If, seven years ago, you had told me all the extenuating circumstances to come, I might have been hesitant predicting what I did at the time about this model stock portfolio.
Tag Archives financial markets
The Titanium Strength Portfolio keeps plugging along
Investing for Fun and Profit: The portfolio achieved a nice double by its seventh anniversary
Trying to time the market can ravage a portfolio
Investing for Fun & Profit: A commitment to invest in stocks means acceptance of their inherent volatility
Many things perceived as impossible are indeed possible — but some aren’t. I just finished reading a book about many of humanity’s greatest discoveries. A theme throughout was how these potential inventions were scoffed at, yet through persistence inventors accomplished the impossible. One of the most satisfying aspects of my agricultural career was proving the […] Read more
‘Everybody’ is usually wrong — and why it must be so
Overwhelming strength of sentiment, when few buyers or sellers remain, can bend a trend
Everybody is familiar with the colloquial term “Everybody is doing X.” By “X” we don’t mean “formerly Twitter” — everybody has been writing “X (formerly Twitter)” so I thought I would do the opposite. In this case you’re welcome to fill in whatever you wish for X. Salespeople often use the phrase to help sell […] Read more
Economic and market outlook for 2024
If the U.S. avoids recession, Canada's will probably be shallow
It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” One of my favorite prediction quotes comes by way of the legendary baseball player, manager and philosopher, Yogi Berra. This quote, like many of his famous quips, incorporates a meaningful paradox. Following up on my previous column, the TSX ended 2023 with a total return — […] Read more
Utilizing exchange-traded funds in an investment portfolio
Buy broad indexes and hold for long periods of time
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) came into existence in the 1990s in response to the high fees of the mutual fund industry. They provide broad diversification and are traded like stocks. The original premise of ETFs is because the vast majority of mutual fund managers fail to outperform the market, it’s best to simply invest in the […] Read more
Bears, bulls, corrections, pull-backs
Economic downturns can have benefits too
We all love a good bull market, but are uptrending markets always the best for long-term investors? We spend from ages 20 to 60 or even 70 accumulating assets, and only the last 10-30 years cashing them in to live on. Why would we worry about a correction or bear market, unless we are at […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat book multi-month lows
Financial markets continue to drag commodities lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures sank to multi-month lows on Monday on worries about the coronavirus pandemic denting the global economy and chilling end-user demand for commodities, traders said. “The fear is still that it will only get worse as the week unfolds,” said Mark Schultz, chief analyst at Northstar Commodity […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Volatility hampers canola
MarketsFarm — Canola values have been at the mercy of volatile financial markets this week, trading in lockstep with headlines of plummeting crude oil values and stock indices. “We’re getting into a bit of a pattern in the markets,” Ken Ball of P.I. Financial in Winnipeg said, explaining that prices will show some strength, then […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat slide with financial markets
Drop in oil prices adds pressure on corn
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures fell on Friday as the spread of the new coronavirus triggered broad selling in commodities and equities. Wall Street tumbled as fears of economic damage intensified with the global tally of cases crossing 100,000. Financial markets view the virus, which causes a flu-like illness, as the […] Read more
Try these seven keys to less risky stock put-selling
Selling puts is not for the faint of heart, but there are ways to lower your financial risk
I frequently sell puts. This has helped me build the U.S. side of the taxable portfolio I publish in my newsletter from US$37,405 four years ago to US$90,000 today. Over these years I have been put once, had 14 positions expire and have profitably bought out an additional 11 positions. My profits have totaled $29,000 […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
