Financial Review - February, 2014

February  was a great month for my investments.


Net worth jumped sharply due to gains in the equity portfolio which were supplemented by favourable FX movements and rental income. Expenses were high.

Here are the details:

1. my Hong Kong equity portfolio recovered sharply from the fall in late January and early February. The only dealings this month were an investment in CMOC (HK:3993) and a very small one in China Starch (HK: 3838);

2. my AU/NZ equities appreciated - with most shares being up a bit. I made a small investment in Cellmid (ASX: CDY);

3.my equity ETFs were up in line with the local markets. There were no new purchases;

4. my commodities were higher. Silver is my only position;

5. all of my properties were occupied with all tenants paying on time. There was one minor repair bill on commencement of a new tenancy this month and will be several in March (either related to buildings which received notices for a mandatory window inspection or remedial work on a change of tenancy). One tenant has given notice to terminate his lease effective mid-March and I am advertising for a replacement tenant;

6. currency movements were positive, with small increases in the NZD and the AUD;

7. my position in bonds remains small;

8. expenses were high due to medical bills and course fees;

9. I increased my provision for future tax obligations and transferred some money to Mrs Traineeinvestor this month.

My cash position fell slightly due to the new investment in CMOC. I currently hold 44.0 months of expenses in HKD cash or equivalents. This is now calculated on a different basis from last year - I have included the principal component of the mortgage on our home as an expense and added some additional near cash items to the cash side of the calculation.

For February, my net worth rose by 2.15%. The year to date increase is 1.39%.