February 2015: Portfolio Update.

New all time highs in February, for both myself and the FTSE100, with both indexes managing 2.92% gains in the month.
A reasonable month for dividends with payments received from Vodafone, Banco Santander, Verizon, Apple, Imperial Tobacco, and IG.
However, it was disappointing to see a significant fall of 17% in a significant utility, Centrica, which as the old British Gas has around 50% of the UK market.
And, despite their use as a cheap political shot across the bows, aren't utilities supposed to be safe?

It has been a long term holding, but I have to say that, even accounting for dividends, Centrica has been hugely disappointing as an investment, and it will need to significantly improve its prospects following this dividend cut.
Curious to see 2 elements of the old British Gas: BG Group; and Centrica, now in the dog house of my portfolio, and in danger of being culled.

Merchant Adventurer's Index
			Forecast	1 month	YTD	50 mth
	Price	% holding	Div. yield	% gain	% gain	% gain
R-R	949.00p	23.75%	2.51%	6.51%	9.08%	44.56%
Aviva	539.00p	13.49%	3.85%	2.08%	11.25%	48.98%
National Grid	887.00p	13.48%	5.04%	-5.24%	-3.39%	60.40%
BP	448.00p	9.64%	5.78%	5.66%	9.00%	5.87%
Apple **	$128.46	8.99%	1.32%	6.99%	17.50%	128.55%
IG Group	731.00p	4.54%	4.34%	0.69%	1.67%	53.18%
Imperial Tobacco	3193.00p	3.10%	4.47%	2.21%	12.59%	41.34%
William Hill	378.00p	2.97%	3.40%	0.27%	4.28%	105.24%
BAT	3782.00p	2.48%	4.04%	0.80%	8.06%	12.75%
Vodafone	224.00p	2.12%	5.25%	-4.68%	0.61%	-11.22%
Microsoft **	$43.85	2.02%	4.24%	5.91%	-4.69%	58.66%
Banco Santander	475.00p	1.92%	2.83%	5.56%	-12.76%	-12.96%
General Electric **	$25.99	1.89%	3.02%	6.15%	3.84%	72.13%
BAE Systems	533.00p	1.84%	3.92%	4.92%	12.92%	61.52%
Barrat Dev.	516.00p	1.59%	4.39%	12.66%	9.55%	44.35%
SSE	1573.00p	1.50%	5.85%	-2.24%	-3.02%	28.41%
Verizon **	3204.43p	1.45%	3.78%	5.60%	6.76%	15.46%
Centrica	244.00p	1.06%	5.80%	-17.01%	-12.54%	-26.42%
BG Group	958.00p	0.97%	2.05%	8.00%	10.75%	-26.08%
Cash		1.22%	0.00%
		100.00%	3.68%
				1 month	YTD	50 mth
Virtual Portfolio gain (incl. Dividends)
- 1 month gain  2161.51 -	2235.05			2.92%
- YTD gain        1644.62 -	2235.05				6.93%
- 50 month gain 1264.20 -	2235.05					76.79%
- 62 month gain 1000.00 -	2235.05					123.50%
FTSE gain (excl. Dividends)
- 1 month gain  6749.40 -	6946.66			2.92%
- YTD gain        5897.81 -	6946.66				5.80%
- 50 month gain 5971.01 -	6946.66					16.34%
- 62 month gain 5412.88 -	6946.66					28.34%
Transactions:
04/02/2015	Div	Vodaphone @ 3.60p per share
06/02/2015	Div	Banco Santander @ 8.70p per share
06/02/2015	Div	Verizon @ 30.98p per share
16/02/2015	Div	Apple @ 25.53p per share
17/02/2015	Div	Imp.Tobacco @ 89.30p per share
27/02/2015	Div	IG Group @ 5.75p per share
Notes:
*     US Dividends are adjusted for exchange rate and 15% withholding tax
**   Sterling : Dollar exchange rate = £1: $1.5438 as at 28/02/15
***  Banco Dividends are adjusted for exchange rate and 21% withholding tax
**** Sterling : Euro exchange rate = £1: $1.37889 as at 28/02/15

So, new all time highs make for a satisfying chart! 
Fingers crossed I will be extending the height of the scales again soon.

Click to enlarge, close to return.

OK so 2015 has started well, which seems a little curious given the unknown future for Greece within Europe, and for different reasons, Britain's future in Europe. A Grexit and a Brexit?
More imminently, the dangers of a hung parliament or Labour majority in the upcoming General Election will, I'm sure, create turbulence across the UK economy, until the unknowns become answered.

Either way, I've never been one to guess or try to reposition my portfolio one way or another. Individual opportunities but not the whole. And inevitably, once the dust has settled, we might be asking ourselves what the fuss was all about?

Previous Posts:
- January 2015: Portfolio Update.
- December 2014: Portfolio Update.