LAZY DOG Picks

[Deaddog]

Deaddog, Link works fine. You sure don't take big losses or big gains. Why don't you hold longer ?

---------------billy

Billy; thanks for the feedback. New program to take screenshots and I wasn’t sure how it would work.

Why don’t I hold stocks longer? Mostly because I trade for income and I don’t get any income if I don’t sell.

I try and take small bites out of the market. Lots of little bites add up to a mouthful eventually. I endeavor to keep losses small to protect my capital. No capital. No income!!

I’m looking for a return that is 3 times my risk. (Risk = difference between where I enter and where I place my stop) So if my risk is a ½% move my target is only a 1 ½% move. That doesn’t seem like much but it adds up over a number of trades.
I size my trades as a percentage of my capital. Right now I’m risking less than ½ %. The column on the spreadsheet that is most important is the last one. That is realized gain as a percentage of the capital in my account.

Once a position gets near my target I tighten up the stop so that I realize some profit.

May was a pretty good month. If I could make 6% every month I’d have returns of 72%/year which would make me very happy.

This morning I bought AOL @ 34.77 and PCL @ 48.48

[billyjoe]

Trying to find an easy way to show trades;

Here is a link to the trades I closed in May.

http://screencast.com/t/yfG3CHoU

It opens in my computer but not sure anyone else can open the link.
Appreciate some feedback. Thanks

Deaddog, Link works fine. You sure don't take big losses or big gains. Why don't you hold longer ?

---------------billy

[Deaddog]

May trades:

Trying to find an easy way to show trades;

Here is a link to the trades I closed in May.

http://screencast.com/t/yfG3CHoU

It opens in my computer but not sure anyone else can open the link.
Appreciate some feedback. Thanks

[Deaddog]

My trades this year.

[mrmarket]

Doggie...Hope you continue to weigh in on what the rest of us are doing.

[billyjoe]

Deaddog,
Good job. I'm sure most would be thrilled with 7.55% .We've all learned from this year and have to believe things will get better. If we stick to our plans we'll eventually hit the big year.

-------------------billy

[Deaddog]

ANF: Sold @ 47.55
Gain of 3.98% or 0.45% of Capital.

There you have it Boys and Girls; A years worth of trading.
Worked out to exactly 100 trades.
34 winners
47 losers
19 break-even (worked out to +0.01% of capital)
Gain for the year worked out to 7.55%

My winners were only 1.9% greater than my losers.(I plan for at least 3 times greater) This was mainly caused by taking the portfolio to cash when I wasn’t able to access the internet.

I did cut back on the amount I was willing to risk on each trade during a losing streak(10 losses in a row) and am slowly working my way back up.

It was a tough year for trading. One of the poor years you have to expect from time to time and fortunately I have had much better years and have a cash reserve to live off.

I accomplished goal #1 I preserved my capital.
I fell short of goal # 2 which was to handily our perform my dividend account.

I won’t be posting trades next year. I started posting for a couple reasons. Mainly for discipline. Posting to a forum makes it tougher to ignore your own plan. Having to explain why you said you would do something and then didn’t, even to people you don’t know, seems to be quite a motivator to stick to the plan. Secondly to show that trading in and out of the market is an option for investors. I’m not sure I convinced anyone but 7.5% return (Taxed as capital gains) is better than a savings account.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and the best over the holidays.

[Deaddog]

TC:
Sold the last of the position bought in May for 3.82
Sold @ 3.88
Gain of 1.57% or 1.14% of capital.
Getting out for year end to keep things simple.

[Deaddog]

Made a couple of pre set trades this afternoon while fighting Vancouver traffic after a snow fall.

CBOE:
Bought Nov 20 & 23 average price = 29.445
Sold @ 29.49
A break even trade. Gain of 0.02% of capital.

TC: Bought on May 31 @ 3.42
Sold @ 4.25
Gain of 24.27% or 1.03% of capital.

This leaves 2 positions open which I will wind up on Friday so that I go into the New Year all in cash.

[Deaddog]

TC;
Bought [email protected]
Sold @ 4.16
Gain of 24.18% or 1.0% of capital.

[mrmarket]

DDD:
Sold @ 49.50
Gain of 13.14% or 1.43% of capital.

This stock is cooking with gas.

[Deaddog]

DDD:
Buy @ 43.75
Stop = 42.95 Initial target = 49
Capital at risk = 0.20%

DDD:
Sold @ 49.50
Gain of 13.14% or 1.43% of capital.

[Deaddog]

TC:
Picked up another chunk of TC @ 2.85

Sold @ 3.55
Gain of 24.56% or 0.86% of capital.

[Deaddog]

FMC:
Sold on Thursday @ 53.06
Loss of 1.92% or 0.53% of Capital

[Deaddog]

FMC:
Buy @ 54.10
Stop = 53.48 Initial target= 55.95
Capital at risk = 0.31%