Donate to Remove ads

Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators

Thanks to Bhoddhisatva,scotia,Anonymous,Cornytiv34,Anonymous, for Donating to support the site

Your Best Investment...

Honest reporting on shorter-term trading activity and ideas
Eboli
Lemon Slice
Posts: 337
Joined: November 7th, 2016, 9:05 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 125 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#12345

Postby Eboli » December 6th, 2016, 6:03 am

My best investment? The first £20 direct debit made into Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust monthly savings scheme out of my first salary receipt. It was simple: it was money I never thought I had to spend on anything else (most likely anything frivolous). I have no idea what that £20 might be worth to-day. But it got me into a habit that allowed me to build slowly, steadily, over quarter of century, what I would have thought then was a vast amount of money and retire early.

ADrunkenMarcus
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 1583
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 11:16 am
Has thanked: 672 times
Been thanked: 478 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#12359

Postby ADrunkenMarcus » December 6th, 2016, 7:53 am

SalvorHardin wrote:First bought in 2001, then considerably added to over the next three years, in 2007-08 they peaked at over forty times my initial purchase price. I sold some on the way up, some close to the top and almost everything left on the way down in 2008-09 (Soco shares are now about 25% of their peak price). My weighted average overall return was about 2,400% over a six year period (yes, a twenty-five bagger).


I think that sort of return in that relatively short period will take some beating! :)

Best wishes


Mark.

Mapfumo
Lemon Pip
Posts: 53
Joined: November 16th, 2016, 10:53 am
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#12503

Postby Mapfumo » December 6th, 2016, 1:26 pm

ARM, easily. Bought in via Acorn in 1998, after two share splits, my average buy price works out as below 40p, sold somewhere around £8 having not quite caught the top of the dotcom boom in 2000. Then again at below 70p in 2003, with the takeover at £17 earlier this year. Unfortunately in both cases, I was top-slicing all the way up to the top.

Regdragon
Posts: 41
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:35 pm
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 8 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#12840

Postby Regdragon » December 7th, 2016, 2:22 am

My best are both LTBH's - Abcam, bought in November 2008, up 581% and Judges Scientific, first bought July 2009 and added to gradually, mostly that year (so this is an average "gain" on paper) up 885%. It goes without saying that both of my star performers were outside my ISA (!) I've taken some actual gains in both and I'm "in for free" on Judges. The percentages show are capital "gains" only but I've usually used the annual dividends from both to fund part of my annual ISA allowance.

One day I'd like to review my selling decisions and see what I sold too early and too late - Gooch and Housego will definitely be on the former list and Indigovision on the latter, although thankfully I did "top-slice" Ind to fund Abcam.

Regards

RD

bulltraderpt
Lemon Slice
Posts: 312
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 6:46 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#12948

Postby bulltraderpt » December 7th, 2016, 12:24 pm

.... was In my investing and trading information. :)

What has your's been with regards to the above statement please?

tjh290633
Lemon Half
Posts: 8178
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:20 am
Has thanked: 912 times
Been thanked: 4078 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13037

Postby tjh290633 » December 7th, 2016, 5:21 pm

bulltraderpt wrote:.... was In my investing and trading information. :)

What has your's been with regards to the above statement please?


I have always found that the data which I keep has been a considerable help, both in learning lessons and in confirming my thoughts.

We all make mistakes and it can be therapeutic to see how they came about. You can then try to avoid making the same mistake twice.

TJH

bulltraderpt
Lemon Slice
Posts: 312
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 6:46 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13357

Postby bulltraderpt » December 8th, 2016, 2:42 pm

tjh290633 wrote:
bulltraderpt wrote:.... was In my investing and trading information. :)

What has your's been with regards to the above statement please?


I have always found that the data which I keep has been a considerable help, both in learning lessons and in confirming my thoughts.

We all make mistakes and it can be therapeutic to see how they came about. You can then try to avoid making the same mistake twice.

TJH

Would it be fair to assume this is from a FA view and not a TA POV?

SteMiS
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 2311
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 9:41 pm
Has thanked: 207 times
Been thanked: 592 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13419

Postby SteMiS » December 8th, 2016, 5:01 pm

tjh290633 wrote:I have always found that the data which I keep has been a considerable help, both in learning lessons and in confirming my thoughts.

We all make mistakes and it can be therapeutic to see how they came about. You can then try to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Indeed, although some times the records don't record the worst 'mistakes'.

I remember looking at and considering a share priced at around 10p (the exact price itself doesn't much matter). However it had gone up in short time from 4p and looking like it might be getting a bit frothy so I decided against it. I didn't really track it from there for quite a while...

http://boards.fool.co.uk/asos-asc-83492 ... le#8376395

The share was of course ASOS and it peaked at around 5300p (it's currently 4820p if you fancy a flutter). £10k I was considering in there would have netted me a cool £5 million (before tax of course), although whether I could have held on all the way is another matter...

bulltraderpt
Lemon Slice
Posts: 312
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 6:46 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13428

Postby bulltraderpt » December 8th, 2016, 5:28 pm

SteMiS wrote:
tjh290633 wrote:I have always found that the data which I keep has been a considerable help, both in learning lessons and in confirming my thoughts.

We all make mistakes and it can be therapeutic to see how they came about. You can then try to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Indeed, although some times the records don't record the worst 'mistakes'.

I remember looking at and considering a share priced at around 10p (the exact price itself doesn't much matter). However it had gone up in short time from 4p and looking like it might be getting a bit frothy so I decided against it. I didn't really track it from there for quite a while...

http://boards.fool.co.uk/asos-asc-83492 ... le#8376395

The share was of course ASOS and it peaked at around 5300p (it's currently 4820p if you fancy a flutter). £10k I was considering in there would have netted me a cool £5 million (before tax of course), although whether I could have held on all the way is another matter...


It would appear as though you were waiting for a pull back to 4p, which, of course, never happened.

I use to be afflicted by such a mindset, but have (mostly), got over it thankfully.

Plenty of support resistance zones here:

http://uk.advfn.com/p.php?pid=chartscre ... l=L%5EPANR

Clitheroekid
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 2848
Joined: November 6th, 2016, 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 1384 times
Been thanked: 3759 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13528

Postby Clitheroekid » December 9th, 2016, 1:32 am

SteMiS wrote:The share was of course ASOS and it peaked at around 5300p (it's currently 4820p if you fancy a flutter). £10k I was considering in there would have netted me a cool £5 million (before tax of course), although whether I could have held on all the way is another matter...

Reading that thread makes me wonder what happened to a couple of the posters there.

Madmix “Bought another 60,000 today at 8.25p.” Had he held on to them to the top they would have been worth nearly £3.2m.

Paulypilot "was just running my remaining 150,000 shares now as a punt". Had he continued to run them they would have been worth nearly £8m.

And RichTC “was in at 7p with 250,000 shares and sold the lot at 8.5p only to see it to continue to rise” - and rise - and rise. He ultimately lost out on a potential profit of an astonishing £13m – possibly one of the worst investment decisions ever! I just hope for his sake that he didn't carry on following their progress, as if he did he's probably now bouncing around in a padded cell somewhere ;)

NomoneyNohoney
Lemon Slice
Posts: 969
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 10:31 am
Has thanked: 335 times
Been thanked: 438 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13639

Postby NomoneyNohoney » December 9th, 2016, 12:42 pm

Clitheroekid wrote:Madmix “Bought another 60,000 today at 8.25p.” Had he held on to them to the top they would have been worth nearly £3.2m.

Paulypilot "was just running my remaining 150,000 shares now as a punt". Had he continued to run them they would have been worth nearly £8m.

And RichTC “was in at 7p with 250,000 shares and sold the lot at 8.5p only to see it to continue to rise” - and rise - and rise. He ultimately lost out on a potential profit of an astonishing £13m – possibly one of the worst investment decisions ever! I just hope for his sake that he didn't carry on following their progress, as if he did he's probably now bouncing around in a padded cell somewhere ;)


I don't think it works like that. Any of us had the same opportunity, so to point the finger at just one person ignores that they at least tried. RichTC made £3750, which is better than anyone who didn't trade, so he (?) was better than anyone else. I'd turn it around, and say that any of us who didn't invest, made worse decisions.

I've never rechecked old holdings to see 'what-if' (except Tesco, to reassure myself that if I'd held on any longer, I'd have lost even more money.)

ADrunkenMarcus
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 1583
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 11:16 am
Has thanked: 672 times
Been thanked: 478 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13912

Postby ADrunkenMarcus » December 10th, 2016, 11:49 am

Clitheroekid wrote:
SteMiS wrote:The share was of course ASOS and it peaked at around 5300p (it's currently 4820p if you fancy a flutter). £10k I was considering in there would have netted me a cool £5 million (before tax of course), although whether I could have held on all the way is another matter...

Reading that thread makes me wonder what happened to a couple of the posters there.


It's an interesting one, isn't it? The benefit of hindsight and all that! The concept of running winners is, I am sure, much easier to understand than to implement in practise. I suppose with a 'multi bagger' then there is always the option to sell shares to the value of the original investment, making sure the investor will not lose any money in nominal terms and then they may feel more able to let it run. Then again, it's limiting their potential gains if they have the confidence in the company.

There's also the worry some people have if a single share gets too large relative to their other holdings. I unitised my SIPP (retirement: 2060!) back to April 2014 and will be posting annual updates on it elsewhere on these forums. However, it does illustrate a point of good fortune. In that month, I had about 10% of the portfolio in DP Poland - the master franchisee for Domino's Pizza in the country. Since then, it's risen from about 11p a share to 58.5p a share and correspondingly the holding has increased from 10% to 43% of my SIPP portfolio. Many would find that it mad to have such a high proportion in a single company, particularly an AIM stock which has a profitable store estate but which is still narrowing its losses at group level. I also think the current valuation has got ahead of the company's progress. However, I invested on a 15 year + view and there is no guarantee it will get any cheaper: perhaps in a few years if it starts to pay rising dividends then I will lock those gains in somewhat by piling the cash up for reinvestment elsewhere. Meanwhile, a halving of the share price would take a huge chunk out of my portfolio.

Best wishes


Mark.

tjh290633
Lemon Half
Posts: 8178
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:20 am
Has thanked: 912 times
Been thanked: 4078 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#13918

Postby tjh290633 » December 10th, 2016, 12:30 pm

ADrunkenMarcus wrote:There's also the worry some people have if a single share gets too large relative to their other holdings. I unitised my SIPP (retirement: 2060!) back to April 2014 and will be posting annual updates on it elsewhere on these forums. However, it does illustrate a point of good fortune. In that month, I had about 10% of the portfolio in DP Poland - the master franchisee for Domino's Pizza in the country. Since then, it's risen from about 11p a share to 58.5p a share and correspondingly the holding has increased from 10% to 43% of my SIPP portfolio. Many would find that it mad to have such a high proportion in a single company, particularly an AIM stock which has a profitable store estate but which is still narrowing its losses at group level. I also think the current valuation has got ahead of the company's progress. However, I invested on a 15 year + view and there is no guarantee it will get any cheaper: perhaps in a few years if it starts to pay rising dividends then I will lock those gains in somewhat by piling the cash up for reinvestment elsewhere. Meanwhile, a halving of the share price would take a huge chunk out of my portfolio.

Mark.


At 43% I would be more than uneasy, I would be definitely worried. A friend of mine was in Polly Peck many years ago, his broker kept pushing him to invest more, and it became a high proportion of his portfolio. Of course the inevitable crash came and he was almost wiped out.

I feel that trimming back every time it reaches a limit, which is the top of your comfort level, is the best action to take. Whether you sell half, a quarter, or enough to recover your original stake, limiting exposure to any single share has to be the best policy.

TJH

kempiejon
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 3456
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 10:30 am
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1135 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#14007

Postby kempiejon » December 10th, 2016, 9:07 pm

I feel that trimming back every time it reaches a limit, which is the top of your comfort level, is the best action to take. Whether you sell half, a quarter, or enough to recover your original stake, limiting exposure to any single share has to be the best policy.


Of course, eggs baskets and all that, I've had a number of shares double and treble, I like to trim as they grow for psychological comfort. One example from a few years back, Regus RGU, I took out my stake when the price was 2 and bit times the buy. It does offer peace of mind and pockets profit, I'd have been richer leaving it to run perhaps, since a maximum I see the Regus price has pulled back a bit. At the time it was a fair slug of that portfolio and although profitable I like to sleep at night. I still hold and that holding is worth more than my original stake, I see, I bought Inmarsat with the sale, that's still worth a little more than I bought it for.

NotoriousCanary
Posts: 29
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:04 am
Has thanked: 56 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#14216

Postby NotoriousCanary » December 11th, 2016, 9:25 pm

Around dotcom boom time in 1999, my mum bought shares in Imagination Technology because she mistakenly thought I worked for the company (I worked for a different company with a similar name in the same industry).

Being a bit worried about what she had done, I had a chat with a salesman colleague who had just sold them a large amount of kit. From him, I got a complete rundown of the company financials, outlook etc., and it look good enough that I thought I would take a punt myself.

Three months after my purchase I exited with a 3.9x increase on my purchase price, and a slightly smug smile on my face.

..NC

ADrunkenMarcus
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 1583
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 11:16 am
Has thanked: 672 times
Been thanked: 478 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#68901

Postby ADrunkenMarcus » July 21st, 2017, 8:11 pm

ADrunkenMarcus wrote:In trying to balance between holding period and overall performance, Renishaw has done well for me: bought at 869p a share in October 2011, it had risen to 2940p as of early October 2016 and returned 263% including dividends: a CAGR of 29.4% on a total return basis. However, the period includes a strong 're-rating' and the shares have performed better than the underlying business. The longer I hold it, the more the CAGR will come down: if it holds comfortably in the double digits over a decade or more then I will be pleased.


Fast forward nine months and Renishaw presents a bit of a dilemma in that the share price touched an all-time high of 4005p today (representing a 385.4% capital gain) and the compound annual growth rate has nudged over 30%. The dividend yield at purchase was 4.6% but despite dividend growth a shade under 6% per annum (CAGR) the current dividend yield stands at 1.3%. Dividend growth of 7.6% forecast for 2018 still gets only to a forward dividend yield of 1.4%, but lags profit growth forecast at 12.8% (and yes, I take all forecasts with a pinch of salt).

On a historic basis for 2016, the PE ratio is over 42; for 2017, it's forecast at 33.2; for 2018, it is 29.4.

I am not a HYP-er. I am not inclined to tinker, incur brokerage fees and then fees for buying a replacement - although I did give it consideration! When I bought, I did so at a great price IMHO and intended to hold for the very long term. However, I am very aware that the share price has run far ahead of the earnings and dividend growth and so I doubt the next few years will look so illustrious. Any dips might present an opportunity for those considering an investment in the company.

Best wishes


Mark.

DiamondEcho
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 3131
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 3:39 pm
Has thanked: 3060 times
Been thanked: 554 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#69508

Postby DiamondEcho » July 25th, 2017, 6:12 pm

ADrunkenMarcus wrote:What's been your 'best' investment and why? (And yes, 'best' is whatever you want it to be!)


Buy-to-let. Before it became mainstream. Funded itself, and was then mid-90s yet to become mainstream. Accessibility of 75% leverage a big factor.
HYP shares. Several years into B2Ling^ with the cash-flows turning good, there were excess funds to invest. The choice was pay-off the portfolio interest-only mortgage which is at circa 0.6%, or earn materially more in a HYP. 20 years later I still have the same mortgage and will miss it when I have to pay it off, since I 'arbitrage' a profit from it.
Pop-Art. Just because I liked it and was spending a lot of time in in New York. Later the UK Saatchi/pop-art thing took off.
Late Medieval maps. Just because I find them fascinating; they reveal not only what was known, but how much was unknown. They were and are still considered rather fuddy-duddy, but they sure as heck aren't making any more of them :lol: Some I bought say 20 years ago went for relative peanuts are now going for 20* what I paid.
Whitefriars glassware. Just because I like it's beauty and simplicity. Bought several good examples, then later there was a big Whitefriars exhibition in London and prices went off the scale.
Japanese antiques. I have a wonderful kaidan-tansu (staircase) chest, like this > https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or ... b9817c.jpg I saw it when living in Tokyo, in a local antique shop. Paid c.US$2500 for it and as an expat my employer has had to pay the freight to move me, it, and everything since every time I move. 20 years later I love it just as much, and it's certainly a errrr - point of interest in the home. Also it stores a huge amount of 'stuff', photo albums, DVDs etc, and lots of space for ornaments on the steps. No idea it's value now, but significantly more than I paid for it, since it's both original and rare, and a long way from home.
My own home in London. Bought a great proposition in what was then right on the edge of a 'fringe' area that came good, and increasingly good as the years pass by. Had researched the market, had my finances all lined up, so was ready to pounce immediately when a suitable deal crossed my radar.
The Jimmy Choo stock I bought my wife. Being taken over a/o this week +70% since purchase c18 months ago. Perhaps beats all of the above for rate of return :)

If there is a common thread it's perhaps areas that interest me, and/or that I enjoy. Then doing adequate research to understand the market such that I might have an edge in it and can 'buy well'. Then being patient. Not that the art/antiques were bought with a profit-motive, but narrow supply and broad/growing appeal does wonders.

Oh and taking up diving. Opened up a new world to me, continually presented me with personal goals to strive for (I've worked up the 'ranks' to the current certified Divemaster) and taken me to some amazing seriously off-piste places all around the world I'd otherwise never have considered visiting. Allowed me to do the unimaginable (diving looking for tiger sharks, and finding them, and up really close off Fiji :)), camping out on a converted oil rig off Borneo etc. and many more trips. Using my skills to formally assist teaching student divers on courses, for fun, rather than an income. Using my skills to participate in ecological marine surveys. The rewards of finding that hobby have been unexpectedly large.

alterego
Posts: 15
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 11:57 am
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: Your Best Investment...

#72334

Postby alterego » August 5th, 2017, 4:39 pm

My best return on a share so far has to be BUR (Burford Capital) which has grown to about 850% of my original stake. That seems in significant to my best investment which was a few with profits life policies with a company that stopped writing new business and became a "zombie". My premiums totalled about £7000 but the proceeds exceeded £500k.

No skill involved, just pure luck.


Return to “Trading my way to a million”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests