LM portfolio as at 26/01/2024:
| Code | Sector | Date Bought | Cost | Value | Gain/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LM055 LM055-2 LM055-3 |
General Financial | 11/01/2023 02/05/2023 20/12/2023 |
£3850 | £5080 | 32.09% |
| LM057 LM057-2 LM057-3 |
Gas, Water & Multiutilities | 12/01/2023 30/05/2023 06/09/2023 |
£3810 | £4280 | 12.45% |
| LM058 LM058-2 |
Support Services | 17/01/2023 20/07/2023 |
£2540 | £2860 | 12.69% |
| LM061 LM061-2 |
Aerospace & Defense | 20/02/2023 13/10/2023 |
£2540 | £2980 | 17.26% |
| LM071 LM071-2 |
Construction & Materials | 24/07/2023 22/09/2023 |
£2550 | £3210 | 25.97% |
| LM074 | Industrial Transportation | 24/07/2023 | £1270 | £1840 | 45.20% |
| LM075 | Equity Investment Instruments | 02/01/2024 | £1270 | £1200 | (5.42%) |
| LM076 | No Specific Industry | 03/01/2024 | £1270 | £1250 | (1.64%) |
| LM077 | Electronic & Electrical Equipment | 03/01/2024 | £1270 | £1220 | (4.25%) |
| LM078 | Banks | 03/01/2024 | £1270 | £1110 | (12.37%) |
I've got a pile of Sunday Times Business supplements on the bed next to me that I have been meaning to go through for the last few weeks. Mostly it's to check for new possible share purchase ideas but also because I really like reading it.
It's kind of like when you're a kid and your mum makes you a tea with vegetables... I always used to eat the worst stuff on the plate first and save the best bit for last. With the Sunday Times I rearrange it as soon as I get home from the shop - the Business bit goes at the bottom, then the main paper, then the magazine, then Culture, Style, Sports, Home and on the top - so it's the first to be read - comes Travel.
So what usually happens is that I read everything on the Sunday aside from Business and plan to read that on the Monday. Never happens and so the pile builds up.
As it happens there isn't much spare cash remaining in the portfolio at present. I just added another unit to LM071 yesterday because it is growing steadily and crying out for more cash. I'm breaking the rules again although I feel the market is reasonably strong at present so a third unit of investment was worth the risk.
Roughly one and a half units' worth of investment remain to hand in case of any new potential share buys coming along. I'll be going through the new 52 week highs later today and I will force myself to go through the pile of papers for the rest of this week. Maybe that will throw up some possibles.
One of the above positions will soon disappear from the table as it is a takeover. I'll cover that fully when the takeover completes - don't want to count any chickens before they hatch - and according to my secure messages on the broker website, that should be on or around 12/02/2024. I did notice that all the buttons next to the position are greyed out and there's a little "i" next to the share name which when I hover over says "this stock does not currently have a stock market listing". Probably safe to say I'll see the cash from that sale soon.
A second position might need to be sold out. This one is a bit disappointing because it had swelled enough to warrant three units of purchases and the chart was really nice to look at - a steady march up from left to right.
Sadly it has started to "roll over" over the last couple of weeks and dropped below that all-important 200 day SMA. I am not rushing to get rid - not checking prices every day - but I think if it flags as being under that SMA for more than three days this week then I'll pull the plug on Monday.
That's not a definite though... LM058 was flirting with danger at the beginning of this month but has turned around and jumped back up to safety so it could just be a temporary 'rest' before the power upwards.
Financially I'm doing reasonably well as I managed to secure a one year fixed term contract that started at the end of last year. It was great to know that I was sorted for employment for a full year after spending the last 8 years usually on a 3 or 6 month contract.
Of course, just a week or so after I started, the organisation went into consultation for a big restructure so I have been warned that I will probably get my notice very shortly. Now it's a case of just waiting for the letter to come through. At least I will get 8 weeks' notice and although it's being cut short it did get me through Christmas and the new year (always a slow time for recruitment). I'm just contemplating some time without work and wondering how I'll cope this time around when I've unfortunately gone through a great deal of my emergency fund after some time "inbetween contracts" last year and having to pay for a replacement boiler.
Saying that, the letter hasn't come yet and miracles do happen. Having work lined up until the end of November would be great but if it doesn't then I know that in the past I've always managed to find something.
It'll work out... probably...