Stock/Forex Trading

[Van Wilder]

Has anyone taken the plunge into the market?

 

I started investing yesterday using Trading 212 and already up around 4%

 

Trying to get my head around Forex as well a lot to take in

[jamboj]

Been on trading 212 for a couple of months. 30% up, it's a good distraction 

 

Good app, keeps it simple 

[Locky]

Been wanting to do this for some time. Wouldn't know where to start though.

 

How much do you really need to start with?

[TheOak88]

What type of things you guys been investing in?

[IronJambo]

Forex just seems like pure gambling to me, don't think I could ever be up for that.

 

Index shares though, are a totally different thing. Trading 212 don't charge fees except for currency conversion? Does that mean they only use USD?

[IronJambo]

All things said about Forex, it's a great time to exploit it. All those countries that are recovering well versus them that are in the midst of it. Easy pickings I'm sure.

[Ritchez]

I've got a SIPP & ISA with AJ Bell. I really like their platform, plus their charging structure suits me best. Some of my colleagues invest with Hargreaves Lansdown and Vanguard, both also worth looking into.

 

There's various products you can invest in... Unit Trusts / OEICs, ETFs, Investment Trusts, Equities. As always, what you invest in is completely dependent on your attitude to risk and the number of years you wish to invest. I primarily invest in actively managed Unit Trusts / OEICs, with a focus on the global tech industry. I've had some really excellent gains recently and the crash a couple months back provided some great bargains.

 

I always recommend investing - if you're willing to put away a decent chunk of money, not have access to it for 5-10 years and are willing to ride out market volatility then I'd say go for it. It will beat having your money sitting in cash almost always.

 

I love how easy it is to invest these days with all the online platforms available. IFAs have been ripping folk off for years by doing a basic risk questionnaire and dropping you in a model portfolio - taking a nice chunk out your investments at the same time. I always say do your own research and invest for the long term, IFAs don't know if the market is going up or down anymore than we do. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Ritchez

[Van Wilder]

3 hours ago, Locky said:

Been wanting to do this for some time. Wouldn't know where to start though.

 

How much do you really need to start with?

 

I've put in £500 just to play around with and get my bearings, the app is worth looking into as it has a virtual section where it'll give you £50,000 in "toy" money to play around with until you want to go into the market with your own cash.

 

2 hours ago, TheOak88 said:

What type of things you guys been investing in?

 

I've been looking at the travel industry and getting in at the moment before it bounces back, arguably a bit of a long term investment but treading water to see what happens in the coming weeks before investing more in. Definitely interested in Ritchez quote.

 

30 minutes ago, Ritchez said:

I've got a SIPP & ISA with AJ Bell. I really like their platform, plus their charging structure suits me best. Some of my colleagues invest with Hargreaves Lansdown and Vanguard, both also worth looking into.

 

There's various products you can invest in... Unit Trusts / OEICs, ETFs, Investment Trusts, Equities. As always, what you invest in is completely dependent on your attitude to risk and the number of years you wish to invest. I primarily invest in actively managed Unit Trusts / OEICs, with a focus on the global tech industry. I've had some really excellent gains recently and the crash a couple months back provided some great bargains.

 

I always recommend investing - if you're willing to put away a decent chunk of money, not have access to it for 5-10 years and are willing to ride out market volatility then I'd say go for it. It will beat having your money sitting in cash almost always.

 

I love how easy it is to invest these days with all the online platforms available. IFAs have been ripping folk off for years by doing a basic risk questionnaire and dropping you in a model portfolio - taking a nice chunk out your investments at the same time. I always say do your own research and invest for the long term, IFAs don't know if the market is going up or down anymore than we do. 

 

I'm so out of my depth with this conversation however I intend to thoroughly research what you've mentioned. I figured out at the moment while everything is on hold and pretty much everything has taken a hit, it's worth getting into the market now.

[jamboj]

2 hours ago, TheOak88 said:

What type of things you guys been investing in?

Got a few quid in oil at the moment. That's on the way up again, incredible drop over the last couple of months

[TheOak88]

13 minutes ago, jamboj said:

Got a few quid in oil at the moment. That's on the way up again, incredible drop over the last couple of months

 

Yeah I have been looking at oil as well recently. Did you just put money straight into the Commodity itself, or gone with companies related to oil like BP and Shell?

[jamboj]

4 minutes ago, TheOak88 said:

 

Yeah I have been looking at oil as well recently. Did you just put money straight into the Commodity itself, or gone with companies related to oil like BP and Shell?

It's an ETF. Dont ask me what that means, but as far as I can work out it rises and falls with the price of oil. 

[Locky]

38 minutes ago, Van Wilder said:

 

I've put in £500 just to play around with and get my bearings, the app is worth looking into as it has a virtual section where it'll give you £50,000 in "toy" money to play around with until you want to go into the market with your own cash.

 

 

Might try the virtual 50k. I certainly don't have £500.

 

Was think along the lines of a tenner.  

[Jeff]

24 minutes ago, Locky said:

Might try the virtual 50k. I certainly don't have £500.

 

Was think along the lines of a tenner.  

 

Try and find the next bitcoin 

[gjcc]

Anyone invest in PPE?  

[Deodato]

One consideration is the FOREX market - making money in dollars and importing it back to sterling provides a huge uplift on your return. Think about it, today you can get 0.82 on your dollar - in.a 'normal' world you would have got 0.65 - so whatever you make, you make a third more. 

[Ehllhayapeh]

9 hours ago, jamboj said:

It's an ETF. Dont ask me what that means, but as far as I can work out it rises and falls with the price of oil. 

ETFs are funds that include proportions of their investments from different entities companies or sectors.

 

For example theres an ETF that invests in green Ethical businesses.

 

In theory you spread the risk because the fund includes a number of different investments.

 

I have a couple through Barclays. One is vanguard and the other is tradesmith.

 

Right now im looking to buy gold silver and cryptocurrency (not via Barclays!) as protection from economic shocks with covid.

 

I find the crypto market very interesting and while I dont really buy bitcoin theres some interesting blockchain projects out there that offer very good returns.

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Ehllhayapeh

[Debaser]

Just started with the Freetrade app. Seems good so far - interested how anyone else finds it. Can start with  £10. 

[Ehllhayapeh]

So since the cryptocurrency thread failed Im going to give you all a link to a blockchain project I have invested a bit

 

https://enjin.io/

 

Enjin is a gaming project. The central concept is the idea of game item ownership and items transcending games throughout a gaming multiverse. Think the movie "Ready Player One" and you are not far away.

 

The idea is that items you collect in games are worth a certain amount of Enjin coin. Unlike central server games like Second Life where what you buy is stuck in the game permanently, you actually own the item in the Enjin multiverse. Should you get bored of a game, you could sell that item on the marketplace, possibly for a profit or melt it - recover the value in Enjin - and use the Enjin coin for something else. Finally, you could use that item in another game. These things are possible now.

 

 

For example, your "sword" in minecraft could morph into a "spacesuit" if you switch to "Space Misfits",

 

They are partnered with Microsoft and Samsung already. Current price is around 16c per Enjin. Its still possible to join in.

 

Its really interesting stuff.

 

[shlabalaba]

5 hours ago, Debaser said:

Just started with the Freetrade app. Seems good so far - interested how anyone else finds it. Can start with  £10. 

 

Did you have to give your national insurance number  /   not too keen on giving out too much info

[Yoda]

On 19/05/2020 at 16:26, Locky said:

Been wanting to do this for some time. Wouldn't know where to start though.

 

How much do you really need to start with?

You should try Halifax share dealing service.  Good for beginners. I think it's £100 to start.

 

You can invest in funds, which have mixtures of shares and different levels of risk.  You can also buy shares in individual companies.

[Locky]

6 minutes ago, Yoda said:

You should try Halifax share dealing service.  Good for beginners. I think it's £100 to start.

 

You can invest in funds, which have mixtures of shares and different levels of risk.  You can also buy shares in individual companies.

Might look into that. Do you know if BoS do it too? Or just Halifax per se.

[Yoda]

47 minutes ago, Locky said:

Might look into that. Do you know if BoS do it too? Or just Halifax per se.

Halifax do it on behalf of the whole Lloyds Banking group.  You don't have to have an account with BoS or Halifax to open an ISA / investment account.

 

This is a good time to start investing, as shares are now starting to creep up.

[Bigsmak]

If you have time - these are good videos to get your head around a lot of it. 

 

 

Or these !

 

 

 

 

 

[The Brow]

Anyone who doesnt have a SIPP and is a higher rate tax payer is missing out massively. Even if you just punt it all on a fund like Fundmith/Gifford Bailley you can claim back 40% of what you put in, and 20% will be paid back in cash, ready for you to invest again next year. 

 

Winner winner. 

 

My own investments recently have all been in AIM stocks like AVCT/TILS/HEMO/VLS - now moved it into a split between Fevertree/Tesla/Wetherspoons/Royal Dutch. They're all effectively half price then 40% off that when I claim the tax back. 

[Deodato]

32 minutes ago, The Brow said:

Anyone who doesnt have a SIPP and is a higher rate tax payer is missing out massively. Even if you just punt it all on a fund like Fundmith/Gifford Bailley you can claim back 40% of what you put in, and 20% will be paid back in cash, ready for you to invest again next year. 

 

Winner winner. 

 

My own investments recently have all been in AIM stocks like AVCT/TILS/HEMO/VLS - now moved it into a split between Fevertree/Tesla/Wetherspoons/Royal Dutch. They're all effectively half price then 40% off that when I claim the tax back. 

Agree with one correction, the 20% will be investable within the SIPP usually two months after the investment. Secondly, the difference between 40% and 20% can be achieved with a revised tax code - releasing more cash soon than you suggest. Finally, all savings are insulated from tax - an important consideration. 

[The Brow]

1 minute ago, Deodato said:

Agree with one correction, the 20% will be investable within the SIPP usually two months after the investment. Secondly, the difference between 40% and 20% can be achieved with a revised tax code - releasing more cash soon than you suggest. Finally, all savings are insulated from tax - an important consideration. 

 

Aye the first 20% gets added back automatically in the SIPP - the other you have to apply for from HMRC. You then get it paid directly into your bank account. 

 

I think you've read my post wrong - by 'ready to invest again' I mean - you can keep it for next years SIPP or just spend it when you get it. I tend to apply once a year once all my contributions are used up. 

[Debaser]

20 hours ago, shlabalaba said:

 

Did you have to give your national insurance number  /   not too keen on giving out too much info

Was a bit unsure about NI number but they are regulated by the FCA and you can invest under  Stocks/Shares ISA so they need your NI umber

[Beni]

5 hours ago, The Brow said:

Anyone who doesnt have a SIPP and is a higher rate tax payer is missing out massively. Even if you just punt it all on a fund like Fundmith/Gifford Bailley you can claim back 40% of what you put in, and 20% will be paid back in cash, ready for you to invest again next year. 

 

Winner winner. 

 

My own investments recently have all been in AIM stocks like AVCT/TILS/HEMO/VLS - now moved it into a split between Fevertree/Tesla/Wetherspoons/Royal Dutch. They're all effectively half price then 40% off that when I claim the tax back. 

 

It took until 1947 I think, for stock markets to reach the 1929 levels. The helicopter money has helped to stop the kind of precipitous falls seen then, but there's never been an economic shock like this in history. I can't see the v shaped recovery some have predicted, and if there's some unwinding of globalisation a depression might be more likely.

[The Brow]

3 minutes ago, fancy a brew said:

 

It took until 1947 I think, for stock markets to reach the 1929 levels. The helicopter money has helped to stop the kind of precipitous falls seen then, but there's never been an economic shock like this in history. I can't see the v shaped recovery some have predicted, and if there's some unwinding of globalisation a depression might be more likely.

 

I agree but stocks like Royal Shell, Spoons etc are cheap IMO. If you have the cash then last month was the best time ever to buy stocks. Mad gains. 

[Beni]

4 minutes ago, The Brow said:

 

I agree but stocks like Royal Shell, Spoons etc are cheap IMO. If you have the cash then last month was the best time ever to buy stocks. Mad gains. 

 

 

[IronJambo]

1 hour ago, The Brow said:

 

I agree but stocks like Royal Shell, Spoons etc are cheap IMO. If you have the cash then last month was the best time ever to buy stocks. Mad gains. 

Statiscally/mathematically, even if you were to invest at the lowest point of the market every year for 30 years you wouldn't have a dramatic amount more than the unlucky guy that invested at the markets highest point every year for the same 30 years. That's the truth.

I'm not shooting you down there, but the lesson is that it's better to be in than out. Invest the money, rather than trying to time the market and miss out.

[The Brow]

1 minute ago, IronJambo said:

Statiscally/mathematically, even if you were to invest at the lowest point of the market every year for 30 years you wouldn't have a dramatic amount more than the unlucky guy that invested at the markets highest point every year for the same 30 years. That's the truth.

I'm not shooting you down there, but the lesson is that it's better to be in than out. Invest the money, rather than trying to time the market and miss out.

 

I dont follow your first sentence - do you mean trading something like a tracker rather than individual shares? 

 

I trade individual stocks - I'd only use a tracker if I had a few hundred thousand and was nearing retirement. If you invested in almost every random stock at its lowest point, instead of its highest, you'd be up in every case. 

 

I've spent the 9 or so lockdown weeks investing daily. I've invested in each of the non AIM stocks I mentioned in the past fortnight, as I said. 

[IronJambo]

52 minutes ago, The Brow said:

 

I dont follow your first sentence - do you mean trading something like a tracker rather than individual shares? 

 

I trade individual stocks - I'd only use a tracker if I had a few hundred thousand and was nearing retirement. If you invested in almost every random stock at its lowest point, instead of its highest, you'd be up in every case. 

 

I've spent the 9 or so lockdown weeks investing daily. I've invested in each of the non AIM stocks I mentioned in the past fortnight, as I said. 

Yes, I meant if you were investing in index funds. You would clearly be more up if you hit the sweet spot every year but it wouldn't be hugely different. 

[The Brow]

4 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

Yes, I meant if you were investing in index funds. You would clearly be more up if you hit the sweet spot every year but it wouldn't be hugely different. 

 

I see what you mean. 

 

If you want a laugh, look at where a FTSE100 tracker ranked in the list of top funds last year. Think it came 7th yet you have fund managers being paid 8 figure amounts to be completely mediocre at their jobs. 

 

Mental. 

[IronJambo]

Just now, The Brow said:

 

I see what you mean. 

 

If you want a laugh, look at where a FTSE100 tracker ranked in the list of top funds last year. Think it came 7th yet you have fund managers being paid 8 figure amounts to be completely mediocre at their jobs. 

 

Mental. 

Ha, yes. I'm not interested in paying clowns that pretend they can predict the market.

 

"There's going to be a crash...". Of course there is. There's certainly going to be a correction of sorts once a year and nobody knows when it's going to occur. We're going up bottom out on average every 5 years and again, these twats don't know when.

 

I sold 1,000 shares from a BAYE scheme at work in mid February for £1.32 each and bought my Mrs a new watch. The sale covered everything I'd put in and left me with 2,000 shares left. A few weeks later they were at 29p and I joked I should buy 20,000. I didn't, as it's not really my game. I should've though as it took less than a month for them to reach 80p. I reckon I'd get burnt more often than not with moves like that and I'd rather be in for the long haul knowing that it'll make me much more than having the cash in the bank and quite possibly even provide financial independence due to the beauty of compounding.

 

[Ehllhayapeh]

3 hours ago, IronJambo said:

Ha, yes. I'm not interested in paying clowns that pretend they can predict the market.

 

"There's going to be a crash...". Of course there is. There's certainly going to be a correction of sorts once a year and nobody knows when it's going to occur. We're going up bottom out on average every 5 years and again, these twats don't know when.

 

I sold 1,000 shares from a BAYE scheme at work in mid February for £1.32 each and bought my Mrs a new watch. The sale covered everything I'd put in and left me with 2,000 shares left. A few weeks later they were at 29p and I joked I should buy 20,000. I didn't, as it's not really my game. I should've though as it took less than a month for them to reach 80p. I reckon I'd get burnt more often than not with moves like that and I'd rather be in for the long haul knowing that it'll make me much more than having the cash in the bank and quite possibly even provide financial independence due to the beauty of compounding.

 

It depends on your time and your strategy.

 

I read Benjamin Grahams book intelligent investor and found it very useful in terms of spreading risk, identifying my risk appetite and in figuring out my investment horizons.

 

Unless you have time for technical analysis, media searching and other investigative past times its unlikely you can ever time the market.

 

I prefer the idea of putting money in say on a monthly basis and having adjustments/analysis every 6 months and a 3 year time horizon.

 

I find that 3 years is a good time to evaluate a position and react accordingly.

 

 

 

[gjcc]

 Not worth starting a new thread...

 

given the recent surge in the American market, hows everyone getting on?

 

My S&P500 ETF is looking fairly healthy this week despite the election uncertainty and global corona lockdowns. The forecast has changed more positively too. 

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

Is this better than betting on horse racing or on football?

 

to what degree are people investigating the securities they’re investing in? checking accounts applying all the ratios and indicators or more a sector gut feeling ? Where’s the angle that says it cheap?If everyone thinks it’s cheap it soon won’t be cheap if it ever was

 

so many factors so many unknowns actually more than in certain sporting events

 

I’d guess  that any gains within a year couldn’t be ruled-out as being pure random luck

 

 

 

 

[Ribble]

On 19/05/2020 at 20:53, Locky said:

Might try the virtual 50k. I certainly don't have £500.

 

Was think along the lines of a tenner.  

 

You could sign up for something like Wealthsimple, you can set risk level so either low risk like goverment bonds which give a slow and steady small profit or higher risk investments with higher rewards (or losses) and then invest a fixed amount each month (I only stick in 25 a month) they then manage the investements for you. Can pause/cancel anytime you want. I've got about a 2% return over the last 9 months on low risk  

[Pans Jambo]

Step 1 - Open window

 

Step 2 - Throw £500 oot said window

 

Step 3 - Close window and open a bottle of Scotch

[tian447]

53 minutes ago, Pans Jambo said:

Step 1 - Open window

 

Step 2 - Throw £500 oot said window

 

Step 3 - Close window and open a bottle of Scotch

 

[Pans Jambo]

36 minutes ago, tian447 said: