Virtual Portfolio Update

OK, time to update since last post...3 years.  The Virtual Portfolio is now $2.34 Billion.  Yes, that's BILLION! Luck...some, but mostly it's long term planning and sticking to it, not constantly "day trading"!

"Apocalypse Portfolio (Virtual) All Time High!

My Virtual Portfolio, "The Apocalypse Fund" has reached another all time high...$14,753,760,185 or a ROI of 51.77%!  I have 40 stocks, 6 ETF and about 6 Mutual Funds!  I have have kept most of these for 23 months, since September 23, 2012. I buy energy, tech, bio-science and metal related sectors!

My real money portfolio only averages about 12% ROI, but I've taken out profits to buy a new computer and a 40" LED TV.  I also regret selling 300 shares of Pacific Ethanol I bout at 44 cents a share and now trades at $19! Ooopppsss!

Virtual Portfolio High!

A new high has been reached in "The Virtual Portfolio". As of this last Friday, it stands at $14,432,618,059USD or a 48.48% Lifetime return on initial investment of $10 Billion USD. 

OLD, HOHLD, HOLD!

Virtual Portfolio, Last 12 Months

^ $2.170 B (+22.26%)  Yes that's my "Virtual Portfolio's gain for the last 12 months.  A mix of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

 I started with $10 Billion in assets, do not manipulate it everyday....mostly let it "ride".  It's so easy a caveman could do it!

10 Month Goal of the Virtual Porfolio

After almost 10 months of up and down, see saw fluctuations in the World Markets, and do in no small part to the Obama monetary policies, the Virtual Portfolio has reached a new all time high!

My Portfolio is currently composed of 30 stocks (68%), 4 ETFs (15%), & 5 Mutual Funds (1.44%). Cash reserves are 15%.

As of Friday 7/12/13. I had hit a 15.93% increase in investment, 0r $1.556 Billion in profit on assets of $10 Billion. Not sure if this is exceptional or average for this size of Portfolio, but my REAL $ portfolio, although a lot smaller, LOL, follows a similar trend.  Basic goals are beat the DOW & double my money in 2-5 years!

The "Virtual Portfolio" Update

On September 20, 2012 I updated my portfolio with new stocks, ETF, Mutual Funds and increased cash to $10 Billion dollars. I also stopped "Day Trading", instead picking sound investments for the long term.

One benefit of the change was accumulation of dividends...$ Millions of dollars in dividends, which obviously didn't happen trading daily or sitting out a down turn.

As I mentioned, on September 20, 2012...the value was $10 Billion.... today's Market close, the net...$10,639,393,736.  Actual gain 9.33%...Lifetime.  

I''ve used these same strategies in my real portfolio with similar results...percentage wise...LOL. not money wise, unfortunately.

My Story of "Virtual Investing"!

On September 20, 2010 I created a "Virtual Portfolio" with assets of $1 Billion.  I chose this amount to be the level of minimum to earn a profit of $1 Million in any given day.  Over the next two years, I mostly invested in Energy stocks, Gold, and other Commodities through ETF's.  I had a small amount of Stocks, around ten or so.  At the end of two years, September 20, 2012 I had made a "profit" of  $676 Million...not a bad return during recession.  I was very conservative and kept 25% to 50% in cash reserves .

Starting in September 20, 2012 I started a new virtual portfolio, "the Apocalypse Fund" with assets of $10 Billion.  I changed my entire strategy... a wide range of 30-40 stocks, ETF's, and Mutual Funds.  since last September I am up $220.4 Million or 2.4%....alas I still have 45% cash reserves and realize I need to whittle that down to about 15%.

In real life I have a small portfolio...less than $5,000...that since March 15, 2012 is up about 12%.

My goal for my investments is to beat the DOW everyday, and double my money every five years, rain or shine.

Firearm & Ammo Stocks for These Troubled Times

Doing a little reseach, I've put together a list of publicly traded companies in the firearms business. Many major manurfacturers and most ammo manufactureres are private companies (and closed to nosey public inspections).

The stock ticker symbols are:

SWHC - Smith & Wesson; TASR- Taser International; MTSX - Metal Storm Ltd; GD - General Dynamics; OLN - Olin Manufacturing; ATK - Allient Techsystems; RGR - Ruge

I've set up a "Watch List" to check the progress of these companies. Today, not so good. #Preppers and survivors should be interested in these stocks. On a seperate note, I also have a "Watch List" of major Defense company stocks...they are down as well!

Prepping is Insurance

There is a fairly widespread movement called #Prepping.  It regards being self-sufficient as necessary do to the impending collapse of civilization or as preppers call it SHTF!  I've been interested in this since Y2K in 2000.  survival supplies, living off the grid in a rural setting isn't for everyone.  But I look at stockpiling food and supplies, tools, trade goods...being self-sufficient with a skill set, as insurance. 

Many folks buy auto, home, and life insurance and while paying on them for years, perhaps decades, may never use that type of insurance...ever!  How can you go wrong having 6 months of food on hand? Or buying and using tools, growing a garden, living in a calm rural area?

Many people look on this movement as a bunch of doomsday crazies, planning for the end of the world...but if you take the time to read about or go to a good blog like Total Survivor Dad and do some research, you'll find that #prepping is indeed Insurance.

Gold ETF...Let it Ride?

Two months ago, I invested $1 Billion of my "Virtual Portfolio" into the gold ETF (GLD) at about $162 share....then the Market collapsed because of the Greek Debt, but I let it ride until today.  The "virtual Portfolio" lost $62 Million in assets...until last Friday June 1 st.  Two months to recoup the loss, but it worked.  Today I cashed out.  My imaginary portfolio is still about $40 Million down from its all time high, but since it's creation in September of 2010 has returned 58%...GLD has returned 16% YTD. 
While only "Virtual", I find those returns acceptable.

Facebook Fiasco or World Market Woes?

Let's stop bashing Facebook already.  It is a totally viable company!  Many expected to "get-rich-quick" by having the stock quadruple in one day....too bad for them!  That's like playing the slots in Las Vegas...sometimes you loose.  Nothing to cry about or sue underwriters about.

It's taken years for Apple and Google to reach the realm of $600 per share.  Facebook may or may not get there, but it's not going away!

Look at the bright side....IPO price was $38/share, few could get that, now it's $32/share...the logic is to buy!  Next month with my investment allowance, I'll gladly purchase at $32/share....for the long term (5 years out), not a quick buck!

Eight Probable Economic Trends in 2012

By Mark W. Medley

The year 2012 is synonymous with real change, as the consequences of the economic decisions made by our governments, will either bring us out of recession or add to the problems caused by the 2008 market crash. What are the eight probable economic trends in 2012?

1. Declining Values in the Euro, and Greenback

The greenback and the euro continued to decline in value against most currencies in 2011. This irreversible trend probably will last in 2012, when quantitative easing could continue to be the only solution the ECB, and Federal Government have to offset a recession, further eroding global confidence in both currencies. The question is how much in value will these currencies fall in 2012?

2. Rising Values in Precious Metals

One way investors protect themselves against a currency in decline is to buy gold, and silver, which has risen in value both against the US dollar, and Euro since 2008. Countries like China, and India are buying these precious metals in far greater volumes, which consequently adds value to their own currencies. Gold and Silver prices could still remain at an all time high in 2012, as demand continues to outstrip supply.

3. A Market Crash?

Economic indicators show that the current European, and American stock markets are overvalued -as their current values simply do not match to the real state of their economies. If governments are restricted in printing money in 2012, then who is willing to feed these funds into the stock markets? Once confidence after almost four years of recession disappears- the stock markets in Europe & the USA could crash again.

4. Rising Civil Unrest

2012 could continue to be another year of cutbacks, as our leaders justify this as the only way to stem a crash, and build confidence in their economies. The result of previous cutbacks were evident in the streets of Athens, Brussels, Cairo, London and Rome in 2011, but there is a trend growing that more people view these cuts as unfair. If financial institutions and governments cannot sell these cutbacks to the public, then 2012 could be a year of further dissent in many recession hit countries.

5. Wealthier Resource-Rich Countries

The resources which fuel oil dependent economies are growing shorter in supply, as many countries like Brazil, China, and India are growing more economically strong. The nations, and corporations that supply these valuable resources are reaping the rewards of this demand, and fuelling new domestic demand for consumer goods like air conditioned units, computers and televisions. This trend should continue as these basic resources are still needed in an age of dependency on non-renewable energies.

6. Growth in Technology Sales

On a global scale, sales of technology based consumer products like computers, and smart phones continue to rise, as prices for these products continue to drop. This naturally leads to more people being able to purchase an android phone in many developing companies, and fuels growth for any company that produces ever cheaper technology like Asus and Nexian.

7. The Growth of Regional Economic Blocs

China is getting closer to South East Asian nations over a probable free trade pact, as well as several Latin American countries. Russia is extending a free trade zone to its bordering nations, whilst the US is focusing on bolstering ties with its traditional allies in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Rather like a jigsaw that is coming to completion, the picture in 2012 could be of a rise in regional trade blocs- under the guise of free trade.

8. The Degeneration of Established Organizations

The IMF, UN, and the World Bank often dictated how and who would receive loans in much of the World. This 'troika' often financed corrupt regimes, and these countries later complained that the policies they accepted in return for these funds indebted rather than developed them. 2012 could mark the beginning of the end of the influence of these organizations- as nations choose financial and free trade deals within' their own trade groups.

2012 could become a year where the steady shift of economic power drifts East away from the West, as the producers and suppliers of resources gain more dependence from the consumer states in Europe and the USA. How this shift is viewed in the debt ridden consumer based societies of Europe, and the United States- could determine whether 2012 is a year of growth or one of continued uncertainty.

Discover how you can survive and thrive during a period of economic change.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_W._Medley

 

Tough to be a Day Trader!

Risk vs reward...tough to be a Day Trader in these turbulent times!  Looking at Pre-Markets 6 hours prior to Market open, everything is in the Red...6 hours later...Optimism Prevails!  Oh wait, most folks use computer trading...never mind!

Get ready for the CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge

  

It's the biggest, richest Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge ever!

This is your chance to win a cool $1,000,000 a Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport and 10 Exotic One & Only and Atlantis Resort vacations. All you need to do is sign-in/register with a CNBC.com account below; then on September 19th you can play with up to 5 different portfolios. Each with $1,000,000 CNBC Bucks - $100,000 for trading currencies and $900,000 for trading stocks and ETFs on the AMEX, ASX, LSE, NASDAQ and NYSE in real-time!

Go to the CNBC website and Register today.  In past contests I've placed in the top 15% to 25% and one day was #3.

The Shifting Sands of the Stock Market

In years, past investors could rely on charts, historical timing, and investment advice to profit from the stock markets and their investments.  Today's markets, global in reach, are influenced by events far from Wall Street.  Many of which are new in nature...disasters, wars, collapse of foreign banks, bailouts, and computerised trading.

Fortunately, investors can still make money the old fashion way...they earn it...by trading on the down side as well as up.  The "Virtual Portfolio" has generated a higher rate of return (ROI) shorting the markets with appropriate ETF's than being Bullish with ETF's and stocks.

With just a few weeks until the 1 year mark, the "Virtual Portfolio" has a current ROI of 47.8%. And that was from being conservative with 15% to 50% cash reserves.  I look forward to this years CNBC "Portfolio Challenge" contest.

GOLD...Did you bail out in time?

Well Gold stocks and ETF's...it was a nice ride!  Made good gains for the "Virtual Portfolio", got greedy and stayed in one extra day!  Bad idea...of course, that was partly due to relying on charts, and future data that was in error!  It may fall off another 5%, but will rise again, mostly because the US Dollar and Euro are worthless!  Save your cash!

All About The Futures Market

One aspect of investing in markets that people do not seem to know very much about is commodity futures trading.  Most of the trading that people are familiar involves an immediate transfer of whatever it is that was bought and sold.  However, futures trading are not like that.  When you trade futures, you are basically gambling about the value that something will have at a certain point in the future.

In this market, you buy and sell a predetermined quantity and quality of assets.  A price for those assets is determined and the official sale date is set.  The official transfer of the asset occurs on the specified date and the financial details are handled based upon the current value of the assets.  If the value is more than anticipated, you make money.  If the value is less than anticipated, you owe money. One way that the futures market is much different than the traditional stock market is the amount you have to pay when you purchase the contract.  When you invest in the stock market, you have to invest the entire sum of money. Typically when you buy a futures contract, you only have to provide 5 to 10 percent of the actual value of the contract.  This gives you many more options since you only have to have 10% of the cost.

The most common type of commodities that are sold in the futures market is related to agriculture.  This is because agriculture was the beginning of this type of trading.  These can be livestock, wheat, vegetables and fruit.  However, you can also buy and sell stock indexes, metals, oil, bonds, interest rates and many other things as well. Agriculture is a big area for the futures market because it allows farmers to sell their crops while it is still being grown.  They agree to sell their harvested crop for a fixed price.  It allows the farmer to know that his crops are sold instead of having to wait until the harvest has been completed.

Trading in this market gives you a very unique opportunity that you cannot find in very many other places.  In most types of trading, it takes several years before you actually see a profit off of your investment.  However, because your initial investment is only 10%, you have the possibility of generating substantial income with your first contract.  Of course, that will only happen if you do your homework and make the right investment.  If you do not do your homework or if you are unlucky, you can also lose a great deal of money.  As with any type of investing, it is important that you do not invest any money that you need to live on.

The people who keep track of this market are called hedgers and speculators.  The hedgers are the ones who buy the assets "hedging their bets" and hope to make money on the trade.  The speculators are the ones who follow the market and predict the future price of the commodity in question.

------------------------

Stewart Wrighter recently researched futures trading for an article on the stock market. For more information about futures trading go to
http://www.futurestrading411.com .


Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=206581

Tweet Too Much to Blog!

I've been Tweeting to much on Twitter to Blog.  Seems like anything I would Blog about has been said on Twitter...my bad!  Also, I have been unmotivated, falling into a pit of personal despair, that only alcohol and prescription drugs can cure!  (not really, but it sounds dramatic) 

As this is posted on am working diligently of related new Posts for my Blogs...stay tuned !

Economic Musings

It is amusing to watch one of President Obama's speeches and the stock market at the same time on CNBC...one can watch the market fall, as he speaks.  The same applies to Fed Chairman Bernanke or Sec Geithner.  Obviously the Markets feel these folks are "bad news".

GOLD...it is still the number one commodity to hold.  Economic chaos in Europe and the Middle East make it a "safe haven" in lieu of the declining US dollar.  There is still, as of today, no verifiable proof to the rumour that over the counter trading of gold and silver will be banned on July 15th under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Bill.

Debt Limit and riots in the USA are a possibility.  Austerity in the USA is not that unrealistic and probably a good idea to reign in the "Socialist Agenda" of the current Administration.  After decades, welfare and handout loving Liberals can see the end to their "fleecing of America" and they don't like it.  Instead they prefer to Tax, Tax, Tax the job creators  of corporations and wealthy individuals to continue the funding of all their socialist programs!  No homeless person on the dole ever created one job.  Liberals, this TAX THE RICH SCHEME is not going to happen!

The Stock Market...Gloom and Doom coming?

The Great US Economic Recovery fades daily.  Stocks are down, housing, employment...debt increases.  The "Global Economy" is a serious factor in US Markets and daily life.  The US can not control the various factions that make up our economy, as they did 50 years ago.  The the US drove the world economy...now we are a mere player.

With that in mind, Global Forces need to factor into trading....world events such as war, famine, oil consumption, population growth drive market forces and can't be ignored.  (I have always thought this...global tensions more a factor than the
Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, for example).  On this basis, "The Virtual Portfolio" has continued to make daily gains and continued the long term goal of a 25% ROI.

Currently, 100% ETF trades, shorting the DOW & S&P, and gold IAU and GLD.  As of today, the portfolio is trading much higher compared to the DOW.

Global forces may also spell Gloom & Doom in the coming months...many forecast a "Market Correction"...analysts vary, but 15% to 25% is not unrealistic.  alas Capitalism and the Market allows on to make money on a rise or a fall...choose wisely.