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Montana was set to become the first state in the nation to ban TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance (BDNCE), but it looks like the move is running into familiar roadblocks. Federal Judge Donald Molloy has blocked the bill set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, saying the measure "violates the Constitution in more ways than one" and "oversteps state power." While individual users would not have been punished, the law could have imposed fines of $10,000 on any "entity" - namely the app stores of Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL), or TikTok itself - each time someone was "offered the ability" to access or download the TikTok app.
Response from Montana: "The judge indicated several times that the analysis could change as the case proceeds and the State has the opportunity to present a full factual record. We look forward to presenting the complete legal argument to defend the law that protects Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party obtaining and using their data."
Response from TikTok: "We are pleased the judge rejected this unconstitutional law and hundreds of thousands of Montanans can continue to express themselves, earn a living, and find community on TikTok."
My rule of thumb has been 'buy below £7' recently. But each to their own.
I'd also mention money market funds as a great way to make roughly 5% returns right now (Lyxor CSH2). (Until rates go down). But there's no real risk there and it can't 'go down', you just get less return if rates begin to come down.
Correction: *If I'd ONLY done that (bought just the vanguard index fund), I'd be 10% up this year.
CaptainPic, over the long term equity will outperform almost anything else. I think if we see £8, you are like to see higher than that too. In general, next 2-3 years should see gradual improvement in market sentiment (although nothing is certain!). I'd also recommend a broad global ETF / Index fund, I'm 10% up this year on Vanguard FTSE Developed World ex-U.K. Equity Index Fund.
SMT is my 'fun' / risky fund, which is a far smaller proportion of my portfolio. Learned a lot over the past 2 years, and the main takeaway lesson was to avoid single stocks, especially AIM companies, and just buy the whole market via a cheap index fund as above. If I'd one ONLY that, i'd be 10% up this year.
Good to see UK CPI also fall today. Hot on the heels of the lower inflation read in the USA. I think we may see that soft landing, but it's all up for debate and both UK and USA could still hit a mild recession next year. However, I am relieved to see SMT climb above the £7 for the first time in months. Above £7 is where I stop buying, so going to let it sit for now and may buy any future dips. GLA.
3.2% inflation in the USA, markets happy. Do we get the soft landing? Good to see this over £7 again, even if it may be brief?
Divi yield is pretty poor, but that's not why most of us bought SMT.
1.6 pence per share.
https://www.dividendmax.com/united-kingdom/london-stock-exchange/investment-trusts/scottish-mortgage-investment-trust-plc/dividends
Agree, today's moves are macro / sentiment related.
Agree with you Walp, I've seen a lot more positive articles in relation to SMT lately, when it was all doom and gloom a few months back relating to the unlisted companies, etc. If we can hit £7 again and hold it, that'd be a good start. Sentiment over the pond seems to be improving with people potentially eying up equities again for 2024. It may take a bit more to get people out of fixed income and back into shares.
I'm out. Would rather deploy the capital elsewhere. Wish I'd done so a lot earlier, but hindsight, etc. GLA.
So, with the dividend likely to get completely hammered back down to 1p next year, what are people's feelings here. The only thing making this attractive was the Divi. I'm unsure SP movement will be all that awe inspiring for at least a few years. Kinda tempted to cut my losses and get out.
If I am brutally honest; thus far, I'd have been better off with just one low cost Global equities index fund/ETF. But the temptation to add a bit of risk and excitement always gets the better of me.
Hey @lordloadsoflolly, totally agree with your point. I do in fact often review the monthly buys on more volatile stocks and adjust them if something looks very unfavourable. Like with SMT, I am pretty content to continue to buy under £7, anything over that and I'd be putting a hold on it or slowing down considerably. The monthly buys are also to take advantage of the lower trading fees on HL.com for recurring monthly buy.
If we skirt £6 again, I'll consider a top up too. However, prefer to stick to fixed monthly buy in to take the emotion out of trying to time the market.
Yet another stock hyped by VOX Markets in suspension, saw the same with REVB, which took best part of a year to be relisted. (Issues were way worse that what I see here though).
News on the divi kinda hurts. However, these sweeping changes were necessary and I feel like they are now actually on track to sort the company out with clearer reporting.
My stop loss triggered last week, kinda glad it did.
Thanks folks, interesting to see all the replies. If we continue to £7 and upwards I'll likely stop my monthly buy and begin to hold. That's said, it's only 5k, but my portfolio is still being built up as I only started investing 2 years ago.