Stocks and Shares

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Tue May 30, 2017 11:50 pm

Anyone on here trade online?

I have invested little bits before without really studying or paying much attention to it and invested bit into a few SAYE schemes which were no brainers. But wanting to get into 'proper' trading a little more.

Anyone a company they would or wouldnt recommend using? I did register with Hargreaves Lansdowne before but havent actually used them yet. So any feedback on these or similar would be appreciated.

Understand (most of) the risks and accept I could lose as well as win. So will just be investing small, affordable amounts initially. Aim is not to get rich overnight but more to hopefully make money over a long term and also as a hobby / interest.

A few companies and industries I would probably focus on initially, not because I have any information specifically other than an interest and knowledge in and of them.

Thanks in advance.

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Tue May 30, 2017 11:55 pm

A lot of the big brokers let you try your arm on a virtual version before you put your money in so you get a feel for it. That is how I got to understand it.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:00 am

elwaclaret wrote:A lot of the big brokers let you try your arm on a virtual version before you put your money in so you get a feel for it. That is how I got to understand it.

I have got trading 212 on my phone, just been playing about with that to get used to things. I kind of want as little temptation to buy and sell quickly as possible though. I want a long term investment plan so if something is particularly volatile it doesnt bother me.

PaintYorkClaretnBlue · Post by **PaintYorkClaretnBlue** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:50 am

I use hl to purchase funds for long term investment, I don't know what I'm doing enough to purchase individual shares. Their fees seem very reasonable as does their analysis of different funds.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:57 am

PaintYorkClaretnBlue wrote:I use hl to purchase funds for long term investment, I don't know what I'm doing enough to purchase individual shares. Their fees seem very reasonable as does their analysis of different funds.

Thanks. So do you let them decide where to invest rather than choose a business or industry yourself?

PaintYorkClaretnBlue · Post by **PaintYorkClaretnBlue** » Wed May 31, 2017 5:54 am

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Thanks. So do you let them decide where to invest rather than choose a business or industry yourself?

Go onto the site and look at the "wealth 150+", that is what they consider to be the best funds. You can then read about each fund, it's level or risk etc and choose the ones that are right for you. I chose four funds with an overall medium risk and they're doing very well. The advantage of using a fund over choosing your own individual shares is that an experienced fund manager is choosing them for you, all that you have to do is pick your own fund.
Hl also allow you to invest monthly into funds for as little at £25/monther per fund.

Since September 2015 my four funds are up 12.08%, 12.27%, 16.27% and 36.1% giving an average of 19.16%.

JegunClaret · Post by **JegunClaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 7:36 am

Cannot recommend Hargreaves Lansdown highly enough. They are not the cheapest but give a first class service. If you have a telephone query they could not be more helpful.
My advice (for what it is worth) is to start slowly and be patient. Do not trade too much as this racks up costs. Have a look at Investment Trusts on the HL site. These are funds which invest in individual companies and usually are invested in themes i.e.. Technology, Biotech, USA, China, etc. etc.
My most successful Investment Trust is Scottish Mortgage which is up over 50% in the last 2.5years.
My most successful share is Burnley's own Boohoo (speculative and not for the faint hearted) which has more than doubled over the last 12 months.
Good advice if buying individual shares is to run your winners and cut your losers. There will always be losers but you must get out before losing all your money.
A good book to read is The Naked Trader by Robbie Burns which is easy reading and very helpful. He also has a website which is interesting.
Best of luck.

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Wed May 31, 2017 7:41 am

I carry out a high number of trades..mainly claculated to take advantage of daily, or even hourly fluctuations...very small margins but using technology to time all trades.

I make my own decisions and use the cheapest broking service available. I prefer to line my own pockets than those of the Home Countie's finest.

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 31, 2017 8:04 am

AJ Bell are miles cheaper than HL. Manchester based, got a good app, got a good site. A stocks and shares ISA would be be your best place to start

Personally I'm a fan of these funds, among others
Unicorn UK Income
Axa Framlington Managed Income
First State Global Listed Infrastructure
Henderson European Growth
Woodford's Equity Income has picked up

Also a good US Tracker is excellent value. Blackrock is my favourite.

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 31, 2017 8:16 am

Link for AJ Bell: https://www.youinvest.co.uk

Hendrickxz · Post by **Hendrickxz** » Wed May 31, 2017 8:38 am

HL are among the most expensive but do provides lots of background and research. For funds only in an S&S ISA Cavendish online are much more reasonable but you do your own research from their Fund database. They are 0.2 per cent cheaper than HL, which doesn't sound a lot but it fairly adds up over the years.

PIE · Post by **PIE** » Wed May 31, 2017 9:07 am

I use HL and can highly recommend it. My advice would be to do your research and select a strategy that works for you, but overall, get stuck in. I've bought and held individual shares in the past, but I now only have funds and plan for it to be that way for at least the next five years. Keep a close eye on overall costs to hold the funds. I hold tracker funds with ultra low costs to get exposure to the global developed markets, but then use managed funds to access markets where individual management may benefit, such as emerging markets and small cap UK companies.

UpTheBeehole · Post by **UpTheBeehole** » Wed May 31, 2017 9:18 am

There is a Money Saving Expert guide to Stocks and Shares ISAs, which i've found useful in the past.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/saving ... hares-isas

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Wed May 31, 2017 9:53 am

Thanks all so far

pureclaret · Post by **pureclaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:18 am

I have used HL and have found them very helpful both on line and over the phone will give help (not advice) but point out things that may not be what you want as well as what you want. I have an interest for income providing shares/trusts as if in ISA now £40k per couple any income is then tax free.
Or reinvest the income for fund growth. Also they will sort out any transfers of cash ISA to keep tax free status.

dushanbe · Post by **dushanbe** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:23 am

What are you trying to do here, trade or invest? If you are investing then Charles Stanley's platform is good and allows monthly investments from £50 a fund, without a trading fee. You can make irregular investments into it too, if you want to swap things around month by month. I use CS for a stocks and shares ISA because of this ability on the platform and Hargreaves Lansdown for my SIPP because its cheaper.

I'd look at a mix of managed and tracker funds. The Vantage tracker funds are excellent, cheap and their Lifestrategy funds provide almost a complete solution to most needs, with 40%, 60% and 80% equity investments and the rest going into bonds and gilts. A pretty diversified entry right there without having to think about it too much.

Also, have a look at this site which is a massive advocate of tracker funds. http://monevator.com/

UpTheBeehole · Post by **UpTheBeehole** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:28 am

The Hargreaves of Hargreaves Lansdown is from Clitheroe. Net worth of £2.3bn.

Garlick should be onto him if we want a rich investor.

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:30 am

We're fans of the Vantage Lifestrategy funds here Dushanbe, in fact I was reviewing the 40% fund first thing today. So cheap too.

RingoMcCartney · Post by **RingoMcCartney** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:37 am

An alternative to buying and selling lump sums and trying to "beat the market" . Is investing a regular monthly amount. Either in a batch of specific shares or a fund or funds. By making regular purchases regardless of the short term swings you'll benefit from pound cost averaging. It's possibly a way of reducing short term risk. If you like the idea of buying and selling and being able to pit your wits then the pound cost averaging route wouldn't be for you. Good luck.

International class · Post by **International class** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:47 am

Both online

I use Jarvis stockbrokers for individual share transactions.

For unit trusts I run them on the Cofunds platform. It's free to switch between funds and the ongoing charge is around 0.2% per annum for the portfolio.

If your investment horizon is more that 5 years then unit trusts are the way to go. Returns from deposit accounts are pitiful and likely to remain so.

Been investing for 30 years and retired (55 years old) and live off the income generated by the unit trusts.

The sooner you start the better. Even Einstein dabbled in the stock market and said "compounding is the eighth wonder of the world".

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:48 am

RingoMcCartney wrote:An alternative to buying and selling lump sums and trying to "beat the market" . Is investing a regular monthly amount. Either in a batch of specific shares or a fund or funds. By making regular purchases regardless of the short term swings you'll benefit from pound cost averaging. It's possibly a way of reducing short term risk. If you like the idea of buying and selling and being able to pit your wits then the pound cost averaging route wouldn't be for you. Good luck.

I think the initial aim while i develop more knowledge and experience is exactly that. Invest a regular amount over a couple of years.

But would also like to get more 'into it' over time.

aggi · Post by **aggi** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:56 am

I use Nutmeg for a stocks and shares ISA. Investments are managed by them (I don't really have the time to devote to picking shares) on the basis of the risk profile and timescale that you set up so the fee is relatively high but it has performed well for minimal effort on my side since I've started using them.

For your own investments, this is a good site for comparing the various online brokers http://monevator.com/compare-uk-cheapes ... e-brokers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You mention that you'd focus on a few companies/industries to start with. The obvious risk there is if that industry suffers problems (e.g. new legislation) then it can hit your whole portfolio. It's also worth looking at tracker funds such as S&P 500 ETF or FTSE100 tracker which are much more diversified.

RingoMcCartney · Post by **RingoMcCartney** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:58 am

cricketfieldclarets wrote:I think the initial aim while i develop more knowledge and experience is exactly that. Invest a regular amount over a couple of years.

But would also like to get more 'into it' over time.

Which ever route you go down, you may want think more of 5 years than a couple.
When you get to your first million buy us a pint!

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Wed May 31, 2017 11:05 am

aggi wrote:I use Nutmeg for a stocks and shares ISA. Investments are managed by them (I don't really have the time to devote to picking shares) on the basis of the risk profile and timescale that you set up so the fee is relatively high but it has performed well for minimal effort on my side since I've started using them.

For your own investments, this is a good site for comparing the various online brokers http://monevator.com/compare-uk-cheapes ... e-brokers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You mention that you'd focus on a few companies/industries to start with. The obvious risk there is if that industry suffers problems (e.g. new legislation) then it can hit your whole portfolio. It's also worth looking at tracker funds such as S&P 500 ETF or FTSE100 tracker which are much more diversified.

Yeah understand the risk on putting more eggs in less baskets. But idea was that i know more about some industries than others. Plus its money i can afford to lose.

dushanbe · Post by **dushanbe** » Wed May 31, 2017 11:21 am

Walton wrote:We're fans of the Vantage Lifestrategy funds here Dushanbe, in fact I was reviewing the 40% fund first thing today. So cheap too.

Yeah, I've set up an 80% for my kids in a JISA, pretty much invest and forget for 15 years.

Alanstevensonsgloves · Post by **Alanstevensonsgloves** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:12 pm

There was once a thread on the old site that tipped certain companies. Think one was called Gulf Keystone and was around 400p or something. I bought and not long after the price rose - happy days! Then the price plummeted and I lost a bit.

As always, do your own research!!

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:22 pm

I bought and sold shares for years.
My recommendation would be to buy The Naked Trader book, about 4 quid on eBay. There a wealth of info in there.
I used to buy shares in a block based on £1,000. It made calculation easier.
Best share was Gulf keystone, bought at 6.8pence and sold at just under a £1.
Worst was Northern rock. Bought £1,000 of shares, when they went bust I lost the lot.

pompeyclaret · Post by **pompeyclaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:22 pm

I use Beaufont securities for my individual trades. Have always made a decent return from some big names in trouble (BP, Tesco, Lloyds..) but its a calculated risk, and I'm not investing too much. Only £8 a trade and no annual charges.

If you're using Nutmeg or Moneyfarm, you can cashback from cashback sites (like topcashback/ quidco). Rates change all the time, but is a welcome bonus- I have £170 from Nutmeg, although its only £110 at the moment.

PIE · Post by **PIE** » Wed May 31, 2017 12:57 pm

International class wrote:Both online

Been investing for 30 years and retired (55 years old) and live off the income generated by the unit trusts.

The sooner you start the better. Even Einstein dabbled in the stock market and said "compounding is the eighth wonder of the world".

This is where I hope to be at 55. Investing as much as I can now and topping up when there are market dips.

levraiclaret · Post by **levraiclaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 1:29 pm

Walton wrote: Personally I'm a fan of these funds, among others
Unicorn UK Income
Axa Framlington Managed Income
First State Global Listed Infrastructure
Henderson European Growth
Woodford's Equity Income has picked up

Also a good US Tracker is excellent value. Blackrock is my favourite.

What attributes of these funds make you favour them? If you don't mind me enquiring.

One tactic that I use with my ISA is subscribing to Investors Chronicle to identify shares that meet my investment criteria.

Good response from the UTCers as usual.

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 31, 2017 1:51 pm

The First State fund's discrete performance was great over the Global slump 12-24, and has been top quartile consistently over 5 years. Infrastructure focus is key with Trump's aims, plus our own infrastructure projects.

AXA Fram MI is a very strong performing bond, cheap and well balanced.

The Unicorn fund kept it together 12-24 and again is usually top quartile. Top ten even. I like its makeup of smaller firms. Decent yield.

Henderson European Growth is one of my best performing funds over the last year. Strong holdings, with RELX one of my picks to do really well in the next few years with Brexit.

The Woodford one has underperformed over the last year or two, but his pharma focus and Trump's scrapping of Obamacare means it's done better recently. One to stick with as NW usually gets it right.

Blackrock US Tracker is dirt cheap and tech focused. My favourite of those trackers, and has done better than Fidelity's for me

levraiclaret · Post by **levraiclaret** » Wed May 31, 2017 10:53 pm

Thanks for the insight Walton, if only I understood it all.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:00 am

CFC here's my two pennyworth.

Like a lot of important things in life constant viligence is essential with ones money being one of them.

Ever since I was a nipper I could never fully understand how pensions worked, so given the choice to contribute extra out of my hard earned wages to a private pension my attitude was why on earth give my "good pounds" to something I didn't understand properly.

I simply put my money on deposit safe in the knowledge that I was earning interest and could get at my money easily, with the interest rates very poor at the moment I would try Zopa.

http://www.zopa.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I did try using a fund manager when Tessa's and ISAs came in, and they lost me quite a lot of my money...but they still charged me for the privilege!

The only one exception to contributing to a pension maybe is if you are fortunate to be offered by an employer one where they contribute as well.

Remember the 1st duty is for of an institution to not loose you money as well as make you money, a lot of people forget that.

As for directly investing and or trading in the stock market which I now do well what can I say...it's not for everyone.

As for stockbrokers well I have tried most of them and founds Barclays to be the best of A very bad bunch, been using them for all my accounts for about 10 years now and have no intention of even looking elseware.

Good advice above about setting up a dummy portfolio which a number of brokers offer, but don't get to cocky if you have a god run as real trading is not exactly the same.. there's nothing that concentrates the mind more then loosing your own money.

More tomorrow perhaps.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 1:10 am

Tha ks for that balance. Appreciate your input.

Elder statesman · Post by **Elder statesman** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 9:11 am

I use HL. I understand others might charge less but I like them and I'm doing fine thanks. I have various funds spread across Europe, Asia , small caps, emerging markets etc.
I was taught two main things to consider when investing;
1) it's time in the market not timing the market.
2) Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
I review my funds annually and adjust as I feel necessary.
Working ok so far.

Maltaclarets · Post by **Maltaclarets** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 11:30 am

Also use HL. Great website and quality info. Invested based on my own research using their wealth 150. Started May 16 , in an ISA , about 20 funds worldwide and as at today all funds have grown with overall growth rate of 23% in a year so well chuffed. Tend to have a look daily to keep up to date with the knowledge part of their site. Not noticed the charges if honest.

RVclaret · Post by **RVclaret** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 11:32 am

I'm a professional algo trader for Trade View (Australia based). Can't help with stocks and shares as I trade the indices as a whole - along with several forex pairs and commodities.

Absolutely love it.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:00 pm

Maltaclarets wrote:Also use HL. Great website and quality info. Invested based on my own research using their wealth 150. Started May 16 , in an ISA , about 20 funds worldwide and as at today all funds have grown with overall growth rate of 23% in a year so well chuffed. Tend to have a look daily to keep up to date with the knowledge part of their site. Not noticed the charges if honest.

Do you pay a fee each time you put money in?

gandhisflipflop · Post by **gandhisflipflop** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:09 pm

I am on a course and have been since July last year with some guys from London who teach people how to trade the forex markets. We also trade the odd commodity like crude oil and gold too. It's great fun and we are all connected through what's app so help is never far away. They hold morning and evening webinars too and would highly recommend if you're looking for a long term plan (it's not a quick money fix). Google MTakeover and have a browse of their site and see what you think. I can help put you in touch with them too if it's something you're interested in.

KateR · Post by **KateR** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:15 pm

shares are easy, one rule to bind all rules, "buy low sell high"

end of story

gandhisflipflop · Post by **gandhisflipflop** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:29 pm

KateR wrote:shares are easy, one rule to bind all rules, "buy low sell high"

end of story

It's not easy at all. A lot more to it than that. Knowing when to buy and when to sell takes a lot of practice.

vinrogue · Post by **vinrogue** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 2:29 pm

I bank with the Halifax and use their share dealing service, have a look at it. Very simple to set up, easy to see on line and if you are just testing the water with shares it is an easy way to start.

A couple of years ago I read a tip in a two handed newspapers financial section, thought you know what I am going to buy some of them shares, £350 invested into a speculative punt, I am happy to report I turned £350 into £85 within 6 months. No happy ending, just the reality of knowing that it can all go piton, however overall my gains out weigh my losses at the moment.

TheOriginalLongsider · Post by **TheOriginalLongsider** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 3:33 pm

Ive used HL for years. Easy to use and low cost. I now only buy funds rather than individual companies because I've been burned a few times and lost the lot! My current lot are doing okay. I tend to pick funds that have done very well in the last 12 months and that have also done well compared to peers in previous years. I spread my cash widely - £500 in each fund rather than the whole lot in a couple of them. Minimum investment is £100 and there are usually no initial charges.

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:33 pm

Like I said buy naked trader.
Its full of useful info, like how to bed and breakfast shares.
I have used 4 different platforms, Barclays share trading allows small amounts to buy shares cheaply.
Buying stocks in oil exploration and pharma can make big bicks quick and can lose you money quick.
Naked trader will tell you how to play the market in different ways.
At one point I had £50,000 invested in funds and shares I managed.
Post divorce just keeping my head above water, as soon as I have some funds, I will be investing again.

Goalposts · Post by **Goalposts** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:46 pm

i use fidelity on average last 4 years my funds are up 27.8%

kaptin1 · Post by **kaptin1** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:47 pm

My advice is if you don't understand it and don't know how to value it then don't invest in it! The market is extremely hard to beat even for professional investors and for amateurs it's going to be more about luck than judgement. Even if you think you have spotted a theme or trend chances are the market is already discounting that information in the price.

kaptin1 · Post by **kaptin1** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:49 pm

Goalposts wrote:i use fidelity on average last 4 years my funds are up 27.8%

And how much is the market up over the same period? The vast majority of actively managed funds underperform the market after fees are taken into account.

TheOriginalLongsider · Post by **TheOriginalLongsider** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 10:39 pm

kaptin1 wrote:And how much is the market up over the same period? The vast majority of actively managed funds underperform the market after fees are taken into account.

That makes no sense. How can the vast majority of funds underperform the market? Think about it! Fees are charged by the funds but usually discounted to zero by the broker. Somebody like HL would charge an annual percentage on the portfolio but this is usually around 1%. At the moment most of my funds go up by that much weekly.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:06 am

gandhisflipflop wrote:I am on a course and have been since July last year with some guys from London who teach people how to trade the forex markets. We also trade the odd commodity like crude oil and gold too. It's great fun and we are all connected through what's app so help is never far away. They hold morning and evening webinars too and would highly recommend if you're looking for a long term plan (it's not a quick money fix). Google MTakeover and have a browse of their site and see what you think. I can help put you in touch with them too if it's something you're interested in.

Thanks for this tip I have registered. Whats the process and is it a weekly thing? Is it online or in person?

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:10 am

Here's a good piece of advice I saw:

"In sharedealing, I believe in doing what works - and I have found what works for me. That, in my opinion, is what everyone should do - find what works for you, regardless of whatever others say, and regardless of what I say! "

Worth hanging on to that one CFC in my humble