| 03/05/2010
Nice rally going on. 52-weeks highs are well within reach now.
Our assets are above $600k for the moment, and just $2k from our all time high back in October of 2007. I think it's likely we will drop below the $600k asset level again next month when it comes time to update our home's value - it's been on a slow slide downhill over the last 5 or 6 months.
Overall assets are still 30% in cash. If we have a large pull back we will put some of the money on the sidelines back to work.
03/11/2010
13 years left on our mortgage if we keep paying an $500 extra in principal each month. I'd like to see that cut down under 10 years, but we'd need to put down a good lump sum to make that happen (about $30k). We've got plenty of cash if we wanted to do it.
It's a bad move, but I am more and more tempted...
03/17/2010
I doubled down on DIG today. Bumped my holdings from 200 shares to 500 shares - in at 35.88. Hoping that the market momentum carries a little further. I don't have a strike price set, but if I can stick to my guns I'll bail at 38.50. I think greed is getting the better of me, but it seems like the fundamentals are there for these shares to continue rising. Demand is rising, and we're a few months away from Summer Driving and Hurricane seasons - sometimes this adds a risk premium to the price. I may be out well before then, we'll see. This is a big position for me, so my "jitter level" is moderate to high.
Our shares of GE continue to recover - now at $18. This puts our losses there at less than 50%. We placed a large trade on those shares back in 2007 - I'd put that at #2 in the list of the worst moves I've ever made.
Some memorable bad moves:
#1 - Major move into QQQ in October of 2000. (Based on a Bob Brinker call that I went waaay overboard with)
#2 - GE in at 32 (on it's way down from 41 - never catch a falling knife...) in 2007. Bottomed in the 6's in 2009. Still holding.
#3 - APPL bought at 140, and then more at 170 - bailed at 90 when Steve Jobs left due to illness.
#4 - RIMM - Attempted a sideways trade from APPL to RIMM take the stock loss on APPL. Went into RIMM and lost even more money...
#5 - PEIX - Pure speculation on market buzz - in at 30, out at 27.
In the broader market we're within 1% of 52 week highs. If I had to guess I'd say we'll move higher through mid-May. Watch out KTID, we're right behind you now!
Happy St. Patty's day!
03/20/2010
Already bailed on my DIG trade. The loss I incurred effectively wiped out profits from my earlier trade where I got in at $29.75, and out at $35... How sad. Trading on emotion continues to screw me. I think I need to set some rules and live by them.
A couple other notes.
Our home value continues to go downhill. Latest check of Zillow shows out house listed at $216k.
I will be getting my review at work on Monday. Generally it looks favorable. I do believe I will be getting a raise as an outcome - but that will come in June. With any luck the raise will push me into six figures. Hard to believe...
03/23/2010
And away we go... 10,888 and headed higher - no doubt about it. It shouldn't take long to take out 11k. 10% unemployment, $14 Trillion in debt. HA!!!
DIG is headed back up again. Hmmm...
On another note, I had my review today. Went well. The company has a budget of 2.6% for "merit increases" which should occur in May or June. My best guess is that I will end up with a 3% raise out of the deal. Time will tell.
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