What did you buy? What might you buy? (2008)

[Joe Clarke]

CM @ 46.80. Banks going different directions to mid-day today....

[Taggart]

if it's good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for JW

I don't do any stock analysis. Instead, I stick to blue chips with the financial mass to get through extended rough periods...so even if they fail you can see it coming.

I don't know what you mean by financial mass in this context but I seem to recall that Nortel, was once regarded as a blue chip and the largest market cap stock on the Toronto exchange. Another once upon a time big, blue chip was Royal Trust.

[BRIAN5000]

bought some 5 year Gic's at 5 % from TDW.

So we now have 1 yr cashables at 2.8-3.25%
1 yr 3%,
2 year at 4%
5 years at 5%

may fill out the ladder with 3 and 4 year not sure yet.

[Peculiar_Investor]

Freed up some $s and stuck it into Sandvine at 0.90 per share near the end of the day.

* At last quarter Sandvine had 0.74 in cash on its balance sheet, no debt of significance
* Their business is growing again after taking hits
* I think their product is more "recession resistant" than most and will still be in demand even during a global recession.

Hiding in this stock and going to wait out the storm. Holding Methanex, XCeed and Sandvine.

Have deleveraged my portfolio extensively to prevent margin calls and forced selling.

It's been brutal.

Mike -- just a heads up (or down per the metaphor in the story), but the G&M ran an article today of the Own these stocks at your peril

For more than 20 years, CPMS has been running a screen to identify stocks that are saddled with the worst combination of fundamentals. The 30 worst names comprise the Dangerous Model Portfolio - an apt name, as anyone buying this bundle of stocks might as well be juggling live hand grenades. CPMS provides the model portfolio as an informational guideline to its clients, to indicate stocks they might want to avoid in their own portfolios.

Scanning the list, I found some of the usual suspects like Nortel, but also Sandvine.

[hotgo]

2000 HOU @ $2.82 and then another 2000 HOU @ $2.62

I made a nice 12% on my previous trade with this... I hope to do the same again this time.

I do think that I'm a bit different than most of the folks on here in that I'm currently mainly looking for short term gains. On the side I'm trying to decide on a longer term strategy for my non-RRSP portfolio. My RRSP account is currently managed by my FA and is 100% in mutual funds (which have all taken huge hits...).

[Rickdl]

I bought a big chunk of SDT.UN at $2.06 today.

I think it's good from 2 perspectives.

The discount between NAV and Market price is quite high today (I'm guessing people selling it before year end to capture tax losses).

Tomorrow (dec 19th) SDT.UN's Normal Course Issuer kicks in, where they can start to re-purchase shares. With the market price/nav discount the wacky way it is right now, I'm making an assumption that they'll take advantage of that discount and do share-buy-backs.

I already bought some of this earlier in the year at $1.85.

SDT.UN (Sentry Select Diversified Income Trust) basically holds income trusts.

[bindexit]

HOU last week in low $3s and this week in high $2s

If oil goes to $20, it will hurt the pocketbook for these HOU. Then again, it will really hurt all energy holdings in Canada.

Is this oil drop translating into economic deflation expectation for future years like Japan?

[rhenderson]

Bought MBT @ 31.18

Paying over 8% at today's prices and they don't have to pay tax until 2014.

[jay]

Royal Bank RY at 33.5

[Mike Schimek]

Mike -- just a heads up (or down per the metaphor in the story), but the G&M ran an article today of the Own these stocks at your peril

Thanks Peculiar! Checked it out, still feel very comfortable with the stock, but thanks a bunch because my first reaction was something along the lines of;

"Yikes! Did I miss something in my analysis?!?"

[creep]

RY @ 33.33

[Yukon Maiden]

I picked up 1500 shares of TCK.B at $4.76 when it had the big dip this morning.

Another 1000 just now at $4.17.

Sold 1000 at $5.46 today. If it goes back to the 4's, I will likely buy them back. I am still holding 1500 shares. What a roller-coaster ride this stock has been the past few weeks.

Sold another 1000 shares on Monday for $6.38. Just 500 share left.

I used the money to pick up 3000 shares of SDT.UN at $2.01 today.

CANT.STOP.FLIPPING.
I am still waiting for RY to hit 33 or lower to add to my long term hold pile.

[squash500]

2000 HOU @ $2.82 and then another 2000 HOU @ $2.62

I made a nice 12% on my previous trade with this... I hope to do the same again this time.

IMHO, I like your trade . I was tempted to buy some HOU today myself. Wound up chickening out . I'm starting to look at some hbp etfs that have been badly beaten down. Then I will make the purchase and just hold for a couple of days hoping to make a quick short term gain

[OptsyEagle]

Bought a little bit of CTD.UN (Citadel Diversified Income Trust).

I figure not only have the stocks it owns been beaten up and tax loss sold but the fund itself has also been sold off for probably the same reason. Today it was sporting a discount to NAV of almost 30%. The thing I like about this particular one is this fund is scheduled to be wound up on December 31, 2012. So I figure if you take the 30% discount and divide by 4 years, it gives one a 7.5% annual return boost upon wind up. Seemed like an advantage over the other diversifieds anyways.

[hotgo]

2000 HOU @ $2.82 and then another 2000 HOU @ $2.62

I made a nice 12% on my previous trade with this... I hope to do the same again this time.

IMHO, I like your trade . I was tempted to buy some HOU today myself. Wound up chickening out . I'm starting to look at some hbp etfs that have been badly beaten down. Then I will make the purchase and just hold for a couple of days hoping to make a quick short term gain

Afraid to admit this, but another 2000 @ $2.42. That's it though... No more. Hopefully this is as far as it will drop (gee, what investor hasn't said that before...).

[Mike Schimek]

Got a lucky shift,

Sold some Sandvine Nov. 18th at 0.85 to free up $ for Vicwest at 6.15, which was really beaten up. Just sold off the Vicwest for 7.30 and trying to get back into Sandvine at 0.63. If I get back in at that level, this will have been a nice trade -)

Would buy some more XCeed mortgage (it's the 2nd largest position I had after Vicwest, now my largest position) but it has been rocketing along with Vicwest. The only stock I own and like that hasn't rocketed in the past week is Sandvine, so I'm shifting into that one.

It's nice to have some positive movement after months of being beaten to a pulp.

I had bought and held Vicwest for a while because it looks like a good company, profitable, well run, but I don't like holding that type of stock as much as I do stocks that have a very strong book value, preferably with said book value being fairly liquid, in these times. Sandvine has 0.70/share in cash and sells for 0.63, XCeed has a book value of 3.00 per share and about 0.45 per share in cash, sells for 0.67 per share right now.

Time to start prospecting again, not sure I feel comfortable with a portfolio that has 90% of its content in just 2 stocks.

[Mike Schimek]

Woot, Sandvine filled at 0.63. I now have about 45% of my portfolio invested in a stock that holds the dubious distinction of being a part of;

"The 30 worst names comprise the Dangerous Model Portfolio - an apt name, as anyone buying this bundle of stocks might as well be juggling live hand grenades."

[nisser]

At least its not methanex.

[mpav]

Bought a little more Canadian Utilties.

Existing shareholder, like the value/payout ratio and have been buying when it gets close to 38bucks.

This holding compliments my other utility/pipeline TRP.

[like_to_retire]

I now have about 45% of my portfolio invested in a stock that holds the dubious distinction of being a part of;

"The 30 worst names comprise the Dangerous Model Portfolio

Crazy......... I suppose it would be fine if your entire portfolio was $1000, but if it was a $1,000,000 portfolio as many are here at FWF .........crazy

ltr

[northbeach]

I bought 1000 shares of CIF-T at 15.50 today.

It trades thinly, but today a larger amount was purchased at 18.50




Can't figure it out. I checked price history on Claymore's site and found it grabbed 18.00 or more on other occasions. I can see somebody overpaying if not using a limit order, but the larger volume suggests otherwise.

Any ideas?

[Joe Clarke]

Added some T today and grabbed some BNS.PR.N.

[lilbit]

Gee, that's a weird chart, Northbeach. It almost looks like someone thought they found out something important, and then the rumour got discounted. Really weird....

[northbeach]

Gee, that's a weird chart, Northbeach. It almost looks like someone thought they found out something important, and then the rumour got discounted. Really weird....

It's and ETF holding 60 global infrastructure stocks so it can't be based on a rumour that runs up the value.

From the chart I cannot tell how many shares were bought at 18.50, but if I am interpreting the chart correctly, then quite a few as compared to normal volumes. Some days this ETF only trades in the low thousands.

[Mike Schimek]

Gee, that's a weird chart, Northbeach. It almost looks like someone thought they found out something important, and then the rumour got discounted. Really weird....

Maybe a trader at the société général bank spilled his coffee while making a trade and hit the enter button by error before entering a limit price.