McEwen Investment Report

[karen1]

Good morning to all the old salts/pros!

I'm always interested to learn, and would like the opinion of those much more experienced than me on the value of the McEwen Report.

Thanks in advance.

[POSSUM THE CAT]

karen ! Are they paying you to read it? Why are they selling it to you instead of just using it themselves? Or are the using your Buying of their recommendations to push up the value of their own holdings?

[trader-jim]

I had it on a free trial years ago and I remember he claimed that 48% of his recommendations outperformed the market. A monkey with a dart should get 50% so I hope he has improved since then.

[karen1]

Thank you Possum and Trader-Jim, I am duly taught! Had wondered about McEwen, as I had heard he was "among the better". Earlier today I up/downgraded myself from a newbie to a general pleb in another post, now I might add monkey to that! Possum, I really like the idea of someone paying me to read his report, maybe I should email him and offer my services.... I guess nothing counts like experience and research, it's just mighty hard not to get bogged down it it.

[Lizard]

Hi Karen,

I wouldn't like to comment on the McEwen report - I've read quite a lot of his writing over the last 18 years and was better than some, but not enough to make me invest on his advice. Then again, I don't think there is anyone I would follow blindly any more.

You sound like you've been investing for a while, so I am guessing you are more just interested in some more external "thought-starters" on NZ shares? It is pretty hard to find these days. Most brokers only cover a small number of shares on the NZX, making it seem even more constricted than it already is! However, despite the temptation to turn to subscriber advice, most NZ information sources, both pay and free, will still be depressingly thin on content.

[karen1]

Hi Lizard,

Much appreciate your comments, thank you. Yes, I have held a small portfolio for some years now, but never venture too far out of my comfort zone, even when research shows perhaps I should! I "go it alone" these days, although do have great support from some locals far more knowledgeable than me, but don't like to be a pest.

After being rubbed the wrong way with my advisor a couple of years back, I have held my own with the original portfolio, tweaking it only slightly, and started a separate one and am now getting to the stage where I would like to get a bit more bold with it's management. And when I look at being up over 12% currently, I'm becoming more comfortable with the small trades I make, recently dipping a toe in a very small way with some Australian shell companies, finding the exercise a great learning curve and currently very satisfying with a plus of 25%! Which sounds great until I reveal I spent in the hundreds, not thousands! For me, the exercise has definitely given me a better understanding in many areas, without breaking the bank.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's very easy to get bogged down in research, but I scan current business news avidly, and file anything that interests me so I can return to it and compare with other notes I have made. I feel quite inadequate when I read the great in depth posts people such as you make, and freely admit to rereading such posts many times - another learning tool for me. I finally seem to developing some sort of a system that works for me, and am keen to see how things pan out over the next year or two.

I look forward to reading many more of your posts.

[CJ]

I am guessing you are more just interested in some more external "thought-starters" on NZ shares? It is pretty hard to find these days.

I have considered it for this reason as well. I use a discount broker (ASB) so dont get brokers reports, so other than this forum, I havne't found any other good starting places for research.

I have been a buy and forget investor but the portfolio is now of a size where a bit more active management wont be overly expensive or seen as trading.

Does anyone have any suggestions for free/cheap thought-starters.

I note that ASB does have 'recommendations' but I dont like the fact that they dont have any Avoid or Sell recommendations and only 2 reduce. Maybe they dont cover the dogs but why not - It cant be that time consuming to write 'this company is bad we dont spend any time on it and nothing we have heard in the last 6 months changes our opinion'

[percy]

I have considered it for this reason as well. I use a discount broker (ASB) so dont get brokers reports, so other than this forum, I havne't found any other good starting places for research.

I have been a buy and forget investor but the portfolio is now of a size where a bit more active management wont be overly expensive or seen as trading.

Does anyone have any suggestions for free/cheap thought-starters.

I note that ASB does have 'recommendations' but I dont like the fact that they dont have any Avoid or Sell recommendations and only 2 reduce. Maybe they dont cover the dogs but why not - It cant be that time consuming to write 'this company is bad we dont spend any time on it and nothing we have heard in the last 6 months changes our opinion'

I have a few ideas myself,but I get most new ideas from watching and reading company announcements.I read a lot of the posts on sharetrader,I also read the CHCH Press.Any company that interests me I go to stocknessmonster.com ,where I have a look at the company's chart,then I go to company news and read the latest annual report.Some annual reports I find hard to read online,ie refer note 22 means I lose tract of where I was.I will then contact the company for a printed copy.If I like what I read,I will then purchase.If there is something I do not understand I ring the company and usually speak to the company secretary,or MD or CFO. If company does not return my call I leave.Should the company have a branch/store in CHCH I go and have a look at it.When looking at the annual report I make sure current assets far excede current liabilities ,and look carefully at cashflows.A friend askrd me to read Port of Tauranga annual report.I thought the company was so good I brought some myself.I avoid company's like GPG where there are pages of options for the directors' to get fat on.Charts ; I find you can see very quickly what direction a company is going.Really if spare price is in a down trend no use reading,or doing anymore research.

[Lizard]

I
Does anyone have any suggestions for free/cheap thought-starters.

... start at the A's...

Over the years, I've concluded there's no easy way to screen stocks and just randomly picking one at a time to look at is as good as anything. I think IRG have opinions on every NZX stock on their pay database, but the age of the analysis may vary a little, as I imagine it would not be easy to update daily. Maybe worth subscribing to for a while or getting the free trial if it's still going.

Sharechat covers quite a few companies on their website, so can be good for inspiration.

[Aaron]

I may never get around to understanding companies and their values. Does anyone subscribe to an investor newsletter or service that tells you what to buy and sell and when. IRG have a subscriber service but I understand David Mcewen is not part of it anymore. What about the "Intelligent Investor" in Aussie? Does anyone have any recommendations. I guess I would be more inclined to subscribe to the "income Investor" rather than "Diggers and Drillers"
I could just buy an index fund but have concerns that we may be in a situation like Japan has been through with a long slow asset deflation over many years. Mind you I can always think of reasons not to invest. Maybe a newsletter would let someone else do the thinking for me.