Monday, January 05, 2009
New Year's resolution: must post more
Well, I don't know how much money I lost in 2008 but I am sure it was a lot. I think a large part of my shortcomings may have been due to a lack of argumentative thought on my behalf and the failure to accurately determine the seriousness of the banking crisis.
Another failure perhaps came from a lack of diversification - reinvesting more in shares I already owned instead of backing other interesting companies.
I didn't use shorting at all, even on stocks I was convinced were significantly overvalued and ready for a fall. So, I suppose my New Year's resolution should be to look out for more companies that are worth investing in and ensure I diversify my holdings better.
The Artful Dodger
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Another failure perhaps came from a lack of diversification - reinvesting more in shares I already owned instead of backing other interesting companies.
I didn't use shorting at all, even on stocks I was convinced were significantly overvalued and ready for a fall. So, I suppose my New Year's resolution should be to look out for more companies that are worth investing in and ensure I diversify my holdings better.
The Artful Dodger
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Miserable returns and depressing stock drops
Well, it has been a thoroughly miserable experience investing in this market for the last twelve months.
Make no mistake, this is a bear market, particularly in UK small cap stocks, some of which I am invested in.
Shares in Accident Exchange (LSE:ACE) continue to collapse despite a lack of real news. The company's plan to increase cashflow has yet to show results, if they cannot turn things around, eventually, the company will go bankrupt. I am concerned that what I originally saw as a recovery play is now a crisis play.
RCG Holdings (LSE:RCG) are planning a flotation on the Hong Kong stock exchange. This is great news, as shares are typically much more highly rated their. Interim results were excellent but the share price has made little progress. I may buy more soon.
Bicycle manufacturer Tandem Group (LSE:TND) will announce interim results in October. I am hoping for a dividend announcement, hoping for improved profits and maybe even some more share buybacks. I think management here know how to get their shareprice up and have a number of options available to them.
Barclays continue to struggle against a backdrop of banking panic and crisis. It remains a great-looking long-term hold though.
SOCO International have made now real progress. It has been a depressing year for The Artful Dodger.
The Artful Dodger
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Make no mistake, this is a bear market, particularly in UK small cap stocks, some of which I am invested in.
Shares in Accident Exchange (LSE:ACE) continue to collapse despite a lack of real news. The company's plan to increase cashflow has yet to show results, if they cannot turn things around, eventually, the company will go bankrupt. I am concerned that what I originally saw as a recovery play is now a crisis play.
RCG Holdings (LSE:RCG) are planning a flotation on the Hong Kong stock exchange. This is great news, as shares are typically much more highly rated their. Interim results were excellent but the share price has made little progress. I may buy more soon.
Bicycle manufacturer Tandem Group (LSE:TND) will announce interim results in October. I am hoping for a dividend announcement, hoping for improved profits and maybe even some more share buybacks. I think management here know how to get their shareprice up and have a number of options available to them.
Barclays continue to struggle against a backdrop of banking panic and crisis. It remains a great-looking long-term hold though.
SOCO International have made now real progress. It has been a depressing year for The Artful Dodger.
The Artful Dodger
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
RBS out, Accident Exchange in
I sold all of my Royal Bank of Scotland shares. Boy, am I disappointed with this company. I sold the day of the rights issue. Around eight months after the shares were available at 600p, management have said they need to increase their capital ratios and want shareholders to buy additional new shares at 200p. None of these managers have been sacked, strangely. I managed to sell at 360p. I am well out. Shares now trade around 260p.
I've reinvested what was left in Accident Exchange group (LSE:ACE), a company I class as a special situation. Accident Exchange almost went bust in 2007. A number of court actions were taken against its business model and debtors stopped paying ACE, expecting them to go out of business.
The legal challenges were seen off and debtors have started paying again. The company recently announced they expect to meet market expectations of 14p EPS. I bought a load at 77p and expecting to make a substantial profit on these. Don't I always say that though?
The Artful Dodger
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I've reinvested what was left in Accident Exchange group (LSE:ACE), a company I class as a special situation. Accident Exchange almost went bust in 2007. A number of court actions were taken against its business model and debtors stopped paying ACE, expecting them to go out of business.
The legal challenges were seen off and debtors have started paying again. The company recently announced they expect to meet market expectations of 14p EPS. I bought a load at 77p and expecting to make a substantial profit on these. Don't I always say that though?
The Artful Dodger
