Where did January go?
Post Christmas, its all been a bit of a blur and it still seems like only yesterday that I was reviewing December and 2011.
Post Christmas, its all been a bit of a blur and it still seems like only yesterday that I was reviewing December and 2011.
Good start to the year for the FTSE though, and my portfolio which, despite Tesco's fall from grace after disappointing with its Christmas quarter update (subsequently dragging Morrisons et al into the potential fallout with a looming price war), managed to match the markets 1.96% gain with a 2.11% gain.
Elsewhere, Apple was back on the up, astounding markets with its record busting numbers, which included 37m Iphone sales (see: Apple blows away Q1 Forecasts with Record Quarterly Sales and Profits.), and Microsoft also managed to please with its own quarterly update.
A couple of chunky dividends hitting the doormat from National Grid and R-R also helped extend the good feeling and accounted for 0.7% of the portfolio's gain in January.
All helped me to a hit another new high!
All helped me to a hit another new high!
| Merchant Adventurer's Index | |||||||||||||||
| Forecast | 1 month | YTD | 25 mnth | ||||||||||||
| Price | % holding | Div. yield | % gain | % gain | % gain | ||||||||||
| R-R | 735.50p | 30.93% | 2.49% | -1.47% | -1.47% | 52.12% | |||||||||
| National Grid | 632.00p | 17.69% | 6.22% | 1.12% | 1.12% | 16.44% | |||||||||
| Aviva | 349.40p | 8.10% | 7.66% | 16.16% | 16.16% | -0.20% | |||||||||
| Inv. Perp. High Inc. *** | 514.74p | 6.68% | 3.73% | 0.19% | 0.19% | 21.83% | |||||||||
| Apple ** | $456.48 | 4.73% | 0.00% | 11.69% | 11.69% | 140.25% | |||||||||
| BP | 470.85p | 4.39% | 3.84% | 2.25% | 2.25% | 8.17% | |||||||||
| IG Group | 473.70p | 3.19% | 4.70% | -0.67% | -0.67% | 57.44% | |||||||||
| William Hill | 224.70p | 2.66% | 4.17% | 10.80% | 10.80% | 31.41% | |||||||||
| BG Group | 1425.00p | 2.65% | 1.01% | 3.52% | 3.52% | 30.73% | |||||||||
| General Electric ** | $18.71 | 2.47% | 2.69% | 3.52% | 3.52% | 22.01% | |||||||||
| Microsoft ** | $29.53 | 2.46% | 2.20% | 12.72% | 12.72% | 22.03% | |||||||||
| Centrica | 293.40p | 2.34% | 5.20% | 1.42% | 1.42% | -7.10% | |||||||||
| Morrisons | 286.00p | 2.29% | 3.76% | -12.32% | -12.32% | 13.03% | |||||||||
| SSE | 1223.00p | 2.15% | 6.51% | -5.27% | -5.27% | 6.26% | |||||||||
| Vodafone | 170.80p | 2.11% | 7.41% | -4.53% | -4.53% | 6.00% | |||||||||
| BAE Systems | 307.80p | 1.95% | 6.09% | 7.96% | 7.96% | -3.58% | |||||||||
| Tesco | 319.60p | 1.62% | 4.74% | -20.78% | -20.78% | -19.88% | |||||||||
| Cash | 1.59% | 0.00% | |||||||||||||
| 100.00% | 4.02% | ||||||||||||||
| 1 Month | YTD | 25 Mnth | |||||||||||||
| Virtual Portfolio gain (incl. Divs) | 2.11% | 2.11% | 43.95% | ||||||||||||
| FTSE gain (excl. Dividends) | 1.96% | 1.96% | 4.96% | ||||||||||||
| - 1 month gain 5572.28 - 5681.61 | |||||||||||||||
| - YTD gain 5572.28 - 5681.61 | |||||||||||||||
| - 25 month gain 5412.88 - 5681.61 | |||||||||||||||
| Transactions: | |||||||||||||||
| 05/01/2012 | Div | Rolls-Royce @ 6.9p per share | |||||||||||||
| 19/01/2012 | Div | Nat Grid @ 13.93p per share | |||||||||||||
| 30/01/2012 | Div | GE @ 14.41c per share | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | |||||||||||||||
| * US Dividends are adjusted for exchange rate and 15% withholding tax | |||||||||||||||
| ** Sterling : Dollar exchange rate = £1: $1.57 as at 31/01/12 | |||||||||||||||
| *** Invesco Perpetual Accumulation units (Dividends re-invested). Yield shown is based upon most recent payments. | |||||||||||||||
In just over 2 years then, with dividends re-invested, my portfolio is now showing a gain of 43.95% v. the FTSE100's 6.4% (excl. dividends).
And, although only part of the story, I continue to believe in the contribution that re-investing dividends is making to the portfolio's growth, even helping to stabilise things whilst media sensationalism picks out the triple digit falls for their headlines.
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| Click to enlarge, back to return |
Looking ahead though, I can see the ongoing drama (not drachma) that is Greece being staved off yet again which, if it is confirmed soon, will probably be enough to see the FTSE100 make an assault on 6000 but this might just form the "summit" of its ambitions until the final quarter of 2012 unless the EU/ECB can convince markets that they will defend the Euro and "all" its members with an all for one and one for all approach.
Without this it seems inevitable that Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece (again), will continue to experience finance raising issues and bring the Euro crisis back into focus.
If the EU can't stir itself from its torpor, then we will have to hope they manage to at least limp through 2012, by which time the US might just manage to kick-start a new phase of global growth in election year, notwithstanding its own debt concerns of course.
Links to previous Portfolio updates:
- December 2011: Portfolio Update.
- November 2011: Portfolio Update.
- October 2011: Portfolio Update
- May 2011: Portfolio Update- December 2011: Portfolio Update.
- November 2011: Portfolio Update.
- October 2011: Portfolio Update
- April 2011: Portfolio Update
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