The Briefing Room

General Category => Economy/Business => Topic started by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 02:19:46 am

Title: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 02:19:46 am
Earnings seasons is in full swing. As is usual, this may create some changes in my portfolio. I'm always looking for new investment ideas to research, so I figured I might start a thread for TBR members to share potential investments.

I'm most excited about Ocwen (OCN) right now. I spotted this one at $1.53. Looks like they might go over $2.00 tomorrow given their earnings release today.

I also bought General Dynamics (GD) recently. Although a lot of defense stocks are waaay up recently, I figure that Obama has been gutting the military. GD has not enjoyed the same kind of ride as, say, Lockheed Martin or Raytheon, so I'm hoping it is a late bloomer.

Some other stocks I'm currently holding:

TREE - I recently decreased my position significantly here after taking some profits. The action on this stock is crazy. I'm not sure where earnings will take this stock, so my position is modest now. Either way, I've locked in some profits here.

KPTI and QURE - Two biotechs. I split the amount I would normally invest in a single stock between these two. Biotech can be risky, but - fundamentally - I think one of these will pan out. KPTI announced some promising findings today which gave me a nice 4.21% return for the day.

DOW - I've been holding this one for a while and it's been paying off. Good price action, plus dividends. I'll continue to hold until I have to make a decision on which spinoff I have to buy from the mega-merger with DuPont.

IRBT - I was very pleased with their earnings call. I simply had to have a robotics play in my portfolio, and IRBT has filled the void. (We personally own a Roomba 980 and love it, too.) Robotics is barely scratching the surface of its potential right now as an industry, so finding the right play here will be tricky. It could be Apple or Alphabet that ends up owning the market. We'll see.

ENS - I'm waiting for the graphene battery breakthrough. I doubt Enersys will be the company to pull it off, but we are a power hungry society. Power storage has a place in my portfolio and the sub-1 PEG ratio has kept me in this stock for a little while. I may sell soon. We'll see.

CTRL - One of my losers. I'm down here but can't bring myself to sell this stock. Home automation WILL be a "thing" in the future. Every sci-fi movie has houses that are voice controlled and intelligent. Moreover, at this price, I'm thinking *someone* has to buy this company. Good PEG ratio, hardly any debt, and a high short percentage for a potential squeeze. They really need some solid management to get their margins in order. (Oh - and the company that should buy them is IRBT!)

DDD - Another one of my losers. 3D printing is an amazing technology, though. Right now, my kids and I are 3D printing a full-sized BB8 as a summer project. Someday, this technology may represent something straight out of Neil Stephenson's "The Diamond Age." Regardless, I've gotten killed on this stock. Lots of shake-up with management recently, though. Short interest has recently declined on 3D stocks. Maybe the only direction for this stock is up, now.

ZNGA - This is not a stock I'd usually own. I don't really like many of the numbers that come with this stock. Still, I've made money with it, albeit not a lot. So why did I buy it? Primarily because it is sitting on $857MM in cash and no debt. It has to do *something* with that money, right? I'm taking a chance. I wouldn't recommend anyone else get into this one unless you are confident with your investment. I'd put a hard trailing stop on this one because God knows...

Silver - Physical silver. It's up nearly 30% from where I bought it, so it's doing my whole portfolio good. Is it peaking? Well, as a hedge, silver is a good bet. It has more industrial uses than gold. It's helped my portfolio on many a day when everything else is down. Not sure I will keep changing my position on this one. Price is volatile, but it's more of an insurance policy than anything else.

What about you? Do you have any companies I should look at?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 02:21:49 am
Uh... disclaimer: do not trade in stocks without doing your own research. The post above is not meant as investment advice. Trade at your own risk. Yadda yadda yadda.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 01:56:37 pm
25 reads and not one pick? C'mon investors - it's a tough market to pick winners given the fact that the Dow is up over 18k. Everything looks overbought. What do you think is not?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on July 28, 2016, 02:15:17 pm
I don't like being in the markets for more than 2 or 3 hours, but then that's the game with options.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Bigun on July 28, 2016, 03:22:20 pm
I don't like being in the markets for more than 2 or 3 hours, but then that's the game with options.

I've been messing around with TVIX on a very short term basis lately with some good success but would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't know EXACTLY what he is doing.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on July 28, 2016, 03:43:22 pm
I've been messing around with TVIX on a very short term basis lately with some good success but would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't know EXACTLY what he is doing.

Trade the SPY's myself. VIX always interested me, trading the options on that, but I agree you need to know your stuff. Not sure I'm up for that one yet.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 03:52:38 pm
I've been messing around with TVIX on a very short term basis lately with some good success but would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't know EXACTLY what he is doing.

Yowzer. Looks dangerous:

YTD Return   -65.18%
3y Average Return   -80.88%
5y Average Return   -83.48%
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Bigun on July 28, 2016, 03:55:07 pm
Yowzer. Looks dangerous:

YTD Return   -65.18%
3y Average Return   -80.88%
5y Average Return   -83.48%

VERY! My exposure there is very small for that very reason.

As I said messing around with it isn't for the average investor but they do it anyway.

Title: Re: Investments
Post by: ABX on July 28, 2016, 03:55:45 pm
I've been messing around with TVIX on a very short term basis lately with some good success but would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't know EXACTLY what he is doing.

You must be riding patterns. I used to do that a lot on penny stocks and made a nice sum. I've changed my approach now and go for unnecessarily beat down stocks and ride their loss out of the storm.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 03:56:00 pm
TREE and OCN are doing a fine job of propping my entire portfolio today. I'm surprised we've settled at only ~+10% on OCN. If you actually read into TREE's earnings re: mortgage, it should spell good news for OCN. Love to see it go closer to ~+20% where it was earlier today.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Bigun on July 28, 2016, 03:59:53 pm
You must be riding patterns. I used to do that a lot on penny stocks and made a nice sum. I've changed my approach now and go for unnecessarily beat down stocks and ride their loss out of the storm.

Yep! 

I ALWAYS look for value in the markets.  In the past I have bought stocks that were selling at a price below the net assets value of the company.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 04:01:34 pm
You must be riding patterns. I used to do that a lot on penny stocks and made a nice sum. I've changed my approach now and go for unnecessarily beat down stocks and ride their loss out of the storm.

I like stocks that have taken an unnecessary beat down, especially when they have zero debt and huge sums of capital. At that point, every dollar they make goes into an already substantial war chest.

Speaking of stocks taking the beat down, I'm now giving serious look to getting into Ford (F) due to today's price action. The biggest thing that gives me pause is the fact that they want to expand fleet sales, which may help revenue, but will play havoc with margins.

If it dropped anywhere near 11.75 today, I'd buy in a heartbeat for a quick 10%. I don't think it is going to get there, so I have to think carefully if I want in at $12.50. I think I do.

EDIT: I'll hold off. Let's see if it goes to 11.75 over the next week. GM has better underlying numbers, so if I was going to pull the trigger today, it would probably be better with GM since they are experiencing a sympathetic hit of 4%.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 28, 2016, 06:33:26 pm
For the record, I did pull the trigger on GM, but only at half my normal buy amount. Nonetheless, it posted a 0.79% gain for the day from where I bought it.

Sigh - if only I could make 0.79% gain every day on all my stocks. That would be something like a 700% gain for a trading year.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 08:04:16 pm
OK - last time I'll post portfolio activity here unless some folks chime in that they are interested. (Mighty quiet. Was hoping for some good dialogue on investments.  :0001:)

Nonetheless, I did put a half-sized stake down on Stratasys (SSYS) today. Why? Well, I was thinking about buying more DDD to cost average down my losses there, based on the belief that it will go up a bit from here. Instead, I looked over SSYS and think they have the more attractive growth prospects, cash reserve, and path to profitability.

So, I'm cost-averaging the sector, I hope. :-)

In at 20.97/share.

I have a feeling one of these two companies will get bought in the next 12-18 months.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: ABX on July 29, 2016, 08:33:26 pm
Yep! 

I ALWAYS look for value in the markets.  In the past I have bought stocks that were selling at a price below the net assets value of the company.

Right now I'm sitting on AAPL, BCS, & IHRT as some that have been beaten down unnecessarily. AAPL is up about 6% since I bought, BCS 17%, IHRT 21%, and that's just the past month or so. Not a whole lot of gain compared to when I was riding penny stocks but I am choosing some with less downside risk. I was buying and pattern playing a lot with BMIX and AGCZ, I could get 200% moves in one day easily, and play that 3-4 times per month, but then they started dying down on activity. I noticed that penny stocks really don't get the volume they used to. I'm not too aggressive. If I sat on it all day, I could probably not work, but I make enough that I can dump back into retirement and not worry about the downside risk too much.

My best move ever wasn't my biggest percent move but just good timing, but I bought a LOT of Ford when all the automakers crashed and it went to around .90- but they said they wouldn't take a bailout. I cashed out at about $6 and paid for most of my house.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Bigun on July 29, 2016, 08:41:09 pm
OK - last time I'll post portfolio activity here unless some folks chime in that they are interested. (Mighty quiet. Was hoping for some good dialogue on investments.  :0001:)

Nonetheless, I did put a half-sized stake down on Stratasys (SSYS) today. Why? Well, I was thinking about buying more DDD to cost average down my losses there, based on the belief that it will go up a bit from here. Instead, I looked over SSYS and think they have the more attractive growth prospects, cash reserve, and path to profitability.

So, I'm cost-averaging the sector, I hope. :-)

In at 20.97/share.

I have a feeling one of these two companies will get bought in the next 12-18 months.

I have no problem talking about these things in general terms but not at all comfortable with telling anyone exactly what I'm doing  or why I'm  doing it.

To me that's like asking a fisherman to tell you where he caught those fish.  :whistle:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 09:19:13 pm
I have no problem talking about these things in general terms but not at all comfortable with telling anyone exactly what I'm doing  or why I'm  doing it.

To me that's like asking a fisherman to tell you where he caught those fish.  :whistle:

That is an unusual philosophy when it comes to investing since generating interest in your investments usually results in upward price pressure.

I'm not posting stocks to "pump and dump," just start dialogue, but talking about good investments is typically only *good* for the investment.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 09:30:44 pm
Right now I'm sitting on AAPL, BCS, & IHRT as some that have been beaten down unnecessarily. AAPL is up about 6% since I bought, BCS 17%, IHRT 21%, and that's just the past month or so. Not a whole lot of gain compared to when I was riding penny stocks but I am choosing some with less downside risk. I was buying and pattern playing a lot with BMIX and AGCZ, I could get 200% moves in one day easily, and play that 3-4 times per month, but then they started dying down on activity. I noticed that penny stocks really don't get the volume they used to. I'm not too aggressive. If I sat on it all day, I could probably not work, but I make enough that I can dump back into retirement and not worry about the downside risk too much.

My best move ever wasn't my biggest percent move but just good timing, but I bought a LOT of Ford when all the automakers crashed and it went to around .90- but they said they wouldn't take a bailout. I cashed out at about $6 and paid for most of my house.

My plan was to buy AAPL if it went sub-90. I think it got close, but I never pulled the trigger. Naturally, I wish I had, but the SIZE of AAPL made me hesitate. I figured I might see better gains elsewhere.

I *just* looked at BCS the other day! I might take another look.

IHRT looks like a timing play. Volume is so low, you could manipulate the price yourself.

Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 09:34:41 pm
I got some excellent advice from a very wise man that I worked with years ago.  He said....buy 3 or 4 solid oil co's, put it in dividend reinvestment and leave it alone.  Energy isn't going anywhere.  He had purchased Phillips Petroleum, Mobil, and Burlington Resources.  This was back in the late 70's.  He put in around 30k in each.  When he died a few years back the stock was worth millions and the dividends were huge.

Of course some of those stocks merged, were bought out, etc....but it goes to show that good solid companies will continue to do well. 

Did I take this advice....of course not...lolololololol.

I did purchase some FFIN, which is a local bank, but is one of the most solid banks in the country...certainly worth looking into.

The general rule is that if you take 30k and put it in any reasonable investment that earns near double digit returns, you will have a million-plus 40 years later.

The DOW has had an average return of 9.6% over the past 40 years. That would be a million if you invested the 30k in an index fund.

If you're young, you should always squirrel away some money instead of buying the fancy car. Let it ride and retire in comfort later. The problem is, most people don't have 40 years of patience!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: ABX on July 29, 2016, 09:45:26 pm
My plan was to buy AAPL if it went sub-90. I think it got close, but I never pulled the trigger. Naturally, I wish I had, but the SIZE of AAPL made me hesitate. I figured I might see better gains elsewhere.

I *just* looked at BCS the other day! I might take another look.

IHRT looks like a timing play. Volume is so low, you could manipulate the price yourself.

BCS got hit hard with Brexit but they have a lot of liquid capital and have some solid financials. There is no reason a major bank like that with their margins should be that low. It was all psychological with fear over Brexit.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Chieftain on July 29, 2016, 09:53:49 pm
Buy low.  Sell high.

That is all.

 :beer:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Bigun on July 29, 2016, 10:11:39 pm
That is an unusual philosophy when it comes to investing since generating interest in your investments usually results in upward price pressure.

I'm not posting stocks to "pump and dump," just start dialogue, but talking about good investments is typically only *good* for the investment.

Perhaps that is so but the fact is that I have a few more winters on me than most of you and have a strategy tailored to my specific needs at this point in my life makes me very leary of talking about it in public in any great detail.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 10:30:58 pm
Perhaps that is so but the fact is that I have a few more winters on me than most of you and have a strategy tailored to my specific needs at this point in my life makes me very leary of talking about it in public in any great detail.

OK - suit yourself.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on July 29, 2016, 10:31:26 pm
Buy low.  Sell high.

That is all.

 :beer:

Living up to your site title! :-)
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on July 30, 2016, 01:30:55 am
Buy low.  Sell high.

That is all.

 :beer:
I usually buy at a pretty good price.  It's the selling that usually gets me into trouble.  Like they say....never marry a stock...it doesn't even know who you are.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 03, 2016, 04:01:27 pm
OK - last time I'll post portfolio activity here unless some folks chime in that they are interested. (Mighty quiet. Was hoping for some good dialogue on investments.  :0001:)

Nonetheless, I did put a half-sized stake down on Stratasys (SSYS) today. Why? Well, I was thinking about buying more DDD to cost average down my losses there, based on the belief that it will go up a bit from here. Instead, I looked over SSYS and think they have the more attractive growth prospects, cash reserve, and path to profitability.

So, I'm cost-averaging the sector, I hope. :-)

In at 20.97/share.

I have a feeling one of these two companies will get bought in the next 12-18 months.

Hrm, well, my initial instinct was probably the better one. DDD is up 19% today, or about 8% from the day I bought SSYS due to several down days for DDD between now and then. SSYS is up 6% today sympathetically, but actually DOWN from my buy price of 20.97. The question is whether or not SSYS will post an earnings surprise like DDD today, resulting in a similar jump tomorrow!

Both of these are intended to be a hold position for at least a quarter, but we'll see...
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 04, 2016, 01:03:39 am
Gilead -biotech that has a cure for HepC and has been decimated. On an earnings beat, slight revenue miss, and lowered guidance went down over 10%. I have done several swing trades that made money, but I am holding now with a loss. This is an interesting stock that has a history of deep declines. Wall Street wants an acquisition and it is now being punished. Rumors of a merger with Bristol-Meyers. Anyone else trade this?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 04, 2016, 02:40:13 am
Gilead -biotech that has a cure for HepC and has been decimated. On an earnings beat, slight revenue miss, and lowered guidance went down over 10%. I have done several swing trades that made money, but I am holding now with a loss. This is an interesting stock that has a history of deep declines. Wall Street wants an acquisition and it is now being punished. Rumors of a merger with Bristol-Meyers. Anyone else trade this?

Holy crap - good call. I'm adding this to my watch list and will buy as soon as one of my current holdings hits its stop-loss price.

This stock has some very nice properties that usually attract me to buy. For example...

* Reasonable P/E
* *Amazing* margins
* Good returns
* More cash than debt

...and it even has a dividend to boot. (Not top notch dividend, but good enough.)

It's been hit recently and growth looks to be slowing, if not outright contracting, but the have the working capital to buy a smaller unit to fuel growth.

Thanks for this one! I had two stocks on my watchlist - AVP and XONE - that were supposed to be my "next buys" but both put on significant gains in the past week, making me want to look for a stock that hadn't realized a nice gain yet. I think you are right - Gilead looks like a good pick.

I may hit a stop tomorrow with a couple of earnings (I'm worried about CTRL), so I could be in soon!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 04, 2016, 04:24:16 pm
Be cautious. This stock is hated by Wall Street. This morning CNBC says that the stock will not pop unless they do an acquisition. Gilead also has very good HIV drugs and a pipeline. So much speculation on their buyout targets- possibly a small oncology biotech with CAR-T drugs in development. There has been a recent setback in clinical trail for this treatment. Good luck.

I also bought Micron and have a loss but I am not selling. They aren't going anywhere. They recently adopted a poison pill so there is much talk about hostile takeover. This stock was a big winner until about 18 months ago. It should eventually recover or be taken over. The world need chips and they have a new technology coming soon.

Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 04, 2016, 04:45:15 pm
Be cautious. This stock is hated by Wall Street. This morning CNBC says that the stock will not pop unless they do an acquisition. Gilead also has very good HIV drugs and a pipeline. So much speculation on their buyout targets- possibly a small oncology biotech with CAR-T drugs in development. There has been a recent setback in clinical trail for this treatment. Good luck.

I also bought Micron and have a loss but I am not selling. They aren't going anywhere. They recently adopted a poison pill so there is much talk about hostile takeover. This stock was a big winner until about 18 months ago. It should eventually recover or be taken over. The world need chips and they have a new technology coming soon.

Agreed that Gilead needs an acquisition, but they have the working capital to pull off a nice one.

Micron - hm. Margins and returns are rough on this one. Would've been great to buy back in May. It could still have legs given prior price action. Short interest is kind of high here.

I have QCOM on my watchlist in the semiconductor arena. I think I like the numbers there better than MU.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 04, 2016, 05:00:12 pm
Agreed that there are semis doing a lot better than MU. I am stubbornly holding on for the recovery or buyout- maybe in vain.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 04, 2016, 05:05:46 pm
http://seekingalpha.com/article/3995726-micron-makes-muney?auth_param=h0apu:1bq6pba:08f0b97a3e24f1781c45b3f8e9d9783c&uprof=45#alt2

This gives me hope. ^-^
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: MajorClay on August 04, 2016, 10:06:20 pm
Don't ask me, I bought into silver on the way down.  Have an average buying price of about 30.  Oh well.   I don't have any dry powder to average it out either.  My son is starting college this fall.  Man is it expensive. I do not have enough savings set aside to pay for all four years.  He will have to get grants, loans and scholarships to pay the rest.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 06, 2016, 01:42:33 am
BMY got smacked today on news that a trial of one of their drugs was not successful for another usage- probably overreaction. I did a very quick little scalp for $300.00 profit. It still has a very high PE ratio. I will be watching on Monday.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 10, 2016, 02:59:34 am
BMY got smacked today on news that a trial of one of their drugs was not successful for another usage- probably overreaction. I did a very quick little scalp for $300.00 profit. It still has a very high PE ratio. I will be watching on Monday.

Great article on Gilead:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-beaten-down-biotech-stock-is-a-cure-for-your-portfolio-2016-08-09?siteid=yhoof2

I may dump one or two stocks tomorrow to invest in Gilead now.

In other action, I dropped CTRL. It shot up quite a bit recently and decided to take advantage of that. I actually still lost out in the long run on this stock, but getting out opened the door for me to invest in Skyworks (SWKS). Unfortunately, an article came out today that says Apple is trying to squeeze their margins. We'll see. All the fundamentals still look great for that stock.

OCN has been on a RAMPAGE, posting huge gains for me. It's making me look HARD at Genworth (GNW)!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 10, 2016, 03:21:47 am
Gilead is owned 79% by institutions. Retail has been spooked. The price is in a very narrow range the last few days. Something is brewing. Wall Street wants an acquisition and rumors are flying but Gilead could buy a private company or a foreign company that is on no one's radar. Since the Street wants an acquisition will they reward Gilead if and when it happens? Interesting to watch. Good luck.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 10, 2016, 03:26:49 am
Here is one to watch.   I don't currently own it, but watching for possible entry.

SLCA owns 40% of the frac sand market.  Wells are requiring more and more sand to frac with, so this one has tremendous potential. 

Now for the possible downside....  If Hillary is elected she could possibly ban fracking, which would be detrimental to the oil industry.

This stock has doubled this year and looks a bit toppy currently. 

@Smokin Joe

Definitely looks toppy.

No growth. No profits. And it doesn't looks like management is doing anything about it. Probably explains the 23% short interest in this stock.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 11, 2016, 03:59:52 pm
Sold ENS and took some profits.

Bought Genworth (GNW). This stock is trading at an unbelievable 0.12 price/book ratio. Margins and returns are abysmal, but there is signs of growth and just enough short interest to give it a further push upwards since there is 82% institutional interest in this stock.

Finally, they are bullishly above their 200 MA and trading on strength. Could be a 40%+ move on this stock coming.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on August 13, 2016, 03:26:20 am
I supposed it would be helpful to get a list together of sectors that would benefit from having the Hildabeast in office.  Anything green seems to come to mind.   :3:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 14, 2016, 03:33:15 pm
Biotech is already suffering from the Hitlery effect. FUD affects Gilead in particular. Cure Hep C and suffer the consequences- what a world.

The only sector that could benefit from the reign of the she-devil is the financials. She is funded by the big banks and won't do anything to stop the gravy train, IMO. Her policies will destroy the rest of the economy and the energy and consumer sectors.

It is  hard to accept that this corrupt witch who should be in prison has a very good chance at POTUS.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 15, 2016, 03:23:14 pm
Biotech is already suffering from the Hitlery effect. FUD affects Gilead in particular. Cure Hep C and suffer the consequences- what a world.

The only sector that could benefit from the reign of the she-devil is the financials. She is funded by the big banks and won't do anything to stop the gravy train, IMO. Her policies will destroy the rest of the economy and the energy and consumer sectors.

It is  hard to accept that this corrupt witch who should be in prison has a very good chance at POTUS.

Interestingly, there are several financials on my watchlist right now, not the least of which is Wells Fargo. I haven't decided whether or not to buy it yet, but I agree with your observation above that several of the banks could do well under a Hillary presidency.

I wouldn't discount consumer electronic segments for the year or so immediately following a Hillary win. Smartphones and VR are today's bread and circuses. Libtards will revel in getting the first female president AND an iPhone 7! It would be orgasmic for them.

Finally, I wouldn't throw oil under the bus. The entire sector has been down due to the oil glut. Hillary will ensure that it is harder to extract oil which will cause the cost per barrel to increase, improving the margins of the biggest and best - like Exxon. Many of the smaller oil services companies will whither and die, though, so focus on consolidating strength in the sector as the price per barrel rises to $80. (Speculation.)

Incidentally, I increased my position in ZNGA today, as well as bought HIIQ.

HIIQ is on a bull streak and still looks undervalued to me. I wanted to time the buy, but realized that I could get left in the dust, so jumped in today even when it was up. I had the same problem with OCN, where I initially missed the move from ~1.50 to ~1.80, but decided to get on the train before it was too late. Glad I did, as that stock is now up nearly 75% for me. I'm hoping GNW and HIIQ have similar moves for me.

Careful here with HIIQ, though. It's only a $40MM market cap with $9MM in cash, so definitely a micro-play. But if it eventually becomes a $400MM company...
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on August 15, 2016, 03:39:04 pm
Agreed that there are semis doing a lot better than MU. I am stubbornly holding on for the recovery or buyout- maybe in vain.

By the way - good call on MU. It's put on about 10% in the past two weeks. I haven't bought QCOM yet, but it's been flat. I bought SWKS - we'll see if that goes anywhere.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on August 15, 2016, 04:38:03 pm
I still have a way to go on MU to get my money back- but I have hope that I will eventually do so and maybe even have a profit.

Good point about oil- with Hitlery punishing energy - prices will rise.

I am still watching BMY for a rebound- it is stuck but good in a narrow range 60.40-60.90. Still has a hefty PE.

GILD is still in the doldrums as well, but well worth watching.

Good luck to all at the casino. Worrisome that those close to retirement (like me) have to risk their capital since interest rates are so low thanks to the Fed and the cozy crony capitalism.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on September 21, 2016, 02:47:11 pm
@bolobaby

Update:

MU up another $3.00 since my last post- PT raised to $23 by Nomura. Semis seem to be recovering- so cyclical.

BMY still in the doldrums.

GILD may have turned the corner- has gone back to the 80s- supposedly on the AGN acquisition for fatty liver disease- AGN overpaid for a company- but GILD owns liver disease and there is even speculation that AGN might acquire GILD. GILD has lost a lot of market cap.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on September 21, 2016, 03:18:03 pm
@austingirl

I made a bunch of changes to my portfolio a bit over a week ago, which included dropping out of most stocks. I only kept 4 for now - CCJ, GD, GM, and GILD, along with my silver stake.

I had already dropped OCN at an 80% profit. The rest of the stocks had earned good returns, and I wanted to lock in some gains and sit out some of the September doldrums. (For example, my GNW gain was about 40%.) My timing was questionable.

Several stocks, including my version of MU - SWKS, have seen significant gains since I dropped out. SWKS is up another 12+% since my exit. Both GNW and HIIQ are up another 8+%. In fact, most of the stocks I sold are up more than 5% since I sold them - KPTI, 6.5%; IRBT, 7.35%; DDD, 6.39%. The others have smaller gains, and only QURE has gone down since I sold it.

Bear in mind, that I sold most of these at a good gain, so my "sour grapes" are that I could have earned more.

Meanwhile, the returns on my three biggest holdings have been pretty moderate:

GM - 4.08%
GD - 5.68%
GILD - 2.56%

I think I've held all these for less than two months, so it's not too bad. I'm still waiting on CCJ to break out.

Bottom line: I tried to time the market and probably failed. I didn't lose money as a result, but missed out on a chance to earn a lot more. I'm going to put my money back in soon and stick with the strategy of picking winners and not panicking when Fed speculation is giving the market fits. I will probably buy many of the stocks I sold off, because many of them are still technically winners. I'm just annoyed that I missed part of the ride.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on September 21, 2016, 03:41:16 pm
@austingirl

I made a bunch of changes to my portfolio a bit over a week ago, which included dropping out of most stocks. I only kept 4 for now - CCJ, GD, GM, and GILD, along with my silver stake.

I had already dropped OCN at an 80% profit. The rest of the stocks had earned good returns, and I wanted to lock in some gains and sit out some of the September doldrums. (For example, my GNW gain was about 40%.) My timing was questionable.

Several stocks, including my version of MU - SWKS, have seen significant gains since I dropped out. SWKS is up another 12+% since my exit. Both GNW and HIIQ are up another 8+%. In fact, most of the stocks I sold are up more than 5% since I sold them - KPTI, 6.5%; IRBT, 7.35%; DDD, 6.39%. The others have smaller gains, and only QURE has gone down since I sold it.

Bear in mind, that I sold most of these at a good gain, so my "sour grapes" are that I could have earned more.

Meanwhile, the returns on my three biggest holdings have been pretty moderate:

GM - 4.08%
GD - 5.68%
GILD - 2.56%

I think I've held all these for less than two months, so it's not too bad. I'm still waiting on CCJ to break out.

Bottom line: I tried to time the market and probably failed. I didn't lose money as a result, but missed out on a chance to earn a lot more. I'm going to put my money back in soon and stick with the strategy of picking winners and not panicking when Fed speculation is giving the market fits. I will probably buy many of the stocks I sold off, because many of them are still technically winners. I'm just annoyed that I missed part of the ride.

@bolobaby

That is always the risk- losing out on profits- but in this market it is better to be cautious and take profits, IMHO.

Good luck.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on September 21, 2016, 05:15:50 pm
FWIW- I despise the fed-a bunch of inept crony capitalists. Today the markets will be hanging on idiot Yellen's every word once again and parsing her nonsense. Sorry had to vent. :chairbang:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on September 21, 2016, 08:07:20 pm
 
FWIW- I despise the fed-a bunch of inept crony capitalists. Today the markets will be hanging on idiot Yellen's every word once again and parsing her nonsense. Sorry had to vent. :chairbang:
:amen:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: mountaineer on September 27, 2016, 05:31:29 pm
GOLD

What to do? Buy or not?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: mountaineer on September 27, 2016, 05:34:03 pm
TheNational.ae:
Quote
BEIJING // China last week announced it was establishing the first clearing bank for yuan or renminbi (RMB) in the United States.

This is seen as a milestone in the internationalisation of the Chinese currency just before the yuan is due to join a select club at the IMF on October 1.

From October 1, the yuan will be one of the five currencies used by the IMF for issuing Special Drawing Rights (SDR). SDR is a synthetic currency representing five currencies in the IMF basket, which is used for lending funds to countries that need it.

Around that time, the New York branch of Bank of China will start clearing facilities for the Chinese currency.  ...
So will the dollar tank?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: mountaineer on September 27, 2016, 05:38:18 pm
Is this a reason to buy gold?
Quote
Money-market reforms set to make borrowing more costly
[Reuters]
September 22, 2016

By Shankar Ramakrishnan

NEW YORK, Sept 22 (IFR) - Money-market fund reforms that come into effect next month will further hike short-term bank borrowing costs, which have already risen sharply in recent months.

But analysts say financial institutions generally have done little to tweak how they fund their operations, preferring to wait and see how the October 14 changes shake up the market.

"Everybody seems to have resigned themselves to a possibility that they may have to pay slightly higher rates," said a senior money market analyst who asked not to be named.  ...  More (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/money-market-reforms-set-borrowing-170417356.html)

I just got a call from the place I"ve purchased gold in the past. They mentioned the Chinese yuan and a limit on money market withdrawals as a reason to buy gold (of course, they would call anything a reason to buy gold, I realize that!).
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on September 27, 2016, 05:47:10 pm
Is this a reason to buy gold?
I just got a call from the place I"ve purchased gold in the past. They mentioned the Chinese yuan and a limit on money market withdrawals as a reason to buy gold (of course, they would call anything a reason to buy gold, I realize that!).
I hope they are right.  I have some silver that I'm hoping will increase in value before I die...lol.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on September 27, 2016, 06:16:46 pm
GOLD

What to do? Buy or not?

To me, unless you have a large amount of FRN's that you wouldn't want to lose value in some big crash, I'd buy silver. If it does hit the fan, there might be enough of a local economy that there may be some money exchange instead of straight barter. There's property taxes to think of too.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 09, 2016, 05:38:48 pm
Futures down huge last night when it became apparent that Trump was going to win. Today's market up almost 200 points at 11:30 CST- bios bounced back in relief that Hitlery won't destroy their business. Will it hold? I took some profit on a BMY swing trade yesterday. Would have made quite a bit more if I held- but happy to make $500.00.

Thoughts on the direction of the market?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 09, 2016, 05:48:54 pm
@austingirl

We definitely live in interesting times!

I'm not sure what to make of the market activity as a whole this morning. I do have some targeted thoughts:

1. Look at healthcare as an industry. The signal that Obamacare will end will ultimately be good for the entire industry. I'd pay close attention to insurers.

2. Watch out for companies that rely heavily on foreign manufacturing, like car companies. The long-term prospect of moving jobs back onshore should mean increased labor costs. A trade war, with increased tariffs on goods like cars, might be a real problem, too.

3. I still think there is enough uncertainty to make metals and mining a viable investment. Especially if the globalists use a Trump presidency to finally "resolve" the sovereign debt crisis, which I suspect they may.

4. My initial reaction says to invest in defense stocks, but I would actually be cautious here when I really put thought into it. The defense industry makings billions on weapon programs that never fully materialize. If Trump really is a smart negotiator, he'll start putting performance clauses into these contracts.

5. Energy has to be a win now, right? Run from alternate energy like it's a fast zombie coming to eat your brain. Those subsidies should dry up.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: catfish1957 on November 09, 2016, 05:50:12 pm
Futures down huge last night when it became apparent that Trump was going to win. Today's market up almost 200 points at 11:30 CST- bios bounced back in relief that Hitlery won't destroy their business. Will it hold? I took some profit on a BMY swing trade yesterday. Would have made quite a bit more if I held- but happy to make $500.00.

Thoughts on the direction of the market?

IMO again just MO......  (within year)

Gold (up)  5-15%
G Bonds (down) 5-15%
C Bonds (down) 5-10%
Large Cap Equities (down) 1-5%  (i.e DJI and S & P)
Mid Cap "  (down) 5-10%
Small cap (down) 10-20%
Oil - + or - 10% either way
REITs- 5-10% Down
Foreign equity indices- (down) - 10-20%
Fed - 2, 25 basis point increases

Best bets-  Equites in predominate infrastructure plays.
Worst bets- Tech sector
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 09, 2016, 05:57:09 pm
@bolobaby  @catfish1957

Thanks for the replies- good thoughts. I am watching and waiting. Some big moves today in infrastructure plays. Interesting times indeed.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 09, 2016, 08:19:10 pm
@austingirl

One additional note - today's activity broke the technical concerns for significant downside - at least for now. The indicators now point to upside.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 09, 2016, 11:51:49 pm
@austingirl

One additional note - today's activity broke the technical concerns for significant downside - at least for now. The indicators now point to upside.

I have a lot of dry powder-80% cash- will shop judiciously. ^-^
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Fishrrman on November 10, 2016, 01:50:36 am
Whew!

My IRA's remain safe for the time being!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on November 10, 2016, 06:38:50 am
Just FYI everybody, the great market crash of November 2016 predicted by the media, because Trump got elected, is over after a few hours. Luckily nobody jumped.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Frank Cannon on November 10, 2016, 07:03:53 am
I have a lot of dry powder-80% cash- will shop judiciously. ^-^

Looking at some election results around the country, I would go long this....

(http://crimefeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/750px-Marijuana.jpg)
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: DB on November 10, 2016, 07:18:02 am
@austingirl

We definitely live in interesting times!

I'm not sure what to make of the market activity as a whole this morning. I do have some targeted thoughts:

1. Look at healthcare as an industry. The signal that Obamacare will end will ultimately be good for the entire industry. I'd pay close attention to insurers.

2. Watch out for companies that rely heavily on foreign manufacturing, like car companies. The long-term prospect of moving jobs back onshore should mean increased labor costs. A trade war, with increased tariffs on goods like cars, might be a real problem, too.

3. I still think there is enough uncertainty to make metals and mining a viable investment. Especially if the globalists use a Trump presidency to finally "resolve" the sovereign debt crisis, which I suspect they may.

4. My initial reaction says to invest in defense stocks, but I would actually be cautious here when I really put thought into it. The defense industry makings billions on weapon programs that never fully materialize. If Trump really is a smart negotiator, he'll start putting performance clauses into these contracts.

5. Energy has to be a win now, right? Run from alternate energy like it's a fast zombie coming to eat your brain. Those subsidies should dry up.

It is exporters who will be destroyed in a trade war. The vast majority of the products my company manufactures is exported overseas.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Gefn on November 10, 2016, 10:42:13 am
Bookmarking.

Need coffee. This is a fascinating thread.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 10, 2016, 02:45:20 pm
@bolobaby
"I still think there is enough uncertainty to make metals and mining a viable investment. Especially if the globalists use a Trump presidency to finally "resolve" the sovereign debt crisis, which I suspect they may."

This is a real concern.

DOW at all time high this morning. Watching Fox Business and several interesting things. Prison stocks are up because Hitlery wanted to shut down private prisons and now they won't be run out of business. Apple Amazon, Facebook down slightly. Defense stocks, infrastructure  and health insurers up again today. Some pundits unsure whether this Trump rally will continue due to the many economic issues.

Will there be a Santa Claus rally this year? Macy's and Kohls up today. There will be year end tax selling as there is every year. I well remember how the market dropped steeply last January.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 10, 2016, 02:46:19 pm
Looking at some election results around the country, I would go long this....

(http://crimefeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/750px-Marijuana.jpg)

Will we go from "Prozac Nation" to "Pot Nation?"
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on November 10, 2016, 03:26:16 pm
Looking at some election results around the country, I would go long this....

(http://crimefeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/750px-Marijuana.jpg)
If you are seriously thinking about investing in this sector, you might consider AERO.  Not a direct link, but it seems they are headed that direction.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on November 10, 2016, 03:33:03 pm
I throw some dollars into a 401k fund. Try to invest in emerging markets, precious metals (as a hedge), small cap stocks, etc.


It has paid off fairly well. Hope Trump doesn't destroy everything with a trade war.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 10, 2016, 04:07:51 pm
Moody's report about tech supply issues sent Apple, FB and Amazon to the woodshed. All uberliberal  CEOs. I do not own.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: catfish1957 on November 10, 2016, 04:48:13 pm
If you are seriously thinking about investing in this sector, you might consider AERO.  Not a direct link, but it seems they are headed that direction.

In that sector, and if I was younger, I'd invest in Pizza delivery places like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns in Pot towns that border non-Pot states.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on November 10, 2016, 05:12:47 pm
In that sector, and if I was younger, I'd invest in Pizza delivery places like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns in Pot towns that border non-Pot states.
:bigsilly: :bigsilly:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on November 10, 2016, 05:54:05 pm
In that sector, and if I was younger, I'd invest in Pizza delivery places like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns in Pot towns that border non-Pot states.

And don't forget Pepsi! They make Doritos and Frito-Lays.

Jonesin' for some Doritos after my fatty myan!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 21, 2016, 04:14:58 pm
I bought three CRSPR based gene-editing stocks. I'm getting more and more convinced that this technology is a 10x technology, maybe more. I went with a basket of stocks rather than a single one because one is likely to emerge when the others get bought and/or fail.

The three I invested in are:

NTLA
EDIT
CRSP

I put a good chunk in each and will likely reinvest more in one of them when I see some traction.

Expect volatility. This is new tech and - although promising - is yet unproven. This could see some wild swings (like 50% losses) before going on a 10x run.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 21, 2016, 04:47:25 pm
Are semis recovering? Could bode well for an economic recovery. MU and AMD rocking.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 21, 2016, 09:58:38 pm
@austingirl

Yeah, both NVDA and AMD are on my watch list and up 30%+ from 50 day MA. Unfortunately, I sort of crawled back into the market a bit too slow and missed those moves.

SWKS may be my place to buy back in. I sold if off when I got out pre-election and it is only up ~2.5% from the 50 day MA, so it may have some space to move. Unfortunately, it also relies somewhat heavily on AAPL and I've seen some negative press on that lately. So, I'm waiting since they will likely put price pressure on their supply chain.

My current holdings look like this:

NTLA
EDIT
CRSP
(CRSPR gene editing plays)

SSYS
(3d printing play. I jumped back on this one just before earnings and that turned out to be a mistake. Took a hit, but I'm still confident in the technology. In fact, I used my 3d printer to make animatronic eyeballs for a 20 foot tall marionette for the city's Thanksgiving Day parade.)

HIIQ
(Insurance play - sort of. They offer unique insurance options and I think they will do well regardless of how Obamacare turns out. In fact, they are 74.4% above their 50 day MA and I'm still holding on for more. Muwhahaha.)

GNW
(Financial play from earlier this year that I am back in. It dropped recently nearly 20%, although it has recovered a bit. It's 4.15% off the 50 day MA, but 13.34% up from the 200 day MA, so the long term trend is up. I expect this to go back over $5/share.)

ZNGA
(I bought this damn thing again. This stock makes no sense to me. Something HAS to happen with it at some point. Frankly, I'm half-expecting it to be bought now, but it's balance sheet is too strong for an easy acquisition. Still, it's not making money like it should, so maybe it can piggyback on some VR stuff to finally get a breakout hit.)

CCJ
(Uranium mining. Reactors in Japan will be coming back online soon, or already have. Additionally, if we get a real space push, reactor based energy will be a key component. I'm hold this one for a while.)

GILD
(Never sold this one. It's doing diddly-squat, but everyone knows the story here. I'm actually down 5% on my initial investment. Still, it's cheap, it's margins are strong, and you know that - in a Trump world - any M&A will flow through on greased wheels. I hope.)

GM
(Never sold, still holding. This has proven a good buy thus far at +7.4% from my buy point. More to come as the auto sector reinvigorates.)

GD
(Never sold, still holding. This was a good defense pick and still sound. +17% from my buy point. Looking for more. Hoping to see some faster, smarter modernization in the new Trump armed forces. We'll see.)

Physical Silver
(Will probably never release this position unless there is a sudden spike over $100, heh. It's just a hedge against certain conditions.)
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on November 22, 2016, 02:52:55 pm
@austingirl

Yeah, both NVDA and AMD are on my watch list and up 30%+ from 50 day MA. Unfortunately, I sort of crawled back into the market a bit too slow and missed those moves.

SWKS may be my place to buy back in. I sold if off when I got out pre-election and it is only up ~2.5% from the 50 day MA, so it may have some space to move. Unfortunately, it also relies somewhat heavily on AAPL and I've seen some negative press on that lately. So, I'm waiting since they will likely put price pressure on their supply chain.

My current holdings look like this:

NTLA
EDIT
CRSP
(CRSPR gene editing plays)

SSYS
(3d printing play. I jumped back on this one just before earnings and that turned out to be a mistake. Took a hit, but I'm still confident in the technology. In fact, I used my 3d printer to make animatronic eyeballs for a 20 foot tall marionette for the city's Thanksgiving Day parade.)

HIIQ
(Insurance play - sort of. They offer unique insurance options and I think they will do well regardless of how Obamacare turns out. In fact, they are 74.4% above their 50 day MA and I'm still holding on for more. Muwhahaha.)

GNW
(Financial play from earlier this year that I am back in. It dropped recently nearly 20%, although it has recovered a bit. It's 4.15% off the 50 day MA, but 13.34% up from the 200 day MA, so the long term trend is up. I expect this to go back over $5/share.)

ZNGA
(I bought this damn thing again. This stock makes no sense to me. Something HAS to happen with it at some point. Frankly, I'm half-expecting it to be bought now, but it's balance sheet is too strong for an easy acquisition. Still, it's not making money like it should, so maybe it can piggyback on some VR stuff to finally get a breakout hit.)

CCJ
(Uranium mining. Reactors in Japan will be coming back online soon, or already have. Additionally, if we get a real space push, reactor based energy will be a key component. I'm hold this one for a while.)

GILD
(Never sold this one. It's doing diddly-squat, but everyone knows the story here. I'm actually down 5% on my initial investment. Still, it's cheap, it's margins are strong, and you know that - in a Trump world - any M&A will flow through on greased wheels. I hope.)

GM
(Never sold, still holding. This has proven a good buy thus far at +7.4% from my buy point. More to come as the auto sector reinvigorates.)

GD
(Never sold, still holding. This was a good defense pick and still sound. +17% from my buy point. Looking for more. Hoping to see some faster, smarter modernization in the new Trump armed forces. We'll see.)

Physical Silver
(Will probably never release this position unless there is a sudden spike over $100, heh. It's just a hedge against certain conditions.)


Thanks for the post. I am watching AMD as well; it went up very fast.

GILD is a huge money maker yet share price has been trashed. Have heard grumblings about a big Pharma buying them. That is doubtful, IMO.

Good luck.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 28, 2016, 04:53:05 pm
It's picks like HIIQ that I just LOVE. OCN was another pick in this category for me this year.

I spotted OCN at $1.53. Current price is $5.15.

HIIQ was $5.51 when I bought it in August. The current price today is $12.60.

I missed some of the gain on both of these stocks due to selling and buying back in during the period. Also, I am now completely sold out of OCN.

Nonetheless, it's gainers like these that can set my whole portfolio. Other stocks can drop 25%, but when I have 100-300% gains on a couple of clear winners, it offsets everything. The good news is that my total portfolio has had few dogs in it, so these big gainers really do double duty on overall gain.

All that being said, I really popped in today to mention GNW. I was of the mindset that it could be one of these 2x stocks. My confidence is wavering a bit. I originally bought at $3.54. Current price is $4.32, after a recent peak at $5.21. That is a healthy 22% gain, or 47% at peak. Will this stock go 2x? Now I'm not so sure. It's giving a lot back lately.

So, I'm on the prowl again for another 2x stock. I think HIIQ has some more legs yet. Plus, over time, one of those CRSPR gene editing stocks will pay out, but it won't be soon.

That leaves me with ZNGA. I'm starting to suspect this one may finally get its due. If they can piggyback on VR or Enhanced Reality, they could score a nice move in 2017. I've been in and out of this stock for a while with this expectation, but I'm starting to really suspect it's now or never.

If anyone has any contrarian views or other suspected 2x picks, feel free to follow up.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on November 30, 2016, 04:53:38 pm
Putting Lannett on my watch list (LCI). May even buy before the week is out.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 06, 2016, 03:36:06 pm
Putting Syngenta AG (SYT) on a very short term watch list. I will make a decision to buy or not before the week ends.

This is an arbitrage play. Current price is $79.35. There is an offer on the table to buy them for $96, which could close in March. If the deal makes it past anti-trust regulators, I could score a quick 20% profit in the span of just a few months. ChemChina has just set aside $5B in a holding account for the deal, so they are pushing forward hard.

Could be easy money.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: MajorClay on December 07, 2016, 02:48:34 am
Thinking of putting some 401k money back in to equities.  The mm fund I am currently in will not grow enough by my old age to keep me in the lifestyle to which I want to become accustomed.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: MajorClay on December 07, 2016, 02:57:03 am
Anybody think this "Trump Rally"  will continue?  Tax cuts could juice the economy.  Not to mention the effect of all the people working 2 25 hr a week jobs moving to 1 40hr per week job. because of the death of Obamacare.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 07, 2016, 03:23:06 am
@MajorClay

Whether or not his rally continues depends on whether or not he uses his majorities in Congress to get something done!

Things he could do to really help the market:

1. Radically reduce or completely eliminate corporate taxes.
2. Actually repeal Obamacare - DON'T amend it to "make it better." Allow for policies to be offered across state lines, and affinity groups to create insurance pools.
3. Tort reform.
4. Significant regulatory relief for almost all industries.
5. Reduce federal assistance programs to encourage labor force participation to rise.
6. Reduce personal income taxes.
7. Allow for repatriation of corporate foreign funds without penalty.

He should be able to pull several of those things off if he stops focusing on BS small scale crony-capitalism deals like the Carrier crap.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 07, 2016, 03:29:10 am
I've had ANW on my watch list for a while and watched it go up 22.57% over the 50 day MA and 41.74% over the 200 day MA. One might think that I've missed the boat on this one, but it may be one of the stocks I buy this week. Still has a forward P/E of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 0.87, and price/book of 0.82. These are all good signs.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on December 07, 2016, 03:51:42 am
Anybody think this "Trump Rally"  will continue?  Tax cuts could juice the economy.  Not to mention the effect of all the people working 2 25 hr a week jobs moving to 1 40hr per week job. because of the death of Obamacare.
We used to call this the Christmas rally....as it happened most every year.  As a matter of fact we had a stock picking contest that usually ran up until the first of the year.  This rally is actually pretty common.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Oceander on December 07, 2016, 02:20:26 pm
@MajorClay

Whether or not his rally continues depends on whether or not he uses his majorities in Congress to get something done!

Things he could do to really help the market:

1. Radically reduce or completely eliminate corporate taxes.
2. Actually repeal Obamacare - DON'T amend it to "make it better." Allow for policies to be offered across state lines, and affinity groups to create insurance pools.
3. Tort reform.
4. Significant regulatory relief for almost all industries.
5. Reduce federal assistance programs to encourage labor force participation to rise.
6. Reduce personal income taxes.
7. Allow for repatriation of corporate foreign funds without penalty.

He should be able to pull several of those things off if he stops focusing on BS small scale crony-capitalism deals like the Carrier crap.

Yeah, Dear Leader runs everything personally and controls Congress.  Good luck with that one. 
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: MajorClay on December 07, 2016, 02:27:03 pm
I am thinking 90 Days or more.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Frank Cannon on December 07, 2016, 02:31:48 pm
Yeah, Dear Leader runs everything personally and controls Congress.  Good luck with that one.

LOL. Well you do have a guy asking financial advice from a bunch of cracked pots like me so right there is the posters first problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MXqb1a3Apg
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 07, 2016, 03:17:25 pm
Yeah, Dear Leader runs everything personally and controls Congress.  Good luck with that one.

@Oceander

Please. Control yourself. I've been #NeverTrump from the get-go. No one is expecting Trump to push any of the elements I listed without partnering with Congress, as indicated in the first sentence of my response:

"Whether or not his rally continues depends on whether or not he uses his majorities in Congress to get something done!"

Only someone who is blind would deny that there is an opportunity for the administration and Congress to work together to enact meaningful change given the GOP control of these branches. I still think Trump is a moron, but presidents have historically worked with Congress to push their policy preferences. All the policy preferences I listed would make sense to pursue.

@mrpotatohead

You are absolutely right about the Christmas rally. In fact, as indicated on this thread, I moved some money out of the market towards the end of Q3 and didn't move in back in until after the election. That move was based entirely on the historical pattern of poor September gains vs outstanding Q4 gains.

Unfortunately, while the broader market might have followed this pattern, many of my picks continued to rise an insane amount while my money was sidelined. I did miss out on some significant gains, but I don't regret moving the money. It was prudent. I still made money before, during (with the stocks I continued to own), and after. My potential gain, though, was depressed by about $20k between Sept-Oct. That kind of sucks.

@Frank Cannon

I started this thread for people interested in investments to talk about investment choices. I'm happy to put it all out there, which includes announcing when I buy something and when I sell. Although I don't post the amounts I'm buying and selling, which affects total portfolio returns since I have, say, more money in HIIQ right now than CRSP, the record is on this thread.

I think my record speaks for itself. I have picked stocks that, as a portfolio, have beaten the return of the DOW significantly.

Call me a crackpot if you will, but I'm still happy to discuss investment options with anyone who is interested.

@MajorClay

So, in closing, feel free to use this thread to generate your own investment ideas. As I posted at the very beginning, I'm not intending people to take this as investment advice. The standard disclaimer applies - do your own due diligence and invest at your own risk!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Oceander on December 07, 2016, 03:29:27 pm
@Oceander

Please. Control yourself. I've been #NeverTrump from the get-go. No one is expecting Trump to push any of the elements I listed without partnering with Congress, as indicated in the first sentence of my response:

"Whether or not his rally continues depends on whether or not he uses his majorities in Congress to get something done!"

Only someone who is blind would deny that there is an opportunity for the administration and Congress to work together to enact meaningful change given the GOP control of these branches. I still think Trump is a moron, but presidents have historically worked with Congress to push their policy preferences. All the policy preferences I listed would make sense to pursue.

@mrpotatohead

You are absolutely right about the Christmas rally. In fact, as indicated on this thread, I moved some money out of the market towards the end of Q3 and didn't move in back in until after the election. That move was based entirely on the historical pattern of poor September gains vs outstanding Q4 gains.

Unfortunately, while the broader market might have followed this pattern, many of my picks continued to rise an insane amount while my money was sidelined. I did miss out on some significant gains, but I don't regret moving the money. It was prudent. I still made money before, during (with the stocks I continued to own), and after. My potential gain, though, was depressed by about $20k between Sept-Oct. That kind of sucks.

@Frank Cannon

I started this thread for people interested in investments to talk about investment choices. I'm happy to put it all out there, which includes announcing when I buy something and when I sell. Although I don't post the amounts I'm buying and selling, which affects total portfolio returns since I have, say, more money in HIIQ right now than CRSP, the record is on this thread.

I think my record speaks for itself. I have picked stocks that, as a portfolio, have beaten the return of the DOW significantly.

Call me a crackpot if you will, but I'm still happy to discuss investment options with anyone who is interested.

@MajorClay

So, in closing, feel free to use this thread to generate your own investment ideas. As I posted at the very beginning, I'm not intending people to take this as investment advice. The standard disclaimer applies - do your own due diligence and invest at your own risk!

He doesn't own Congress.  Those aren't his majorities.  They're GOP majorities. 
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: mirraflake on December 07, 2016, 03:39:57 pm
Anybody think this "Trump Rally"  will continue?  Tax cuts could juice the economy.  Not to mention the effect of all the people working 2 25 hr a week jobs moving to 1 40hr per week job. because of the death of Obamacare.

I expect a healthy correction maybe 1500-2000 pt drop but it will go back up..If Trump lowers the corp tax rate to 15% and gives a tax amnesty to the $3 trillion in offshore accounts watch out....

My clients who sell "toys"  ATV's, motorcycles etc have said sales in the last month have been the best they have seen in years. People know the economy is going to take off.

Another friend works in a Fortune 500 factory..they just brought back  the night shift.

I know this stuff is anycdontal  but I predict great things for this economy..you can just feel it.

@MajorClay
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on December 07, 2016, 03:49:02 pm
I expect a healthy correction maybe 1500-2000 pt drop but it will go back up..If Trump lowers the corp tax rate to 15% and gives a tax amnesty to the $3 trillion in offshore accounts watch out....

My clients who sell "toys"  ATV's, motorcycles etc have said sales in the last month have been the best they have seen in years. People know the economy is going to take off.

Another friend works in a Fortune 500 factory..they just brought back  the night shift.

I know this stuff is anycdontal  but I predict great things for this economy..you can just feel it.

@MajorClay


Could happen, if Trump keeps his big fat mouth shut.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 07, 2016, 03:57:47 pm
He doesn't own Congress.  Those aren't his majorities.  They're GOP majorities. 

@Oceander

Your hatred of Trump has really affected your ability to be objective. Remember, you are talking to someone who is #NeverTrump himself.

You know and I know that if Cruz was the nominee, candidate, and president elect, we would be expecting him to work with the majorities HIS PARTY had in Congress to get something done. So, seriously, just stop. You are now embarrassing yourself.

And, please, for the love of God, can we not turn this investment thread into another one of your "I hate Trump" threads? I'm not fond of the guy either, but you are getting ridiculous.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 07, 2016, 04:00:15 pm
@mirraflake

"If Trump lowers the corp tax rate to 15% and gives a tax amnesty to the $3 trillion in offshore accounts watch out...."

Yeah - repatriation of funds was on my list, too. That alone could be HUGE. Why not do it? The money is never coming back unless he does allow for penalty free repatriation.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 09, 2016, 04:20:00 pm
Sells -

Sold GM today to take profits. Made 20.11% - felt that was good enough. That's about a 65% yearly return rate on that money, so definitely good enough.

Sold GD today to take profits. Made 21.44% - I'm concerned that cost controls may come into play for large US defense contracts, which could depress performance. Good thing for the country, bad thing for my stake. Also, they announced a dividend with a pretty weak yield. It wasn't worth holding on to for that. Yearly return on this money is also about 65% based on the period the stock was held.

Buys -

Bought Syngenta AG. Almost a pure arbitrage play - not based on company performance, but the pending sale to ChemChina. If it goes through, I will make a tidy 20% within 3 months, which will be over 100% yearly rate of return on that money.

Bought Aegean Marine Petroleum Network. This one still has some legs, I think, although I'm uncertain about oil prices and the impact on the stock. Nonetheless, with a forward PE in the 7s, <1 PEG ratio, <1 Price/Book, and reasonable growth prospects, I think this stock still looks attractive. Looking for 20%, *not* 100% gains like on HIIQ or OCN. I also suspect that I could be out of this one by March.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 14, 2016, 06:06:42 pm
Ouch.

ANW made a convertible bond offering today up to $172.5MM. Did not see that coming. Stock down 13% as a result due to potential dilution.

The liquidity is good - it will help ANW continue to grow operations - but it's got shareholders spooked big time.

That hurt.

Using just the initial offering amount of $150MM, this amounts to a 29% potential dilution. With a PEG ratio of 0.86 and price to book of 0.74, the 13% drop seems about right. In fact, I'm hoping tomorrow I see an uptick tomorrow after the weak hands sell out, but nowhere near 13% back up.

This follows a 7.3% gain three days ago - after I bought. So it's not as bad as it could be for me. Nonetheless, I was not expecting this and it will force me to wait for management to use it's 7.77% ROE to cover this loss. (Bear in mind that 7.77% is not that great as a whole, but not bad in shipping.)
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on December 22, 2016, 12:09:52 am
Are semis recovering? Could bode well for an economic recovery. MU and AMD rocking.

Wow! Micron soaring on earnings! Happy days!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 22, 2016, 02:48:34 pm
Wow! Micron soaring on earnings! Happy days!

@austingirl

I was just coming online to congratulate you if you were still holding it. The stock is up about 80% from when you first mentioned it. Good pick!

I never bought, although it has stayed on my watch list. As far as semis are concerned, I only played in SWKS for a bit. I've kept NVDA, AMD, QCOM on my watch list (although I can't officially call QCOM a "semi" - close enough).

Nonetheless, you got the winner of the bunch by a wide margin. Excellent work.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on December 23, 2016, 11:46:25 pm
@austingirl

I was just coming online to congratulate you if you were still holding it. The stock is up about 80% from when you first mentioned it. Good pick!

I never bought, although it has stayed on my watch list. As far as semis are concerned, I only played in SWKS for a bit. I've kept NVDA, AMD, QCOM on my watch list (although I can't officially call QCOM a "semi" - close enough).

Nonetheless, you got the winner of the bunch by a wide margin. Excellent work.

Thanks and I sold it all near the high. There is a big gap from $20.58 to $22.70s. Another gap recently at $19.08. Watching closely for re-entry. Upgrades and new PT from $21 to $28. Very cyclical but recovery of semis bodes well for economy. I never bought AMD either but watching.

I bought some VRX as a flier. Could sell some assets and improve viability. Bausch and Lomb  worth a lot. Salix may be sold. Sum of the parts greater than the whole?  I never thought I would touch this stock but the price was too tempting.

Merry Christmas and good luck with your investments.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on December 28, 2016, 01:02:01 am
Sigh. My whole portfolio right now is being propped up by HIIQ, which has seen a ~83% gain since I got back in. Most of my other positions are down except EDIT and CCJ, which are both up 11%.

Let's hope the New Year puts a booster on my other stocks. I'm up, but nowhere near where I should be given the meteoric performance of HIIQ.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on December 28, 2016, 06:24:11 pm
Tax loss selling and sideways market this week. I well remember the big drop last January- will it be different in 2017?  Opinions?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on January 16, 2017, 06:01:10 pm
Very displeased with the Trump pronouncement about Pharma prices. I believe drug prices are a small percentage of health care costs. Developing new drugs costs a fortune. Portfolio took a hit. **nononono*
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on January 17, 2017, 11:32:16 pm
Yeah - I was down in line with the market today. Basically because my silver hedge kept me from being down further.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Frank Cannon on January 18, 2017, 12:05:10 am
Yeah - I was down in line with the market today. Basically because my silver hedge kept me from being down further.

I would sell everything and go 100% into Theranos! They look bad now, but it will be like getting in on the ground floor of a rocketship to Mars soon!

BTFATH!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: bolobaby on January 18, 2017, 01:48:10 am
I would sell everything and go 100% into Theranos! They look bad now, but it will be like getting in on the ground floor of a rocketship to Mars soon!

BTFATH!

@Frank Cannon

I'm not buying anything new right now, just holding, so your snark is ill-applied. Moreover, my non-play money - my 401k - is now 80% cash because of a possible correction.

In the meantime, I'll happily take the 10k I made the past two weeks to offset potential future losses.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Frank Cannon on January 18, 2017, 03:36:35 am
@Frank Cannon

I'm not buying anything new right now, just holding, so your snark is ill-applied. Moreover, my non-play money - my 401k - is now 80% cash because of a possible correction.

In the meantime, I'll happily take the 10k I made the past two weeks to offset potential future losses.

Don't be a loser. You are missing out in one of the biggest come backs in corporate history.

(http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/560/media/images/76894000/jpg/_76894099_theranos-logo.jpg)

BTFATH!!!!!!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on January 19, 2017, 01:45:21 am
@Frank Cannon

I'm not buying anything new right now, just holding, so your snark is ill-applied. Moreover, my non-play money - my 401k - is now 80% cash because of a possible correction.

In the meantime, I'll happily take the 10k I made the past two weeks to offset potential future losses.

My 401K is 87.6% cash. Market has been going nowhere the past two weeks- each day a different sector takes a hit. Wait and see attitude here.

Rumors about GILD and PFE meeting in Davos and what it could mean. Still holding onto GILD  :shrug:
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on January 19, 2017, 03:35:26 pm
I don't do anything with my 401k, i allocate it to a few funds and leave it alone. I never touch it.


It has doubled since 2006 (my MIT one).
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Joe Wooten on February 15, 2017, 04:32:42 pm
I got some excellent advice from a very wise man that I worked with years ago.  He said....buy 3 or 4 solid oil co's, put it in dividend reinvestment and leave it alone.  Energy isn't going anywhere.  He had purchased Phillips Petroleum, Mobil, and Burlington Resources.  This was back in the late 70's.  He put in around 30k in each.  When he died a few years back the stock was worth millions and the dividends were huge.


I did the same with Exxon back in the early 80's, though just not with quite as much initial investment. It's turned into quite a nice little nest egg over 36 years.....
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Slip18 on October 23, 2017, 03:14:44 am
Uh... disclaimer: do not trade in stocks without doing your own research. The post above is not meant as investment advice. Trade at your own risk. Yadda yadda yadda.

Love your disclaimer!

I am a newbie in here, just looking around.

I used to trade commodities as opposed to stocks.  I actually made a little bit.  The best part of trading commodities were the seminars! Just too much fun!

I was a position trader as opposed to a day or long term trader.  Always put in stops!  LOL!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: InHeavenThereIsNoBeer on October 23, 2017, 05:14:03 am
I;m just learning, while sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else make money.  My 401k did great for a few years, but things are just nuts.

I was looking at options the other day to see if there was a way I was comfortable with to expose myself to some gains and/or hedge against losses, and maybe take a gamble on a big correction.  As expected, options are more expensive the longer the maturity.  Except, they drop between the end of December and January.  In one case they were still cheaper for Feb 2018 than Dec 2017.  Something to do with end of the year and taxes maybe?  I don't get this.  Anyone?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on October 23, 2017, 02:28:06 pm
I;m just learning, while sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else make money.  My 401k did great for a few years, but things are just nuts.

I was looking at options the other day to see if there was a way I was comfortable with to expose myself to some gains and/or hedge against losses, and maybe take a gamble on a big correction.  As expected, options are more expensive the longer the maturity.  Except, they drop between the end of December and January.  In one case they were still cheaper for Feb 2018 than Dec 2017.  Something to do with end of the year and taxes maybe?  I don't get this.  Anyone?

Maybe dividends. What symbol were you looking at?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: InHeavenThereIsNoBeer on October 23, 2017, 04:08:01 pm
Maybe dividends. What symbol were you looking at?

I'm looking at SPY.  I looked just now to give you an example, and the numbers look correct, nothing like what I copied down the other night.  Weird.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: InHeavenThereIsNoBeer on October 23, 2017, 04:12:45 pm
I;m just learning, while sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else make money.  My 401k did great for a few years, but things are just nuts.


Speaking of 401k and being out, one of my previous employers changed 401k providers recently.  I just went in to check on it, and they had taken my 100% conservative option on the old plan and moved everything to the "retire in 2035" plan.  It's up enough in a few months to cover my home, flood, and half my auto insurance for the year.  Darn it.  Of course, it was the little 401k, but I'll take it.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on October 23, 2017, 06:39:45 pm
I'm looking at SPY.  I looked just now to give you an example, and the numbers look correct, nothing like what I copied down the other night.  Weird.

I trade bi-weekly SPY options but not the long term so guess I've never looked that hard. Sometimes the SPY gets wonky for reasons I don't know, but other than dividends or some snag in the quotes, not sure what would make them invert like that.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on October 30, 2017, 10:30:02 pm
I got out of MU way too early, it turns out. It went up to $42 from $9. I made money but could have made a lot more. Watching it now.

I am stuck in GILD. They had the hepatitis C cure and have been roundly punished for it. They have the best Hep C drugs but many competitors and that revenue has declined. However, they can now sell in China which is a huge market. Of course, the Chinese will rip off the formula. Wall Street was waiting for them to buy someone and they finally bought KITE and will soon have a CAR-T cancer drug on the market. They beat earnings last week and have been thoroughly trashed since. I am holding my shares until it comes back, but it could be a good entry point.

CELG The stock went from $147 to 119 after a drug trial was halted. However, they have a very healthy pipeline. I bought some. They also beat earnings but guided down slightly. The stock went down to 94. I bought some more. It closed over $100 today- has a lot of ground to make up. This stock is a favorite of the disgusting Cramer who pumps it since his "trust" owns it. I hate Cramer but hope to make some money here.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on October 30, 2017, 10:35:50 pm
I;m just learning, while sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else make money.  My 401k did great for a few years, but things are just nuts.

I was looking at options the other day to see if there was a way I was comfortable with to expose myself to some gains and/or hedge against losses, and maybe take a gamble on a big correction.  As expected, options are more expensive the longer the maturity.  Except, they drop between the end of December and January.  In one case they were still cheaper for Feb 2018 than Dec 2017.  Something to do with end of the year and taxes maybe?  I don't get this.  Anyone?

@InHeavenThereIsNoBeer

Options can be very tricky. Do you know how to trade them?

I've been waiting for the big correction for YEARS and have cash on the sidelines. The slight downturn today is supposed to be about the rumor that corporate tax cuts could be phased in 3% a year. If that happens then we may see a correction.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: InHeavenThereIsNoBeer on October 31, 2017, 02:36:50 am
@InHeavenThereIsNoBeer

Options can be very tricky. Do you know how to trade them?

I've been waiting for the big correction for YEARS and have cash on the sidelines. The slight downturn today is supposed to be about the rumor that corporate tax cuts could be phased in 3% a year. If that happens then we may see a correction.

@austingirl

I do not.  But I am attracted to the limited downside in buying options, especially in a market that is IMO ripe for a serious correction, but could remain irrational for a long time.  I put together a spreadsheet showing various bets (buying calls on continued insanity, buying puts on a necessary correction, and a combination of buying actual shares with puts as a hedge) along with a combination of possible market outcomes to see if there was anything I found compelling, but also just to learn.

I have a lot to learn, but I'm not going to bet anything I can't afford to lose and I won't make any bets I don't (think I) understand.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: austingirl on October 31, 2017, 02:39:17 am
@austingirl

I do not.  But I am attracted to the limited downside in buying options, especially in a market that is IMO ripe for a serious correction, but could remain irrational for a long time.  I put together a spreadsheet showing various bets (buying calls on continued insanity, buying puts on a necessary correction, and a combination of buying actual shares with puts as a hedge) along with a combination of possible market outcomes to see if there was anything I found compelling, but also just to learn.

I have a lot to learn, but I'm not going to bet anything I can't afford to lose and I won't make any bets I don't (think I) understand.

Good deal. Always proceed with caution. Good luck.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on October 31, 2017, 03:29:49 pm
Hedging is beyond my wheelhouse as I buy and sell naked options, but for learning more I recommend reading Sheldon Natenberg.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sheldon+natenberg&sprefix=sheldon+naten%2Caps%2C527&crid=2HPBBB6JDBX9C
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Slip18 on January 18, 2018, 02:06:11 pm
I have no problem talking about these things in general terms but not at all comfortable with telling anyone exactly what I'm doing  or why I'm  doing it.

To me that's like asking a fisherman to tell you where he caught those fish.  :whistle:

This is an old post, but hahahaha!

When I hear some big corporate head or hedge fund manager come on Fox Business and say, "Bitcoin is just going to keep going up," I have to laugh.  You just know that is the time not to get in on the action, or if you are brave enough to sell the stock.

This happened about two weeks ago.  I told my husband, and he laughed, too, at the hussling to get people to buy that stock.

And as I suspected, Bitcoin took a major dump.  Caveat emptor!

I do not read a lot on this thread, but this is very useful for people who buy and sell stocks.  I am more of a commidity type of person, rather than stocks.  I used to trade a lot.  Not as a day trader, but as a position trader.

But with our 401(k) going through the roof (thank you, President Trump), it is nice to come in here and see what the individual stocks are doing.

Thank you for having this thread here!
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on January 18, 2018, 03:10:58 pm
This is an old post, but hahahaha!

When I hear some big corporate head or hedge fund manager come on Fox Business and say, "Bitcoin is just going to keep going up," I have to laugh.  You just know that is the time not to get in on the action, or if you are brave enough to sell the stock.

This happened about two weeks ago.  I told my husband, and he laughed, too, at the hussling to get people to buy that stock.

And as I suspected, Bitcoin took a major dump.  Caveat emptor!

I do not read a lot on this thread, but this is very useful for people who buy and sell stocks.  I am more of a commidity type of person, rather than stocks.  I used to trade a lot.  Not as a day trader, but as a position trader.

But with our 401(k) going through the roof (thank you, President Trump), it is nice to come in here and see what the individual stocks are doing.

Thank you for having this thread here!
I've been waiting for bitcoin's demise as well.  When your barber mentions bitcoin, you know it's about to crash...lol.

Title: Re: Investments
Post by: catfish1957 on January 18, 2018, 03:58:31 pm
I've been waiting for bitcoin's demise as well.  When your barber mentions bitcoin, you know it's about to crash...lol.

I have averaged an overall annual increase of 30-40% in worth the past 35 years.  Now in my retirements years, its not that spectacular gains, but am set.

All I will say is fundamentals don't support a 25,000 DJIA.  When I see PE ratios @25, 50, and higher (even with good sound companies) , we know this market is oversold and over-speculated.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: catfish1957 on January 18, 2018, 04:01:11 pm

But with our 401(k) going through the roof (thank you, President Trump), it is nice to come in here and see what the individual stocks are doing.

I am sure you remember '08, but how about '00, and '87?   Just keep it in perspective.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Slip18 on January 18, 2018, 06:17:54 pm
I've been waiting for bitcoin's demise as well.  When your barber mentions bitcoin, you know it's about to crash...lol.

Exactly!

 888what 888what
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Slip18 on January 18, 2018, 06:24:52 pm
I am sure you remember '08, but how about '00, and '87?   Just keep it in perspective.

I sure do!  We took care of that last year by putting half of the 401(k) portfolio into slow growth; 25% into small caps; the other 25% is still in large caps. 

Not trying to be greedy here.

 888high58888
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on January 18, 2018, 08:39:16 pm
Anyone here invest in crypto?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Free Vulcan on January 18, 2018, 08:48:30 pm
Anyone here invest in crypto?

Had I ever thought Bitcoin would have went that parabolic, I'd have sunk money into it way back in the day and sold at the recent bubble top. But sadly, no.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Idiot on January 18, 2018, 10:20:28 pm
Had I ever thought Bitcoin would have went that parabolic, I'd have sunk money into it way back in the day and sold at the recent bubble top. But sadly, no.
Ditto....
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: InHeavenThereIsNoBeer on January 18, 2018, 10:28:35 pm
Had I ever thought Bitcoin would have went that parabolic, I'd have sunk money into it way back in the day and sold at the recent bubble top. But sadly, no.

Which recent bubble top would you have sold?  There's been so many.

I've been meaning to look at BTC futures.  I have no idea which way it's going to go next, but I'm pretty sure it's not going sideways.  If I can get decent reward for betting on a X% move, I'll bet it both ways.
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: mountaineer on December 03, 2020, 02:50:35 pm
How's everyone planning to protect their IRAs, 401(k)s, investment accounts and bank accounts when "President" Biden starts seizing assets of those who have more than they need?
Title: Re: Investments
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on December 03, 2020, 02:52:40 pm
How's everyone planning to protect their IRAs, 401(k)s, investment accounts and bank accounts when "President" Biden starts seizing assets of those who have more than they need?

 :shrug: Obama didn't do that though, although I do remember getting similar warnings about it.