Saturday, October 31, 2009

Monthly Review - October 2009

October was yet another positive month for my investments. This is actually getting a bit scary - 9 out of 10 months this year have shown a positive return on investments and all ten months have produced an increase in net worth.

Here are the details:

1. my direct equities showed a modest improvement for the month. The Hong Kong portfolio was up sharply while the shares listed in Australia and New Zealand rose more modestly. The only investment made was at the end of the month when I purchased Tai Cheung Holdings;

2. my ETF's also showed a modest improvement with gains in Hong Kong and Russia overshadowing a small decline in India;

3. my commodities were up with recoveries in lean hogs and nickel combining with an increase in the commodities ETF to overshadow a small loss on silver. The only investment made this month was a small purchase of notional silver;

4. real estate was good. All tenants were paying on time and there were no unexpected expenses. My average interest cost remains below 1%. The renovation project is on schedule. The second installment is due next week;

5. FX movements were favourable with the rise in the Australian dollar making a positive contribution to a balance sheet denominated in Hong Kong dollar's;

6. income was average but expenses were high due to the cost of taking Mrs Traineeinvestor to Macau for a weekend to celebrate her birthday, paying the annual bill for the home contents insurance and buying a package of 30 personal training sessions.

The end result was a 2.9% increase in net worth. The year to date increase is 67.8%. I was expecting a good year - but nothing like this.

I am on track to hit my number by the end of 2011. As mentioned elsewhere, I will continue working for at least two years after that to create a safety buffer and to provide some fun money.

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