Anyone else making a loss on all their S&S investments?

Mr_Costcutter

The stock markets during the past 18 mths or so, seem to have been particularly volatile. This doesn't look set to change in the immediate future. Personally, my portfolio doesn't look too bad because when the markets were high I took my profit. As the years tick by and health becomes more precarious, it's the safest thing to do in my opinion

gadgetmind

Looks like the OP has gone for a far more risky portfolio than they have the stomach for, so I'd be interested to see the asset allocation.

As for 90 holdings, I have a couple of pension pots that are deep into six figures. One (the largest!) has two holdings, and the other has ten.

With 90, rebalancing must be a nightmare!

EdGasket

If I am buying individual shares then how do I achieve a 'balanced' portfolio with exposure to most sectors covered and without to much exposure to any one share without buying a fair number of different shares?

Thrugelmir

Malthusian wrote: »

In case anyone gets the wrong idea, it should be pointed out that most of the companies that have "disappeared" were taken over by others, rather than going bust. Investors in those 74 companies would therefore now either own shares in different companies or would have received cash and invested it.

Bottom three companies (by market capitalisation) are dropped from index every quarter and replaced as well.

jimjames

EdGasket wrote: »

If I am buying individual shares then how do I achieve a 'balanced' portfolio with exposure to most sectors covered and without to much exposure to any one share without buying a fair number of different shares?

That's exactly the problem. You have to buy sufficient to diversify which is why many just use funds instead as it's easier as well as being more cost effective for smaller portfolios

EdGasket

coyrls wrote: »

How can you possibly manage 90 holdings?

erm; ever heard of a spreadsheet?

gadgetmind

As they say, "make your first million from collective investments" !

Thrugelmir

Mr_Costcutter wrote: »

The stock markets during the past 18 mths or so, seem to have been particularly volatile.

Negative news far outweighing positive news. Doesn't mean that all companies are impacted nor that their share price has fallen.

p00hsticks

For interest, following this thread, I've just spent a bit of my lunchtime looking back to see how the price of some of the individual shares in my portfolio have changed since Janauary 2008, and the majority I selected have shown an increase in price.

My star performer is Whitbread, up 224% since Jan 2008.
JD Wetherspoons is up 102%
Halfords is up 31%
BT is up 39%
National Grid is up 32%
AstraZeneca is up 96%

Two losers are
Shell down 32%
Rio Tinto down 44%

I don't have my records with me to see how much I've also got in dividends from those shares over that timeframe.

[note - this is by no means my whole portfolio, most of which is in trackers, funds and ETFs rather than inidividual shares. ]

gadgetmind

Our TUI travel shares took another knock today, but BAE Systems OTOH ...