Karel's Mechanical Fund

[Karel]

OK, so I have committed myself to the POTW thingy. I use this as a way to focus my renewed interest in Mechanical Investing (MI). Simply speaking, MI uses screens, just picks a predefined number of stocks from a screen, usually the Top 5 or so, and holds them for a fixed period, usually a month. You'll find more info on MI on www.fool.com (pay site), on one of their discussion forums. MI is no longer a focus for the Fool, but it was that forum that clinched my decision to start investing in the US. (And it was the forum where I met Mr. Market, who convinced me to be just a bit less mechanical.)

My main disappointment with MI was due to complicated screens that were doing things that I didn't understand but showed excellent results in the backtester. They subsequently broke down. Now I want to retry with a very simple screen, in MI lingo: RS26 1-10 HTD 25. Or, unabbreviated: take the RS26 screen (all Value Line stocks with Timeliness 1, ranked on 26 week Total Return), buy the top 10, hold a stock 'til it drops below rank 25, and then buy the highest ranked stock not owned. Dumb. Mechanical. I like it.

Here is the current top 10:
SNDK, CMCO, SWN, CRDN, RHAT, CME, GES, JLG, CELL, GYMB

The fund will buy them at the next open in equal $$$ amounts. The fund starts out (like every Marketocracy fund), with $1,000,000 in assets, and a NAV of $10.00

Regards,

Karel

[Lyehopper]

Marketocracy Hmmmmm....

I like that term Karel. Sounds like a good name for a 3rd party in US politics. The Markocrats! I can see it now!.... Ross Perot will have NOTHING on US here dude.... as we start our own POLITICAL PARTY! We'll take over the world! Jiesen how do ya like the sound of that dude? hehehehe.

NOW?....Do I have to ask who we'll run for our president?....
who? Who? WHO?!!!.... YES!!! $$$Mr. MARKET$$$ for president of the Markocratic Party!!!! Who's with me?!!!! Let's hear it for the HUGE ONE!!! If we all nominate HIM for the ultimate office maybe..... JUST MAYBE!!!!.... he'll play in the the POTW?!!!! lol

[Karel]

Well, you'll find marketocracy at www.marketocracy.com (surprise!) and there is also a public page for my fund. Note: this doesn't show the stocks held, those are SECRET! There isn't a lot to see yet, of course.

Regards,

Karel

[spikefader]

That rankings page shows some nice returns. Must be some clever dudes over there!

Nice chart for the Marketocracy Fund...

[Lyehopper]

cool site....

Well, you'll find marketocracy at www.marketocracy.com (surprise!) and there is also a public page for my fund. Note: this doesn't show the stocks held, those are SECRET! There isn't a lot to see yet, of course.

Regards,

Karel

Is there ANYTHING to see yet?.... Where exactly are you from Karel?.... Guess I could look on Doug's map.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6428/karelfund1sf.png

[Karel]

Yup, I rather stand out on that map. I am from the Netherlands (as mentioned in my profile...). On Marketocracy I am Qarel, probably because Karel (just say Carl) was already taken, or I didn't even bother trying. About the translator part: I translate from English and German to Dutch (Nederlands), mostly computer stuff. I can order beer in Nederlands (of course), English (obviously), German, French, Italian and Spanish; it's one of the first things you learn on vacation.

Regards,

Karel

[Lyehopper]

I'd like to see the Netherlands!

Yup, I rather stand out on that map. I am from the Netherlands (as mentioned in my profile...). On Marketocracy I am Qarel, probably because Karel (just say Carl) was already taken, or I didn't even bother trying. About the translator part: I translate from English and German to Dutch (Nederlands), mostly computer stuff. I can order beer in Nederlands (of course), English (obviously), German, French, Italian and Spanish; it's one of the first things you learn on vacation.

Regards,

Karel

Netherlands huh?.... Wonder how GoJi's would grow there?lol.... Seriously, Is there much farm land for sale in the Netherlands? Do you cats much raise beef over there? Post me some Netherlands farming pictures dude!

I remember (from 6th grade) I had this teacher (Miss Casto, I thought she was a fox!) that loved the Netherlands (I think it was the Netherlands) anyway she had pictures of her vacations there.... there was this inlet (cove) where fish would get stranded when the tide moved out.... MILLIONS of fish!.... and you could just scoop them out with your hands.... It's the only thing I remember from the sixth grade.... I only remember that because I love to fish.... the rest of the time I was trying to see down her blouse.

[Karel]

I haven't been looking for farm land lately. Interesting fun fact from the General information section of http://www.nederland.nl/index_en.html : "(did you know that) with only 0.008% of the world's area, the Netherlands is the world's third largest agricultural exporter?"

Our 'beef' is mostly milk producing, read cheese, Cheese, CHEESE: Edam, Gouda, Leiden, and lots of lesser known cheeses. Lots of pork, and poultry too, and sea fish. Free farm land is hard to come by, although the agricultural sector is in flux right now, with the borders between the countries of the European Union coming down. Perhaps GoJi berries could be a nice alternative for some farmers.

I don't know about coves: we have a sandy coast and dunes (not counting the dikes). The Waddenzee is a great big tidal area between the mainland and a string of islands along the coast, where something like that could happen. It doesn't loom large in my consciousness. People might hunt there for shellfish at low tide.

Regards,

Karel

[Lyehopper]

I Love Cheese!!!!

Our 'beef' is mostly milk producing, read cheese, Cheese, CHEESE: Edam, Gouda, Leiden, and lots of lesser known cheeses.

Regards,

Karel

In Bedford county VA we call that "Dairy" cattle.... Not "milk producing beef".teeheehee.

Hey! ya'll got any Kraft singles? A very well known cheese here!

[IIC]

Lye...Since you are so into farming...I gotta great propostion for you...This is actually ranching...but close enough.

Recently there has been a huge interest in Cat Fur Coats in Paraguay and most recently in the Falkland Islands...It is sure to take off all over South America and then the world.

So here's the investment opportunity of a lifetime...which I'm offering to you first.

We purchase some cheapo land up in Wyoming.

On one parcel we open a Cat Farm...we could start w/ 1,000 female cats and about 50 males. Now the cats breed at the rate of 3x a yr w/ litters of 4 each time. Prime Cat Fur is about 4 years old.

There are a lot of outta work cowboys nowadays so we hire a few which we will call CatBoys to take care of and skin the cats.

Our biggest expense will be food for the cats...But I've got that all figured out...On the neighboring parcel we open a Rat Farm.

Since the rats breed 10 times faster than the cats...There's our food supply...We can hire some RatBoys to tend to the rats.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself..."Sounds like a winner...But what do the rats eat"?...Heck, I've thought of everything...We feed the
carcasses of the skinned cats to the rats.

Are you in???

[jiesen]

Lye...Since you are so into farming...I gotta great propostion for you...This is actually ranching...but close enough.

Recently there has been a huge interest in Cat Fur Coats in Paraguay and most recently in the Falkland Islands...It is sure to take off all over South America and then the world.

So here's the investment opportunity of a lifetime...which I'm offering to you first.

We purchase some cheapo land up in Wyoming.

On one parcel we open a Cat Farm...we could start w/ 1,000 female cats and about 50 males. Now the cats breed at the rate of 3x a yr w/ litters of 4 each time. Prime Cat Fur is about 4 years old.

There are a lot of outta work cowboys nowadays so we hire a few which we will call CatBoys to take care of and skin the cats.

Our biggest expense will be food for the cats...But I've got that all figured out...On the neighboring parcel we open a Rat Farm.

Since the rats breed 10 times faster than the cats...There's our food supply...We can hire some RatBoys to tend to the rats.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself..."Sounds like a winner...But what do the rats eat"?...Heck, I've thought of everything...We feed the
carcasses of the skinned cats to the rats.

Are you in???

Doug, that's disgusting! You'll start a mad cat flu plague!

[jiesen]

My rat cousin says: Please don't feed me to a cat!

ok, I'm bored- I need to go out and get a drink.

[spikefader]

lol jiesen.

ya, sound a little inhumane to me IIC, not that I think you're actually serious .... are ya??!

I was going to post a pic of the skinning process, but thought better of it. I might make billyjoe and/or his wife sick to the stomach on top of what I did earlier to them with that european commercial for Kaffe drink, and that wouldn't be fair all in one night hehe I'm just about to post billyjoe and his first lady an apology

[Lyehopper]

Lets do it....

Lye...Since you are so into farming...I gotta great propostion for you...This is actually ranching...but close enough.

Recently there has been a huge interest in Cat Fur Coats in Paraguay and most recently in the Falkland Islands...It is sure to take off all over South America and then the world.

So here's the investment opportunity of a lifetime...which I'm offering to you first.

We purchase some cheapo land up in Wyoming.

On one parcel we open a Cat Farm...we could start w/ 1,000 female cats and about 50 males. Now the cats breed at the rate of 3x a yr w/ litters of 4 each time. Prime Cat Fur is about 4 years old.

There are a lot of outta work cowboys nowadays so we hire a few which we will call CatBoys to take care of and skin the cats.

Our biggest expense will be food for the cats...But I've got that all figured out...On the neighboring parcel we open a Rat Farm.

Since the rats breed 10 times faster than the cats...There's our food supply...We can hire some RatBoys to tend to the rats.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself..."Sounds like a winner...But what do the rats eat"?...Heck, I've thought of everything...We feed the
carcasses of the skinned cats to the rats.

Are you in???

LOL.... Hell Yeah! I'm in Doug.... And I thought Spikefader was the genius around here.lol

I think I can help save the operation some money right out of the gate! In beef cattle we only need one bull for every 30-40 brood cows. I'm sure a similar ratio will work for cats too.

If this thing really takes off.... One day, "Wall Street" might refer to a booming stock market as.... a "Tom Market". BTW I think "lean cat" actually makes pretty good general Tso's chicken. keep an open mind.lol

[IIC]

OK...I was waiting for Lye's response...Before I let the "Cat outta The Bag"...This was a hoax that I read about in one of the old People's Almanacs back in the 70's....or early '80s???

I'm not really inhumane...and I made some of the details up...But here is the hoax:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/disposal/catrat.htm

http://www.messybeast.com/urbancat.htm#ranch