# How was your trading year?



## vishalt (31 December 2007)

Hats off to the Australian bourse! Another year, and another stellar performance for the All Ords. Started the year at a record 5500 almost and climbed to around 6800 but settled a bit lower, but nonetheless it was a wild year with resources surging again and this whole sub-prime thing beating up the banks. 

What were your worst and best trades and what do you look forward to in the new year?


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## Lucky_Country (31 December 2007)

*Re: How was your financial year?*

Should have sold everything in July then it would have been a great year !
As it was well on some of my portfolio hopefully  2007 was the year of hard work and will reap the rewards in 2008


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## Wysiwyg (31 December 2007)

vishalt said:


> What were your worst and best trades and what do you look forward to in the new year?




You first, what about you?


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## Nyden (31 December 2007)

Same boat as IJH unfortunately! Was great for a while, not so great at the moment  But, I'm an investor - not a trader.

Hoping for a more stable year of growth in 08'


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## steven1234 (31 December 2007)

The all ords hasn't done as well as it seems.  Does anyone know how much it has risen if you take out of the equation BHP and RIO?


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## vishalt (31 December 2007)

Wysiwyg said:


> You first, what about you?




Rio Tinto was my best and worst trade. Worst because I shorted it earlier in the year when the first BHP rumours helped push it past $100. I took a loss and then rebuilt slowly and then exploded when BHP actually made an informal bid!

Other winners were (are) still BHP and Zinifex when it reached $20. 

Dad had massive success in range trading Woolworths & ANZ. 

I'm confident resource stocks will push ahead to new highs next year but I'm also looking to invest large in small cap stocks that I'll hold for 2 decades.


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## So_Cynical (31 December 2007)

I'm up 11.4% and entered the market in late July (2 days before correction)

well its better than bank interest.

ATM im a long holder.


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## Whiskers (31 December 2007)

vishalt said:


> I'm confident resource stocks will push ahead to new highs next year but I'm also looking to invest large in small cap stocks.




Me too vishalt. I see some small caps with good land positions. A couple in partcular have had shockingly bad management and are in the process of turning around.

I have been only dealing in the spec end looking for big gains. Not sure of exact numbers, but I more than doubled my little portfolio. NIA was my only realised loss. I got frustrated and got out one day too soon. 

RAU was my best gainer. Others included LAT and AZS. GCR has been my most difficult stock. I sold most at a reasonable profit but are behind on what I still hold. Worst pick that I fortunately didn't put money in was LAF. Went with RAU instead. Gees, how things could have been so much different.

In hindsight I could have done much better if I stuck to my plan and not get swayed by a rush of blood a couple of times.  

Do better in 08.


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## Smurf1976 (31 December 2007)

AQA, AZA, CEY, FLX, RIV, RSP, SRL and WOR have all done quite nicely for me.

AED has done quite nicely for those who sold. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them.


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## nizar (1 January 2008)

The notable winners: MPO, ESG, AED.
Losers: BLZO, BKN.

Did much better in the first half compared to the second half.

After great returns in 2005 and 2006, this year was a poor one. Don't know exactly what % return it was but it won't be staggering.

Doesn't matter, there's always next year (this year )

Happy New Year 2008!


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## numbercruncher (1 January 2008)

I read somewhere if you took out the top 25 the market would be losing for the year ..... havnt confirmed that, but sounds about right.


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## nizar (1 January 2008)

numbercruncher said:


> I read somewhere if you took out the top 25 the market would be losing for the year ..... havnt confirmed that, but sounds about right.




Try the top 5.


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## michael_selway (1 January 2008)

nizar said:


> The notable winners: MPO, ESG, AED.
> Losers: BLZO, BKN.
> 
> Did much better in the first half compared to the second half.
> ...




Hm bracken that was big!

But for AED did u sell before the big AED crash?

thx

MS


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## michael_selway (1 January 2008)

Smurf1976 said:


> AQA, AZA, CEY, FLX, RIV, RSP, SRL and WOR have all done quite nicely for me.
> 
> AED has done quite nicely for those who sold. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them.




Hi OMG

Coal Stocks, same with me!

Nice thanks

MS





michael_selway said:


> *CEY, FLX, GCL, MCC, (RSP-NHC), WHC, AQA, RIV, COK, NEC, CNA, SRL, MLM, PRC...*


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## gavank (1 January 2008)

just got better and better as the year rolled on.... 553 trades and 12 losses Actually used my stop 5% stop loss -
materials/ resources sector boom


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## chops_a_must (1 January 2008)

nizar said:


> The notable winners: MPO, ESG, AED.
> 
> Did much better in the first half compared to the second half.



Pretty much the same, except take out MPO and add in QGC, NWE and AOE. MCR was also another good un very early in the year. CNM and MEL were other ones. But CNM has made me fairly happy thus far. I'm sure there are other big winners I can't recall right now.

Didn't have too many disappointments. VRE was one, but didn't end up losing money on it luckily. Even though AED was one of my biggest winners, I'd still class it as one of the disappointments.

Doubled my money in the first half of the year, thanks largely to the stocks listed above. The second half wasn't so great, but I'm not sure if that is because I've moved more into blue chips, or because of the market its self. 

Volatility either way would be great for me this year.


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## stevo (1 January 2008)

Just to show how much of a trader I am not my biggest closed winning trade  in 2007 was from a 92 week long trade on OKN (137%) followed closely by a 52 week trade on QGC (130%). 

Through variable position sizing my biggest % winner is not necessarily my biggest dollar winner - the title going to JBH, with OMH coming second in the dollar stakes.

Through bad timing (worst possible entry and a shocking exit!) and work commitments (excuses, excuses!) my worst trade was MLX down 38%  I only held it for 4 weeks. It's tricky when a stock drops 28% plus in a week. This is easily my worst trade in the last 5 years.

I mentioned that I am not much of a trader, only because I read below somewhere that someone did over 500 trades in 2007. I have only made 156 completed trades since January 2003! It's the old cat skinning story.

stevo


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## weird (1 January 2008)

Reviewing my trading strategy at mid year, after a drop in capital, I noticed my systems were just not trading (which was uncharacteristic even after such a drop) ...  while I believe not doing anything is also a position, I also believe you need to be in the surf to catch the waves, and not sitting on the beach just watching. This is perhaps too cliche (and perhaps others will vehemently disagree).

So after review, I added two new systems to increase trade frequency. As a result , a return of lost capital, and managed to pull a pretty ok year, with preformance in the second half outperforming the first half.


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## nizar (1 January 2008)

stevo said:


> It's tricky when a stock drops 28% plus in a week.




Oh you reckon??
Try 40% plus in ONE DAY!  
(BKN)


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## evwatkins (2 January 2008)

Well I begun trading in April 2007. After everything that has happend in 2007 I am quite happy to report an end of year profit of 28.5% 

So im still a very happy camper, hope everyone had a great trading year in 2008!


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## gdzack (2 January 2008)

evwatkins said:


> Well I begun trading in April 2007. After everything that has happend in 2007 I am quite happy to report an end of year profit of 28.5%
> 
> So im still a very happy camper, hope everyone had a great trading year in 2008!




begun in July just before the correction and I survived with a 27.5% profit at the end of the year


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## Buffettology (3 January 2008)

Made some bad trades as I got greedy towards the end of the year, but only traded for about 8 months this year and made 50%.  Thankyou EQN, JST, SDG, MCR and some very quick trades on TOL, BKL along with a few more.  DEX was my big killer, along with holding JST towards the end of the year, but as of today, its not too far off what I bought it for.

So 50% profit for 2007.  

Hope to have an even better 2008 though I doubt it.  Unless EQN has several more of its rediculous swings!


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## JeSSica WaBBit (3 January 2008)

Well, i did not even make a trade in 2008 but i did half my CTG, so if you look at it that way it was a fabulous year!

Bought CUE October - December 2006 at average of approx. 12.7 cents 
($59,500), still LONG, paper profit showing $41,579. 

Currently trading at 23 cents.

However, to me that is really irrelavent because i bought to sell in 2008.

Hope to trade a few this year and kick some serious butt  

JW


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## grace (3 January 2008)

Well here goes for some honesty.  I started trading this year.  I really didn't know what I was doing.  Managed to be up 30% by end of May.  Then I bought and bought until the mid year correction and got seriously hammered.  The sad thing was that I even predicted that correction, but was in an ASX course for a couple of days so was extremely stressed as I couldn't get to the computer.  Then I lost my 30% and more.  Have been trying to trade out of some of my stocks, but that American bad news just doesn't go away.  This year I've sold when I shouldn't have, and bought when I shouldn't have.  I only recently learnt how to study candles, and realise how easily I could have been up, instead of down for the year.  All goes down to experience.  I am down for the year, but haven't done my final calcs yet.   One loses confidence when you get hit hard, so I've been trying to rise above that mentally.  Bought CVN recently and I'm very proud of that one so far.  I think it will be hard to make money this year on the markets.  Sticking to the rules, and taking the emotion out of trading has not come easily to me.


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## Struzball (3 January 2008)

Pretty well flat for the year.. though I really only started putting serious cash in in July... AFTER the correction but I was still a bit too excited and bought way too soon.  Down a little, Up alot at one stage then sub prime etc.  No cash on hand when I needed it

Here's to 2008 having more cash on hand, less hasty decisions and more learning experiences. :bier:


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## JeSSica WaBBit (3 January 2008)

Whoops, that was supposed to say that 'i did not make a trade in 2007 not 2008'

Its late and its been a long day.......................


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## marklar (4 January 2008)

Just took profits on BRM (nee YML) today after holding 12 months + 1 day, so I'm 

Started selling out of a few dogs, not big losses exept INL 

m.


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## awg (4 January 2008)

Have not completed figures for my entire portfolio 07, but since joining ASF, and starting a $100k sub portfolio commenced 8-10-07, especially to trade whilst learning more of technical trading, am up 1.3%. 

The XAO is down about 4.7% in that time, so I am pleased that I have been able to put my new learning to good use. 

Great forum! So much good knowledge.
If I had been using it for longer, I would be $ richer!

I suppose if I had just put it in cash I would be up at least 1.5%!

(I have also doubled my cash holding from 8% to 15%)

However I sold down some of my managed investments, and used the proceeds from that to start my ASF 100k portfolio.

I can say for sure that I did much better than the MINs, I had a small proportion  in property trusts and OS shares, and they got belted.

regards tony


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