2018 - How did the Stock Market treat you?

[big zeke]

Still a ways away from retirement, 2018 was doing good until Sept/Oct; didn't give everything back but almost. Year over year netted out about 4-5% up, previous years was double digits. Got a good investment guy, in our year-end chat it was clear he had lost of folks mad at him.

Funny thing, when we are +16% it's all him and his insight...when we are +4% it's the market and totally unavoidable.

I like working so I guess I'll continue.

How about you guys?
Zeke

[RavYak]

Market indices fell last year. If you came out with +4% you did fine. If your guy is making you double digits in good years and 4% in poor years it does sound like you have a good investment guy.

I finished around 11% but only because of one big investment. Was up 27% before markets started falling in the fall...

[fishtank]

Made a little run with gold stock in the last couple of month ..other then that it’s been pretty flat made only a few trades the whole year ,

[mooseknuckle]

Only thing ive ever done was $7500 worth of ACB i believe in feb 2016 @ .42 a share. Sold oct 2018 for $13.60 i believe? Paid off the house and quit while i was ahead.

[buckbrush]

Only thing ive ever done was $7500 worth of ACB i believe in feb 2016 @ .42 a share. Sold oct 2018 for $13.60 i believe? Paid off the house and quit while i was ahead.

Timed that sale perfectly. I would have held until it went back down to $5, no need to be greedy... Congrats.

[Full Metal Jacket]

Did well with the FAANG's and when Facebook stumbled in July,,,sold them all and went to quality...ie.predictable revenue streams, free cash flows and dividend growth....pipeline companies are great value...high dividends, strong growth (business models are misunderstood by most Bay Street talking heads), valuable assets and take or pay contracts like a utility company...collect great cash that is protected by the dividend tax credit and enjoy low volatility during choppy trading. When the idiots at our central banks have to start cutting interest rates again because they are crushing the economy, the dividend stocks will really surge in price. Dont put your eggs in onebasket and know what you are buying and why. So many goòd resources on the web eliminate the need for high priced investment advisors for many retail investors.

[JustBen]

Worst year I’ve had in a while. Finished around 6% growth, but had a couple of major hiccups. Still feel like I’m in a good position for the upcoming year.

[bdub]

Did well with the FAANG's and when Facebook stumbled in July,,,sold them all and went to quality...ie.predictable revenue streams, free cash flows and dividend growth....pipeline companies are great value...high dividends, strong growth (business models are misunderstood by most Bay Street talking heads), valuable assets and take or pay contracts like a utility company...collect great cash that is protected by the dividend tax credit and enjoy low volatility during choppy trading. When the idiots at our central banks have to start cutting interest rates again because they are crushing the economy, the dividend stocks will really surge in price. Dont put your eggs in onebasket and know what you are buying and why. So many goòd resources on the web eliminate the need for high priced investment advisors for many retail investors.



2013/+33.68%, 2014/+19.04%, 2015/+9.85%, 2016/+19.48%, 2017/+19.33%, 2018/-3.77%.

Probably never been a better time for retail investors to successfully navigate investing on their own. As long as you can control the emotional aspects of it and avoid the buy high, sell low trap that many retail investors fall into.

That was an interesting year in stock markets. We had the worst decline in US stocks in the month of December since 1931. The US markets came to the edge of bear market territory from their highs in the summer. Most markets around the world are already in a bear market. Many stocks are down 20, 30, 40 plus percent. Not much was safe this year other than cash and some defensive names.

Passive investing hasn't been great for investors in the Canadian market for the last few years. The TSX is at the same level today as it was back in March of 2014.

Summary of 2018. The TSX ended last year at 16209 and this year at 14322, -11.64%. Dow 24719-23327, -5.63. SP 500 2673-2506, -6.25.

Lots of retail investors are going to be opening their year end statements from their advisors, banks, mutual fund providers to find they are down a good deal more than the market this year. If you were lucky enough to do better than your market benchmark, consider it a success. Look at what your portfolios have done over a longer time frame than one year. Even the greatest investors suffer sever drawdowns from time to time.

2019 is shaping up to be as interesting as last year. Trump, the FED, elections coming up, the trade war ... and for sure a few surprises will be moving markets.

Best of luck and Happy New Year everyone.

[HoytCRX32]

2013/+33.68%, 2014/+19.04%, 2015/+9.85%, 2016/+19.48%, 2017/+19.33%, 2018/-3.77%.

Probably never been a better time for retail investors to successfully navigate investing on their own. As long as you can control the emotional aspects of it and avoid the buy high, sell low trap that many retail investors fall into.

That was an interesting year in stock markets. We had the worst decline in US stocks in the month of December since 1931. The US markets came to the edge of bear market territory from their highs in the summer. Most markets around the world are already in a bear market. Many stocks are down 20, 30, 40 plus percent. Not much was safe this year other than cash and some defensive names.

Passive investing hasn't been great for investors in the Canadian market for the last few years. The TSX is at the same level today as it was back in March of 2014.

Summary of 2018. The TSX ended last year at 16209 and this year at 14322, -11.64%. Dow 24719-23327, -5.63. SP 500 2673-2506, -6.25.

Lots of retail investors are going to be opening their year end statements from their advisors, banks, mutual fund providers to find they are down a good deal more than the market this year. If you were lucky enough to do better than your market benchmark, consider it a success. Look at what your portfolios have done over a longer time frame than one year. Even the greatest investors suffer sever drawdowns from time to time.

2019 is shaping up to be as interesting as last year. Trump, the FED, elections coming up, the trade war ... and for sure a few surprises will be moving markets.

Best of luck and Happy New Year everyone.


You give me some hope...Scotia Wealth was not particularly good to me this year....will be having a talk with them.

[pikergolf]

Just did my books this AM. .49% in the black, if I had checked it last week I would have been in the red. I have about 66% in cash, waiting for the market to tumble. I am too old to sink money into the market when it is up, at my age I'll ride one last upswing, hopefully. :scared0018:

[FishHunterPro]

Not to sure about how I finished off but dec 1st I was down -1.01% for the year on my tfsa and my other account was -0.26 for the year. Now I’m curious to see how they finished off. I haven’t been killing it on my one that’s down -0.26 for December it’s was sitting at 5% overall. I think I’m just going to pull it all and drop it on my mortgage this year because I have a renew it.

[bdub]

Apple issued a profit warning today. Shares were halted today and then fell around 8% after market. Could be a rough day tomorrow, a once trillionish dollar company signalling slowing business. The trade war is starting to hurt.

[Justfishin73]

Well, I can almost walk straight again.....:sign0176:

[Sloughsharkjigger]

Apple issued a profit warning today. Shares were halted today and then fell around 8% after market. Could be a rough day tomorrow, a once trillionish dollar company signalling slowing business. The trade war is starting to hurt.

I was warned of this a few years ago... the bottom line. Apple is dependent on China for all of those “little micro thingys” which go into Apple products. Even harder to accept China makes those “thingys” for far less than Apple can even imagine.

If Apple had to manufacture these parts on-shore our devices would be three-times the cost.

[Skoaltender]

Pension got slammed hard at -5.7%, my stocks also went red and fell just short of -5%. 2018 kicked my arse to say the least. Managed to pick up some dirt cheap oil shares for a long term hold.

[bdub]

Something really strange going on with the Japanese Yen aftermarket as well. Big moves in that currency. Bloomberg is calling it a Flash Crash as the Yen moves 8% V.S. AUS$. Thats seems pretty darn crazy to me. Gold keeps sneaking up here to, both considered safe haven assets. Wonder what the hecks going on?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-02/yen-surge-algos-set-off-flash-crash-moves-in-currency-market

[Albertacoyotecaller]

So what are we investing in this year? I did ok but could always do better.

[fishtank]

So what are we investing in this year? I did ok but could always do better.

Right now iam 70% cash and 15% gold and 15% misc tech/ oil( In the red )

[TimeOff]

Hey fella's, this a petition that has just been created to address the problems with the market for retail investors like ourselves. It was created by a bunch of pretty smart fellows on another investing forum I frequent. If you click on the link, it explains in detail the topics we would like addressed. In short, holding Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) accountable and do their job! Creating fair trading practices on the Canadian Exchanges.
By signing it, it will link thru to the parliamentary petition. It would behove all of us retail investors to support this, it will not only help us but help the companies that have had their stock manipulated wildly by traders and not investors.
https://www.change.org/p/iiroc-combating-hft-s-and-market-manipulation?recruiter=623132924&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

[Map Maker]

Yes, pretty amazing times.
Donal trump goes on the news and said he is going to make “the wall” out of steel, not concrete. American steel.

Steel stocks surge.
The trillion dollar markets are balanced on a dime.

[DiabeticKripple]

i cashed out all my company stock in jan 2018, did decent on that. i put 10% of my paycheques in and company shares tanked 50% so i got burned in the first 6 months. just picked up some cheap shares so we will see where 2019 takes them.

Hopefully oil recovers.

[Dean2]

Saw this in the "Herman" comic striup

Wife says; " Honey I don't mean to worry you but the guy that just delivered our pizza is your financial advisor."

[alex8486]

R/now is good time to buy mj shares. ACB, WEED, APHA, HEXO, TGOD, CRON.

[Dean2]

R/now is good time to buy mj shares. ACB, WEED, APHA, HEXO, TGOD, CRON.

You think so? Have you checked the P/E ratios on these stocks, and the balance sheets? Lowest are over 70 and the highest are over 500. Canopy Growth doesn't even have a P?E because it has never made money. That means it will take between 70 and 500 years of earnings to justify the current stock price. Even at 30% a year growth in volume those are REALLY high P/E ratios.

Smaller companies who are takeout targets may be worth a look but even then it is kind of good if they actually make a profit.

[Skytop B]

You think so? Have you checked the P/E ratios on these stocks, and the balance sheets? Lowest are over 70 and the highest are over 500. Canopy Growth doesn't even have a P?E because it has never made money. That means it will take between 70 and 500 years of earnings to justify the current stock price. Even at 30% a year growth in volume those are REALLY high P/E ratios.

Smaller companies who are takeout targets may be worth a look but even then it is kind of good if they actually make a profit.

Yup, that bubble burst a year ago... That said I did ok trading WEED last week.
Been day trading MAXR.TO for the last week, easy money... Volume drying up now, could go either way.

[Dean2]

Yup, that bubble burst a year ago... That said I did ok trading WEED last week.

Made some good money on Weed stocks when they were running like newly discovered diamond mines. Sold them all a month before the legalised sale date happened. Just like all stock rushes on these kind of stocks, .com, Bre-X, the Diamond mines and now Cannabis, they go up like crazy on speculation and drop like a stone when actual production kicks in. Good money to be made if you understand the pattern but once actual production is there, fundamentals re-assert themselves every time.

[bigbuck]

Anyone have a position in FDM? (Fandom sports) I bought in a little high over a year ago. Just curious your thoughts?

[HalfBreed]

After I lost thousands of shirts with Nortel I got super scared of the market until my uncle kicked me back on to the horse. He had gifted me a number of shares upon gradding high school and again when I finished basic training. He worked at BCTel at the time and told me to pick up some BCE which I did. He also told me to watch for a merger between BCTel and AGT and to buy in when it went public which I did. That section of my portfolio has been solid as well as precious metals. All my dividends are handled by my broker in what he knows. So far so good, even picked up another hundred or so shares in Telus a few years ago and it's moved up about $10 a share so time to move that as I intended to do so. It's a crazy gamble if one watches the markets daily, I try to ignore the roller coaster and pay attention to executive positioning in the specific industries as much as possible. I'm certainly a gun shy player after that first hit.

[Map Maker]

You got some good ones there.
Diversity a bit by buying TD bank, fortis

Then you don’t have to watch the market as your dividends will just keep rolling in.