Member Info for Redtom

Pete, re GVC I bought some at 373p thinking I was clever. I bought the same amount yesterday at 305p so I'm averaging around 340p at the moment. I thought 373p looked such a bargain and didn't expect it to hit 300p yesterday. Whilst I'm still a little under water, I think this will recover soon. Given where this was only a month or two ago, this is crazy. We shall see.

Spoke too soon. Dropped right off towards the end.
Ball in the post. ;-)

Hi Billy, thanks. I don't normally get my timing so good! Tom

George,
My average is low as this is a very recent investment not an averaging down of a long hold. I bought 80% this afternoon around 920p with the 10,000 a few days ago. But disappointed to be £20k down already. Tomorrow could be another bad day for oilers but I hope not.

Hi Pete,
I don't mind you asking and I'm happy to give you an honest answer. I added 40,000 Shell today to my existing 10,000, so I now hold 50,000 with an average price of 961.3p. It is obviously a very large holding but the dividend should be approx £70,000 to 80,000 pa assuming the current exchange rate. I appreciate that a lot of people will criticise me for having so much in a single share but I often do that (recently years doing Shire, Randgold & GLEN) and to date it has worked out fine, eventually. I am willing to live with big unrealised losses if need be. Not a diversified portfolio and more of a gamble but I am a gambler by nature. My biggest regret is selling my FTSE puts just before the really big falls. I won't tell you what I would have made had I kept my nerve but it was 7 figures. One that got away.

George,
A little too active sometimes!
I'm just buying up RDSB at 920p. Bonkers. Hoovering it up and my average is nicely under 1000p so whilst out of the money, less than 5%. The yield (if maintained) is 16%. Shell has not reduced its dividend in 75 years so I'm hoping they stick to that principle over the next 2 years. If so, the divi will keep me in wine & fags for the rest of my life.
I've been buying and selling a lot recently but I'm struggling to predict where this is going or what will be the driver. I think Trump is going to announce an amazing package for US businesses (over and above the existing announcements) which should give the market a boost and more confidence over the coming months. I'm also hoping that the China machine will start up again soon and that Saudi & Russia will make their peace. lot of hope here but there will be upward bounces on the near future. All in my opinion only!

Guys, I think the extraordinary financial packages being put into the market will hopefully protect values. I read yesterday that the US were considering some kind of massive 'insurance' programme whereby firms would be rewarded for not laying off workers during the worst of it as an example.

Billy, it might just be one of those 5%+ days based on the futures market. I really really hope so.
I could have a busy day if prices are maintained (ie don't drop away immediately). This is a rollercoaster indeed.

Kaz looks incredible value at 280p ish. Might look at that in more detail before tomorrow. I guess it all comes down to the future of Copper and demand from China and the like. Still looks too cheap at current prices.

Billy, it is possible. But equally it took tank another 10%. The volatility is incredible and so difficult to read or second guess. Certainly no trends to follow. But I hope you are right in which case my 'long term' portfolio will have a life of about 30 hours ;-)

It was 66 transactions in total over my SIPP & ISA so it would take time to sell. Not always easy to get a quoted price nor to secure when you do.

Billy, you may be right. Given the huge swings in both directions, I could easily be tempted to cash out after a 5%+ day. I've been trading that way since Xmas and I could repeat again. However if we have further big falls then I will hold for sure.

Day, She would have been around 120 years old so I guess that boat has sailed.
Well done you though. I was a big buyer of loads of stock today in addition to the 3 I mentioned. GVC, Petrofac, Centrica, L&G, Astra, Aviva Barclays, Persimmon, SLA. I may have gone to early, who knows. If these shoot up quickly, I may sell but I bought them with a longer term view.

Any one else a buyer of these 3 today? Picked up all 3 earlier today to hopefully tuck away for the long term. The yields on all 3 is crazy subject to dividends being maintained.
Day, I bet my granny that you were a buyer today?

I'm selling some bog roll if anyone wants some? It's unused on one side.

Day, very good!

Billy, I feel for you, I really do. Glen had been my main trader for years but I finally lost all patience with it in the autumn. It will probably come good again (because of EVs etc) but I worry about China demand for commodities falling this year. Once this virus has run its course investors will start to look at the longer term and Glen should be on that buy list.

Billy,
My timings of in and out over the last 2 months have been spot on and I've made good money in this very difficult time with FTSE shorts and short term share trades. But there has been a lot of luck. My timing was terrible with Glen last April and I ended up taking a £200k hit in November when I sold the lot. So I have to take the rough with the smooth. But you are spot on in that I want to buy but I do not want to get caught locked in because of a crazy drop. My strategy at the moment is to short the FTSE after a good day or two mixed with piling into shares at the end of a run of bad days in hope of picking up short gain at start of next day. Risky I admit but has been lucrative and has covered my Glen losses and some. I fear that I will continue to do this but will eventually get caught big and will lose a lot. For some reason, I seem unable to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Its the gambling instinct I fear. Good luck all. Tom

Pete, you make a good point. I suspect we will have some further terrible days (5%+ losses) interspersed with good days like today. Timing could be everything in this market. Alternatively do nothing for 3 to 6 months whether you are fully invested or 100% cash. I'm currently 100% cash and I really don't know whether to buy and hold or buy and sell quick. Interesting but difficult times.

Good spot Ken. Once the dust has settled and China goes back to work Copper will do OK. The EV world is still going to grow and demand for Glen's products should still be reasonably strong even if we have a mild global recession.