ASX

[MightyEagles]

Buy low, sell high.

[Punk Rooster]

Another option - but get advice - is US real estate. I've heard of houses selling for $6,000 at the moment because banks dont want to have property portfolios and when people default on their mortgages, they are making quick fire sales.

As always, get good advice though!

you have any links?

[devilsadvocate]

Missed out on BHP, but got ANZ instead.

Ballsy.

I got a stack of BHP yesterday at $31. Wish I'd got some RIO, WBC and TCL too, but there's still plenty of time for the latter two. RIO up 15% today.

Great market for picking up Blue Chips cheap. Price earnings on some have fallen to 10x with yields of 7%+. Unheard of bargains given historically PE ratios hover around 15x and yield around 4%. While there's risk around future earnings, at current prices, that risk is priced in big time for many stocks.

Mining not immune - our big buyers would have been buffered by their links to the US market.

I agree it's not toally immune, however our biggest customer is China followed by India. Both economies are still in huge growth phases drivin from internal forces. Yes they sell goods and services to the US, but the vast majority of the US's consumption is domestic produce meaning that when the US slows down it's consumption, it's own production is hardest hit. Often people also turn to cheaper products, which are generally from China and India and that region in general.

So IMO, the mining boom has a long, long, long way to go. The forecasts I've seen suggest that the current dip in metals prices will be short lived, but nobody knows the future. At current prices, I'm looking at plenty of mining (and related) stocks like BHP, RIO, OST, LHG, NCM, ORI, AGS, PDN etc.

[redden whites]

and I have a moral dilemma about being a part owner of Telstra.

Gee Psyber this morality crisis has been going on for a while mate with the Telstra shares  .Although I do remember you got them in the saddest of circumstances so maybe  a sentimental factor is involved here .I hope you can overcome your demons in the near future

[devilsadvocate]

I'm watching the share market, but not changing anything yet.

I'm happy with the longer term outlook of my mainly financial and resource based portfolio.
The only things I may want to dump are some QANTAS shares I inherited, but I'll wait for a rally over the next six months or so. If they fall over it is not a big deal - I have a broad spread.
I also have some Fosters shares I am ambivalent about, and I have a moral dilemma about being a part owner of Telstra.

Long term is the way to look at the stock market. One of my favourite Warren Buffet quotes is "I've never met a rich chartist".

On TLS - I do too given the way they continue to give us such a trip AFL website.

[gadj1976]

Missed out on BHP, but got ANZ instead.

Ballsy.

I got a stack of BHP yesterday at $31. Wish I'd got some RIO, WBC and TCL too, but there's still plenty of time for the latter two. RIO up 15% today.

Great market for picking up Blue Chips cheap. Price earnings on some have fallen to 10x with yields of 7%+. Unheard of bargains given historically PE ratios hover around 15x and yield around 4%. While there's risk around future earnings, at current prices, that risk is priced in big time for many stocks.

It's gone up to 19.30 today so that's a good start. If it stays up I might rid of them and move back to mining. My mining shares are still not even half what they were when I purchased them.

[devilsadvocate]

It's gone up to 19.30 today so that's a good start. If it stays up I might rid of them and move back to mining. My mining shares are still not even half what they were when I purchased them.

The banks here in London are all up 5-15% today, so you should see another decent gain in ANZ and other banks tomorrow. Beware the risks around ANZ's business in Asia - could be some writedowns via secondary exposure to the US. WBC and CBA are the safest bank and NAB has already had a big write down. Although WBC

Sounds like my strategy - taking a short term profit on financials and shifting back into the miners for the med - long term. Keep hold of your miners - if they have good assets, they'll return to favour soon enough.

[gadj1976]

It's gone up to 19.30 today so that's a good start. If it stays up I might rid of them and move back to mining. My mining shares are still not even half what they were when I purchased them.

The banks here in London are all up 5-15% today, so you should see another decent gain in ANZ and other banks tomorrow. Beware the risks around ANZ's business in Asia - could be some writedowns via secondary exposure to the US. WBC and CBA are the safest bank and NAB has already had a big write down. Although WBC

Sounds like my strategy - taking a short term profit on financials and shifting back into the miners for the med - long term. Keep hold of your miners - if they have good assets, they'll return to favour soon enough.

Thanks DA, don't worry I'm going in with eyes wide open. I expect them to rise in the short term then fall again maybe even more then my buy price.

[Psyber]

and I have a moral dilemma about being a part owner of Telstra.

Gee Psyber this morality crisis has been going on for a while mate with the Telstra shares  .Although I do remember you got them in the saddest of circumstances so maybe  a sentimental factor is involved here .I hope you can overcome your demons in the near future

Yes, I think the fact that most of the shares I own came from my sister who died in April 2007 is a factor. So, is the fact that, because she was 78 and had Alzheimer's, my co-executor and I and her accountants have been tracing bits and pieces all over the place. We found another couple of cash management funds nobody had known about only 4 weeks ago. They had become lost between the old accountant, who was also elderly, and the new guy at another firm. Lots of sorting out to do including with the ATO...

However, they have all now been transferred from my sister's estate to me, and then to my self-managed superannuation fund. So now I can make some decisions. I'll wait for the market to recover fully though - I may even go to Telstra's AGM while I am still entitled to and ask a question or two. I've already written to shareholder liaison pointing out things that bother me and have been promised a full response in a brief initial reply. I'll wait and see what I get back.

[Punk Rooster]

is e*trade a feasible place to buy shares?

What's the process involved in buying shares?
I wish to put a modest amount of money in, but having never done it before, am hesitant to move too quickly.

Do I use e*trade, or ring a firm in Adelaide?
How long should the process take, from enquiry to writing the cheque?

[Hondo]

is e*trade a feasible place to buy shares?

What's the process involved in buying shares?
I wish to put a modest amount of money in, but having never done it before, am hesitant to move too quickly.

Do I use e*trade, or ring a firm in Adelaide?
How long should the process take, from enquiry to writing the cheque?

From memory, you regsiter online then print out the application form, sign it and send it in and away you go .... it takes about a week from memory then they send you your access password and your trading password

I think you get a BPay reference you can use to pay money into your trading account by EFT

Guys at work reckon Comm-Sec has cheaper brokerage .... https://www.comsec.com.au/

[Psyber]

is e*trade a feasible place to buy shares?

What's the process involved in buying shares?
I wish to put a modest amount of money in, but having never done it before, am hesitant to move too quickly.

Do I use e*trade, or ring a firm in Adelaide?
How long should the process take, from enquiry to writing the cheque?

From memory, you regsiter online then print out the application form, sign it and send it in and away you go .... it takes about a week from memory then they send you your access password and your trading password

I think you get a BPay reference you can use to pay money into your trading account by EFT

Guys at work reckon Comm-Sec has cheaper brokerage .... https://www.comsec.com.au/

Yes but Commsec charge you to release the shares if you leave their system, but e-trade don't.

[Footy Chick]

is e*trade a feasible place to buy shares?

Whats so rude about that?

[devilsadvocate]

is e*trade a feasible place to buy shares?

What's the process involved in buying shares?
I wish to put a modest amount of money in, but having never done it before, am hesitant to move too quickly.

Do I use e*trade, or ring a firm in Adelaide?
How long should the process take, from enquiry to writing the cheque?

From memory, you regsiter online then print out the application form, sign it and send it in and away you go .... it takes about a week from memory then they send you your access password and your trading password

I think you get a BPay reference you can use to pay money into your trading account by EFT

Guys at work reckon Comm-Sec has cheaper brokerage .... https://www.comsec.com.au/

e*trade is fine, I use Comsec as I was a TD Waterhouse customer, but stuck with Comsec when they took over.

It goes back to what you want to get out of investing. If you want to research companies yourself and make your own decisions about which companies to buy, go the e*trade/comsec account option. If you want advice on which companies to invest in etc, go for a full service broker.

Personally, I think that brokers are full of shite, just like real estate agents, recruitment agents etc (apologies if there's any on here, but from every experience I've had it's true), so wouldn't ever put my blind faith in their recommendations as they're only ever in it to make money for themselves regardless of the implications.

Read some books (Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham is excellent and easy to understand) and make your own investment decisions.

As for the process, Hondo's on the money. I have a Commonwealth CDIA account connected to my brokerage account, which is easy for settling trades, but if you ever want to get your money out of it, the bank makes a total pain in the ass out of withdrawing lump sums.

good luck.

[Punk Rooster]

e*trade also pffers up to $550 in free brokerage- crucial fpr a small invstor like myself

[Amateur Footy]

Rumour has it that ABC Learning have called in the Administrators. Eddie's legacy has finally caught up with those of us foolish enough to have left $$$ in them.

[Hondo]

Rumour has it that ABC Learning have called in the Administrators. Eddie's legacy has finally caught up with those of us foolish enough to have left $$$ in them.

He's been sacked by the shareholders and got a $800K payout

They changed auditors and one of their accounting policies was deemed to be incorrect so their previous 3 years' financials needed to be re-cut and will now show large losses. This meant they were in breach of their lending covenants with their banks.

= not surprised if your rumour is true

This is an example, to me, of forgetting what you were actually in business for. Publicly it was to care for and educate our children - privately it seemed it was to build a big corporate, global empire.

[Punk Rooster]

alright guys, I've entered the stock market!

bought x number of BHP shares at $24.87
watched them go up to $25.10
Hey, i'm new at this, so the novelty will keep me amused for a while.
I plan to be in the market for at least 2 years- depending on what happens.
I'm being flexible, but will not panick-sell.

[devilsadvocate]

alright guys, I've entered the stock market!

bought x number of BHP shares at $24.87
watched them go up to $25.10
Hey, i'm new at this, so the novelty will keep me amused for a while.
I plan to be in the market for at least 2 years- depending on what happens.
I'm being flexible, but will not panick-sell.

Good work! Fortune favours the brave, and only the brave are investing in this market!

I bought a stack of BHP a couple of weeks back too - at 31.70 though.
Not worried as I have the same time frame as you.

IMO, the next 2-3 months will present some bargains the likes of which we probably won't see for another 20+ years. Careful pickings are required though!

[Hondo]

As one of my mates who invests in shares said .... at the moment there's a sale on shares! Granted, he said that 6 months ago and the sale is still on but it's still true

Well done Punky .... it may take a couple of years but I think you'll see some good long-term gains there

If I had some more spare cash I'd tip it in some blue-chip "on sale" shares too