Member Info for Walp

Diligence totally required.

Did so from Barclays to II and Barclays "lost" my connection to dividend links with several of my investments..

Had to fight for 2 years to get them reconnected..

Barclays however lost their entire structure when they completely reconfigured from decent Barclays Stockbrokers to BetFred (my analysis) SmartInvestor...

Awful transition....

why not just sell smt and buy fundsmith (if anything)?

seriously cp, looking at their stats and performance you can negate the recent china threat and still stay invested in tech and receive the confidence rebound that is due to the sector.

it will happen..

admittedly it seems smt are still viewed as **** alley, but then when the sun comes back out and tech again becomes future and near money i believe they'll match or outdo fundsmith???

who knows.

but i do think it likely you are fundamentally invested wrongly.

you shouldn't be into anything that stops you sleeping at night, and tbh, you could be right and i could be wrong.

At least the bottom is found?

Meant directly to Captain Picard.

Negativity abounds during a period of negativity.

Is that a sensible appraisal?

I could be correct in stating that it's the bottom at above £6, but who knows?

China is the joker (again) right now, so I'm slightly on edge at the mo and almost considered into cashing into tech devoid of china (re Fundsmith discussion here recently).

I won't, because the pattern is always that China pushes then demurs as a natural and constant consequence of being made poorer by other economies soliciting against it. It always happens and will continue to do so.

China is a rich country representing 1/5th of the world's entire wealth. They could cut their throats on their wish to become the ultimate superpower by alienating the world which is required to achieve that, but I believe diplomacy will (as ever) preside.

We cannot, despite our wildest wishes just close our eyes and ignore China. The key is to understand them better and define our individual nationalistic positions and work with diplomacy.

That's their requirement as it is ours.

Can I be frank and ask if you still hold any SMT? The massive negativity hearing you coming back in with a comment after weeks really does suggest to me that you should sell if you are still in to any degree.

Most tech is dragging low in a similar fashion now and so given that tech will rise again (as people will not accept backwards or the status quo), have you considered selling SMT and buying into something you consider more certain, or are you still holding despite the negativity?

At least the bottom is found?

I guess I have become guilty of seeing China as a bit of a technology lynchpin, but as you say at least investment choices exist beyond that market.

I'll definitely look at Fundsmith, thankyou LLL :)

Agreed, LLL, but it's an unavoidable investment sector for sure.

Thanks for the circa 8% info.

It's thankfully small enough to negate undue worry, although tit for tat trade reprisals resulting in the usual temporary lack of investment enthusiasm seem a likely repercussion.

Ps. I see it is simply governmental workers who have been banned from using Iphones, which does strike me as more measured yet a more petty action bound to engender national resentment.

More worrying I guess the fall in gdp reported for China over the last few weeks and reiterated yesterday.

India also having the G20 limelight from today and Jinping's partial dismissal of this by not attending in person underlines rising tensions also.

Fingers crossed for moderate reaction all around, although there is usually some panic before all parties realise it is totally against individual economic positivity to neglect diplomacy.

Oh well ..

Here we go again as seems a new slew of resentful trade standoffs seems likely as a result of the US hold on China products and services. Hopefully moderation will prevail and China will choose a route of diplomacy and tact, although the banning of iPhones in China seems to dictate that the door is fully open to a slew of tit for tat activities to come.

In many ways it's easy to see how China will feel wronged to a degree re the Western freeze on Chinese "sensitive" technology, as you can bet your bottom dollar the US is using it to at least some degree politically and economically.

Their stance that we face an "us or them dominating world dominance" future on this one isn't exactly going to temper things down.

Hopefully diplomacy will win over and at least the latest tip downwards doesn't appear to be too awful at present.

Does anyone happen to know SMTs approximate percentage exposure to China? I know they have reduced somewhat (more recently in Nov 22)...

Thanks LLL.

It seems my II account now allows me to include 2 other full accounts (including both a sipp or trading account and trading ISA) free of charge, so I'll just get HL to close and transfer over.

That might be useful info to others on here too, as £250 a year including free trades when you've got a reasonable sized stake in there doesn't seem too bad to me.

There defo seems cheaper but I'll stick for now.

I know someone who holds small time in HL (all oeics). Can anyone recommend the best place she should head as goes a pot under £5k of investments? Hassle free would be good too, but looking at their sell Vs buy prices (rather than a single market price and presumably to skim for trading) it looks like they will sting her on the way out also...?

I didn't realise how bad they were until reading these comments!

Interactive investor also worthy.£10.99 per month per account regardless (sipp or ISA)... plus free trades each month and offer up to 6 months free to swap.

I note HL have a buy and sell price (always higher) which at first glance looks a rip too?

Am I wrong on this?

Was with Barclays prior to them joining costs and destroying what was a great service prior to "Smartinvestor" (which struck me more of a "BetFred" type of service by comparison designed to make money from small time investors) ...

Just my perspective at the time, and swapping over was a nightmare that they effect up every inch of the way...

I couldn't have put it better myself, Fela.

I guess beyond that thought it boils down to individual perspective as to the need to have optimal guarantees or to work hard at maximising outcomes or not.

For me it will be about just skimming sums off for this and that, meaning I will need to identify advantageous selling points (hence my regret now not cashing a bit in when the froth was at its peak).

You live and learn...

Ok.

Well mine is a different less cautious view because as stated before I view tech as having a built in edge. I currently hold around 22% SMT, 30% pct, 35% att and a small punt in various companies I currently view as robust Inc Astrazenaca. Collectively this amounts to a great many individual companies and a number of management teams all trying to engender success.

I'm thinking many will marvel at the lack of diversification although I personally believe in buying well and simply holding. I've currently lost over a quarter of my holdings value from its peak in Nov 22, but take it all back just 4 years and I'm very well placed.

I saw the froth but simply held (I do now regret not reducing as soon as the slide started but it quickly felt too late and I try to be think logically and less emotionally these days).

I'm a pretty immaterial type of person (the best things in life really are cheap or even free) and will survive well enough on my modest pensions. Hopefully there will be a chunk of this left to pass on..

Ast stated before man is not going to just give up on bettering his lot or seeking answers to increasing world problems.

Tech (in my mind) will never lose the propensity to prosper despite temporary aberrations that put it out of sentiment.

That's my take on it and I don't think it's a bad one.

I already have a nursing pension thay will support me from next year and sleep well at night.

2 years, 3 years, 5 years. Whichever suits me fine, but as stated I'd rather cut a foot off than sell any now.

Many people may not have the luxury of waiting for that kind of maturity which of course can be a factor in choosing to ditch and invest in something that is considered more profitable in shorter term.

I do however consider 600p to be the floor as far as SMT goes and can see zero froth in that valuation.

On that basis I find it hard to think of much anything else at the mo that could match the potential, and the time frame (whatever) seems to me well worth holding out for.

That's my personal view but it could be wrong and time will tell..

Totally missed Felas earlier comment as was on the hop (apologies);

""Equally though, I won't be selling, as I suspect there'll be better opportunities to reduce/exit within the next 4 to 5 years." (LLL)

This is hardly a ringing endorsement of the trust. If I had that view I'd sell immediately. (Fela)"

Ok. I see ..

It is what it is Fela, and SMT have suffered badly resultant from the aspects discussed ad infinitum...

Remove those aspects and it seems logical to me that smt is very likely to ascend given time despite recent poor performance.

No ringing endorsement needed to hold on tight in my assessment. It's a fluid situation and today's dog meat can be tomorrow's fine dining.

But if someone wants out, I'm with your earlier comment that they should sell for fairer horizons rather than holding on grimly in order to recuperate current losses.

Frogster, I'm 100% with LLL.. Fela has also admitted he sees a similar scenario..

I'm not being contentious and am only backing up an important and useful premise, which is to sell and reinvest immediately when you become convinced there's nothing to gain..

Waiting in the hope you'll get your money back makes no sense when investments elsewhere (in your opinion) offer a greater return.

We have to respect autonomy.

I'll put it another way.

Had CP sold a month or so ago (when I recall there being a little peak before the last dip we have passed through, be would have hopefully reinvested in something then observing the money he saved from SMT hitting a dip.. of course it is all relative and dependant on his timeframe and strategy..

We can't know this fully, only he can and he has bedn negative about its future for ages now

Had he sold in that dip he could conceivably made more money.

It's all down to personal opinion, strategy & beliefs and a horse can be led to water but he may not fancy drinking it (and who the hell knows... He may well be right)!

Frogster, yes.. I totally agree with holding onto it for any time period and I personally believe the upwards climb will begin before even this time (LLL) thinks longer, but who knows?

We have all discussed this aspect (that of SMT making money in a few years time rather than now) on countless occasions in the company of both Fela and CP.

CP knows all of these opinions implicitly but still downgrades his ability to even make his money back in any time period (indeed plans to eject as soon as he gets his money back which I'm not sure will be too long).

This is exactly why Fela has made his comment.

It makes no sense and for sleepless nights to go against your obvious convictions despite having heard varied and wide opinion to the contrary.

Reinvest immediately somewhere where your convictions truly lie ..

It's often hard to do but we are all masters of our own ships and have to follow our convictions.

Just to reiterate my intention is the same as most on here .. hold for the next few years and possibly forever, but we are all grown up independent investors here.

Couple that with the folly of holding onto a lame duck when there other profitable investments your money can better work in (in your opinion), then you should do so as you are otherwise investing against your own convictions.

We have all urged CP to hang on in there but he clearly doesn't accept that reasoning, and why should he?

We aren't here to invest against our own convictions just because a bunch of strangers tell us that would be the wrong thing.

I have to defend Fela here. He is simply stating the obvious fact that if you engage in investing you do so based upon your own research and considerations. If you personally conclude that something you hold is a flop and doubt it's recovery, then the sensible thing is to run with the courage of your convictions and sell.

Captain Picard is an autonomous investor and had clearly stated repeatedly his disappointment in SMT and his doubts that it will even return to the value at the point that he invested.

On that basis of conviction why hold something you think a lame duck when there are in all likelihood investments he will consider better.

Just because most of us commenting here believe SMT will make money over any period of time at all doesn't mean we are right..

I would personally rather cut off my foot than sell right now, but investing is an autonomous activity and keeping lame ducks makes no sense at all.

Much as it hurts, if convinced anything is going down the pan it is illogical to hold onto it in the hope (that CP clearly doubts) that it will be some miracle confound his personal beliefs and go beyond his expectations.

I have found in the past that doing so is complete folly when you can be making money (in your own opinion) elsewhere.

Hope that makes sense.