need for PMs isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I can't remember where I first heard about this share but, being a fan of music of the heavier kind, I dug the name Power Metal so checked it out. Always the best way to pick a stock ;-)
Once I DMOR (Did My Own Researched), I realised that they were more than just a cool moniker but one of the most exciting prospects in the AIM.
Paul is excellent: frequent updates, facts over hyperbole and someone who believes enough in what he says and does to put his money where his mouth is. I initially bought in at quite a low level (money-wise, not share price) but will continue to add as and when I can to build up a decent amount.
Reading through this (thankfully) contentious-free bulletin board I can see that most feel the same. So, good luck to us all and long may Paul reign supreme!
I find it utterly bewildering that such petty arguing and name calling goes on between grown up adult human beings.
I am sure I am among the majority of people on here who want to talk seriously about UFO or, perhaps, go OT every now and again for a chit chat, so find it difficult to comprehend all the other nonsense that goes on.
No doubt I am opening myself up to a world of abuse from the touchy ones that fly off the handle at the slightest criticism but, after years in a touring band, releasing albums and so on, I've been criticised on a global scale for all to read for years, so can handle a bit of petty name calling.
However, should you choose this moment to Get A Life, I am sure we would all appreciate it.
Well, yesterday I mentioned that I bought on the dip, so it was bound to go down further. And it did. Sorry about that.
I have losses, yes, but not of the kinds of sizes I know others have, and I have also not seen my paper profits drastically reduced. I'm just under 30% ish. I'll keep trying to average down.
Reading through the thread - and taking my own feelings into consideration - I wonder how differently we would all feel and react if the cash we were "losing" were actually in our hands as folding pieces of paper. Or plastic. Or whateverthehellthatmaterialistheyarenowmadeof. I am sure we would all be reacting quite differently!
I didn't get in to buying shares until post-Brexit, taking advantage of the (then) very low prices in banks etc. Thought I was dead clever, made a bit then gave it to a wealth management company to take care of. Only got back in by accident this year as an apartment I was buying in Croatia got held up due to C19 so I thought I would park that money somewhere. Was a bit late to gain on the massive bull run after the huge crash, but am doing OK with recovery stocks.
I guess I am quite philosophical over shares like UFO and I do try to balance my portfolio to help reduce the panic attacks. I have a nice balance of dividend payers who are also recovering (oil shares like BP, Shell); recovery stocks (Rolls Royce, National Express); "sensible" risks (like UFO and other gold/precious metal stocks as that market will be strong for a while yet) and more flippent "fk it" stocks like Supply@Me which may go bonkers...or not! Although I do think blockchain will be the next big thing. Got some gold, silver and Bitcoin too and an art collection. And the apartment in Croatia went through in August so I might actually be able to start renting that out next year.
Many fingers in many pies, trying to spread the risk as much as possible. I can claim no great insights or genius as I only came to this after losing vasts amounts of money over far too few years.
I guess, if you are nervous you might sleep better at night to leave this share and stop chasing rainbows, however tempting they are. If you are risk averse, invest in more safe-haven stocks with divs that you don't need to check every 10 minutes. However, if you like the rollercoaster rides of life, I reckon UFO is as good a place to be as any other!
Good luck to us all.
Of course, I hate to see the SP hammered down so far but, as I bought in high initially, it is a great opportunity to average down. Although every time I do that thinking "it can't drop any further", it does just that. Thankfully, I have learned patience in the markets (thanks to BOO, my largest holding) so can chill until That Day.
Peace.
Averaged down a bit, Zenstev. I'm not that impatient and believe in the company. This has been such an odd week stock-wise, with everyone diving out of mining and tech only to gradually creep back in once they've realised the vaccine is no magic bullet. Having said that, I hold a fair few recovery stocks so it has been nice to see their potential.