CommSec Profit question

[georgehend]

Hi,

Im wondering if anyone can explain this issue with CommSec.

I've been a shareholder in a company for a week. Yesterday their share value started at 0.160 and finished the same at 0.160. I'm even there.

I purchased shares in another company around 30mins after trading started and the shares had already gone up from there starting price of 4.125. The purchase price I bought them for was 4.136, and the shares finished the day at 4.060.

Commsec is telling me that yesterday I made a profit of $145, despite my calculations saying that I should be at a loss.

Im not what is going on here. Can anyone help a newbie out?

Thanks

 

[Smurf1976]

Commsec is telling me that yesterday I made a profit of $145, despite my calculations saying that I should be at a loss.

Im not what is going on here. Can anyone help a newbie out?

Firstly, welcome to ASF!

There are two "profit" figures you'll find by logging into CommSec and going to the "portfolio" tab then clicking "holdings".

One is called "PROFIT/LOSS $" and this shows your total profit / loss on your shares in that company by comparing the price you bought them for versus the current (last traded by anyone) price. Profit numbers are in green, loss numbers are in red. Next to that you will see it's also expressed as a %.

The other is "VALUE CHG $" which is the change in value compared to the previous close. Eg at midday on a Wednesday it will show the change in value compared to the closing price on the day before (Tuesday). Etc. Since the ASX was closed today for Good Friday, whatever it shows right now will be comparing the closing price on Thursday versus the closing price on Wednesday. It will continue to show that figure until the market opens next week, at which point it will then be comparing the current price versus the closing price on Thursday this week (since Friday was a non-trading day).

For example, suppose for simplicity that you hold 1895 shares in IFL which you bought at $3.055. What you would see is (note this is for example only but is based on the actual current price of this stock):

CODE = IFL (the stock code)

AVAIL UNITS = 1895 (how many of these shares you own)

CHANGE $ = 0.16 (that is Thursday's price change per share)

CHG % = 4.22 (Thursday's price change as a %)

PURCHASE $ = 3.055 (your average purchase price of these shares)

LAST $ = 3.95 (the last traded (by anyone) price of these shares)

PROFIT/LOSS $ = 1696.59 (your profit on this trade at the last traded price)

P/L% = 29.31 (profit as a %)

MKT VALUE $ = 7485.25 ($ value of your holding at the last traded price)

WGT % = the % of your total portfolio which these shares comprise

VALUE CHG $ = 303.20 (the change in market value comparing the last traded price with the previous day's closing price)

A profit figure will be in GREEN and a loss figure will be in RED. This is a widely used convention not unique to CommSec or indeed to the ASX.

Note that's for example only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell shares in IFL. Disclosure: I currently hold shares in this company hence choosing it for the example.

Other brokers may use slightly different terminology but will display the same basic information.

 

[cutz]

Im not what is going on here. Can anyone help a newbie out?

Hi.

Smurf has given you an excellent reply.

I would just like to add, last time I checked the Comsec website, it's not clever enough to adjust the purchase price in the portfolio section to the actual purchase price, I think it defaults to zero ?

If you can confirm that this is the case, get your purchase price times units plus brokerage divided by units, then edit your portfolio page and plug in your cost base.

Regards.

 

[frugal.rock]

@georgehend
What are the 2 stocks?
If we know that, we can lay it out for you verbatim, simply like.
Cheers.

F.Rock