intrepid investing...the month in review. APR 14 to MAY 20 2009

summary:
the month started out rocky, was holding on to a 20% loss at one time. held on and it recovered. went into speculation with FAZ. guessed right but didnt sell due to greed, traded it at an 8% loss in the end. did some small trades amounting to a 20% turnover. overall gain is now 7-8% as of writing, with a realized gain of 2%.

breakdown by position:

AIG - america international group

Apr 14, 2009 Buy AIG 1.70
May 7, 2009 Sell AIG 1.98

held: 21 days
change: 14%

speculative buy, sold in the first rally. price is around 1.8-1.9 now.

verdict: good move on the sell. could have been more decisive and sold at 2.05

EXM - excel marine corp

Apr 20, 2009 Buy EXM 7.11
May 19, 2009 Sell EXM 9.95

held: 29 days
change: 38%
current price: 10.5

haha, jokes on me. this received a massive upgrade right after i sold it. i earlier posted that i'd feel happy locking in my profits, but i still feel the pinch.

verdict: i stand by my decision.

NTE - nam tai

Apr 20, 2009 Buy NTE 4.30
May 11, 2009 Sell NTE 4.20

held: 21 days
change: (4%)
current price: 4.3

was a promising company. no debt, produced base materials for LCD screens/other electrical equipment for many major companies like sharp and sony. Q1 results showed strange management trends of not wanted to take deals at lower margins. dividend was canceled. sold it for a loss.

verdict: price may have recovered now, but i believe future growth is limited.

FAZ - direxion financial bear 3x etf

May 7, 2009 Buy FAZ 5.41
May 20, 2009 Sell FAZ 5.05
change: (8%)
current price: 5.17

worst mistakes i've made. this went up to 6.3, but i was greedy and didnt want to just take the 10% gain. 1000 bucks gone.

verdict: don't speculate.

AIB - Allied Irish Bank

Apr 14, 2009 Buy AIB 3.05

still holding.
current price: 3.4
change: 14%

dropped to 2.0 along the way, but i didnt buy any more.
largest bank in ireland. No chance of nationalization. Still in huge debt but in process of restructuring, leaders that got it into this mess are stepping down.

verdict: speculative. should have bought more when it dipped.

GU - gushan environmental energy

Apr 14, 2009 Buy GU 2.72
still holding.
current price: 2.45
change: (8%)

largest biodisel manufacturer in china. took at price hit when q1 results were released, but company is fundamentally sound. no debt, and it increased production capacity even in this downturn.

verdict: should buy more.

NOV - national oilwell varco

Apr 20, 2009 Buy NOV 33.81
Apr 23, 2009 Buy NOV 29.85
Apr 23, 2009 Buy NOV 30.00

still holding.
average price: 30.8
current price: 37.1
change: 18%

had a huge scare when i bought the bulk of this at 30 and 29, my cheque bounced and they wanted to force sell it at 28. so i rushed down to the bank at 6pm and got the EPS settled.

got this recommendation from Motley fools research report. Largest producer of oil-drilling equipment in the USA. I see demand for their products as oil prices increase and more reserves need to be tapped.

verdict: hold, good job on the averaging down.

ATVI - activision blizzard

Apr 20, 2009 ATVI 10.30

still holding.
current price: 11.5
change: 10%

only the greatest game company ever. nuff said.

verdict: should buy more before diablo 3 and starcraft 2 hit.

HURC - hurco companies

Apr 20, 2009 Buy HURC 14.76

still holding.
current price: 15.1
change: 2%

laser welding company. debt free. would see a pick up when manufacturing revives.

verdict: still holding.

OLN - olin corp

May 11, 2009 Buy OLN 12.85
May 11, 2009 Buy OLN 12.66

bought this for the 6% dividend yield. they've been paying out for the past 100 years. solid company that should stand the test of time.

verdict: don't sell.