Stocks

[Mikie711]

Given a depressed oil & energy market I have dipped back into the stock market. I haven't done this since 2009 during the financial crash where I stuck some money into RBS and then Bank of Scotland. Not talking vast sums of money here but I did get a healthy return.

Anybody else into the financial markets either for a bit of fun or as a serious investor.

[Andy G]

Did it when I had my back operation and was bored stuck at home - that was an expensive week.......

[Kev]

I had a little play a few years ago, especially with the exploration off the Falklands. I've just started doing a bit of reading and research with the thinking of dabbling again this year.

[tenkfeet]

Been dabbling for a while on the casino that is AIM and at this moment wish I had not discovered shares. Heavily in EME who's share price has gone from 20p to currently 5.5p. The oil price has totally fu**ed me on paper. I am too much of a gambler

Recently one guy on a share forum was down £2.4 million. Another was spread betting and lost his house, pension pot and had to go back to work after retiring.

Money to be made as the oil price has to go up eventually unless someone cracks fusion. Just have to pick companies who can service their debt , wont run out of cash and can handle the current oil price.

Good luck what ever you do.

[ryallm]

I take a keen interest in the markets as I manage my own SIPP and ISA investments. Had some big wins on individual company shares (e.g. Halfords currently on +70% in 2 years) but also some nasty hits (Tesco - 20% in 6months). Overall I have concluded that individual shares are too risky for me and the majority of my portfolio is in investment trusts or funds, with a few trackers thrown in too. My top tip for the next couple of years: stick a wodge in a European fund and benefit from the effects of ECB QE starting in March. QE in Japan and the US gave a huge boost to stock market values. The major caveat is that it has to be a currency hedged fund to guard against the inevitable fall in the Euro, and there aren't many hedged European funds to choose from.

Mark

[Mikie711]

Kev, currently in rockhopper, have been for a wee while now, as the Erik Raude is en-route to Falklands for the second phase drilling program in partnership with Premier an FOGL. Looked at all of them but RKH had the biggest upside potential so bought them. Also in Tullow's and Ocean Rig on the NASDAQ (because I work for them and although heavily indebted have a large contract backlog and asset portfolio, badly managed so possible buy out in future).

My gamble at the moment (three legged horse at the national if you will) is Afren. Will either go up dramatically (buy out) or crash spectacularly (more likely) but are currently in their end game now so 2 weeks should see the outcome.

It's an immersive subject to be sure, immensely complicated, so much is interwoven with outside events I find it fascinating although I probably only understand 0.00001% of whats going on

[Kev]

I made a couple of grand on Rockhopper the first time round, I also had money in Desire which has transferred to FOGL, think I'm still down 70% on what I paid, but you only lose money when you sell

I've just started reading about the Falkands again, the company I work for have just sent 3 S92s down there for an initial 10 month contract with a possible 2 yr extension. It'll be interesting on what happens down there, especially with the current oil price.

[campbell]

I leave it all to the boys at Invesco Perpetual. They have worked quite some magic in the last 20 years.

But I agree that with the time and diligence, there is fun and reward to be had!

[Mikie711]

I take a keen interest in the markets as I manage my own SIPP and ISA investments. Had some big wins on individual company shares (e.g. Halfords currently on +70% in 2 years) but also some nasty hits (Tesco - 20% in 6months). Overall I have concluded that individual shares are too risky for me and the majority of my portfolio is in investment trusts or funds, with a few trackers thrown in too. My top tip for the next couple of years: stick a wodge in a European fund and benefit from the effects of ECB QE starting in March. QE in Japan and the US gave a huge boost to stock market values. The major caveat is that it has to be a currency hedged fund to guard against the inevitable fall in the Euro, and there aren't many hedged European funds to choose from.

Mark

Generally speaking I agree with your sentiments Mark, but with due diligence, a lot of research then you can get could rewards. You do however need to put the time and effort in to get the potential rewards out. At the moment oil stocks are an obvious one because of the drop in the oil price. Anyone who has a company valued on oil in the ground as their main asset will only go one way, eventually. Now, whether that is in one month, one year or more is the subject of great debate right now but it will happen.
My strategy has been simple, taking what I know about the industry I work in and looking for companies that have the potential to treble through should they return to their post drop prices. Pretty much all have dropped but it's the ones hit hardest that I am interested in. Two reasons, first is that they will recover, none (with the exception of Afren) are likely to belly up. And second as the oil price recovers the majors will be looking to increase production ASAP. Given that they have all scaled back exploration and last year they never found enough new oil to replace what they produced they will be looking at the smaller producers and wondering if buying them out would be a quicker route to increased production rates given their relatively cheap sp.

[graeme]

Far too risky for me. I convert as much of my cash at bank into tangible possessions as quickly as possible. The rest I invest in research into oxygenated hydrocarbons. Usually quite heavily peated.

[Mikie711]

Actually Whiskey is a really good investment, if you don't drink it that is

[renmure]

I do it lots and often, but always day-trading. Sometimes as many as 10 trades/day, sometimes months in between bothering. I don't really have the full insight that you need on order to take a longer term view, but there is quite a bit of loose change to be made by going with the flow, as long as you don't kid yourself that you will ever beat the big boys.

[mxvx]

I dabble. Done ok with tullow and BP so far. Got quite a few others too.

Just use stocks and shares ISA via Hargreaves landsdown.

[tut]

I invested over £200K with Chase de Vere when I retired, left it to them with the proviso that it was low risk so it was spread over different well known management funds. It gave me me a steady monthly income of around 8% over the 22 years, but the best thing was the fund barely decreased during the two crashes, income went down but the fund lost very little.

Enabled me to buy Clare's flat outright, and help the boy's out with £40K towards their own houses without anything coming out of our own income. We let Clare's flat out when she went to Dubai so that is a nice little earner, and Ian now has a healthy cash pile to take to Canada as he now has a buyer for the house at £185K which we paid £115K for, and a £98K Mortgage loan to pay off.

After speaking to Don for advice on buying the new house, when we have moved in I will probably hand over all the Savings, Investments, excess income etc to him and ask him to make it work for us. Sounds silly, but we actually have more than we really need or can spend without a complete change of life style, the kids are doing well so do not need help anymore, I have the car that I want and another two in the garage, we spend vey little on ourselves other than food and alcohol, and Verian can take as many holidays as she wants.

Fact is with a combined age of 140 we are in a different position than most of you.

However this program turned up in my e-mail so I had a look at it. Heard of spread betting but did not understand it so read up a little. Seems that you can bet on stocks or commodities going up and down without buying anything, you just win or lose if you get the right or wrong direction. Plus it is a multiplication, put £10K into the pot, and it is multiplied many times over. No way I was going to start off for real, and now never will do, but it has a demo program, and as oil was only going one way, I chose Brent crude which was $55 in the middle of Jan, so I bet it to go down with a sell at $49. That happened a few days ago, and it informed me that my account stood at $187,000.

However today it jumped to $58, so I could equally be in the red now for a few millions. Those in the know if they had got in the act at anytime oil was at $100 or less, it went down so quickly in one direction only, must have made a killing.

www.plus500.co.uk Have a go on it for fun and see how good you are. (or bad)

tut

[robin]

I do all my investing indirectly via funds and then a good spread of funds - it's a good way to manage risk if you don't have the insight/time to make better judgements than the majority of your fund managers. Of course they cost but over the last 20 years I have been very lucky and the net return has been enormous (especially when you consider the dot.com boom/bust and the 2008 meltdown both had a big impact on the stock market over that period). That said I used to invest chunks of money that came from some crazy employee stock option scheme from a US employer - some times the returns were flabbergasting (think a whole elise in a week) - at other times they were grim (think -5 elises the next week!!). These days I don't have the cash to consider it ...

Cheers,
Robin