Whoa, my portfolio on steroids. Earnings season came and went. Overall, I was pretty happy with the results of the companies I’m holding. There were a few surprises;
- Pacific Century(SGX:P15) declared another $0.055 dividend per share! Is Richard Li going all out to milk the company and the take it private after he’s done? I felt that the risk here is overstaying in this stock for too long after the dividends ran out.
- Powermatic Data(SGX:BCY) surged after reporting a huge topline and bottomline growth and revealed plans for capital reduction (more dividends hopefully).
- PNE Industries(SGX:BDA) has finally awoken. This cash cow has not disappointed me with the increased dividend payout.
- Manufacturing stocks like UMS and Valuetronics rose after reporting decent results. Recently I see too much hype on UMS and JEP which prompted me to divest my stake in UMS.
Overall, everything turned out pretty well this month. My portfolio returns increased to 33.15% compared to STI’s 7.55%.
Portfolio Activity
I sold my stake in UMS(SGX:558) at around $0.93/94.
I sold Pacific Basin Shipping (HKEX:2343), Teekay Tankers(NYSE:TNK) and Starbulk Shipping(NYSE:SBLK) to focus my shipping plays on Scorpio Tankers (NYSE:STNG) and Scorpio Bulkers(NYSE:SALT).
I nibbled a little on Uranium Participation Corp (LSE:OVML) for a play on uranium recovery.
That’s pretty much it. I would probably wait until 2020 before I add a new position. I have heard from a friend that the last 5 trading days and the next 2 trading days of the year is where you see value investors pick stocks on the cheap so he suggested monitoring for any stock movements then. I was quite skeptical but then again, we had a Christmas miracle last year when the stock market bottom was called just before Christmas.
What to Expect in December
I think the trade war is still the main issue on hand. Hopefully we can see what the “final throes” of the trade deal are before new tariffs on Chinese goods kick in on Dec 15.
Hong Kong is another problem that requires huge compromise on both sides. I’m not going to comment on the rights and wrongs but I felt that it is like a contest to see who blinks first, the protesters or the authority.
As for me, I shall continue to look for gems in the stock market, both local and overseas. With my AWS and bonus on the way, I’m looking for potential stocks to invest in.
The holiday season is here (Already I have spent almost $1000 on shopping). If you observe the seasonality of the stock market, we are currently in a period where we can expect strong stock performance all the way till May (Buy in October and stay sober, sell in May and go away).
However, the past is no guarantee of future returns. Trends come and go. Markets rise and fall. You are in charge of your investments, even if you hire someone to allocate on your behalf. Take the charge and get on base.
Cheers.