Flu got in the way of the Greystone household festivities this year. The main downer was that I didn't get to play with the grandchildren (and their new toys!). As they are off on a skiing trip this weekend for a week, I didn't want them falling foul of my bugs. However, generous portions of the various potions and libations gathered in for the holiday have now brought me back to rude health. Mulled wine and a good malt were the most enjoyable parts of the cure! Now bring on New Year's Eve! Happy 2001 everone!
Despite the quiet trading expected mid-holiday, sentiment was still merry enough to push all of the main indices ahead with the FTSE100 gaining 120 points on Wednesday when the LSE re-opened for business. Thursday was another quiet day, although there were some signs of bargain hunting in technology shares. The FTSE100 bounced about during the day to end the session a single point higher. Although Friday was a short trading day, there was plenty of action - not all of it positive. I guess there was a lot of book-balancing activity late in the session which sent most of the main indices to red. Let's hope they all re-open in our favourite colour next week!
The ADVFN Monitor is probably the most-used tool in the toolbox but how many of you are aware of its configurability? Each column can be configured to your requirements and presented in the order in which you want to see it. Do you want to see the previous day's bid price, or the % spread or the graphic buy/sell indicator? They are all there, along with lots more. If you have multiple monitor screens, you can have each one with a different look to suit the content. To scan the options available, click on the Customise button at the foot of your Monitor screen.
Another ADVFN goody - this one limited to Premium service users - is the E-Mail News Round-up which is provided by in-house journalist, Derek Wild. Derek also produces precis of newspaper and magazine tips as a regular BB feature and makes sure we are kept up to date with breaking news. Another good reason for upgrading?
The Weekly BB Review
If you haven't already done so, don't forget to enter the ADVFN Stockpicker of the Month...January 2001 competition. (This is the equivalent FBB Thread) The winner picks up a handsome trophy, worthy of a place in anybody's trophy cabinet! The competition is open to all and is a single competition although the threads run separately on each BB. You have until 6am Tuesday to enter and base prices will be the mid-price quoted at the end of Friday's shortened session. Go on - have a go!
The best thread to pop up over the Christmas period was undoubtedly Hands up who is making money! which jhurbaneck began in an attempt to figure out how well or how badly BBers had fared during the year. The replies were many and varied but the great majority of investors had performed way below their expectations. A lot of the reason for that was that most were starting from such a high point. (If you were losing money in the first quarter of 2000 then you were really in trouble!) Martini demonstrated that his sense of humour is in better shape than his leg with "....I have made very good money by riding the 1st Qu Tech boom and getting out at the right time courtesy of a bus!". crocodile, has made enough to maintain his lifestyle both in UK ans "en France" which can't be bad while Mr Charts, in a rare post, offered his services to John. As a long time fulltime investor with an enviable track record, it could be an offer worth taking up. Pippin rued a reluctance to sell which cost him dearly and Andyble, like many of us, I suspect, "still finds it difficult to change his habits". Trendy's advice - "trade what you see happening, not what you think or hope will happen" is a good line worth keeping pinned to the wall above your screen. SpectoAcc gave a good treatise on how the market has arrived where it has (definitely worth a read) while Addo hit a big nail smack on the head with "It's not always what you make, it's what you keep that matters". Although this began as an exercise to allow John to get his own performance in perspective, it did provide an opportunity for a lot of soul bearing. This year showed me how little I have learned but the only way to get down to improving the situation is to first admit the mistakes. A bit like the AA declaration. For those who were wise enough to make 2000 into a good year hearty congratulations. For the rest of us, 2001 will be an opportunity to be more honest with ourselves and get down to designing strategies which will cope with current trading conditions. It won't get much easier but we can be better prepared. Great thread!
Biomax was firing on all cylinders with COMPEL GROUP - THE MOST UNDERVALUED GROWTH TECH. Compel Group has expanded its operations way beyond the box-shifting company I first new and is pinning its hopes on a wide range of services including consultancy and outsourced system management. It is a big bad world out there, as topyenom and PUGUGLY pointed out. Most of the companies who held back on IT investment last year to see how the millennium bug might effect them or upgraded prior to it to give them a warmer, safer feeling, are now out of the market for any major change. Whilst CGR boasts an impressive list of high profile customers, there is no way of telling how much of that business is really profitable. Thursday's news that Fidelity had added more to their holding should have been greeted positively but the price dropped off a point on the day. There are a lot of competitors in place, some with a good head start. I hope it doesn't end in tears when forward revenue estimates are revised.
DMatek - Tagged for success? (DTK) was brought back to the top of the screen this week as yump decided the chart was looking too good to ignore. It certainly does look encouraging and it will, no doubt, please adriand that progress continues. Whether the Israeli factor will hold them back is still a worry but they now have business world-wide and eletronic tagging is being seen more and more as a feasible and cost-effective means of keeping track of offenders and the vulnerable in our society. Well worth keeping installed on the monitor as the company continues to announce new contracts.
StewJames thought it was time for a discussion on London Pacific Group (LPG) this week and put out a good case for them but ChrisG, who has already taken his slice of this particular cake, still thinks them too risky to re-enter. Timbo is of similar mind. StewJames is still convinced that, trading below NAV, as they are, they represent a good recovery play. The chart looks pretty grim (especially with a further double digit % fall in share price this week) and I must agree with the dissenters here that it is a wait and watch situation at best. I would like to be proved wrong! :=)
With the US markets open on Boxing Day, there was extra interest (for the dedicated!) in what was going on across the pond this week. If nothing else, it proved that Stable doesn't play golf EVERY day of the year (and that his daughter has inherited some of his financial acumen). PW was another who couldn't leave it alone while lodger took the opportunity for some window shopping - sadly he didn't find any big sale discounts. mg was also on the ball, sounding bullish about the DJIA and having his own conspiracy theory about manipulation of its closing position for year end. (As though such things went on!) Whilst the DJIA was showing positive signs, the NASDAQ was harder to read, although, as Timbo pointed out, volumes were very healthy considering the time of the year. To pick up the latest sentiments on the state of the US markets, don't forget to visit * USA STOCKS - December 2000 *.
lancslad's sen time to buy (paralleled on the FBB here) gave patient holders of Screen something to cling to with news that a press release and demo are scheduled for 4th January. After the seemingly unstoppable slide in price, it was good to see a very healthy reversal in the trend this week. braun and ducatiman are hoping to recoup some lost ground whilst paddywack and djooh were quick to get in while the price was right. nightshift and hightone were also watching the action carefully from the FBB with Stable and Lofty doing the same on PBB. Thursday's heavy volume (3m+) and a 16%+ rise in price, together with a further rise on Friday, will have been a welcome sight. And with the spread held at around 5%, it looked a classic momentum play.
Well, would you believe it! The moment Bullie resurrected Bodycote double bottom breakout?? (BOY), highlighting the great December chart performance, March advised us that the way was clear for their acquisition of Lindberg Corporation and the price dipped! Good ol' Murphy is alive and well!
Thanks to jhurbanek, Dil had a nice Christmas surprise with a mention in John's latest weekly reprise in the Sunday Times. I bet the circulation of the Welsh edition went up 50%! (Dil Gets His Moment Of Fame In The Sunday Times ... includes a link to the article itself.) Partygoers will recognise our erstwhile ST trader from the pic - I guess there just weren't enough column inches available to include Dil's grinning face!
Meanwhile, in the Land of the Free.......
One of the big stories late in the week was covered in BILLION DOLLAR LEGAL ACTION - 28/12/2000 (VOD) with hamedk bringing to our attention news of the potential legal action to be launched in the US by brain tumour victims again a US phone company in which Vodafone has a substantial stake. maxd, dazdaman and ascer were amongst those who though any impact on VOD's share price would be small and temporary. DIANAKRAK and medina were a tad upset that the company was being picked on for something which is outside of their control. merlinstheman put the whole thing in perspective very nicely and the share price, having dropped a few points when the news initially broke, recovered it and more on Friday with a 4% @@@@ gain following news of its acquisition of a controlling interest in Airtel Movil. No problem there then!
Despite Pan Andean Resources showing renewed weakness on tiny volumes, the fan club were still in good voice this week with CURRYPASTY leading the community singing. With interim results reputedly due mid-January, there is a feeling that someone is preparing their ground in advance. Wallis put blame for much of the fall squarely on the shoulders of the former owners of subsidiary Petrolex and was willing to wager that the price would recover quickly in the New Year. The PAN ANDEAN RESOURCES - EL DORADO.......HUGE FIND debate flowed over to PAN WHY IS EVERYONE SELLING ?????????? but the vitriol remained at about the same level. Not so the share price which continued to fall despite the majority of transactions on Friday showing as buys. Interesting to watch as a pure spectator, but there is a lot of noise generated for such a small share. Good luck to all who sail in her!
A lot of discussion on Scotia Holdings this week following the recent antics of the share price. It seems to have turned into a traders share and is bouncing about unpredictably. SOH - What's Happening Now ? from BOBSWATSON brought a comprehensive and measured reaction from Hut49 which sums up the options very well. oneliner and Ordibblee took opposing views, both of which will find support amongst the wider audience. I have been in and out of this share ever since it floated - usually at a profit - and have picked it as my choice in the ADVFN Stockpicker of the Month competition. I did add the comment "...it will either fly or die.." slightly tongue in cheek as I feel that EMEA approval in January will be a big vote of confidence and its lack a big setback. (There is also some good comment available on this company in Risk V Reward, started by alexicacon on Christmas Eve.)
My Poster of the Week this week is Dil who managed to keep us all amused and interested during the Christmas period. His irrepressible enthusiasm is one of the things which keeps the BB spirits up even when things are not going so well. Congratulations Dil! If you will e-mail me a delivery address, I will see that your prize finds it way to you very soon (provided I can get an export licence!).
Good Hunting!
The ADVFN Who's Who is still growing steadily and is now a quite long list. All entries received to date have been included. If you haven't sent me your bio yet, please drop me a few lines about yourself - a full editing service is provided! No e-mail addresses are published unless specifically requested. 