While Christmas is a great time to spend time with family, it is a pretty boring time for stock trading. With the low volumes last week and more low volumes expected for the upcoming week, things can be pretty slow. That said, the hope for a 'Santa Claus rally' this year is high - given that 3 times out of 4 when the markets are up over 10% so far in the year, the markets gain during this week, averaging a gain of almost 1%. With the markets declining last year in the week following Christmas, it has more people optimistic about this year. For me, the more other people are optimistic the more I am pessimistic, as things never seem to happen if everyone expects it to.
My portfolio was up slightly last week, and I am at a 7.8% return for the year so far. I am behind the major market averages but I didn't have to stomach many of the large swings that the market experienced.
Currently, I am about 56% in securities with the remainder in cash (waiting to be deployed). My current holdings are BIN, ECA, HSE, HSU, OCX, PBN, PWF, S, SC, SLW, T, TCW, TRP, WJA, and YLO. There are a few buys for the market open on Dec 28 - ECA, WJA, and YLO that I already own, and I think I will buy some TCM. Thompson Creek has been performing well lately and since I don't own any I will try to buy some next week, since the current price is pretty close to the 40-day moving average.
One more week (3 days, actually) to go, and we can wrap up our returns for 2010.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Less than 2 weeks until the end of 2010...
With the year coming to an end, the evaluation of the returns from 2010 can begin in earnest. Did your portfolio beat the indices? Did you feel confident enough in the markets to leave your money invested through all the ups and downs? Did you take some money out of stocks and put it in bonds instead?
For me, I am at a YTD return of 7.5% so far this year, so I am behind the major indices a bit but I haven't had to stomach much of the roller-coaster ride the markets took (since I am less invested invested in stocks when the market is weak and more invested when it is strong - but rarely ever fully invested).
I didn't buy any fixed income at all - I looked into it but I couldn't find anything guaranteed that would give me more than .5%, even on a $100,000 deposit. So, I decided that it was best for me to leave it in cash, ready to invest in equities when the moving average graphs dictated it.
Right now, I am about 38% invested in equities. They include BIN, HSE, OCX, OSK, PWF, QBR.B, S, T, TCW, TRP and YLO (about half of which I only bought yesterday and today). All signs point to the markets moving upward but I am always skeptical when everyone seems to agree on the direction that the market will take (it usually goes the other way). I will keep following the moving averages, buying and selling as they indicate, so I may very well be buying more equities on Monday.
Most of the ETF's that I follow (for commodities and the market indices) are in the 'hold' territory but I don't currently own any of them since I got stopped out on temporary weakness. This has me re-thinking my practice of putting in manual trailing stops and thinking about strictly sticking to the moving averages to sell. This is hard to do, however, as you often have to watch your gains evaporate before things move back up again.
I started the year with the goal of achieving a return of 1% per month, or 12% for the year, and I won't hit that target. It does look like I will hit my revised goal of 0.5% per month (or 6% return for the year, and I may even hit 8% if the year ends well.
I likely won't post again before the end of 2010 but I may post if I get some time over the holidays. In any case, I will try to post early in the New Year to summarize my 2010 results.
For me, I am at a YTD return of 7.5% so far this year, so I am behind the major indices a bit but I haven't had to stomach much of the roller-coaster ride the markets took (since I am less invested invested in stocks when the market is weak and more invested when it is strong - but rarely ever fully invested).
I didn't buy any fixed income at all - I looked into it but I couldn't find anything guaranteed that would give me more than .5%, even on a $100,000 deposit. So, I decided that it was best for me to leave it in cash, ready to invest in equities when the moving average graphs dictated it.
Right now, I am about 38% invested in equities. They include BIN, HSE, OCX, OSK, PWF, QBR.B, S, T, TCW, TRP and YLO (about half of which I only bought yesterday and today). All signs point to the markets moving upward but I am always skeptical when everyone seems to agree on the direction that the market will take (it usually goes the other way). I will keep following the moving averages, buying and selling as they indicate, so I may very well be buying more equities on Monday.
Most of the ETF's that I follow (for commodities and the market indices) are in the 'hold' territory but I don't currently own any of them since I got stopped out on temporary weakness. This has me re-thinking my practice of putting in manual trailing stops and thinking about strictly sticking to the moving averages to sell. This is hard to do, however, as you often have to watch your gains evaporate before things move back up again.
I started the year with the goal of achieving a return of 1% per month, or 12% for the year, and I won't hit that target. It does look like I will hit my revised goal of 0.5% per month (or 6% return for the year, and I may even hit 8% if the year ends well.
I likely won't post again before the end of 2010 but I may post if I get some time over the holidays. In any case, I will try to post early in the New Year to summarize my 2010 results.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Will there be a Santa Claus Rally this year?
As we approach the end of 2010, I am sitting at a YTD overall return of 6.3%. After it was clear that I would not reach my goal of a 1% per month return, and I lowered my goal to 1/2% per month, it would seem that I am on track to reach that goal (but the year is not over yet).
I am currently about 61% invested in securities (the rest in cash). I currently hold the following ETFs and stocks: BCE, FTT, HEU, HFU, HQU, HSU, HXU, PWF, QBR.B, RUS, SLW, SU, YLO, ENF.UN and PMZ.UN.
I am sorry to say that I was holding COS.un on Friday when they announced their distribution cut and the gap down at the open went below my stop loss so I lost quite a bit there. I sold out near the end of the day, due to the uncertainty that they face moving into 2011. It will, no doubt, recover somewhat but I don't want to hold it any more.
I am looking at a few securities for Monday - HJU, HNU (although investing in natural gas is not for the faint of heart), and CP. I still want to be invested these days since bad news (mostly about European debt) has not been crushing the market lately as much as it had before. That seems to indicate market strength, to some extent, although I am still only relying on the moving average graphs to decide what to buy and how long to hold it. I still don't rely much on market news at all, although good news (or the lack of bad news) can certainly help you sleep at night.
While 2010 hasn't been spectacular, most of the markets have done reasonably well so I don't expect alot of tax-loss selling at the end of the year. This should help the markets close out the year strong and move into the early part of 2011 in good shape.
We will see what the next few weeks hold, to see how our final 2010 numbers look.
I am currently about 61% invested in securities (the rest in cash). I currently hold the following ETFs and stocks: BCE, FTT, HEU, HFU, HQU, HSU, HXU, PWF, QBR.B, RUS, SLW, SU, YLO, ENF.UN and PMZ.UN.
I am sorry to say that I was holding COS.un on Friday when they announced their distribution cut and the gap down at the open went below my stop loss so I lost quite a bit there. I sold out near the end of the day, due to the uncertainty that they face moving into 2011. It will, no doubt, recover somewhat but I don't want to hold it any more.
I am looking at a few securities for Monday - HJU, HNU (although investing in natural gas is not for the faint of heart), and CP. I still want to be invested these days since bad news (mostly about European debt) has not been crushing the market lately as much as it had before. That seems to indicate market strength, to some extent, although I am still only relying on the moving average graphs to decide what to buy and how long to hold it. I still don't rely much on market news at all, although good news (or the lack of bad news) can certainly help you sleep at night.
While 2010 hasn't been spectacular, most of the markets have done reasonably well so I don't expect alot of tax-loss selling at the end of the year. This should help the markets close out the year strong and move into the early part of 2011 in good shape.
We will see what the next few weeks hold, to see how our final 2010 numbers look.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Still in The Game
Sorry for not posting in awhile but other priorities came up (work, personal life, vacation, etc.). I have been following the moving averages all this time and have been getting in and out of stocks. Except for a tough time in a correction in August, things have gone quite well. I am not sure if I am outperforming the market averages or not (don't think I am) but I know I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I was simply fully invested in ETF's that follow the market averages, so that is the trade-off that I am willing to make.
Year to date, I am up 6.3% overall in my accounts, so I can't complain about that, given all the doom and gloom and uncertainty in the investing news every day. I am not sure how long the current rally will last but if it goes into December then there is a good chance it will turn into a semi-regular 'Santa Claus' rally and this usually continues at least into mid-January. I am not sure if it will last this long but I am prepared to be invested fairly heavily if it does.
I was up 1.8% this past week overall, on the strengths of gold and silver, among other things. I sold some securities on Friday, as I had stop-lossed big gains from Thursday to lock them in. I will buy them back if the markets continue to climb (I already bought back HGU, for example, but haven't yet bought back SLW, that had a great ride in a short timeframe).
I currently hold some trusts - BTE.UN, COS.UN, EXE.UN, and MSI.UN, some trusts - HFU and HGU, and some stocks - BBD.B, CNQ, FTT, L, MBT, QBR.B, SC, SNC, and THI. I am 60% invested at this point, and I will buy more or sell more depending on the direction of the markets.
There are some BUYS on Monday, like BBD.B and MBT, but I already own those stocks. Telus (T) is also a buy, and I will buy it on Monday if it is strong in the morning (don't want it to drop back down into DON'T HOLD territory right after I buy it).
I would be interested to hear how the rest of you are doing, and if anyone has incorporated moving averages into their investing strategy.
Year to date, I am up 6.3% overall in my accounts, so I can't complain about that, given all the doom and gloom and uncertainty in the investing news every day. I am not sure how long the current rally will last but if it goes into December then there is a good chance it will turn into a semi-regular 'Santa Claus' rally and this usually continues at least into mid-January. I am not sure if it will last this long but I am prepared to be invested fairly heavily if it does.
I was up 1.8% this past week overall, on the strengths of gold and silver, among other things. I sold some securities on Friday, as I had stop-lossed big gains from Thursday to lock them in. I will buy them back if the markets continue to climb (I already bought back HGU, for example, but haven't yet bought back SLW, that had a great ride in a short timeframe).
I currently hold some trusts - BTE.UN, COS.UN, EXE.UN, and MSI.UN, some trusts - HFU and HGU, and some stocks - BBD.B, CNQ, FTT, L, MBT, QBR.B, SC, SNC, and THI. I am 60% invested at this point, and I will buy more or sell more depending on the direction of the markets.
There are some BUYS on Monday, like BBD.B and MBT, but I already own those stocks. Telus (T) is also a buy, and I will buy it on Monday if it is strong in the morning (don't want it to drop back down into DON'T HOLD territory right after I buy it).
I would be interested to hear how the rest of you are doing, and if anyone has incorporated moving averages into their investing strategy.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Mid-Summer Market Doldrums
Well, I hope everyone is having a nice summer. The volatile markets are very frustrating these days, especially with the correction recently that presented a good buying opportunity for the brave (I am not always brave, especially after 2008).
I am still following the moving average graphs and I am pretty heavily invested right now, given the market instability - I am about 75% in stocks right now, with the remainder in cash (although I am looking to buy more this coming week).
Earnings have been looking pretty steady so far, and the worries in Europe seem to have subsided for the most part. Also, China seems to be back buying commodities again (just look at potash companies last week) so that is a good sign as well. With more positive earnings this week (I think that about 25% of the S&P reports this week), hopefully the strong markets continue.
Currently, I am in AGU, ARE, BCE, CCO, CNQ, CP, FM, FTT, HSE, RCI.B, RUS, SC, SNC, TRP, X, WJA, BTE.UN, and YLO.UN. All of these securities are in the 'hold' range (current price above the 40-day moving average) except for YLO.UN which I am keeping for the exceptional yield.
I am looking at picking up some more securities this coming week that only moved into buy territory late last week. These include HQU (Nasdaq ETF), HSU (US S&P ETF), EXE.UN (Extendicare), PWF (Power Financial), S (Sherritt), and SU (Suncor). As I mentioned in a previous post, I now wait until the SECOND day that a security is in the buy territory before I buy, to try to cut down on false buys (quick stock turnarounds). There are other stocks in their first day of buying (BBD.B, LIF.UN, and more) but I will wait for confirmation to buy them.
In any case, I am heavily invested right now so I don't have too many more stocks to buy anyway. I already own 18 individual securities and I don't want to go above 25 or so, so I will either leave the remaining funds in cash or I will purchase more of something I already own.
Year-to-date, I am at 3.5% return (not my high of the year, but close), which is not too bad given the overall market returns so far this year. I am well ahead of the .5% or so that I would have received in even the highest money market funds and I don't wish to lock in my money into anything longer just to get an extra percent or two in return.
Here's to a continuing strong earnings season, and let's hope we get a nice summer rally before all the traders get back in September so we can really make some gains in the last 4 months of the year.
I am still following the moving average graphs and I am pretty heavily invested right now, given the market instability - I am about 75% in stocks right now, with the remainder in cash (although I am looking to buy more this coming week).
Earnings have been looking pretty steady so far, and the worries in Europe seem to have subsided for the most part. Also, China seems to be back buying commodities again (just look at potash companies last week) so that is a good sign as well. With more positive earnings this week (I think that about 25% of the S&P reports this week), hopefully the strong markets continue.
Currently, I am in AGU, ARE, BCE, CCO, CNQ, CP, FM, FTT, HSE, RCI.B, RUS, SC, SNC, TRP, X, WJA, BTE.UN, and YLO.UN. All of these securities are in the 'hold' range (current price above the 40-day moving average) except for YLO.UN which I am keeping for the exceptional yield.
I am looking at picking up some more securities this coming week that only moved into buy territory late last week. These include HQU (Nasdaq ETF), HSU (US S&P ETF), EXE.UN (Extendicare), PWF (Power Financial), S (Sherritt), and SU (Suncor). As I mentioned in a previous post, I now wait until the SECOND day that a security is in the buy territory before I buy, to try to cut down on false buys (quick stock turnarounds). There are other stocks in their first day of buying (BBD.B, LIF.UN, and more) but I will wait for confirmation to buy them.
In any case, I am heavily invested right now so I don't have too many more stocks to buy anyway. I already own 18 individual securities and I don't want to go above 25 or so, so I will either leave the remaining funds in cash or I will purchase more of something I already own.
Year-to-date, I am at 3.5% return (not my high of the year, but close), which is not too bad given the overall market returns so far this year. I am well ahead of the .5% or so that I would have received in even the highest money market funds and I don't wish to lock in my money into anything longer just to get an extra percent or two in return.
Here's to a continuing strong earnings season, and let's hope we get a nice summer rally before all the traders get back in September so we can really make some gains in the last 4 months of the year.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Are the Markets Stabilizing?
After a horrible, choppy May, June has started to look a bit better. I was up 1.6% last week, and I am about 70% invested in securities right now (a high level for me, as anyone who follows my blog knows). Many stocks went into 'Buy' territory during the last week and a half, and I am set to buy more stocks on Monday.
I am currently in BCE, BBD.b, BIN, CNQ, CP, FTT, HEU, HGU, HXU, SLW, T, THI, TRP, ENF.un, EXE.un, and YLO.un (yep, still in the Yellow Pages). Of these securities, BCE and THI are 'Sells' for Monday, HXU, BBD.b, EXE.un, and FTT are still 'Buys' on Monday, and the rest are 'Holds' except for YLO.un. YLO is a 'Buy Soon' but I held onto this one because of the distribution and the balance sheet looks good (the only exception to my trading rules).
After a decent sized correction in May and early June, I am hoping that the markets are in for some gains in the next little while before slowing down in mid-July for the remainder of the summer, picking up again in September as it usually does. At 70% invested, I have more money in stocks than I am comfortable with but I am sticking with the graphs on this one (as I said, last week was good). I have some stop losses in already and I will pull out of my stocks quickly if they start to show serious weakness.
The key in my method is to take advantage of the upswings as much as you can and make as much profit as you can. I never sell exactly at the top but I get out quickly on downswings and hopefully the gains outweigh the losses. If the markets go sideways or down next week, I will lighten the load a bit but if they stay stable or go up, I will purchase more securities.
The 'Buys' for Monday include HFD (I won't buy this one, as the HXU is pointing up), HJU, HXU, BBD.b, COS.un, EXE.un, FTT, LIF.un, MSI.un, and WJA. One adjustment to my method that I have made is that I no longer buy stocks on the first day that they indicate a Buy - I wait until they show two Buy days in a row before I pull the trigger. This has helped to elimate some of the quick 'false Buys' that my method can bring if you buy right away. Another way to do this is to wait until a stock is 3% above the 40-day moving average to buy it but, for me, the two Buy days in a row is quicker and simpler to do.
Here's to another good week coming up...
I am currently in BCE, BBD.b, BIN, CNQ, CP, FTT, HEU, HGU, HXU, SLW, T, THI, TRP, ENF.un, EXE.un, and YLO.un (yep, still in the Yellow Pages). Of these securities, BCE and THI are 'Sells' for Monday, HXU, BBD.b, EXE.un, and FTT are still 'Buys' on Monday, and the rest are 'Holds' except for YLO.un. YLO is a 'Buy Soon' but I held onto this one because of the distribution and the balance sheet looks good (the only exception to my trading rules).
After a decent sized correction in May and early June, I am hoping that the markets are in for some gains in the next little while before slowing down in mid-July for the remainder of the summer, picking up again in September as it usually does. At 70% invested, I have more money in stocks than I am comfortable with but I am sticking with the graphs on this one (as I said, last week was good). I have some stop losses in already and I will pull out of my stocks quickly if they start to show serious weakness.
The key in my method is to take advantage of the upswings as much as you can and make as much profit as you can. I never sell exactly at the top but I get out quickly on downswings and hopefully the gains outweigh the losses. If the markets go sideways or down next week, I will lighten the load a bit but if they stay stable or go up, I will purchase more securities.
The 'Buys' for Monday include HFD (I won't buy this one, as the HXU is pointing up), HJU, HXU, BBD.b, COS.un, EXE.un, FTT, LIF.un, MSI.un, and WJA. One adjustment to my method that I have made is that I no longer buy stocks on the first day that they indicate a Buy - I wait until they show two Buy days in a row before I pull the trigger. This has helped to elimate some of the quick 'false Buys' that my method can bring if you buy right away. Another way to do this is to wait until a stock is 3% above the 40-day moving average to buy it but, for me, the two Buy days in a row is quicker and simpler to do.
Here's to another good week coming up...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
May Wrap-Up
Sorry for not posting for awhile, but as most of you know, the market has been crazy during the last few weeks. The big daily up and down swings are not good for my method of investing, as I want the market to pick a direction (up or down, I don't care) and stick with it for at least a few weeks (preferably a few months). During the main part of this correction, I did manage to get out of all of my stocks and into some of the 'down' ETF's like HXD and HSD so I actually minimized my losses and made a bit of money during the worst days. Just when I thought the correction would last for a bit, a couple of strong days led me to get rid of the down ETF's and back into stocks.
YTD at the end of May, I was still up 2.5%. This is behind my goal of a 1% gain per month for the year but not bad considering the markets are down YTD for the most part. The goal is to make as much money as possible but to outperform the markets themselves may be a more realistic goal since most people don't do that successfully.
Currently, many of the stocks I follow are in 'don't hold' territory - stocks like Agrium, RIM, Westjet, CP Rail, Baytex, Manulife, Manitoba Telecom, and many others - but I have been buying some other stocks recently.
I currently own BCE, Enbridge Income Fund, Encana, Loblaw, Riocan Income Fund, Rogers Communication, Silver Wheaton, and the ETF's HGU (double gold stocks up) and HSU (double US S&P up). Many of these stocks had a very bad June 1 but bounced back nicely on June 2. This type of volatility is not for the faint of heart and, as I said earlier, is not good for my investing strategy as it gives me many false buys and sells.
For the most part, the securities I own are currently even to up a bit, although this can change quickly. Many investing professionals (such as the ones on CNBC and BNN) are recommending to sell securities into any strength and to sit in cash until the end of the summer. The 'sell in May and stay away' strategy is well known as a summer strategy but I will continue my method and hope for either a summer rally or a correction (as long as we don't get one day up, the next day down I am pretty happy).
I don't think my 1% per month gain average is realistic now, and I am now hoping for .5% per month for the year, which will still substantially outpace fixed income (and the markets themselves, at this point). Of course, the year isn't quite half over yet so anything could happen, but 'an outbreak of stability' doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon, with European debt crises, Korean political problems, the BP oil spill, Chinese weakness, and other issues weighing the markets down. While most people do want the markets to go up, it seems to be much easier to trigger big market sell-offs on bad news (even if it is not really even THAT bad).
May 2010 was only my second down month in the last 19 months (October 2009 was the other one, and I had one EVEN month), so I guess that isn't too bad considering the shape the markets have been in during most of that time. I will continue to use my method, and see where that takes me. You just have to learn to take a deep breath some days, and take it (the losses) in stride.
YTD at the end of May, I was still up 2.5%. This is behind my goal of a 1% gain per month for the year but not bad considering the markets are down YTD for the most part. The goal is to make as much money as possible but to outperform the markets themselves may be a more realistic goal since most people don't do that successfully.
Currently, many of the stocks I follow are in 'don't hold' territory - stocks like Agrium, RIM, Westjet, CP Rail, Baytex, Manulife, Manitoba Telecom, and many others - but I have been buying some other stocks recently.
I currently own BCE, Enbridge Income Fund, Encana, Loblaw, Riocan Income Fund, Rogers Communication, Silver Wheaton, and the ETF's HGU (double gold stocks up) and HSU (double US S&P up). Many of these stocks had a very bad June 1 but bounced back nicely on June 2. This type of volatility is not for the faint of heart and, as I said earlier, is not good for my investing strategy as it gives me many false buys and sells.
For the most part, the securities I own are currently even to up a bit, although this can change quickly. Many investing professionals (such as the ones on CNBC and BNN) are recommending to sell securities into any strength and to sit in cash until the end of the summer. The 'sell in May and stay away' strategy is well known as a summer strategy but I will continue my method and hope for either a summer rally or a correction (as long as we don't get one day up, the next day down I am pretty happy).
I don't think my 1% per month gain average is realistic now, and I am now hoping for .5% per month for the year, which will still substantially outpace fixed income (and the markets themselves, at this point). Of course, the year isn't quite half over yet so anything could happen, but 'an outbreak of stability' doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon, with European debt crises, Korean political problems, the BP oil spill, Chinese weakness, and other issues weighing the markets down. While most people do want the markets to go up, it seems to be much easier to trigger big market sell-offs on bad news (even if it is not really even THAT bad).
May 2010 was only my second down month in the last 19 months (October 2009 was the other one, and I had one EVEN month), so I guess that isn't too bad considering the shape the markets have been in during most of that time. I will continue to use my method, and see where that takes me. You just have to learn to take a deep breath some days, and take it (the losses) in stride.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Behind YTD Target, but back in YLO.un
My overall balance hit a high on April 26 but a weak close to the month (caused primarily by the Greek debt crisis, apparently) has left me at a YTD gain of 3.6% - behind my YTD goal of 4% (1% per month for the year).
I am back in Yellow Pages Income Fund, as I bought back in on a dip mid-week and I am again enjoying the roughly 12% yield (or I do, at least, when the distributions are paid out every month).
I also currently own ECA (Encana), WJA (Westjet), SNC (SNC Lavalin), BCE (Bell), MBT (Manitoba Telecom), THI (Tim Horton's), RCI.B (Rogers Communications), REI (Riocan REIT), and HFU (Financial Bull ETF).
For May 3, the only security that I follow that is a 'buy' is MBT but I already just bought it so I don't need to buy more (yet).
The sells for May 3 include SNC (which I own) and many that I don't own such as HJU, HSE, L, and LIF.UN. Since I don't own these securities, I don't have to sell them just stay out of them for now. Since they are at the sell point right now, a slight gain in any of them would put them into 'buy' territory.
May might be the last month with decent trading action for awhile, since June through August are typically slow months. I would like to make some gains in May before the summer, but I won't alter my method to do so.
I am back in Yellow Pages Income Fund, as I bought back in on a dip mid-week and I am again enjoying the roughly 12% yield (or I do, at least, when the distributions are paid out every month).
I also currently own ECA (Encana), WJA (Westjet), SNC (SNC Lavalin), BCE (Bell), MBT (Manitoba Telecom), THI (Tim Horton's), RCI.B (Rogers Communications), REI (Riocan REIT), and HFU (Financial Bull ETF).
For May 3, the only security that I follow that is a 'buy' is MBT but I already just bought it so I don't need to buy more (yet).
The sells for May 3 include SNC (which I own) and many that I don't own such as HJU, HSE, L, and LIF.UN. Since I don't own these securities, I don't have to sell them just stay out of them for now. Since they are at the sell point right now, a slight gain in any of them would put them into 'buy' territory.
May might be the last month with decent trading action for awhile, since June through August are typically slow months. I would like to make some gains in May before the summer, but I won't alter my method to do so.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Not in Yellow Pages, and Not Liking It...
As you know, I had jumped back into Yellow Pages - I made some quick money then got stopped out as the price settled back for a couple of days. It looked like I might be able to buy it back at lower prices until Friday, when it jumped again. If Yellow Pages passes through $7, I will likely buy back in with a plan to ride it to $8 and beyond.
Now, for what I actually DO own right now. I own BCE, HGU (gold stock bull ETF), ENF.un (Enbridge), L (Loblaw), SNC, REI.un (RioCan), RCI.b (Rogers), THI (Tim Horton's), and TRP (TransCanada Pipelines). I am about 26% invested in securities right now, with the rest in cash. I expect a pullback soon (likely 8 - 12%) and then probably a slow summer (as per normal), so I am a bit worried about getting too heavily invested. I actually don't mind a pullback, especially if it is a prolonged downturn, since I will simply move to the 'Down' ETF's, that rise in price when their underlying market or sector drops in price.
Also, since I follow the graphs, I have to wait until they tell me to buy a stock before I proceed. Many of the stocks I follow are in 'Hold' territory but I don't own them, mostly since I got stopped out on them while protecting gains. It makes it hard to buy back into these securities when they continue to go up later.
As for buys that are coming up on Monday, there are a few that I already own such as BCE, SNC, and TRP - I only recently bought them and they are still buys now, being just above the 40-day moving average. If they turn back negative and go back below the line, I have to be ready to unload them.
There are other buys as well, such as HOU (oil stock bull ETF), BTE.un (my favourite oil and gas trust), and G (Goldcorp). I will be putting in stop-buys for BTE.un and G but I don't want to buy HOU at this time as oil prices are already at a long-time high (and I DO consider other factors sometimes when buying stocks, not just the moving averages). I will be buying BTE.un, however, so I will have some exposure to oil prices anyway (and I also own Enbridge and TransCanada, which are in sectors that are related to oil).
I have been watching natural gas lately, and it is due for a price rebound, especially if there is a warm summer in the US and Canada. The shale gas plays, along with LNG from outside North America, has been driving down natural gas prices to ridiculously low levels, but I don't want to jump in too soon and get burned on a further drop. I plan to play natural gas through HNU (natural gas ETF), and it is in 'Buy Soon' territory, so a couple of up days in natural gas and I would have to jump in. Timing on this is very important since natural gas prices are so volatile, so I have to be ready to jump back out again at any time.
I was up for the fourth straight week this week, and I am now at 4.2% year-to-date, so I am on pace for my goal of a 1% gain per month for the year. Certainly not as exciting as the 50% gain that I achieved last year, but certainly more realistic given normal market conditions. I hope to make some gains in the next few weeks before the expected summer slow down after May ends.
If anyone is still reading my posts and has any questions about a stock they follow or has some feedback as to how they have used any of my method in their own investing, I would love to hear it so drop me a line.
Now, for what I actually DO own right now. I own BCE, HGU (gold stock bull ETF), ENF.un (Enbridge), L (Loblaw), SNC, REI.un (RioCan), RCI.b (Rogers), THI (Tim Horton's), and TRP (TransCanada Pipelines). I am about 26% invested in securities right now, with the rest in cash. I expect a pullback soon (likely 8 - 12%) and then probably a slow summer (as per normal), so I am a bit worried about getting too heavily invested. I actually don't mind a pullback, especially if it is a prolonged downturn, since I will simply move to the 'Down' ETF's, that rise in price when their underlying market or sector drops in price.
Also, since I follow the graphs, I have to wait until they tell me to buy a stock before I proceed. Many of the stocks I follow are in 'Hold' territory but I don't own them, mostly since I got stopped out on them while protecting gains. It makes it hard to buy back into these securities when they continue to go up later.
As for buys that are coming up on Monday, there are a few that I already own such as BCE, SNC, and TRP - I only recently bought them and they are still buys now, being just above the 40-day moving average. If they turn back negative and go back below the line, I have to be ready to unload them.
There are other buys as well, such as HOU (oil stock bull ETF), BTE.un (my favourite oil and gas trust), and G (Goldcorp). I will be putting in stop-buys for BTE.un and G but I don't want to buy HOU at this time as oil prices are already at a long-time high (and I DO consider other factors sometimes when buying stocks, not just the moving averages). I will be buying BTE.un, however, so I will have some exposure to oil prices anyway (and I also own Enbridge and TransCanada, which are in sectors that are related to oil).
I have been watching natural gas lately, and it is due for a price rebound, especially if there is a warm summer in the US and Canada. The shale gas plays, along with LNG from outside North America, has been driving down natural gas prices to ridiculously low levels, but I don't want to jump in too soon and get burned on a further drop. I plan to play natural gas through HNU (natural gas ETF), and it is in 'Buy Soon' territory, so a couple of up days in natural gas and I would have to jump in. Timing on this is very important since natural gas prices are so volatile, so I have to be ready to jump back out again at any time.
I was up for the fourth straight week this week, and I am now at 4.2% year-to-date, so I am on pace for my goal of a 1% gain per month for the year. Certainly not as exciting as the 50% gain that I achieved last year, but certainly more realistic given normal market conditions. I hope to make some gains in the next few weeks before the expected summer slow down after May ends.
If anyone is still reading my posts and has any questions about a stock they follow or has some feedback as to how they have used any of my method in their own investing, I would love to hear it so drop me a line.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mid-April Update
I am glad I got back into YLO in the mid to low 6.30's, as it recovered to end the week over 6.40 and I think it will go much higher (I am predicting at least $9 before the end of 2010, but time will tell on that one).
Currently, I am also in just a few stocks - YLO.un, ENF.un (Enbridge Income Fund), G (Goldcorp), SNC (SNC Lavalin), L (Loblaw), and BIN (BFI Canada). I will probably have to lighten the load on Monday, though, as both G and SNC at at sell levels and L may be there in another day or two. Stock markets have done well lately, in general, but some bad news late last week may turn them negatively for a while. In any case, I just continue to follow the graphs.
I am up 3.7% year-to-date, so I am still on track for my target of a 1% gain per month (minimum) for the year. I expect the summer months to be slow, as they typically are, so I need to get some gains in April and May to set myself up for the rest of the year.
Currently, I am also in just a few stocks - YLO.un, ENF.un (Enbridge Income Fund), G (Goldcorp), SNC (SNC Lavalin), L (Loblaw), and BIN (BFI Canada). I will probably have to lighten the load on Monday, though, as both G and SNC at at sell levels and L may be there in another day or two. Stock markets have done well lately, in general, but some bad news late last week may turn them negatively for a while. In any case, I just continue to follow the graphs.
I am up 3.7% year-to-date, so I am still on track for my target of a 1% gain per month (minimum) for the year. I expect the summer months to be slow, as they typically are, so I need to get some gains in April and May to set myself up for the rest of the year.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Back Into the Yellow Pages Again
As I have written, I don't strictly follow the buy / sell lines, as I do set stop losses to protect gains once a stock I own has gone up. Due to this, I was stopped out of Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.un) - a trust that I didn't really want to sell due to its turnaround, good momentum, and great yield. Well, I got back into some YLO last week, just ahead of the big jump on Friday. I had noticed that it seemed to have a double or triple top at 6.25 to 6.30, meaning that it hadn't been able to get through that level on earlier attempts. Once I saw that YLO had cleared the 6.35 level, I bought a few thousand shares. I think that the unit price will continue to climb (or stay steady at least), and the monthly yield is still over 12%.
Currnently, I also own BCE, BIN, G, MFC, and ENF.un - all good companies and leaders in their respective fields. There aren't any more that I am looking to buy on Monday, although I may add more YLO if it clears 6.70 or so.
The markets look a little lofty right now, but I see that the Greece bailout deal was agreed to this weekend so the markets should respond favourable to that. I still think there will be a correction coming soon (the markets, especially in the US have had a good month-long run with no really good reason), so I am reluctant to get too deeply invested. I think that investors are getting lulled into thinking that things are good when they really aren't all that good. Sure, things are better than they were last year, but last year was one of the worst years ever, so that was not a very high bar to beat. Relatively better is not necessarily good enough - things need to actually BE better, and employment and other ecomonic news is not great yet.
YTD, I am up 3.4% so I am back on pace for my 1% per month target for the year. I expect things to slow down between May and September as it usually does so I will need to make some good gains in the next month and a half or so to maintain my pace.
Currnently, I also own BCE, BIN, G, MFC, and ENF.un - all good companies and leaders in their respective fields. There aren't any more that I am looking to buy on Monday, although I may add more YLO if it clears 6.70 or so.
The markets look a little lofty right now, but I see that the Greece bailout deal was agreed to this weekend so the markets should respond favourable to that. I still think there will be a correction coming soon (the markets, especially in the US have had a good month-long run with no really good reason), so I am reluctant to get too deeply invested. I think that investors are getting lulled into thinking that things are good when they really aren't all that good. Sure, things are better than they were last year, but last year was one of the worst years ever, so that was not a very high bar to beat. Relatively better is not necessarily good enough - things need to actually BE better, and employment and other ecomonic news is not great yet.
YTD, I am up 3.4% so I am back on pace for my 1% per month target for the year. I expect things to slow down between May and September as it usually does so I will need to make some good gains in the next month and a half or so to maintain my pace.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Starting off Q2 with a Bang
April 1st was a good day for my stocks, which is good to see after the sideways motion I have seen in my stocks since mid-February. I am now up about 3.1% year-to-date, so I am not doing as well as I would have liked to this point but at least I am well ahead of GIC's / bank interest at this point.
I currently own PN (in buy territory right now, but very thin trader), RCI.b, PMZ.un, MFC, SLW, ENF.un, COS.un, TCM, and HSE. COS and HSE have had a good run the last few days, so it is good to see them making up for some lost time.
PMZ and RCI are in sell territory right now, so I will have my stop losses kicked in if they drop much more on Monday. On the buy side, I have HBU and HGU (gold bullion and gold stocks, respectively), BCE, PN (already own), and S. I am looking to pick up HGU, BCE, and S on Monday, on an uptick.
The market has been generally up for the last month and a half or so, but my stocks have been pretty flat. I am only winning on 4/7 trades so far this year, well below last year's 7/10 when the market picked a direction and stuck with it. I don't even mind if the markets go down really, I just want the markets to pick a direction and to go in that direction for a sustained period of time.
That's it for another week. MJ
I currently own PN (in buy territory right now, but very thin trader), RCI.b, PMZ.un, MFC, SLW, ENF.un, COS.un, TCM, and HSE. COS and HSE have had a good run the last few days, so it is good to see them making up for some lost time.
PMZ and RCI are in sell territory right now, so I will have my stop losses kicked in if they drop much more on Monday. On the buy side, I have HBU and HGU (gold bullion and gold stocks, respectively), BCE, PN (already own), and S. I am looking to pick up HGU, BCE, and S on Monday, on an uptick.
The market has been generally up for the last month and a half or so, but my stocks have been pretty flat. I am only winning on 4/7 trades so far this year, well below last year's 7/10 when the market picked a direction and stuck with it. I don't even mind if the markets go down really, I just want the markets to pick a direction and to go in that direction for a sustained period of time.
That's it for another week. MJ
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Another Week in the Books
Sorry I haven't written in a bit, but things are pretty busy for me these days. Also, the market has been less than exciting lately, with things going pretty much sideways for me for the last few weeks (as I expected). With my trading strategy, I need the market to pick a direction (up OR down) and stick with it, and that hasn't been the case lately.
YTD, I am up 2.9%, so I have slipped a little bit during the last few weeks, but still at my goal pace of 1% per month in gains (minimum, of course). The market will likely continue to trade sideways for a couple of more months and then correct over the summer as it normally does (last year being the recent exception, due the massive correction leading into the summer).
Right now, I hold COS.UN, X, ENF.UN, PMZ.UN, HSE, HED, MFC, and BIN. I never seem to make money on the oil stocks like COS.UN and HSE but I continue to buy them when the graphs tell me to. With oil trading in the $70 to $82 range for the last many months, I expect a bit of a pullback from where it is now, and the HED indicates that may just happen.
Next Monday I will look to buy Aecon (ARE) on an uptick, as the lines just crossed on the graph.
In an effort to avoid some of the false buys that I encounter with my method (the line crosses upwards, then turns around downward again), I am going to start waiting until the SECOND day that a stock is in buy territory. I will miss a little bit of the gain but if the stock continues to go up, I will still enjoy most of the gain. If the stock turns around on the second day, then I will not get in at all. Some users of this method wait until the unit price is 3% above the 40-day moving average, but watching for two consecutive days in buy territory is quicker and easier for me.
Have a good week everyone (if anyone is still reading this, that is).
YTD, I am up 2.9%, so I have slipped a little bit during the last few weeks, but still at my goal pace of 1% per month in gains (minimum, of course). The market will likely continue to trade sideways for a couple of more months and then correct over the summer as it normally does (last year being the recent exception, due the massive correction leading into the summer).
Right now, I hold COS.UN, X, ENF.UN, PMZ.UN, HSE, HED, MFC, and BIN. I never seem to make money on the oil stocks like COS.UN and HSE but I continue to buy them when the graphs tell me to. With oil trading in the $70 to $82 range for the last many months, I expect a bit of a pullback from where it is now, and the HED indicates that may just happen.
Next Monday I will look to buy Aecon (ARE) on an uptick, as the lines just crossed on the graph.
In an effort to avoid some of the false buys that I encounter with my method (the line crosses upwards, then turns around downward again), I am going to start waiting until the SECOND day that a stock is in buy territory. I will miss a little bit of the gain but if the stock continues to go up, I will still enjoy most of the gain. If the stock turns around on the second day, then I will not get in at all. Some users of this method wait until the unit price is 3% above the 40-day moving average, but watching for two consecutive days in buy territory is quicker and easier for me.
Have a good week everyone (if anyone is still reading this, that is).
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday Night Analysis
I know, I really should get a life - looking at stocks on a Friday night isn't exactly exciting. I plan on heading out soon.
I was down marginally for the week, and I am up just over 3% 2010 YTD. I currently own YLO.UN, PMZ.UN, BIN, HSE, X, HEU, HJU, L, and PN (yes, I should have sold it but I think it is at support so I haven't gotten rid of it yet - damn emotional decisions). The buys for Monday are BIN, X and HSE that I already own, plus ENF.UN, FTT, and TCM - all of which I like as stocks (although that doesn't matter when using moving averages to determine when to buy and sell). ENF.UN is the Enbridge Income Fund, FTT (Finning) is a heavy machinery (CAT) dealer, and TCM (Thomson Creek Minerals) is a molybdenum play (substance that is necessary to produce stainless steel).
The sells for Monday are HGU, ECA, and REI.UN - none of which I own right now.
Half-way through March, I am on track for my goal of a 1% per month return for 2010. The markets are trading pretty much sideways right now, but there are certainly positive pockets to invest in.
I was down marginally for the week, and I am up just over 3% 2010 YTD. I currently own YLO.UN, PMZ.UN, BIN, HSE, X, HEU, HJU, L, and PN (yes, I should have sold it but I think it is at support so I haven't gotten rid of it yet - damn emotional decisions). The buys for Monday are BIN, X and HSE that I already own, plus ENF.UN, FTT, and TCM - all of which I like as stocks (although that doesn't matter when using moving averages to determine when to buy and sell). ENF.UN is the Enbridge Income Fund, FTT (Finning) is a heavy machinery (CAT) dealer, and TCM (Thomson Creek Minerals) is a molybdenum play (substance that is necessary to produce stainless steel).
The sells for Monday are HGU, ECA, and REI.UN - none of which I own right now.
Half-way through March, I am on track for my goal of a 1% per month return for 2010. The markets are trading pretty much sideways right now, but there are certainly positive pockets to invest in.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Week-end Analysis
It was a pretty good week last week, as I was up almost 1% overall. The economic data seemed to be decent so the markets did well, especially the US markets. Right now, I hold YLO.UN, HGU, HSU, HQU, ENF.UN, ECA, FTT, TCW, T, and PN. I am looking to sell ENF.UN on Monday if it goes down a bit and I am looking at selling PN (the only small-cap stock I follow).
Stocks and ETF's that indicate BUY on Monday include HEU, HJU, ECA, FTT, and MFC. I already own ECA and FTT but I will be putting in stop-buys on the other two. HEU is a bit risky as oil is trading at $80 which is at the top of its recent trading range, but the graphs say buy so I buy. There is still about another 1.00 of upside in HEU so I will buy it on upward momentum. I want to get back into international markets so I don't have problem buying HJU. MFC (Manulife) is not the best financial out there but it has been beaten down pretty well lately, so buying a bit now is okay with me (and I just follow the graphs anyway).
I am up about 1% so far in March and about 3.5% since January 1st. My returns are fluid - when you follow them every day and trade as often as I do - but I am happy with the results so far this year.
Stocks and ETF's that indicate BUY on Monday include HEU, HJU, ECA, FTT, and MFC. I already own ECA and FTT but I will be putting in stop-buys on the other two. HEU is a bit risky as oil is trading at $80 which is at the top of its recent trading range, but the graphs say buy so I buy. There is still about another 1.00 of upside in HEU so I will buy it on upward momentum. I want to get back into international markets so I don't have problem buying HJU. MFC (Manulife) is not the best financial out there but it has been beaten down pretty well lately, so buying a bit now is okay with me (and I just follow the graphs anyway).
I am up about 1% so far in March and about 3.5% since January 1st. My returns are fluid - when you follow them every day and trade as often as I do - but I am happy with the results so far this year.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Story for March 4th
Today was pretty much a sideways trading day, although gold and oil did take it on the chin today. Commodities will either come back and I will continue to hold HBU, HGU, G, and HOU or if they go down further they could cross the 40-day moving average and I would have to sell.
The buys for today are HQU, HSU, and ENF.UN that I already own, and TCW that I plan to put in a stop-buy for tonight. I hope to purchase TCW just above its close today of 14.74.
Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN) kept chugging along today (up 2.35% today), moving above $6 for the first time in many months. I purchased a bit more today but I see that there was a double-top back in March and May of 2009 in the 6.10 to 6.25 range, so YLO may seem some resistance in this range. If YLO drops back down below 6.00, I will likely sell the additional units that I just purchased today.
The buys for today are HQU, HSU, and ENF.UN that I already own, and TCW that I plan to put in a stop-buy for tonight. I hope to purchase TCW just above its close today of 14.74.
Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN) kept chugging along today (up 2.35% today), moving above $6 for the first time in many months. I purchased a bit more today but I see that there was a double-top back in March and May of 2009 in the 6.10 to 6.25 range, so YLO may seem some resistance in this range. If YLO drops back down below 6.00, I will likely sell the additional units that I just purchased today.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Buys for March 3rd
Using the daily price stock chart versus the 40-day moving average, many stocks are in BUY territory tonight. Most of them (HOU, HQU, HSU, ECA, FTT, G, and TRP) I already own, so I don't need to buy more at this point. I do have stop losses in on all of them, though, in case they turn around quickly and move into SELL territory. This is a tricky (and non-ideal) part of my trading strategy that leaves me to the up and down whims of the market, but my inability to watch the markets during the day necessitates this approach. When using stop losses (or stop buys, for that matter), make sure you also put in limits, so you don't buy or sell a stock at ANY price (only within the range that you intend).
There is one new one - HGU (Gold stock ETF) - that I will put in a stop buy tonight to try and buy tomorrow. The price of gold had a great gain today - nice since I bought HBU (the gold bullion ETF) yesterday - and gold stocks are starting to catch up. There is no telling if they will continue to rise or not, but the graphs say to buy, so I will try to buy it.
For February, I ended up about +2.5% for the month. In the last 16 months (from Nov '08 to now), I am up 14 of the months, I am even for 1 and I am down 0.75% for the other. As I have said before, my goal is not only to make money but it is also to not lose money. On a monthly basis, I have had a pretty successful run - I hope it continues.
There is one new one - HGU (Gold stock ETF) - that I will put in a stop buy tonight to try and buy tomorrow. The price of gold had a great gain today - nice since I bought HBU (the gold bullion ETF) yesterday - and gold stocks are starting to catch up. There is no telling if they will continue to rise or not, but the graphs say to buy, so I will try to buy it.
For February, I ended up about +2.5% for the month. In the last 16 months (from Nov '08 to now), I am up 14 of the months, I am even for 1 and I am down 0.75% for the other. As I have said before, my goal is not only to make money but it is also to not lose money. On a monthly basis, I have had a pretty successful run - I hope it continues.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Trying to Explain Things With a Graph
Sorry the graph is so small, but it is the best I could do (if you click on the graph, it should enlarge it so you can read it more easily). At left, you can see a graph that I printed out from my online trading site. It shows the last 12 months for Westjet (WJA) and compares the daily price to the 40-day moving average (MA). On the graph, I have marked each time the lines cross - a buy signal when the daily price goes UP through the 40 MA line and a sell signal when the daily price goes DOWN through the 40-day MA line.
In this example, 5 buy signals, 4 of which are followed by sell signals and the last of which was the last signal (meaning you should still own WJA now, if you use my method). For the five buys, the gains were +.35, +.10, +.80, -.05 (false buy signal), and +2.80 (and still holding). The total gain over the year for these five trades stands at about $4.00 per share. If you had bought and held WJA for the whole year, your gain would have been approximately $2.00 per share.
By holding WJA stock when it is going up and not holding it when it is going down, you could have doubled your return with this stock during the course of the year. The cost to you would have been following the stock on a regular basis and, of course, doing the 9 trades indicated (5 buys and 4 sells).
If you follow 50 securities like I do, and they all trade similarly to this (each one has its own pattern), then you are looking at 450 transactions per year. If you look at approximately 250 trading days per year, this works out to less than 2 transactions per day, so it is not that much work. There are many days when you don't buy or sell any stocks at all.
Again, sorry about the image quality but I hope this second explanation helps.
Responses to Reader's Comments
I have already responded to some comments from some new followers of my blog but I noticed more comments today so I wanted to address them:
NorthernCountess - I am happy to hear that you can relate to the challenges that working full time presents to managing your own investments. That said, I am also glad to hear that you did great last year, and if anything I talked about can help you then that is great. You are most welcome for the help - I am very happy to hear that my comments and approach are given retail investors something to think about and perhaps even helping other people make some money.
Dan - Since I follow the graphs, I buy and sell stocks pretty much when I am told. I am not a long-term or short-term investor by nature - I stay in stocks as long as they are going up and I get out of them when they are going down. I know that sounds simple, but that is my goal. Like me, it seems that you are trying to buy stocks on upwards momentum (an up-trend), then selling them before they drop back down too much. I think the best advice I can give you (from my trial and error) is to lock in gains when you have them (I use stop losses) and don't get frustrated if a stock sells but goes back up again if you made money on your trade. With my method, I never buy right at the bottom and I never sell right at the top, but I do win with more trades than I lose, and my winners are typically (but not always) bigger than my losers.
Norm - Thanks for the kind words, Norm, and for checking out my blog. Your note is exactly what I hoped I would see - that an investor who is developing their own strategy for what works best for them will consider what I am doing (and consider many other methods as well).
NorthernCountess - I am happy to hear that you can relate to the challenges that working full time presents to managing your own investments. That said, I am also glad to hear that you did great last year, and if anything I talked about can help you then that is great. You are most welcome for the help - I am very happy to hear that my comments and approach are given retail investors something to think about and perhaps even helping other people make some money.
Dan - Since I follow the graphs, I buy and sell stocks pretty much when I am told. I am not a long-term or short-term investor by nature - I stay in stocks as long as they are going up and I get out of them when they are going down. I know that sounds simple, but that is my goal. Like me, it seems that you are trying to buy stocks on upwards momentum (an up-trend), then selling them before they drop back down too much. I think the best advice I can give you (from my trial and error) is to lock in gains when you have them (I use stop losses) and don't get frustrated if a stock sells but goes back up again if you made money on your trade. With my method, I never buy right at the bottom and I never sell right at the top, but I do win with more trades than I lose, and my winners are typically (but not always) bigger than my losers.
Norm - Thanks for the kind words, Norm, and for checking out my blog. Your note is exactly what I hoped I would see - that an investor who is developing their own strategy for what works best for them will consider what I am doing (and consider many other methods as well).
A Few More Stocks Are In Buy Territory Tonight
I bought HBU and HOU today, and a few more of the stocks I follow went into buy territory today. The stocks I will be putting in stop-buys for tonight are HQU (Nasdaq ETF), HSU (S&P ETF), ECA (Encana), G (Goldcorp), and LIF.UN (Iron Ore Income Fund). HBU, FTT and TRP are also in 'buy' territory for me but I already own those securities and I don't need to buy more at this point.
Today was a pretty flat day overall, and I am about 25% invested at this point, with the remainder in cash, waiting for more buy signals to deploy the money.
Today was a pretty flat day overall, and I am about 25% invested at this point, with the remainder in cash, waiting for more buy signals to deploy the money.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Link to my BNN Interview with Pat Bolland
In case any of you missed it (or more likely, if you want to see it again, since most of you know about my blog because of the interview), the link is below:
http://watch.bnn.ca/investor-month/clip269689#clip269689
http://watch.bnn.ca/investor-month/clip269689#clip269689
Saturday, February 27, 2010
February Comes to an End
Two months down in 2010, ten more to go. After a 50%+ gain last year, I had set myself a more realistic goal for 2010 - to average at least 1% return per month for the whole year. With banks offering 'preferred' deposit interest rates of 0.3% per year, I figured that 12% return for 2010 would be great, and much more realistic than expecting a repeat of my 2009 return.
At February month end, my overall YTD return is 2.5% so I am slightly ahead of my goal at this early stage in the year. With the TSX being up about 2% since the start of the year, I am happy to be slightly ahead of the Canadian index, while being far less than 100% invested (due to the uncertainty of the markets).
I sold quite a few stocks this week, as my stop losses were triggered. As I have mentioned, I not only put in stop losses just below the 40-day moving average line for each stock, but I also use stop losses to preserve gains if one of my stocks has achieved a gain since I have bought it. I am only 20% invested in stocks right now (the remainder in cash), after ending last week 60% invested in stocks. This type of swing is normal with my investing method, as I sell stocks when they are moving down and I buy stocks when they are moving up. I am NOT a buy and hold investor, even when I believe in the long-term prospects for a stock. I have learned that it doesn't matter if a stock SHOULD be going up, it only matters if it DOES go up.
Right now, I own HXU (Horizons TSX up), TRP (TransCanada), FTT (Finning), T, (Telus), YLO.UN (Yellow Pages Income Fund - although I have sold about half of my holdings, as it is down a bit from its highs and I wanted to preserve the good gains), and PN (PNI Media - the only small-cap that I follow, because I like (and use) their online technology).
For Monday, I am looking at adding HBU (Horizon gold bullion up), HOU (Horizon oil up), and LIF.UN (Iron Ore Income fund). The daily volume for LIF.UN is not as high as I would like, so I may not buy it since it is difficult to do so with stop-buys and still get a good price when the volume isn't there.
As most of us are Canadian investors, I assume that you either already have TSFA's or you are looking to get one. I opened one TFSA in September 2009 and another in January 2010 (I opened a second one since my bank didn't originally offer TFSA accounts that allowed self-trading of stocks). Both accounts were opened with $5,000, the maximum allowed per year. Once I determine which format I like best (between the two online trading formats) and which ones have better long-term trading fees (they have special introductory deals right now), I will combine the two TFSA accounts into one, so I don't have as many accounts to manage.
TFSA #1 (opened in Sept 2009) is now up 23.4% (in 6 months) and TFSA #2 (opened in early January 2009) is now up 10.2% 9in 2 months. I realize that many people may have higher returns in their TFSA accounts but they likely involve much more speculative stocks than the stocks that I follow, so I think my investments are safer (at least for me). Sure, the $5K limit on TFSA accounts (per year) limits your investment levels, but if you combine decent annual returns with maximizing your yearly contributions, you can build up a nice balance in your TFSA account, and not pay tax on the gains.
I see that I have many more followers after the BNN interview this week (I still don't have too many, but many more than I had before the interview), so I hope my information and approach helps at least some of you determine an investing strategy that suits you and your risk tolerance.
At February month end, my overall YTD return is 2.5% so I am slightly ahead of my goal at this early stage in the year. With the TSX being up about 2% since the start of the year, I am happy to be slightly ahead of the Canadian index, while being far less than 100% invested (due to the uncertainty of the markets).
I sold quite a few stocks this week, as my stop losses were triggered. As I have mentioned, I not only put in stop losses just below the 40-day moving average line for each stock, but I also use stop losses to preserve gains if one of my stocks has achieved a gain since I have bought it. I am only 20% invested in stocks right now (the remainder in cash), after ending last week 60% invested in stocks. This type of swing is normal with my investing method, as I sell stocks when they are moving down and I buy stocks when they are moving up. I am NOT a buy and hold investor, even when I believe in the long-term prospects for a stock. I have learned that it doesn't matter if a stock SHOULD be going up, it only matters if it DOES go up.
Right now, I own HXU (Horizons TSX up), TRP (TransCanada), FTT (Finning), T, (Telus), YLO.UN (Yellow Pages Income Fund - although I have sold about half of my holdings, as it is down a bit from its highs and I wanted to preserve the good gains), and PN (PNI Media - the only small-cap that I follow, because I like (and use) their online technology).
For Monday, I am looking at adding HBU (Horizon gold bullion up), HOU (Horizon oil up), and LIF.UN (Iron Ore Income fund). The daily volume for LIF.UN is not as high as I would like, so I may not buy it since it is difficult to do so with stop-buys and still get a good price when the volume isn't there.
As most of us are Canadian investors, I assume that you either already have TSFA's or you are looking to get one. I opened one TFSA in September 2009 and another in January 2010 (I opened a second one since my bank didn't originally offer TFSA accounts that allowed self-trading of stocks). Both accounts were opened with $5,000, the maximum allowed per year. Once I determine which format I like best (between the two online trading formats) and which ones have better long-term trading fees (they have special introductory deals right now), I will combine the two TFSA accounts into one, so I don't have as many accounts to manage.
TFSA #1 (opened in Sept 2009) is now up 23.4% (in 6 months) and TFSA #2 (opened in early January 2009) is now up 10.2% 9in 2 months. I realize that many people may have higher returns in their TFSA accounts but they likely involve much more speculative stocks than the stocks that I follow, so I think my investments are safer (at least for me). Sure, the $5K limit on TFSA accounts (per year) limits your investment levels, but if you combine decent annual returns with maximizing your yearly contributions, you can build up a nice balance in your TFSA account, and not pay tax on the gains.
I see that I have many more followers after the BNN interview this week (I still don't have too many, but many more than I had before the interview), so I hope my information and approach helps at least some of you determine an investing strategy that suits you and your risk tolerance.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
More Stuff Bought and Sold Today
Today was a good example of how my need for buying and selling on stop (since I work during the day and can't watch the market) can hinder my ability to profit. The markets opened down today, and many of my equities sold, only to recover later in the day. Today, I sold AGU, HXU, HOU, COS.un and ENF.un. On the other hand, I purchased TRP and S, so my level of investment balanced out a bit. I also still hold OCX, T, PN (the only small cap that I follow), and YLO.UN.
For tomorrow, the buys are HXU (yesterday was a false sell, due to the turnaround - you just have to get used to this with the method I use), FTT, LIF.un, QBR.B, and TRP (still a buy, but I already own it so I don't need to buy more, at least not yet).
I am still up about 2% overall YTD, which is pretty good when you compare it to the performance of the markets during that time. I was up 3.5% YTD about 4 days ago, but you have to get used to these swings from day to day. To really profit from my method (or when holding any stock), you need the markets to pick a direction and stick with it for a while. When the market trades sideways (a few up days followed by a few down days...), it can be hard to make any money, unless you day-trade (which I don't).
One of these days, I will post a complete list of the 10 ETF's and 40 or so stocks that I follow on a daily basis, and buy and sell according to the graphs. If anyone has a stock that they like to follow in this manner, I would love to hear about it.
For tomorrow, the buys are HXU (yesterday was a false sell, due to the turnaround - you just have to get used to this with the method I use), FTT, LIF.un, QBR.B, and TRP (still a buy, but I already own it so I don't need to buy more, at least not yet).
I am still up about 2% overall YTD, which is pretty good when you compare it to the performance of the markets during that time. I was up 3.5% YTD about 4 days ago, but you have to get used to these swings from day to day. To really profit from my method (or when holding any stock), you need the markets to pick a direction and stick with it for a while. When the market trades sideways (a few up days followed by a few down days...), it can be hard to make any money, unless you day-trade (which I don't).
One of these days, I will post a complete list of the 10 ETF's and 40 or so stocks that I follow on a daily basis, and buy and sell according to the graphs. If anyone has a stock that they like to follow in this manner, I would love to hear about it.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Interesting Day Today - Interview on BNN
I see that I now actually have a few followers, other than just my friends and family, so I assume that you saw me on BNN today. I must say that it was an interesting experience being interviewed by Pat live on TV. I know my family and co-workers got a big kick out of it.
I have been asked to outline my approach in a little more detail, so here goes:
You start by selecting a stock - let's take Westjet (WJA-TSX) for example. You then need a site that allows you to graph the stock price and compare it to a moving average (I use my bank trading site, but I think Yahoo and others have this service - any home-gamers likely already have a site that lets them do this).
Next, you graph the daily stock price and the 40-day moving average line (you can use the 50-day, or any other, if you prefer, but I like the 40-day) and make sure you look at six months worth of data at least (a year is better).
Right now, the price of WJA is above the 40-day moving average so that means that you keep it if you already own it but you don't necessarily buy it (you missed the buy point), but you CAN always buy it if you want, since it is in HOLD territory (and it HAS been going up steadily since early November, all above the 40-day moving average line).
IF the share price was to go down over the next few days, the daily price would approach the 40-day moving average. When the daily price goes below the 40-day moving average, you SELL WJA. I only check each stock in the evening, so if the daily price is below the moving average, I put in the stop loss (a few cents lower than the current price) for the next day. I use stop losses since I work during the day but if you have the luxury of being able to watch the market, you can wait until the open to see where WJA goes - selling it if it goes down and maybe waiting a bit if it starts to go back up (it could have been a false sell signal).
You should look at the historical data from the past year and note how many times the daily share price bounces off the 40-day moving average and goes back up (for WJA, I count 4 times). That is why this line is a good buy / sell indicator.
Similarly to the above, if a stock you are following is currently below the 40-day moving average (like CP, for example), you wait until the share price appreciates and goes up through the 40-day moving average and then you BUY the next day.
Plain and simple - you buy a stock when the daily price goes UP through the 40-day moving average and you sell a stock when the daily prices goes DOWN through the 40-day moving average.
** Additions I have made to this strategy:
1) I didn't like when I bought a stock and it went up initially, only to end up going back down, meaning I didn't make any money. To counteract this, once a stock is up a bit (say 5 - 7%), I put in a stop loss to preserve some of the gains (careful to give the stock a bit of room to move).
2) If I don't own a stock, and the daily price is above the 40-day moving average and stays above it and goes back up then I buy it (just like if it had been below the line and moved up through it). Once I buy the stock this way, I follow it the same was as the other stocks I follow and sell it when the graph tells me to.
Keep in mind, there are only three possibilities for each stock you follow - BUY, SELL, or WAIT (keep it if you own it, don't buy it if you don't). I really do keep it that simple.
For tomorrow, for example, I will look to sell HXU and ENF.UN if they go down more, since they fell below the 40-day moving average line today. I will also look at selling COS.UN (I actually should have sold it today, but didn't).
The BUYS I am looking at for tomorrow are LIF.UN, S (note - released good results today), and TRP. Keep in mind that if I buy them tomorrow and they drop on Friday, the graphs may tell me to sell it. False buys and sells are a reality of my approach and I just have to learn to live with them.
As I say in my profile, my goal is to have more winners than losers, and to limit the size of the losers. Sounds simple, but as you know it can prove challenging. In the last 16 months (starting in November '08), I am up in 14 of the months, even in 1, and down 0.75 in the last. Given the state of financial markets during that time, that is a pretty good record. Especially when I only spend about 20 minutes each evening watching the 40 stocks and 10 ETF's that I follow.
I have been asked to outline my approach in a little more detail, so here goes:
You start by selecting a stock - let's take Westjet (WJA-TSX) for example. You then need a site that allows you to graph the stock price and compare it to a moving average (I use my bank trading site, but I think Yahoo and others have this service - any home-gamers likely already have a site that lets them do this).
Next, you graph the daily stock price and the 40-day moving average line (you can use the 50-day, or any other, if you prefer, but I like the 40-day) and make sure you look at six months worth of data at least (a year is better).
Right now, the price of WJA is above the 40-day moving average so that means that you keep it if you already own it but you don't necessarily buy it (you missed the buy point), but you CAN always buy it if you want, since it is in HOLD territory (and it HAS been going up steadily since early November, all above the 40-day moving average line).
IF the share price was to go down over the next few days, the daily price would approach the 40-day moving average. When the daily price goes below the 40-day moving average, you SELL WJA. I only check each stock in the evening, so if the daily price is below the moving average, I put in the stop loss (a few cents lower than the current price) for the next day. I use stop losses since I work during the day but if you have the luxury of being able to watch the market, you can wait until the open to see where WJA goes - selling it if it goes down and maybe waiting a bit if it starts to go back up (it could have been a false sell signal).
You should look at the historical data from the past year and note how many times the daily share price bounces off the 40-day moving average and goes back up (for WJA, I count 4 times). That is why this line is a good buy / sell indicator.
Similarly to the above, if a stock you are following is currently below the 40-day moving average (like CP, for example), you wait until the share price appreciates and goes up through the 40-day moving average and then you BUY the next day.
Plain and simple - you buy a stock when the daily price goes UP through the 40-day moving average and you sell a stock when the daily prices goes DOWN through the 40-day moving average.
** Additions I have made to this strategy:
1) I didn't like when I bought a stock and it went up initially, only to end up going back down, meaning I didn't make any money. To counteract this, once a stock is up a bit (say 5 - 7%), I put in a stop loss to preserve some of the gains (careful to give the stock a bit of room to move).
2) If I don't own a stock, and the daily price is above the 40-day moving average and stays above it and goes back up then I buy it (just like if it had been below the line and moved up through it). Once I buy the stock this way, I follow it the same was as the other stocks I follow and sell it when the graph tells me to.
Keep in mind, there are only three possibilities for each stock you follow - BUY, SELL, or WAIT (keep it if you own it, don't buy it if you don't). I really do keep it that simple.
For tomorrow, for example, I will look to sell HXU and ENF.UN if they go down more, since they fell below the 40-day moving average line today. I will also look at selling COS.UN (I actually should have sold it today, but didn't).
The BUYS I am looking at for tomorrow are LIF.UN, S (note - released good results today), and TRP. Keep in mind that if I buy them tomorrow and they drop on Friday, the graphs may tell me to sell it. False buys and sells are a reality of my approach and I just have to learn to live with them.
As I say in my profile, my goal is to have more winners than losers, and to limit the size of the losers. Sounds simple, but as you know it can prove challenging. In the last 16 months (starting in November '08), I am up in 14 of the months, even in 1, and down 0.75 in the last. Given the state of financial markets during that time, that is a pretty good record. Especially when I only spend about 20 minutes each evening watching the 40 stocks and 10 ETF's that I follow.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Good week for stocks - YLO.un keeps chugging along
Only a 4-day week this week, but my portfolio was up almost 1.5% this week. Yellow Pages (YLO.un) was one of my leaders again as it approaches $6 per unit, but many other stocks performed well too.
For the first time in a while, I am back into the 'up' index ETF's, jumping into HOU (oil), HBU (gold bullion), and HXU (TSX) in the last few days. Other indices such as HQU (NASDAQ) and HSU (US S&P) are getting close to buys as well, but not yet.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I invest my RRSP money first, then move on to non-RRSP funds. Right now, I am fully invested in my RRSP and almost half invested in my non-RRSP funds, so that is a pretty high rate of investment for me, at least for the last many months while the markets have been so uncertain. I am now about 59% invested overall.
Other than the ETF's mentioned above, I am also in SLW (Silver Wheaton), G (Goldcorp), COS.un (Canadian Oilsands Trust), AGU (Agrium), OCX (Onex), BIN (BFC Ltd.), BBD.B (Bombardier), ECA (Encana), ENF.UN (Enbridge), PN (Photochannel, my one small cap stock), PWF (Power Financial), TCM (Thomson Creek Metals), RIM (Research in Motion), PMZ.UN (Primaris), and YLO.UN (Yellow Pages Income Fund).
There are two other stocks that I watch that moved into buy territory on Friday - MSI.UN (Morneau Sobeco) and RUS (Russel Metals). I likely won't buy MSI.UN, though, since it has fairly low daily trade volumes and it makes it hard for me to buy and sell since I used stop buys and stop sells to do so (since I can't watch the market during the day). This is a case where outside information - like trading volume - overrides the moving average indicators for me, having been burned before by low volume stocks.
YTD, I am up 3.5% in my portfolio, so I have to be pretty happy with that. January was a pretty flat month for me (and down for most of the indices), so most of my gains have been in the last two weeks.
For the first time in a while, I am back into the 'up' index ETF's, jumping into HOU (oil), HBU (gold bullion), and HXU (TSX) in the last few days. Other indices such as HQU (NASDAQ) and HSU (US S&P) are getting close to buys as well, but not yet.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I invest my RRSP money first, then move on to non-RRSP funds. Right now, I am fully invested in my RRSP and almost half invested in my non-RRSP funds, so that is a pretty high rate of investment for me, at least for the last many months while the markets have been so uncertain. I am now about 59% invested overall.
Other than the ETF's mentioned above, I am also in SLW (Silver Wheaton), G (Goldcorp), COS.un (Canadian Oilsands Trust), AGU (Agrium), OCX (Onex), BIN (BFC Ltd.), BBD.B (Bombardier), ECA (Encana), ENF.UN (Enbridge), PN (Photochannel, my one small cap stock), PWF (Power Financial), TCM (Thomson Creek Metals), RIM (Research in Motion), PMZ.UN (Primaris), and YLO.UN (Yellow Pages Income Fund).
There are two other stocks that I watch that moved into buy territory on Friday - MSI.UN (Morneau Sobeco) and RUS (Russel Metals). I likely won't buy MSI.UN, though, since it has fairly low daily trade volumes and it makes it hard for me to buy and sell since I used stop buys and stop sells to do so (since I can't watch the market during the day). This is a case where outside information - like trading volume - overrides the moving average indicators for me, having been burned before by low volume stocks.
YTD, I am up 3.5% in my portfolio, so I have to be pretty happy with that. January was a pretty flat month for me (and down for most of the indices), so most of my gains have been in the last two weeks.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Yellow Pages Persistence Pays Off
Sorry I haven't written in awhile but I just got back from some time in Cancun - some much-needed relaxation (of sorts). I was pleased to see, when I returned, that Yellow Pages Income Fund had not only released their latest financial results and confirmed their monthly payout, but they also announced that they would be converting to a Corporation at the end of 2010. They are reducing their current 80 cent per year distribution to a 65 cent dividend - still about a 12% yield at the time it was announced! With the tax treatment of dividends versus trust distributions, it looks like the investor return is actually HIGHER once they convert. Investor response to the news was great, with YLO.un moving up about 4% on Thursday and another 5% or so on Friday. The units jumped from 5.15 to 5.67 in two days. Since I am in YLO.un mostly for the high yield, getting unit appreciation is a bonus. I could honestly see the units moving back to the $7 range in pretty short order, as long as the unit holders hold tight.
I am just over 61% invested in equities at the moment - I had been expecting a correction (which happened in January), and the moving average graphs have been telling me to buy lately. Most of the ETF's (upside) are still in 'don't own' territory, but I am looking to them pretty soon. I will be looking to purchase HFU on Tuesday (financial ETF), as it just passed the 'buy' signal on Friday.
Currently, I own many securities including YLO.un (Yellow Pages), ENF.un (Enbridge), PMZ.un (Primaris), PN (Photochannel), PWF (Power Financial), TCM (Thompson Creek), QBR.B (Quebecor), RCI.B (Rogers Communications), WJA (Westjet), RIM (Research in Motion), AGU (Agrium), COS.un (Canadian Oil Sands Trust), OCX (Onex), TCW (Trican Well Services), LIF.un (Iron Ore Income Fund), and S (Sherritt).
I am more heavily invested right now than I planned to be but that is what the graphs told me to do. The markets have had a good couple of weeks so it seems to be the correct call for now. If there are a couple more strong days early next week, even more stocks will move into 'buy' territory.
Next week, I am looking to purchase HFU (Financials ETF), MSI.un (Morneau Sobeco), and T (Telus - even though they just announced disappointing results, the graphs still say buy right now).
I am up 2.02% YTD, which doesn't seem all that good, until you consider that the markets were down considerably in January. As the markets continue to recover, I hope to ride that momentum upwards.
I am just over 61% invested in equities at the moment - I had been expecting a correction (which happened in January), and the moving average graphs have been telling me to buy lately. Most of the ETF's (upside) are still in 'don't own' territory, but I am looking to them pretty soon. I will be looking to purchase HFU on Tuesday (financial ETF), as it just passed the 'buy' signal on Friday.
Currently, I own many securities including YLO.un (Yellow Pages), ENF.un (Enbridge), PMZ.un (Primaris), PN (Photochannel), PWF (Power Financial), TCM (Thompson Creek), QBR.B (Quebecor), RCI.B (Rogers Communications), WJA (Westjet), RIM (Research in Motion), AGU (Agrium), COS.un (Canadian Oil Sands Trust), OCX (Onex), TCW (Trican Well Services), LIF.un (Iron Ore Income Fund), and S (Sherritt).
I am more heavily invested right now than I planned to be but that is what the graphs told me to do. The markets have had a good couple of weeks so it seems to be the correct call for now. If there are a couple more strong days early next week, even more stocks will move into 'buy' territory.
Next week, I am looking to purchase HFU (Financials ETF), MSI.un (Morneau Sobeco), and T (Telus - even though they just announced disappointing results, the graphs still say buy right now).
I am up 2.02% YTD, which doesn't seem all that good, until you consider that the markets were down considerably in January. As the markets continue to recover, I hope to ride that momentum upwards.
Friday, January 1, 2010
The End of 2009 (and the Beginning of 2010)
Happy New Year, and sorry that I have not posted in awhile. I have had alot going on since my last post.
Stock-wise, I actually got back into the market relatively soon after my last 'I'm Out' post, as the moving averages told me to get back in. I was even for November but I was up a little over 1.5% in the month of December. Not sure if it was a Santa Claus rally or not, but I will take it.
One of the securities that I am in is my old standby Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN). It is in 'Hold' territory right now, and it looks to have pretty solid support. It is also paying out a great distribution yield, so I actually hold quite a bit. If it turns down, I will get rid of it, but for now it looks good.
I am only about 15% invested currently (it fluctuates), with the rest in cash. My other current holdings are Manulife (MFC) which I just bought on Dec 31, and two telecoms - Rogers Communication (RCI.B) and Telus (T) that I also just bought mid to late this past week. I don't have a problem holding two very similar stocks, as long as their indicators are good and they are both going up.
I ended up 2009 up 54.5% from my 2008 close, when you factor out my contributions for the year. I haven't recovered all of the money I lost last year yet, but I am off to a good start. If I had of used my current strategy last year, I would have made money (on the 'Down' ETF's) instead of losing money.
Now, on to 2010. I have already stated which securities I currently hold, and there are a few more that just went in to BUY territory on December 31st, so I will try to pick up some of those on Monday, Jan 4th. Those securities are HOU (Horizons Betapro Oil Bull), COS.UN (Canadian Oil Sands Trust, PMZ.UN (Primaris Real Estate Income Fund), and TCM (Thompson Creek Mining). MFC, RCI.B, and T are also in BUY territory, but I already own all of those.
I will reset everything for the start of 2010 and start calculating my returns from zero, starting next week. I doubt that 2010 will be as good for me as 2009 was, but I will stick to my easy to follow rules, continue spending about 20 minutes a day following stocks, and see where that gets me. It was certainly worth my time last year...
Stock-wise, I actually got back into the market relatively soon after my last 'I'm Out' post, as the moving averages told me to get back in. I was even for November but I was up a little over 1.5% in the month of December. Not sure if it was a Santa Claus rally or not, but I will take it.
One of the securities that I am in is my old standby Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN). It is in 'Hold' territory right now, and it looks to have pretty solid support. It is also paying out a great distribution yield, so I actually hold quite a bit. If it turns down, I will get rid of it, but for now it looks good.
I am only about 15% invested currently (it fluctuates), with the rest in cash. My other current holdings are Manulife (MFC) which I just bought on Dec 31, and two telecoms - Rogers Communication (RCI.B) and Telus (T) that I also just bought mid to late this past week. I don't have a problem holding two very similar stocks, as long as their indicators are good and they are both going up.
I ended up 2009 up 54.5% from my 2008 close, when you factor out my contributions for the year. I haven't recovered all of the money I lost last year yet, but I am off to a good start. If I had of used my current strategy last year, I would have made money (on the 'Down' ETF's) instead of losing money.
Now, on to 2010. I have already stated which securities I currently hold, and there are a few more that just went in to BUY territory on December 31st, so I will try to pick up some of those on Monday, Jan 4th. Those securities are HOU (Horizons Betapro Oil Bull), COS.UN (Canadian Oil Sands Trust, PMZ.UN (Primaris Real Estate Income Fund), and TCM (Thompson Creek Mining). MFC, RCI.B, and T are also in BUY territory, but I already own all of those.
I will reset everything for the start of 2010 and start calculating my returns from zero, starting next week. I doubt that 2010 will be as good for me as 2009 was, but I will stick to my easy to follow rules, continue spending about 20 minutes a day following stocks, and see where that gets me. It was certainly worth my time last year...
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