Your Best Performing Shares

[Unexpected]

I'm starting this topic so we can try and share more information on which stocks are actually making us money.

Ideally, if possible can we keep things simple so that anyone however inexperienced will be able to join in and take advantage of any good tips that are provided. Also, can we keep it to LSE listed shares so that anyone who wants can buy and sell using their online accounts or through their bank.

This has perhaps been discussed before (although not recently) but I remember the shares discussed were usually high risk and often penny stocks, junior gold miners and in particular I remember one called Biofuels Corp which I speculated in for a bit and ended up about breaking even. What I'd like us to try and highlight this time are the lower risk fairly stable companies which have been around for a bit and are in an upward trend. The usual rule of DYOR has to apply, but to minimise the risk we should try and stick to solid (and perhaps until recently "unloved") companies which we believe are rising/likely to rise in the short/medium term.

I'll start off with my two favorite shares UKC (UK Coal) and JDW (Weatherspoons). Both have more than doubled over the past year and have been steadily rising.

UKC was initially suggested (and continually supported) by Realist Bear around Feb this year and it has since risen from about £1.50 to £4.10 Thats a whopping 173% in about 9 months. A few here (including myself) have taken advantage. There is a heap of info on the Black Gold thread started by RB. Yesterday it was up over 11% and today about 3% so far. Have you got any more where this one came from RB?

Weatherspoons was a company I thought about at the start of the year as I looking for companies which might do well as the economy deteriorated. My theory being that as weatherspoons sells cheap beer and food and people have less money they are more likely to go there. I also like the place so I decided to buy the shares. After that I read in "Shares Magazine" that Weatherspoon was a boring investment and going nowhere. Since then the shares have more than doubled and have increased in a nice steady straight line if you look at the graph.

Anyone else here invested in companies like these? No deliberate ramping please. ie please give reasons why its worth buying a particular share. Please try to keep it simple.

I also believe that if a share price is rising slowly and steadily then there is reason for it to keep doing so. This has worked for me a few times in the past, although of course (unlike house prices) it will of course reach a point where it will start to decline. (market cycles)

So anyone care to suggest any slow steadily rising shares ideally which you believe still have a way to go?

Thanks.

[Guest muttley]

Good luck with this thread Sine270. In my experience they tend to get hijacked by rampers and day traders. It's always difficult to get a thread that appeals to all, because people have a different tolerance to risk, different time scales and different expectations.

At the moment I like the banking sector.

I own HSBC shares and I would consider buying Barclays, RBS, and LloydsTSB. The yield on LLOY is 6% at the moment, which makes them look particularly attractive, and provides insurance against a big fall on the FTSE.

I also have Standard Life shares from the flotation (I bought extra) and Old Mutual. OML has gone up 16% since I bought 3 months ago, and I still like it.

I'm a pharmacist so I suppose I should talk about the pharmaceutical sector. I'm generally bullish, but would avoid Pfizer for the time being (it's American, so doesn't qualify for this thread anyway) I did well from Shire Pharmaceuticals, but sold way too soon. I also like Boots., GSK and AZN.

These are just my opinions, I am not a professional investor and I recommend that you DYOR. I welcome any comments or critisism.

[Unexpected]

Thanks for your response muttley. Very true about not being able to appeal to all but I think that we’ve usually been a bit too high risk and technical for most (including me), so I’m hoping we can get something going that might appeal to the average HPC’er.

Its interesting to see that you’re an HPC bear but you like the Banking sector. I would have thought that it might seem risky to a bear due to high debt defaults and if there’s an HPC then it could have a big effect on their profits.

Looking at the graph of LLOY I can see that its rising but somewhat erratically. If the economy were to lumber along like it is at present then it would seem to be a good long term hold IMO. It also tells me that if you’d bought in Jan/Feb 05 then on August this year, the share price was still around the same price. Nice dividend though so probably been a good investment unless you were unlucky enough to buy and sell at the wrong times.

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=LLOY.L&t=2y

Now look at the graph of Weatherspoons (JDW)

This is rising very steadily and predictably, although it does seem to be getting a bit steep at the moment. As you can see it has more than doubled in the past year and there are very few peaks and troughs to worry about, just a steady increase.

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=JDW.L&t=2y

I am also not a professional investor (and if I was I would probably starve) but I learned one or two rules in my few years of dabbling.

1/ Always buy companies when their share price is increasing.

2/ Always start with fairly small amounts to get a feeling for that investment.

3/ Buying on a regular monthly basis rather than larger one off investments seems to work best and is safer.

4/ DYOR

So anyway Muttley. What do you think of the future of your Banking Shares. What will happen to them if there is an HPC?

Anyone else got any shares to suggest?

Edited November 17, 2006 by Sine270

[OzzMosiz]

I have about 4K's worth in 2 companies at the moment.

1 is a mining company based in Australia and the other is a Biotech/Pharmaceutical company based in Ireland, the later I'm hoping

will be part of a merger soon and hopefully a multi-bagger.

Not gonna name as I don't want to ramp.

[Unexpected]

I have about 4K's worth in 2 companies at the moment.

1 is a mining company based in Australia and the other is a Biotech/Pharmaceutical company based in Ireland, the later I'm hoping

will be part of a merger soon and hopefully a multi-bagger.

Not gonna name as I don't want to ramp.

Well it wouldnt be classed as ramping as long as you dont say "BUY! BUY! before its too late and you miss out" like a typical property bull.

Why did you buy shares in these companies? Have you made money? Are they in an increasing trend at the moment?

Are these listed on the LSE?

[Realistbear]

I only hold 2 UK stocks: UKCoal and RBS.

I bought RBS about 15 years ago and they have almost quintupled over the years. I think it is a strong bank as it is less exposed to private property than most. They are the least "irrationally exhuberant" of the bunch IMO.

UKC dipped hard today but is bouncing back like a banshee. I was tempted to buy on the dip but have too much invested there for comfort as it is!

RBS are cash rich and about to sell almost 2bn in hotel properties soon. IMO, its a good long term safe bet. But for stellar performance I still think UKC has a lot more to go before it levels off for the longer term.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Realistbear

[OzzMosiz]

Well it wouldnt be classed as ramping as long as you dont say "BUY! BUY! before its too late and you miss out" like a typical property bull.

Why did you buy shares in these companies? Have you made money? Are they in an increasing trend at the moment?

Are these listed on the LSE?

Thor Mining (THR.L) (http://www.thormining.com) - these are a mid to long termer for me. Currently up about 6% over the year

but their news looks good (on their site). (Price Per Share 10.5p currently)

Eirx Therapeutics (ERX.L) (http://www.eirx.com) - they have developed cancer drivers (delivery method of the cancer killing compounds) and are possibly

up for a merger. This sector is potentially worth billions. I'm currently up >10% in the last 2 months (Price Per Share 0.34p currently).

As always DYOR if you decide to invest in any shares.

Edited November 17, 2006 by OzzMosiz

[Unexpected]

Thor Mining (THR.L) (http://www.thormining.com) - these are a mid to long termer for me. Currently up about 6% over the year

but their news looks good (on their site). (Price Per Share 10.5p currently)

Eirx Therapeutics (ERX.L) (http://www.eirx.com) - they have developed cancer drivers (delivery method of the cancer killing compounds) and are possibly

up for a merger. This sector is potentially worth billions. I'm currently up >10% in the last 2 months (Price Per Share 0.34p currently).

As always DYOR if you decide to invest in any shares.

I'll take a look at those and see if they're going up and look reasonably low risk.

My commodities shares took a hammering today RRS down about 6% and BLT down about 4%. I think RB mentioned something about a Commodities meltdown on the Black Gold thread. UKC performing well considering and clawing their way back up quite nicely

Fortunately the Northern Foods (NFDS) shares I bought yeaterday are up about 5% which helps a little bit. I dont really know that much about NFDS and havent done any research but they seem to be on the rise at the moment.

[Guest muttley]

Thanks for your response muttley.

Its interesting to see that you’re an HPC bear but you like the Banking sector. I would have thought that it might seem risky to a bear due to high debt defaults and if there’s an HPC then it could have a big effect on their profits.

That's what I thought too! Much is made of on this site about the increase in the number of people that would default on loans in the event of a HPC or a recession. The numbers are small when compared to the number of people who won't. With borrowers signing up to record mortgages for longer and longer terms, that should translate into record profits for the banking sector. As long as you don't buy into the financial meltdown theories championed by the uber-bears, then banks look like a good place to put your money. (That's my theory, anyway.)

[Guest muttley]

Thor Mining (THR.L) (http://www.thormining.com) - these are a mid to long termer for me. Currently up about 6% over the year

but their news looks good (on their site). (Price Per Share 10.5p currently)

There's a thread on this share on Aussie Stock Forums. I've used this forum to follow an Australian share I hold. The posters are fortright, as you'd expect.

Edited November 19, 2006 by muttley

[dnd]

UKC dipped hard today but is bouncing back like a banshee. I was tempted to buy on the dip but have too much invested there for comfort as it is!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6118392.stm Sunday, 5 November 2006

Shares in UK Coal are set to rise amid reports its property portfolio is worth £300m more than previously thought.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/fds/hi/...welve_month.stm

That was a bit of luck

Edited November 19, 2006 by dnd

[DONT PANIC !!! DONT PANIC !!!]

Largest gain (in pounds):

FTSE linked guaranteed return bought a few years ago. Now up 34%.

FTSE looked cheap a few years ago but not sure i'd recommend it now.

Will sell if it falls 10%.

Best most recent performance (percent gain):

Uranium stocks bought on future prospects of new nuclear build.

Oil / gas is running out and expensive.

Fusion never gets closer and windmills are unreliable.

Nuclear still looks good to me.... but a risky bet as one accident away from a crash!

Edited November 21, 2006 by DONT PANIC !!! DONT PANIC !!!

[Its time to buy]

Big Yellow Group (BYG) has served me well last few months - but how long this will last i dont know. Their Annual report says they are aware of weakened consumer spending, and currently knows the property market is stable. I like the sound of that - they got their eyes and ears open.

(contradictory share as a bear on property, but its getting a lot of £ out of their buildings)

Eirx (ERX) as a speculative punt got in at 0.27p- best to put away for 10 years and come back to these in 2016 is probably the best strategy for this one. I hold a million of these. It will take many years for such a drug to come on the market and earn its keep, and that if it passes all the trials.

Question - has anyone used Halifax Sharebuilder, £1.50 per trade? I ve used it for the first time today, but when do the shares show up on the account???

Edited November 22, 2006 by notanewmember

[Pete95]

IMO British Energy are a good bet at the moment.

They lost 25% of their value in 1day recently when cracks were found in one of their reactors, however 1/2 year revenues were up 35% and IMO theyre a good bet for the future with a new Nuclear build programme surely likely for the UK, and high energy prices meaning nuclear profits are on the up.

Theyre currently about 570p each, but had been trading at over 700p in the summer. Theyve been steadily rising since the 25% drop in October.

[OzzMosiz]

Eirx (ERX) as a speculative punt got in at 0.27p- best to put away for 10 years and come back to these in 2016 is probably the best strategy for this one. I hold a million of these. It will take many years for such a drug to come on the market and earn its keep, and that if it passes all the trials.

Question - has anyone used Halifax Sharebuilder, £1.50 per trade? I ve used it for the first time today, but when do the shares show up on the account???

Ditto mate. I bought in at .22, .27, .30 and .32, I think I'm averaging around .26-.28 and like you, I have just over a million. I'm hoping this will be at least a 4xer. Should get some results news soon (before xmas).

I use HSBC - probably not the cheapest, but can't be bothered to shop around as I don't trade much.

[Unexpected]

Question - has anyone used Halifax Sharebuilder, £1.50 per trade? I ve used it for the first time today, but when do the shares show up on the account???

I use Halifax Sharebuilder. Its worked well for me taking the thought out of when to buy.

Money comes out of my bank on the 3rd and the shares appear in my sharebuilder account on the 6th or 7th.

[Its time to buy]

I use Halifax Sharebuilder. Its worked well for me taking the thought out of when to buy.

Money comes out of my bank on the 3rd and the shares appear in my sharebuilder account on the 6th or 7th.

Ah thanks for that

if it is good i will continue to invest in that manner, as it will save £££s in the long run.

[OzzMosiz]

ReNueron (rene.l) are looking incredibly strong in the last few days. Stem cells to help stroke victims, and they don't have to use aborted feutus's either.

[LargelyIgnorant]

ReNueron (rene.l) are looking incredibly strong in the last few days. Stem cells to help stroke victims, and they don't have to use aborted feutus's either.

That was the announcement that they're applying for trials in the US. Was thinking about waiting for the fuss to die down, then get a few shares in a while & gamble on a positive result, although not sure a positive result is massively likely. From http://www.reneuron.com/company_info/our_s...l_technologies/ it looks like ReNeuron do use feutus's in their process somewhere? Bush et al aren't too keen on that kind of thing...

ReNeuron has built its technology platform around human somatic stem cells derived from the fetus, which we believe offer the most viable route to the clinic for stem cell therapy.

I got a couple of shares in Cenes (AIM: CEN) last week, and a few more today - a morphine replacement would be a good seller, if it gets through trials. The Times said today that the directors have been buying recently.

[oracle]

I hold most of mine in funds,not really brave enough to hold too many individual shares.

Tate+Lyle has done ok though.

nat resource fund up about 25% this year.

gold holdings up about 10% given currency play.

I'm satisfied.

[LargelyIgnorant]

I hold most of mine in funds,not really brave enough to hold too many individual shares.

Very wise. AIM small caps are good from a CGT point of view, but one should be prepared to loose the entire investment in such companies. It's fun for a few small high risk investments. Both the tax structure & the large spreads mean it's probably best to hold these shares for years.

Other gambles I've got running:

Vestas VWS.ISE - Very established wind turbine manufacturer, has gone up a lot recently but worth a punt if it drops back down.

Xansa XAN.ISE - If the BBC is going to outsource our licence fees to India, I want my share! They've jumped a lot on recent profit announcement. Again, maybe worth it if they drop back down a bit.

Imperial Innovations IVO.ISE - Dropping like a stone at the moment. Nice story & could be worth it when it bottoms out

Neteller NLR.ISE - A dodgy punt on this online gambling payments system. Should make a profit even without the US, hopefully a takeover target sometime.

Japan Residential Investment Co JRIC.ISE - Maybe a bit safer - They've had their HPC! Possibly will work well over quite a few years. Has stayed flat since lauch, Aviva purchased 20%

DYOR and with AIM be prepared to lose your total investment...

[mikefluk]

I hold most of mine in funds,not really brave enough to hold too many individual shares.

Tate+Lyle has done ok though.

nat resource fund up about 25% this year.

gold holdings up about 10% given currency play.

I'm satisfied.

I hold mine in funds too. I invested £50k (£5k each in 10 equity income funds in April 2005. They are now worth £67,000. The best three are

Invesco Perpetual High Equity Income (£7,520 at 10 Dec)

Invesco Perpetual Equity Income (£7460 at 10 Dec)

Jupiter Income (£6905) at 10 Dec)

The worst was Schroder Income (£6205) at 10 Dec

Invesco Perpetual are by far the best equity income trusts

[Its time to buy]

hi

does anyone have some really BORING* shares they can name which are in a very predictable trading range? (must be stable within the last year)

They have to be in FTSE 100 or at least 250.

I can only think of BYG as before, but they look to be breaking out of their trading range today - so i have to sit out and wait for it to settle :angry: Very bad for me! Also TATE was another candidate until today. Doh

Boring as in withstood major stock sell offs, no major spikes up or down

Edited December 15, 2006 by notanewmember

[jonpo]

hi

does anyone have some really BORING* shares they can name which are in a very predictable trading range? (must be stable within the last year)

They have to be in FTSE 100 or at least 250.

I can only think of BYG as before, but they look to be breaking out of their trading range today - so i have to sit out and wait for it to settle :angry: Very bad for me! Also TATE was another candidate until today. Doh

Boring as in withstood major stock sell offs, no major spikes up or down

tobacco has the lowest riskgrade so how about BAT ? you can be assured a smoker will want another pack of fags once he runs out of one...

[justanewbie]

hi

does anyone have some really BORING* shares they can name which are in a very predictable trading range? (must be stable within the last year)

They have to be in FTSE 100 or at least 250.

I can only think of BYG as before, but they look to be breaking out of their trading range today - so i have to sit out and wait for it to settle :angry: Very bad for me! Also TATE was another candidate until today. Doh

Boring as in withstood major stock sell offs, no major spikes up or down

ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) also known as iShares..

FTSE 250 Tracker is best.

Ticker is ... MIDD

Best performing.

Trade in and out like a share.

No stamp duty !!