Member Info for mushroomkid

I must admit, I've breathed a lot easier since I invested in the major housebuilders including TW. I have a couple of other high-dividend paying companies including Evraz and Galliford Try (ok..different kind of builder too). Both of these I bought a few months ago and have seen them dip into negativity once or twice. However, after a year of investing I've found out I just want to buy shares and leave them alone. Sure enough, both look a little healthier.

Having said that, I had a look at PSN yesterday dip down 7% first thing in the morning on the strength of a supposedly selling too many leasehold properties and felt like I should have a punt what I perceived to be a crazy sell off particularly ahead of what was forecast to be a good final report today. Sure enough the share moved up and I could have bought and sold for a 7% profit.

Why didn't I? Probably because you get to an age where you think...oh to heck with it. A modest profit still allows me to sleep at night and go fishing the next day.:)

I had the fortune to guess the bottom of the market for TW, BDEV and PSN just before Christmas and bought a sizeable load at bargain prices. This was pure luck and merely counter-balances a disastrous venture into an AIM listed share that plummeted. I'm still a bit down overall.

What is interesting is how the market reacts to these companies. They all move up and down each day like synchronised swimmers. If this does not happen, it takes only a day for the misbalance to correct itself. What that says to me is the market is basically disinterested in the managerial differences between these three (and maybe others too I don't know) and assumes they are well managed and fit for purpose.

(I couldn't take the stress of the AIM market. I need to know what the dividends will be to add to my state pension in a few year's time and even if the SP's descend a bit, each one is up around 20% since the purchase on 18th December. Blue chip companies from now on thank you!!)

Nelson - I think what really shook me was firstly, how slow my broker was at selling the shares. I had anticipated, having put the order in at 7.05 am that I might lose a bit and sell them for around 6-7p. 4.77p was much lower than I had anticipated from an 8.3 p price the evening before (set by some insider dealing. Still fuming about that btw) and secondly that the share was so fragile that one failure would almost halve the price of the sp.

I still have a bunch of shares but I have written them off in my mind. If they ascend to the heady heights that have been muted, so be it. If not then, then I'll take the loss. I assume the sp might be anything from 0p to 100p in the next few years.

In the meantime, I have consolidated my position with some solid blue chip companies that will pay a modest dividend forever (I believe) and topped up my pension accordingly. Result: less stress :)

I sold half my shares in a panic at 4.77p the morning of 'the announcement'. They immediately rose back to up 5.7p two days later which is the precise point I decided to buy back in. They then fell immediately over the next day or so until I sold those shares this morning in dismay for 4.11p. Within minutes the sp rose up to 4.55p.

Use my as the 'Jonah' if you like. I will announce next time I make a transaction. Just do the opposite of what I do to make cash! Gordon Bennett!

Well I hope you won't mind my saying this but I trust the whole lot will get stung! Day traders have been tossing around with this share for months. I've lost a packet on this today and am in no mood for excited posts on here about how much money there is to be made picking through the bones like vultures ffs.

Stinks doesn't it?

I ran my own business for a couple of decades and learned never to count the chickens. Goods would be ordered and delivered (all at my expense of course) but the profit was only counted as such when the customer paid.

I have a little saying which I often spout, much to the amusement of family members; 'trust no-one' and it comes from the above experience.

However, I still say that long term, we have many rolls of the two dice needing eight or more. Can you believe, I actually took a pair of dice the other night and concluded the chances Echo has of commercial finds?

I managed it three times out of twelve throws proving conclusively and beyond any doubt, that we will all make a fad wad of cash.

On the other hand.....trust no-one!

I had a feeling someone who take advantage of the dip and let's face it the Tuesday club awaits! Nice..hope it does well for you. I just couldn't bring myself to put any more in. Believe me, my finger was hovering over the button labelled 'Don't press this button!' for hours.

Ah'll see yur 18,000 vee too and raise you 18,000.

somm..my 'demand' is that the share price moves up to a giddy price and that that should be etched into the volcanic rock either side of the pipe as part and parcel of the fracking licence agreement and with immediate effect.

Meanwhile I will wait for Godo.

I guess, at this tense time, it doesn't matter two hoots if the price moves down a tad. If it is is bad news it will descend further and if it is good news it will whizz away from 9 p for sure.

Odd decision though to flog 500000. Maybe there was a short term gain perceived elsewhere. I notice there have been a number of trades coming in, over the last few days, that have the familiar stamp to them (10,000, 25,000, 50,000). They're not worth jack on the way up really because they will be flogged off again fairly soon afterwards, so the owner can make a few quid. Each to their own I guess but worthless really to the value of the share imo.

(Thanks for the well-wishes guys. I promise it wasn't me selling the 500000 shares to furnish my wine bill while down in Portugal)

WT, with my retirement only a week away, I am a great believer in the statement that 2 pm is the new 7 am. :)

Nice post Wagandter. Luck has evened out for me during my first serious year of investing. The first six months were awful and I lost a fair bit. This has all been recovered by guessing some blue chip shares were available at bargain prices and the turnround in the market appears to tell me I guessed correctly. I'm now 5% up after a year! Yaroo!

I'm looking at Echo as the 'high risk' investment within my portfolio and have a fair bit invested. If it goes bottom up it will be c'est la vie and if it hits payload I will be very happy. I could have taken profits several times recently but would hate to miss the potential royal flush. Wouldn't you just kick yourself to be out on the day the sp hits the roof? :)

250 - I meant my post as a form of 'protection' if you like since I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts. I see yours representing a kind of unlimited warp drive and t'others representing the notion that it could all blow up. It's best represented by the information in this training video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7rQKWjm95Q

Granted 250 is quite a character but I feel it is a little harsh to throw a 'guilty as charged' verdict upon him until he has had a chance to defend himself (should he wish to of course). He claims he has called Sound on the way up and on the way down. Perhaps we might be pointed toward the posts clearly indicating his position and judge whether he is the soothsayer of the board or ...not?

Would agree with that WT but I'm kind of opposite in preference. E.g watching Scotland/Italy now but waiting eagerly to watch FC Barcelona play at 5.30 in la Liga. Having played football for 25 years, coached it youth and senior, managed it youth and senior and refereed it I love 'the game'! What I dislike is the gamesmanship and encouragement to cheat you see in the professional game. However, the game itself is wonderful.

Back to Scotland/Italy. 26-3 at the moment. Looks safe for Scotland.

I'm very pleased with your input 250. In fact, the reason I couldn't state this yesterday was that I was just finalising the purchase of my new luxury yacht.

I am reminded of the Prince's reaction to Dr Johnson's new dictionary when I read this post:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11ppso

(But seriously - great info and very inspiring. Thank you)

haha..ok 250, ok

May I repeat the thanks to those posters who have provided such valuable information in the last few days (Cervelo in particular).

I'm fascinated by the psychology at work here today though. The rumour/leak/half-knowledge of an impending RNS appears to have caused a mini stampede in the hour before the 2 pm potential news. It didn't materialise and so funds were removed, causing the share price to drop back to 9.05 p at the close of play.

Don't get me wrong, a 5% increase is still appreciated but it still doesn't make sense to me. We know that news is imminent and maybe the 2 pm RNS has been delayed to 7.00 am tomorrow. Why on Earth would someone be prepared to purchase at a price between 9 and 10 p and sell up before tomorrow morning when a good-news RNS may easily appear and rocket the share? Seems plain daft to me.

(Ok 250...I know, I know...we shouldn't be worrying about this small change but it's still interesting)

(bobbbyrash ..false start for Bolt today :) )