Financial Derivatives Stock Analysis
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Transcript of Financial Derivatives Stock Analysis
Financial Derivates 2014 [Type text]
2014
Financial Derivatives
Stock Track Analysis
John Joseph Ryan
TABLE OF CONTENTSPage
PART I Introduction 3
PART II Buy & Hold Account One 5
PART III Buy & Sell Account Two 20
PART IV Final Reflection & Conclusions 48
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Buy & Hold Account One
Introduction
The paper attempts to describe the activities involved in buying and holding stocks and
sequential strategies to successfully achieve substantial market gains or movements in price
of commodities in various markets across the globe.
The process by which stocks were taken into consideration as viable investment prospects
involved the process of initial basic screening involving the delineation of important variables
that would delimit investment prospects to a select number for a further in depth review. The
application of appropriate technical analysis, deal evaluation and assessment of perceived risk
with anticipated return was carried out in the various Markets such as the NASDAQ,
S&P500, LSE, Toronto stock exchange and many others.
My overall goal of the project is to achieve a greater understanding of the stock market
through the Stock simulation. This report demonstrates a number of fundamental and
technical analysis methods of investments turning theories into practice. During the
simulation, stock trades were made based on different strategies and the overall effectiveness
of each strategy was also highlighted.
Buy and Hold Strategy
With this strategy many investors buy stock in an established company with strong structures
and finances and hold it for the long period of time usually at least a year. Lower commission
and tax levels are paid by investors who take a buy and hold strategy compared too many
other investment strategies. The stock is on hold in the portfolio just for the period the stock
will rise instead of exerting high efforts of research and analysis into the market to see how
the stock is performing. The Fundamental reason why investors partake in a buy and hold
strategy is to buy stock based on the expectation of investors and market analysis’s that the
economy will grow up over the time the stocks will be held for. The price of the selected
stock will increase as the company becomes stronger. They usually ignore the day-to-day
fluctuation of the stock price, since this is normally due to the smoothing out of prices over
the life of the portfolio of the fluctuations and movements of the day on day stock prices,
investors ignore the daily movements and the market as a whole.
3 | P a g e
The first plan was to develop my buy and hold portfolio and to experiment with my first
stock of 20 with €1,000,000 in total to invest. The first strategy differed from strategies such
as the momentum effect which involves studying the best performers over the last 12 months
or the contrarian approach which seeks opportunities to buy or sell specific investments when
the majority of investors appear to be doing the opposite to the point where the investment
has become mispriced. However these strategies will be explored in further transactions and
detail at a later stage with the report. Instead for my first stock I decided to take a defensive
due diligence approach inspired by the Benjamin Grahams book the “Intelligent Investor” I
researched various companies annual or quarterly returns.
I read at least 5 years worth of returns to form a better idea of the shape of the company’s
finances and strategies for future growth, operations and any potential circumstances that
may cause a negative fall in stocks. If a proxy statement is available to find out if there is any
conflict of interests was also analysed. For example the business world saw the Oracle CEO
Larry Ellison resign however he was not replaced for a considerable period of time once he
resigned, this lack of ownership in the organisation can hinder growth in many ways.
I decided to experiment with the idea of studying the decision of those with experience doing
it at the highest level. Instead of buying stock from a beginners stand point. There may be use
in selecting stock based on previous professional investment decisions. This information may
lie in the records of numerous investment companies, or “Funds” which have been in
operation for many years. A lot of these funds especially the larger high trading funds are
large enough to command the services of the best Financial and security analysis’s out there.
There seems to be a large volume of studies carried out on funds, some mutual funds in
particular that suggest that funds usually underperform compared to some of the largest
stocks on the NYSE. However Benjamin Graham found in his studies that funds did perform
better than previously suggested. Graham (1973) later stated “that to trust these studies- that
mutual funds, on average, underperform the market by a margin roughly equal to their
operating expenses and trading costs - has been reconfirmed so many times that anyone who
doubts them should found a financial chapter of The Flat Earth Society”.
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Buy & Hold Stock Selection
The following stocks are many of the various selections for the buy and hold account. The
Stocks were chosen from a number of Indices for the purpose of diversity and spread of risk.
This section of the report highlights the rationale for choosing the many stocks for long term
investment in the buy and hold account. As an investor who takes a long position to own a
company with the buy and hold it was taken that due to a certain set of circumstances a
company is expected to grow and be profitable in the future.
Stock prices are often described as being connected by means of growth, company
profitability and the perceived stability of an organisation. Investors analysis dividend as a
determinant for buying a stock at a certain price, however there are a large number of
companies on the stock exchanges with high growth opportunities that do not pay any such
dividend in cash so this as a standalone entity cannot be the reason for choosing a stock. This
is seen in many of my stocks listed below therefore the dividend could not be taken into
consideration for the analysis. Researching markets and analysis is an important aspect to any
Financial analyst or investor therefore I actively researched information via
www.morningstar.com & www.yahoo/fianace.
It was decided to adopt a strategy by having a diverse portfolio which has been proven to be
an efficient strategy. To reduce industry related risk I choose stock in a wide variety of
industries and also choose from different countries to avoid particular economical risk of one
given country. An example of the diversity within the portfolio;
Kerry Group (Food Industry) FTSE 100 Canadian Natural Resources (Metals) TSE Sinopec Corp 0386 (Oil) Hong Kong Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc (Pharma) NASDAQ The Clorox (Healthcare) NYSE
5 | P a g e
Figure 1: Overview of the portfolio including the above diverse trades, we can see a fall to -
1.34 within the space of a few days however the portfolio performed better from the 23rd
September 2014 onwards.
1. Hersey Company (Ticker HSY)
I decided for the first initial selection of a stock was to follow a professional’s decision for
choosing a stock by studying a high trading and performing fund; Marshall Wace LLP and
select a company that invested in the fund with a high increase in % share value for one QTR.
The beta for Hersey Co is good at 0.59 indicating low risk and some stability. Shares are at
61,637 share value % increase 82.46% as at last Qtr 30 June 2014. This may indicate growth,
high profitability and a future returns on equity. The Hersey Company was on their list as one of
their long lasting investment positions.
The Hershey Company (Ticker HSY) is a renowned global confectionery company providing
chocolate, sweets, mints, beverages and snacks. In regards to the Hersey Company stock I didn’t
want to study P/E ratios as a deciding factor in selection as these ratios often differ per industry
and may exclude potential sound investment ideas as a result. P/E (Hersey Co. 25.6 High) does
not in itself say if a company is under/overvalued with respect to value. Same idea with EPS
TTM (Hersey Co, 3.66) growth rate, because a solid company with 0% or little growth rate can
be an attractive investment if the price is right.
Stock confirmation: 200 units@ price 94.67 = $18,933.00
6 | P a g e
17th September 2014 – Mu portfolio did not initially perform well for the first week as at 17th
September 2014 at close portfolio with this stock market value $999,941.64 (-0.01%).
Figure 2: CTR chart for the Hersey Company (HSY Annual Report 2013).
The above graph shows the 5 year CTR chart for the Hersey Company. It can be seen
between the period of 2008 to 2013 that the company represented by the dark blue trend line
initially struggled below the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Packaged Foods Index just
above $100. It can be seen from the graph that in 2010 that the Hersey Company saw a rise
in common stock price appreciation plus any dividends. The trend line intersected both
Index trend lines and could be construed as an opportunity to purchase this stock in 2010 for
a buy and hold 2013.
On further Technical analysis of this stock we see a slump in price in October 16th at $91.09
however steadily grow with this Index as seen below to $95.29 on November 20th. Following
positive announcements in December that the companies Reese’s brand will be the official
sponsor of the new College Football Playoff (CFP) in the US. Also with the increased
manufacturing capacity in North America by acquiring a large player in the Canadian
confectionery brands to the Hershey portfolio the price suddenly seen a bullish trend upwards
to a high of 100.47 in late November and early December.
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SMA & EMA: We see a number of situations where the stock fell below the moving
averages (as shown below) indicating to investors buy or sell the stock. However since mid
October the stock stayed well above both moving averages which suggests that the bulls are
in control of the price action around that time and that the asset will likely move higher as it
crossed both 50 day moving averages, which it did in mid October.
Figure: 3 Source (yahoo/finance).
Hersey Co. Profit & loss for portfolio = Profit $1,086.00 (5.7%)
2. Gilead (Ticker GILD)
Gilead is in the biotechnology industry and is heavily involved in hepatitis research. The
biotech industry has seen real acceleration over the last 5 years at a rapid pace with the ever
increasing new technology and competition. The reason I choose the stock was for exactly
that reason. I bought the stock in early September at $105.77 with the expectation of further
upward movements bouncing of the support line. However the stock seemed to be part of an
old bull market with misleading acceleration as on review of the Biotech index over the last
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few years it has tripled overall suggesting instability. Compared to the Standard & Poor’s 500
and its 69% gain over that same span there is vast difference.
Figure 4: Source (Yahoo/ Finance) Stocktrak 2014
Final notes: The results were not positive to hold this stock for a long period of time if
inclined to be a bull investor. After purchase of the stock one can see the flatting out of the
resistance line with many double tops which proved to show that the stock will drop. I added
an extra red to this graph to show a possible new support line trending downwards which
should have raised some concern. The stock fell as low as $96 in mid October. The total
profit and loss for the buy and hold account = -189 Loss (0.1%).
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3. Costco Wholesale Corporation (Ticker COST)
Mkt Cap: 55.51b P/E: 28.30 Dividend:1.4252 Wk High:127.32 F P/E: 28.30 Yield:1,122752 Wk Low:109.50 Beta: 0.46 Shares: 438,285,696Ave Vol: 1.8m EPS:4.47 Exchange: NGS
Costco Wholesale Corporation is massive retail chain in the lower margin fast moving
consumer goods market. I selected this stock based on its position on the top 250 list of
retailers. Costco between 2012 -2013 has been in the top 10 with a retail revenue growth of
11.5% and a return on assets of 6.5% with retail revenue from foreign operations at 27.6%
just below Wal-Mart’s 29.1%. Based on the Costco annual report for 2013 the 52-week fiscal
year’s net sales saw a rise of 6% to $103 billion. This was a historical event for the company
and the first time outperforming the figure of $100 billion. The average annual sales per
warehouse also increased positively to $160 million. (Figures Costco Annual Report 2013)
The stock price was really expensive when bought on the 19 th of September 2014 at 126.79
given its P/E of 28.30. Yahoo Finance lists the beta as low as 0.46 which is very low. Please
see the below table of the top 10 Share of the top 250 retailers across the globe.
Figure 5: top 10 Share of the top 250 retailers across the globe.
10 | P a g e
Figure 6: Source www.yahoo/finance/. COST Interactive graph 2014 as at the 17th October 2014 21:00.
Final Notes: Costco profit and loss = $15,540.00 (12.25%).
4. Lululemon Athletica (Ticker LULU)
Lululemon is a high-end sporting goods retailer including fitness goods for healthy lifestyle
activities and distributes athletic goods and accessories for women, men, and Youth.The
Company has stores in the United States and in Canada, and also has extensive wholesale
business through health and fitness clubs. The below graph displays Lululemon stock market
comparison with its major rivals Adidas (purple), Nike (blue) and Gap (pink). Lululemon
stock is represented by the candlesticks and shows similar trend to Nike but outperforms Gap
and Adidas. I choose this stock as it compares well to and outperforms many other rivals such
as Nike. The P/E ratio however is high at 42.47 you could argue that higher quality
companies tend to display a higher P/E but as a gauge on its own does not give the full
picture. Based on Lululemons quarterly annual returns for the 1st qtr and the 2nd qtr for 2014
at 0.34 per share and 0.39 respectively indicates further growth is expected into 2015.
11 | P a g e
Figure 7: Source (yahoo/finance)
Final notes: The stock was purchased for buy and hold strategy for modest earnings 100@
$42.21. Witnessed steady upward trend in this stock with good line of support and resistance
until November 25th 2014.LULU profit and loss for end of Buy and Hold account = 3,947.45
(7.5%).
5. Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ticker AVNR)
The strongest stock in the healthcare sector and listed on the NASDAQ index. It has an impressive YTD which is up 252%. I analysed the movements in price between March and May finding evidence of clear upwards trending (represented by the green lines on graph) with a small bit of sideways movement in the middle of that period. The price saw a massive bullish jump from $7.00 to $13.00 in one day. (www.Yahoo/Finance.com).
12 | P a g e
Figure 8: Source: www.bloomberg.com
A major influence in choosing this stock was after a lucky break soon after starting stocktrak I heard of an announcement of a breakthrough in one if its drugs, the stock was highly influenced by drug trial results via Bloomberg this signalled that the stock was in break out mode. This turned out to be favourable as the stock price reached a high on September 15 th
2014 continuing to rise within the large range of the candlestick for that day as can be seen on the below graph. Towards the end of September the price moved into a clear rising channel. Some resistance came in near $13.00 we can see two clear peaks moving sideways and some support near $11.00 as seen from the below. A rise above the major high at $13.09 signals the potential for another advance.
Final notes: Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ticker AVNR) Profit & loss for portfolio = Profit
$5,193.00 (51.60%).
13 | P a g e
6. Alibaba (Ticker BABA)
The announcement of Alibaba’s Initial Public offering sparked interest in this stock as it was
expected to be the highest introduced to any of the U.S.A stock markets and New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) to date. It has a ticker-id BABA and had set a price for its widely
anticipated initial public offering of $68 per share. The below graph shows a comparison of
BABA to its rival EBay. On review of the company’s financial expectations for the coming
year with expected revenue of $420 billion compared rather well to EBay’s annual report for
2013 that showed a generation of just $16 million. BABA has a sound financial profile which
attracted me to the stock and has already proved to be profitable. Like I previously mentioned
that the IPO opened at the price of $68 however I was wise enough not to jump in straight
away and buy at that price. I waited until October to purchase 1000 share at $91.97 and saw
an upward increase to a price just below $120.
Figure 9: Source (Yahoo/Finance)
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Final Notes: The above graph shows the Alibaba stock. The brown line represents the index
and the green line represents EBay Inc. From the graph I marked a yellow point to show the
price of $91.96 where alibaba breaks the EMA (red line) where I bought the stock for 91.97
and thereafter saw huge gains for my portfolio. The profit and loss for BABA for my
portfolio = $13,100.00 (14.2%).
7. Clorox Company (Ticker CLX)
Over the last year, the Clorox stock has not performed, it was known for its long lasting
trading sideways pattern before an announced break out into an upward movement in trend
in early September. The price broke above the exp moving average and also the simple
moving average at 50 days between September 15th and 22nd which opened up a window of
opportunity to buy the stock as I predicted the stock to rise. News later followed in coming
weeks that Clorox was leaving the Venezuelan market (source Morningstar.com) which had
a price freeze for the last number of years. With my added delight of this news I reached
further into the news on the stock via yahoo finance, stocktrak and Reuters who expected to
see some kind of merger or acquisition to occur possibly by one of its larger its competitors
Procter & Gamble or Unilever.
Figure 10: Source (www.StockCharts.com)
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Figure 11: Source (Yahoo/finance)
Final notes: The trend line support resistance (bottom green line) in the end of September
to October roughly around $80 or $90 provided excellent signals of support in a gradual
trending price. However I waited too long to buy on an uptrend as I over judged the candle
stick at close on the 23rd of September to be a sign of the stock falling back to the old
support line. I bought around the higher end of the support trend line level at $97 to limit
any further losses in any gains. Ideally I should have bought earlier possibly around $90.00
to $95.00 and if I could place a stop order below the trend line support and take a bit of
profit for the portfolio. Profit and loss for the buy and hold account = $2,151.00 (2.4%). I
also earned a dividend from the company in later months for 0.74 per 100 shares = $74.
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Portfolio Movements from 16th September to 02 December 2014
Figure 12: Source Buy and hold account Stocktrak
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Final Buy & Hold account details
Figure 13: Transaction History and Market value as at the 8th December 2014 via csv file (www.stocktrak.com). The losses are in the red and any gains in Green.
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Jinpan
Inter
national
Limite
d
BHP Billiton Lim
ited
The C
lorox Compan
y
The H
ershey
Company
Dresser
-Rand Group In
c.
Apple Inc.
ChinaNet
Online H
oldings Inc.
Costco W
holesale
Corporati
on
Avanir P
harmace
uticals In
c.
Gilead Sc
iences
Inc.
Amazon.co
m Inc.
lululemon at
hletica
inc.
CANADIAN NAT RES
LTD
SINOPEC
CORP
TESCO PLC
GLAXOSM
ITHKLIN
EKYG
A
Glanbia
Alibab
a Gro
up Holding
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
Buy & Hold -Profit/Loss %
P/L %
Figure 14: source John Ryan Excel 2014 - 20 stocks view of P/L %.
JST CLX DRCCNET
AVNRAMZN CNQ
TSCO
KYGA
BABA
-30,000.00
-25,000.00
-20,000.00
-15,000.00
-10,000.00
-5,000.00
0.00
5,000.00
10,000.00
15,000.00
20,000.00
Buy & Hold Profit/Loss (USD)
Profit/Loss (local curr)
Stock
Profi
t/lo
ss
Figure 15: Source John Ryan 2014 excel P/L total amounts.
19 | P a g e
Buy & Sell Account Two
Technical Analysis
Technical analysis might sound harder to understand or master but some people believed that
it is exactly the opposite. Technical analysis is a method to forecasting the future
opportunities and expected position of a company based on how the stock has behaved in the
past. With technical analysis there is a strong reliance on charts and graphs to help an
investor to determine if a stock is a good buy or when there is a good opportunity to sell
minimising any losses that may occur. The reliance on various technical tools like indicators,
oscillators and Bollinger bands assist the investor in the decision to choose a stock. It is the
analysis of the data that affect a company. Short term traders use technical analysis to help
them make buying & selling decisions.
The key to technical analysis is the stock chart; one of the advantages of studying a chart is to
keeps our emotions and personal inclinations out of the decision-making process. A study by
Zielonka (2014) describes how a the notion of “Herd behaviour” can reflect the “immense
power of social pressure” on the intellectual judgement of an investor and many people due
to their own cognitive make up will be inclined to accept the perceived authority of others on
stock market valuation (most notably Warren Buffet for example) and stop trusting their own
decision making abilities even if the vast majority of investors hold a different opinion.
The basic stock charts include the line chart, bar chart and the Japanese candlestick charts.
The Line chart is the simplest chart to comprehend which is simply a line connecting the
closing price of a stock in a period of time. Friesen et al (2009) asserts that the "occurrence"
of a specific pattern in the stock price can be construed as an indicator of an upward or
downward change in a price trend signaling to the investor the correct time to buy or sell a
stock. It is also mentioned that double top method of analysis indicated by two maximum
peaks of equal magnitude is also a signal to the investors to sell at that price as a decline is
likely. The opposite applies for a double bottom.
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Head and Shoulders Technique
Figure 16: Source; www.investopedia.com
Double Top
Figure 17: Source; www.investopedia.com
The below candlestick chart makes the two sticks in the bar charts into a rectangle. It is in
rectangular shape in red or black depend on the open and close price of the stock. If the
closing price is higher than opening the box is black while if open price is lower than closing
price, the box is red. According to Marshall et al (2006) “A candlestick is a graphical
representation of the days open, high, low and close Prices”. Japanese candlesticks are
otherwise known as a ‘‘single lines’’ with forecasting ability and it is said to be a single line
21 | P a g e
that indicates further price increases based on prices that open at the lowest price that day and
rise during the day when the market is open to close at a high.
Figure 18: Source (Yahoo/finance)
Two important well known patterns for an analyst are features on a trend line known as
support and resistance. I used this simple technique to base many of my purchases with
considerable results. The term support is a price line to which the stock price cannot drop
below. The use of support lines may indicate a future drop in stock price is on the way. As an
investor at that point where the stock looks to break support I would sell the stock as it may
indicates a drop in price. When I take into account the resistance which is the line to which a
stock price cannot rise above. In conclusion, when company’s stock price rises or declines,
support given by large company helps the buyer.
The moving average on analysis of my stocks and market chart helped structure and follow
the price activity of busy trend lines. When analysing stocks I took into consideration the
direction of the moving average to get a basic idea of the flow of the price and where the
movement is likely to end up. If the moving average shifts upwards and price is moving up
overall a shift downwards obviously indicates the price is moving down overall.
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I mostly used a 50-day or 100-day moving averages to act as support lines to see if a price is
going to spring off the moving average line as it acts like a floor. The opposite can apply for
the downward moving trend forming a resistance when the price hits it and then starts to
decline once again. A moving average is the average price range of a stock for a specific
point in time. The drop in the price below it is a bearish sign and is a clear indicator to sell
your stock. The break above the line indicates a buying opportunity and is known as a bullish
signal.
The On-balance volume (OBV) is a measure of trading volume and was extremely useful to
me to find out the levels of money that is taken in or going out of a certain stock. It assisted
me in my analysis of alibaba for the buy and hold account the OBV helped to determine
whether the BABA stock was oversold or overbought. In the graph below high volumes are
indicated by the large green bars below the chart. If the OBV starts to drop investors are
starting to sell out their position in that stock. This type of indicator is a good tool to judge
what is happening with a stock.
Figure 19: http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/baba/interactive-chart
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The relative strength indicator (TSI) also helps to determine if a stock is overbought or
oversold meaning compared to a second stock or an index. The strength index measures the
strength or weakness of a stock when it is compared to itself over a period time. It has a band
that ranges from 0 to 100 on a vertical scale. In the case of the Alibaba stock between the 20 th
and 27th of October 2014 we saw the NYSE fall while the company was rising which meant
that Alibaba was strong relative to the stock exchange.
My most used technical analysis technique is to use a combination of the EMA & SMA for a
stock that applies more weighting to the most recent prices. I usually input a 50-day Simple
Moving Average and a 50-day Exponential Moving Average alongside each other on the
same graph for a stock to see the different reaction to the price changes, due to the additional
weighting on recent price data I prefer to study the EMA.
Figure 20: Ebay relative index chart source: www.Investopedia.com.
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Fundamental Analysis
Suresh (2013) mentions that fundamental analysis is the combination of industry, company
and economic environment analysis gaining an understanding of the stock’s honest real value
called intrinsic value and the sound condition of the company. Stock prices are often under or
overvalued however fundamental analysts believe that if the real value of the company is not
equal to the current stock price a situation of overpricing or under valuing is taking place.
Additionally Suresh (2013) sees that the current market prices will usually trend towards the
real value. For the second buy and sell active account I attempted to calculate the real value
of companies to decide whether to buy the security or to pass and move on to the next
security. I found myself adopted a defensive approach and analysing companies down to the
finer financial details and scrutinising each price assuming that it is overvalued encouraging
me to explore the real valuations.
As a fundamental analyst in this account I looked to capitalize on perceived price. One tool is
the income statement or the company’s annual report for the previous year’s reaching back
into prior years gave an abundance of information and records of company’s sales, operating
expenses, and earnings. This gives a quick idea about whether I should put money into the
company or not. For example, if the sale of the company increases by 18 percent or more
each year then a growth investor should invest in the company as this trend will be expected
to continue into the future. Sometimes however calculations declared by company CEO’s can
be inaccurate especially in relation to earning on each share.
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The earnings per share (EPS) are readily available for most stocks. It is calculated by dividing
a company’s after-tax profit by the outstanding shares. For most of my trades in this portfolio
were located by means of Yahoo finance taking the quarterly or annually EPS of a company.
My best indicator when looking at EPS Stock is to watch for increases in value of earning
from year to year. Warren Buffet only buys companies with trailing P/Es of 10 or less.
However I feel that when undertaking the fundamental analysis for stock I began to think like
many of the growth investors and buy stocks with high P/E as it is common that company’s
earnings will improve in the future returning the P/E to a reasonable level. As indicated in the
previous buy and hold account discussion the P/E as a standalone indication of a good stock
to buy is not concrete in its determination a number of variables are need to make a good
judgement.
Hedging Strategies
Options
I decided to use some hedging techniques for many of my stocks for this account. The use of
options contracts allowed me to have an agreement that gives me the rights to purchase stock
or other financial instruments at a defined price within a specific time frame
I used both the call options and put option for common stocks. Call options are options to
purchase, and put options are options to sell. A normal one stock option contract represents
contract size of 100 shares of common stock. I learned that a call option cannot sell for more
than the underlying asset and a put option cannot sell for more than the strike price. An
option's intrinsic value is a lower bound for an option's price.
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Figure 21: Options payoff based on buying the call option
A put becomes more valuable as the price of the underlying stock depreciates relative to the
strike price. For example, if I had one January 2015 Telsa Motors put of 10, I have the right
to sell 100 shares of Telsa Motors at $10 until Jan 2015. If the shares did to fall to $5 when I
use the option, I can buy the 100 shares for $5 in the market and sell the shares to the option
broker for $10 each, which means I made $500 on the put option. Call options on the other
hand gave me the right to buy the stock if I choose to and make a profit on a call when the
stock increases in price.
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Figure 22: (Source Investopedia) a long put option.
The expiration date is the time left over on an option just before I had the right to exercise a
put. At expiration, if the price of the stock is lower than the strike price of the options. The
put strike price as per the above diagram is basically the price for which you can sell a stock
at a future point in time if I wanted to.
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Figure 23: buying a call option www.Investopedia.com
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Futures Trading
Futures’ trading refers to very specific characteristics of an asset. I decided to partake in
futures trading for account two so it doesn’t necessarily involve me having to make daily
trading decisions about what commodity to buy or even sell. For example if I was expecting a
price of that commodity in question to double in price over a given time frame profits can be
made with buying futures contracts. My overall aim was to forecast the direction and timing
of the price change as the contracts if they eventually reach a higher price can be sold on to
retrieve a profit for my portfolio. However I saw prices decline rather than increase on a
regular basis as the commodities were difficult to judge resulting in a losses which I tried to
minimise as much as possible. Short hedging is a strategy used where a short position is taken
out on a futures contract and can be used by the investor who will view that the price will
decrease over that period.
The concept of backwardation option occurs when trading with futures. It can be identified if
a futures contract is well below the spot price it will then increase as prices eventually
converge with the spot price as the expiration of the contract get closer. On many occasions
the Storage costs along with interest rates account for the difference between the spot prices.
When trading oil contracts I rule I took when experiencing backwardation was to hold a long
position.
.
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1. Dresser-Rand
I choose this stock with the potential to perform my first fundamental strategy calculation.
The company manufactures compressors and turbines to serve the oil and gas industry mostly
in North America and Canada as the drilling boom boosts demand for equipment. The
Company’s revenue according to its financial statements for 2013 is expected to grow in size
over the next few years. Dresser Rand are operating in an expanding industry with expanded
market opportunities such as new markets such compression systems, liquefied natural gas
and CAES. News in Late September of Siemens and Pump manufacturers Sulzer are
interested in taking over the company as it has a market cap of $6 billion dollars sparked my
interest.
I bought 100 shares in total at $81.15 with a market value 10,115.00
.
Figure 24: Source: Dresser Rand – Annual Report 2013.
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Figure 25: Dresser -Rand Fundamental Analysis John Ryan excel 2014. Calculations of PV are based on Formulas provided by Investopedia.com.
The goal of analyzing this company's fundamentals and company details is to determine the
stock's intrinsic value or in other words its real actual value not the value currently displayed
in the market. The intrinsic value for the company displayed in the above table of the current
share price for the company shows that the stock is worth more than its price at an intrinsic
value of $6,940.58 much higher than the PV of $5448.79 and on that basis would make sense
to buy the stock.
I carried out the calculations based on a discount factor = D=1/ (1+P) ^ N. Firstly I calculated
the total sum of the discounted future cash flows from 2013 to 2017 five years
And got residual value by adding sum of the future cash flows from starting six years from
present year. According to the Dresser- Rand annual report for 2013 the company is assumed
to grow at 18% a year for the first 6 years and then 8% every year after that 2018 and beyond.
32 | P a g e
I added the first five yearly cash flows and discounted each back to year zero. Once I got the
present value for the first five years I calculated the value of the cash flows from the sixth
year and all the following years expecting the growth rate to be 8%. The cash flows from all
these years are discounted back to 2017 added together, then discounted to year zero, and
finally combined with the PV of the cash flows from years one to five.
(Source:www.Invsetopia.com) Please see the below table for the calculation to discover the
Discount factors and capitalisation rate.
Capitalization Rate= annual operating Income
Value
$3,738,000,000/ $383,000,000 = 0.10246121= 10.20%
Figures taken from Dresser Rand Financial Statements 2013.
Final notes: Interpreting this stock price was one of the most challenging aspects of the report and stocktrak. Without a full array of variables to judge price is efficient for the market, it is difficult to know whether this predictor is accurate and reflects risk or mispricing.
Discount Factor Calculations
Year 5 - 2017 Year 4 - 2016
Year 3 - 2015 Year 2 - 2014 Year 1 2013
D=1/(1+P) ^ N D=1/(1+P) ^ N
D=1/(1+P)^ N D=1/(1+P)^ N D=1/(1+P)^ N
D=1/(1+0.0052)^60
D = 1/(1 + 0.0052) ^ 48
D = 1/(1 + 0.0052) ^ 36
D = 1/(1 + 0.0052) ^ 24
D = 1/(1 + 0.0052) ^ 12
D= 1/(0.0052)^60
5x12 =60
D=1/1(0.0052) ^ 48
4X12 = 48
D=1/( 0.0052) ^ 36 3X12 = 36
D = 1/(0.0052) ^ 24 2X12 = 24
D=1/(0.0052) ^ 12
1X12 = 12 D= 1/(1.3650) = 0.7326
D= 1/1.2826 = 0.77
D=1/1.20528368 = 0.82
D=1/1.13255556 = 0.88
D=1/1.06421594 = 0.93
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2. Tesla Motors (Short Put) TLSA
This was one of my best trades on both accounts as I studied the company details of Tesla by
means of technical analysis. Tesla Motors’ share price plunged by 12.3% as investors
scrambled to re-analyze the long term effect the accident would have on the company’s
ability to sell its electric cars. On The 4th Tesla had a trading close to the high-end of its 52-
week trading range of between $26.86 and $192.30. We can see from the below graph clearly
that the price breaks the EMA marked in red at the price of preceding that it be seen a clear
downward channel and I believed that the price would continue to fall in line with the support
that was already there. I put a short put to gain on the downside. I bought the 100 at the price
of $237.76 with market value of 23,776 finally making a profit of $2,340.00. Throughout this
period, the stock has consistently traded below its 50-day Simple Moving Averages (SMAs).
Figure 26: source (Yahoo/Finance)
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3. Apple Inc (Call)
On the 5th of November I bought 500 shares of Apple at a price of $108.50 (strike just above
price) and sold the position soon after making a minor $390 profit. From the analysis I saw
that the price floated well above the EMA. The P/E was good at 16.98 for apple showing that
current investor demand for a company share is within an acceptable range and indicated a
good time to buy at the price as the p/e grow gradually for each day when I looked back
trough the October. A high PE ratio generally indicates increased demand because investors
anticipate growth in the future. The announcement of the new Iphone 6 came a month
previous which saw a huge slump in the price due to many technical problems with the devise
but soon broke above the moving averages and its old line of resistance.
Figure 27: Source www.StockCharts.com
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4. Intel Corporation
I found that a number of factors could see an upside of $49.20 a share compared to the
price I paid $34.57 and there was a clear channel upwards in the trend. Buying at the
maximum resistance level I realized that the price may fall soon after back to the
support line and this was a mistake on my part as I could have bought the stock at a
much lower price at possibly $33.8 as the upward trend continued above $37 and $38.
The stock was then sold for a price just above the price I paid for a profit of 131.50 to
minimise any future losses. However it was a fair price for a company that has
operating margins of 25% and generates $6 billion a year in free cash flow. The
earnings per share however are very low at 2.10 and the P/E is getting close to 20 but
still reasonable. The beta sits at 0.9 at low risk levels.
Figure 28: source (Yahoo/Finance)
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5. Ryanair Holdings (RYA)
For this stock I attempted to follow a price channel technique that generates signals to
buy when applied to stock graphs. With this stock the buy signals are produced when the
price closes above the upper band of the price channel. The graph below has the
Donchian price-channel rule applied to it (grey shaded area on the graph). I bought 250
shares at £8.3 when the price was close to the upper band on the 4 th November 2014 I
watched the where the price penetrates the upper band between the 24th of November and
1st of December which was also a signal to buy which confirmed that my decision was
correct to buy even though the price did fall back to around £8.3 and I was breaking even
for a number days after that. I had little gains on this trade as a result selling for a minor
profit of £551.30.
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Figure 29: source: www.LiveCharts.co.uk
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Brent Crude Oil December 2014 (Stop)
Brent futures are traded on both the ICE and NYMEX exchanges and I wanted to experience
a trade on movement of a commodity to I choose this future trade. On the 16th of October I
took a gamble on Brent crude oil to take a turn and go up in price as I felt that stock may
form a new support line upwards. I decided to buy the stock for $90.89 and put a stop loss at
$90.00 to limit any chance of losing money if the commodity fell which it did.
Figure 30: Source (Yahoo/Finance)
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MILK JAN 15 - DA/F5
Purchased milk on the 10/28/2014 and sold the futures on the 10/30/2014 for 18.22 making a
profit of $180 as I believed the price was to fall soon after which it did as per the below graph
on the 30th October 2014. Producers of milk like hedge to reduce risk with falling prices. To
lessen the risk the producers selling milk will hedge by selling futures contracts. The cash and
the futures prices move in the same direction.
Figure 31: Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/milk
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COCOA December 2014
I Purchased Co on the 10/30/2014 1 contract for $2,923. I made a loss on the commodity. From the below graph below it can be seen that price break below the moving average which signalled to me to sell to minimise any losses in the future.
Figure 32: Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/markets
Wheat December 2014 – Future
I decided to purchase 5 contracts of wheat at a price of 5.54.Wheat futures contracts are at an
average price $5.70 per bushel. Within one contract of Wheat there are around 5000 bushels.
The reason I wanted to invest in wheat futures is that it is a commodity that has a value
throughout the year and I do not need to pay the full price of the 5 contracts. I will only put
up a small deposit of $ 1,850.00 to open the long futures position. This will mean that I put
up a small amount to gain substantially if the price moves upwards which I expected it to.
When I looked at the moving average on the graph below I studied the EMA and SMA For
the longer term analysis predicting where the commodity will end up by Dec 2014. The price
41 | P a g e
fell below both moving average for a short period in Late November and early December. In
recent months especially in September and October 2014 the market for wheat was highly
bullish. This drop below and above the moving averages pay be a buying sign (pull back)
once again indicating a rise further for December 2014.
Figure 33: Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/markets
COTTON December 2014
Cotton is one of the oldest commodities on the market and has a large bank of information to
make a sound prediction of where a price is likely to end up at a certain point in time in the
future. I purchased 1 contract of cotton for 0.64 and sold it for 0.65 making $400 as soon as
the price increased so I could get out of the downward moving commodity. This is another
Commodity based on putting up a small margin and the margin changes based on market
volatility or face value which is which is usually around 14% of the total value. Recent news
suggested to me that Cotton as a crop was extremely under-valued according to the U.S
Agricultural department. The same department also reported news that china inventories
for cotton which is said to be 60% of world total is not a high as expected therefore world
demand for the commodity may increase. The estimates of lowering price factors in the
expectation of Chinese farm subsidies reforms which I believe will help lower the price
42 | P a g e
giving room for growth further down the line when demand increases. (U.S Department of
Agriculture 2014).
Figure 34: Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/cotton.aspx
Options Transactions
Transaction Type/Security Symbol Company Name QTY Price Comm.* Amount*
Market - Buy Options TWTR1420X33.5 Twitter Inc 20 0.36 -50 -720
Market - Buy Options FB1420L79 Facebook Inc 12 0.37 -50 -444
Market - Buy Options AAPL1426L114 Apple Inc 1 1.5 -50 -150
43 | P a g e
Final Stock Transactions for Account two
Final market Value: $993,768.2825
Trades Made Orders Made94 108
Profit Long Profit Short$2,748.16 $2,265.00
44 | P a g e
The account History for the Buy and Sell Account
Trade Date Transaction Type/Security Company Name QTY Price Comm.* Amount*
11/11/2014
Market - Sell Equities Alibaba Group Holding-
100 115.09 -50 11,509.0010:58 AM
11/06/2014
Stop - Cover Futures FATSTOCK NOV 14 1 2.37 -50 -412.51:40 PM
11/05/2014
Market - Buy Equities Toyota Motor Corporation 100 121.5 -50 -12,150.001:52 PM
11/05/2014
Market - Buy Equities Apple Inc. 100 108.5 -50 -10,850.001:48 PM
11/04/2014
Short Proceeds Equities Ford Motor Company -50 13.93 0 696.52:36 PM
11/04/2014
Short Proceeds Equities Tesla Motors Inc.-
100 237.76 0 23,776.002:34 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Buy Equities Intel Corporation 50 34.57 -50 -1,728.502:33 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Buy Equities Alibaba Group Holding 100 104.69 -50 -10,469.002:32 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Futures SILVER DEC 14 -1 16 -50 -6,175.002:30 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Equities PUMA BIOTECHNOLOGY -51 240.14 -50 12,247.142:29 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Equities USA Technologies Inc.-
100 1.71 -50 1712:28 PM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Equities Sprint Nextel Corporation -30 5.03 -50 150.92:27 PM
11/04/2014
Stop - Short Futures FATSTOCK NOV 14 -1 2.36 -50 010:32 AM
11/04/2014
Market - Buy Equities RYANAIR HLDG. 250 8.31 -50 -2,628.2410:31 AM
11/04/2014
Stop - Sell Futures FCOJ-A NOV 14 -1 1.3 -50 -217.510:25 AM
11/04/2014
Market - Buy Futures FCOJ-A NOV 14 1 1.32 -50 010:21 AM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Equities Dresser-Rand Group Inc. -50 81.67 -50 4,083.5010:19 AM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Futures WHEAT DEC 14 -3 5.32 -50 -1,912.5010:17 AM
11/04/2014
Market - Sell Futures PALLADIUM 1 UZ DEC 14 -1 793.5 -50 -11010:17 AM
45 | P a g e
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Equities Yahoo! Inc. -20 45.28 -50 905.610:45 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Equities Helmerich & Payne Inc. -40 84.68 -50 3,387.2010:45 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Equities Hewlett Packard Co.-
100 35.72 -50 3,572.009:48 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Buy Futures WHEAT DEC 14 3 5.45 -50 07:45 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Futures WHEAT DEC 14 -2 5.45 -50 1,850.007:45 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Futures COCOA DEC 14 -1 2,923.00 -50 -1,710.007:44 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Futures MILK JAN 15 -1 18.22 -50 1807:43 AM
10/30/2014
Market - Sell Futures COTTON DEC 14 -1 0.65 -50 4007:43 AM
10/28/2014
Market - Cover Futures BCOLDC DEC 14 1 86 -50 -4102:51 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Equities Hewlett Packard Co. 100 35.49 -50 -3,549.002:48 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Equities Helmerich & Payne Inc. 40 84.76 -50 -3,390.402:42 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities Costco Wholesale Corporation -50 130.7 -50 6,535.002:37 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities Gilead Sciences Inc.-
100 113.13 -50 11,313.002:37 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities NORTHWEST BIOTH CMN -10 4.82 -50 48.22:34 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Futures PALLADIUM 1 UZ DEC 14 1 794.6 -50 02:31 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Futures SILVER DEC 14 1 17.23 -50 02:30 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Futures COTTON DEC 14 1 0.64 -50 02:28 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Futures MILK JAN 15 1 18.13 -50 02:24 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Futures CATTLE LIVING OCT 14 -1 1.69 -50 7602:23 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities eBay Inc.-
150 51.1 -50 7,665.002:21 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities Johnson & Johnson -20 103.8 -50 2,076.002:19 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities Minerva Neurosciences-
100 4.5 -50 4502:18 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities The Clorox Company-
100 97.63 -50 9,763.002:17 PM
46 | P a g e
10/28/2014
Market - Buy Futures WHEAT DEC 14 1 5.3 -50 02:13 PM
10/28/2014
Market - Sell Equities Microsoft Corporation -60 45.99 -50 2,759.409:42 AM
10/27/2014
Dividends Equities The Clorox Company 100 [email protected] 0 7412:00 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Sell Equities HUSKY ENERGY INC -60 27.55 -50 1,471.8312:19 PM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities eBay Inc. 150 50.84 -50 -7,626.0011:54 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. 200 11.93 -50 -2,386.009:46 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities The Clorox Company 100 99.16 -50 -9,916.009:46 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities Costco Wholesale Corporation 50 131.16 -50 -6,558.009:39 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities Gilead Sciences Inc. 100 106.71 -50 -10,671.009:39 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Buy Equities Dresser-Rand Group Inc. 50 81.15 -50 -4,057.509:39 AM
10/23/2014
Market - Sell Equities ZaZa Energy Corporation -50 3.66 -50 1839:31 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Buy Equities Microsoft Corporation 60 44.6 -50 -2,676.0011:29 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Sell Futures JPY/USD DEC 14 -1 0.93 -50 -687.511:27 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Sell EquitiesInternational Business Machines Corporation -15 163.47 -50 2,452.0511:25 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Sell Equities Facebook Inc. -30 79.49 -50 2,384.7011:25 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Buy Equities Johnson & Johnson 20 101.14 -50 -2,022.809:37 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Buy Equities Fortis Inc. 30 46.5 -50 -1,242.119:30 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Buy Equities CORAL SEA RESOURCES INC 500 0.39 -50 -173.639:30 AM
10/22/2014
Market - Buy Equities HUSKY ENERGY INC 60 28.48 -50 -1,521.529:30 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Sell Futures AUDLK DEC 14 -1 0.87 -50 -2907:48 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Metlifecare Limit 90 4.36 -50 -308.77:41 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities USA Technologies Inc. 100 1.8 -50 -18012:40 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Futures CATTLE LIVING OCT 14 1 1.68 -50 012:36 PM
47 | P a g e
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Futures WHEAT DEC 14 1 5.22 -50 012:34 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities NORTHWEST BIOTH CMN 10 5.06 -50 -50.612:33 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Sell Futures BRL/USD NOV 14 -1 0.4 -50 -58512:31 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities ZaZa Energy Corporation 50 2.54 -50 -12712:31 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Minerva Neurosciences 100 4.35 -50 -43512:31 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Facebook Inc. 30 77.98 -50 -2,339.4012:24 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities PUMA BIOTECHNOLOGY 20 228.13 -50 -4,562.6012:09 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Futures JPY/USD DEC 14 1 0.94 -50 012:05 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Futures AUDLK DEC 14 1 0.88 -50 012:03 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Yahoo! Inc. 20 39.86 -50 -797.212:00 PM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Sprint Nextel Corporation 30 6.27 -50 -188.111:59 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Sell Equities Seabridge Gold Inc. -40 8.3 -50 33211:53 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Sell Equities Costco Wholesale Corporation -15 130.17 -50 1,952.5511:47 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy EquitiesInternational Business Machines Corporation 15 162.06 -50 -2,430.9010:51 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Sell Futures BRENT CRU OIL LASDA DEC 15 -2 88.69 -90 -4,330.0010:27 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities Seabridge Gold Inc. 40 8.66 -50 -346.49:49 AM
10/21/2014
Market - Buy Equities PUMA BIOTECHNOLOGY 30 226.91 -50 -6,807.309:49 AM
10/20/2014
Market - Sell Futures HT-OIL NOV 14 -2 2.48 -90 -6308:27 PM
10/20/2014
Market - Buy Equities Costco Wholesale Corporation 15 125 -50 -1,875.009:35 AM
10/17/2014
Market - Buy Futures HT-OIL NOV 14 2 2.49 -90 012:42 PM
10/17/2014
Market - Buy Futures BRL/USD NOV 14 1 0.41 -90 012:37 PM
10/17/2014
Market - Buy Equities PUMA BIOTECHNOLOGY 1 223.48 -50 -223.4812:22 PM
10/17/2014
Market - Sell Futures SOYBN NOV 14 -1 9.58 -90 -62511:58 AM
48 | P a g e
10/16/2014
Stop - Short Futures BCOLDC DEC 14 -1 85.59 -90 06:00 PM
10/16/2014
Stop - Buy Futures BRENT CRU OIL LASDA DEC 15 1 90.87 -90 06:00 PM
10/16/2014
Market - Buy Futures BRENT CRU OIL LASDA DEC 15 1 90.84 -90 05:14 PM
10/16/2014
Market - Buy Futures COCOA DEC 14 1 3,094.00 -90 012:09 PM
10/15/2014
Market - Buy Futures SOYBN NOV 14 1 9.7 -90 010:04 AM
10/15/2014
Stop - Sell Futures COCOA DEC 14 -1 3,131.00 -90 -32010:01 AM
10/15/2014
Market - Buy Futures COCOA DEC 14 1 3,163.00 -90 09:55 AM
Overall Reflection of Trading Activity and Stocktrak
The overall performance of both portfolios include a final profit of $9,471.61 for the buy and
hold strategy and a long profit of $2,748.16 for the second buy and sell account. This is profit
is insignificant given the volume of cash available totalling $1,000,000 for each account.
TWTR, AMZN and CNET stocks were purchased for the buy and hold account and in hind
sight purchased based on volume and influence from other factors other than technical or
fundamental strategies which proved to be a critical mistake and proved to contribute huge
losses over the life of the account. However I did learn from these mistakes and started to
turn theory into practise. I studied more into how to make a put gaining on the down side of
prices, limit loss with stops, trade options. I enjoyed the exposure to new trading activity such
as commodities and although I could not utilise my new skills to make large profits with
futures and options I learnt how to hedge. A major highlight of the report is conducting
forensic analysis of the Dresser Rand stock, analysing the company financial health gave me
a better understanding of the company stock valuations and contributed to my overall
business intelligence. It was interesting to work out the various calculations of determining if
a company is over or under valued and it gave me great satisfaction.
In regards to the rankings I started off well at 10 spot but gradually dropped to within the top
20 consistently. I learned that even if new products launched that are likely to increase
company’s sales and earnings may not signal that the company’s stock may be a good buy.
49 | P a g e
The overall lesson of the portfolio was that not a single aspect of the fundamental analysis or
technical analysis by itself can be a good predictor of the company’s future. It is more of a
combination of all the factors.
The most effective strategy during the simulation turns out to be buying defensive and with
growth stocks in mind. First of all, buying defensive stock is a safer way to gain at least a
small profit during a long term investment. Anavir, Apple and Puma Bio Technology are one
of many these stocks with high growth and acceleration. A defensive strategy saw small
profit with HSY being in the sector of food processing and distributing it is a great defensive
stock.
Although I had a great deal of difficulty with stocktrak when trying to process future options
and options generating error messages and freezing continuously. I also experienced
situations where I wanted to make an option trade and the trade would be missed by stocktrak
and would never be accounted for. It was a great way however to get an insight to economics
and the general understanding of the markets. I enjoyed the interaction with mu fellow
students in regards to discussions on stock selection.
In a previous job I had a role of updating the ISE website with fund announcements without
really having an understanding of the impact these announcements have on the overall price
of the company as I was not partaking in the markets. This simulation game give me a real
life market situation to learn from without fear or risk of huge losses and I benefited greatly
from analysing finances in great depth and improving my commercial awareness.
Unlike the “buy and hold” account the strategy for buying and selling stocks as prices move
and not let the stock just sit for months was more of the learning curve for me. I studied some
market timing investors who can sell or buy stocks whenever they feel it is worth to do. There
are also some problems with the market
Timing strategy one cannot always predict the rise or fall of the stock price at will, since it is
easy for you to make wrong correlations between the current market conditions and the past
stock prices by applying technical analysis.
50 | P a g e
My most successful tools used for stock selection was with the moving averages and the use
of support line and resistance lines to judge a direction of the stock. I had massive enjoyment
and interest in studying the futures and NASDAQ indices. I would of liked to of traded some
currencies however the volume at times was enough to make any significant money. I did buy
some BRL for November but made no money just lost commission as I did not understand
the right strategy to approach this type trade.
My philosophy of the stock the market is to be defensive, invest in growth and keep the
emotional decisions away from the stock market. After analyzing and comparing my
portfolios each week, I eventually saw the key to the stock market which is simply converting
risk into opportunity by applying specific investing strategies. However, the risk is always
changing into different forms as the world and commerce develops with a new set of risk
factors that need an alternative way of analysing therefore we would be wrong to be
controlled by a single way of looking at stocks that cannot be wisely controlled by any single
investing strategy for every strategy has its own.
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References
Zielonka.P. 2004. "Technical analysis as the representationOf typical cognitive biases". Int. Rev. Financ. Analy. 13 (2004) 217–225.
Friesen.C. P. A. Weller. L.M. Dunham, "Price trends and patterns in technical analysis: A theoretical and empirical examination". Journal of Banking & Finance 33 (2009) 1089–1100.
Marshall B, M. R. Young, L. C. Rose."Candlestick technical trading strategies: CanThey create value for investors?" Journal of Banking & Finance 30 (2006) 2303–2323.
Suresh A.S, "2013."A Study on Fundamental and Technical Analysis" International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research.Vol.2, No. 5, May.
Benjamin Graham (1973), the Intelligent Investor, Harper Business.
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