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QUALIPORT
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The past few years have brought misery to investors. Regardless of the stock picking strategy employed, most shareholders will be nursing losses from the start of 2000. The performances of the following, quite varied, share selection philosophies show the turmoil: Qualiport Investing Value Investing High Yield Investing Tech Investing Mechanical Investing Professional Investing So what? If your portfolio has fallen during 2000, 2001 and 2002, what should you do? Here are five points to consider: 1. Every so often, the economy turns for the worse, corporate profits take a nosedive and share prices slump. Coping with economic ups and downs is all part of the investment game. Long term though, the market goes up. 2. To expect your portfolio to make money -- and beat the market -- each year, every year, is ludicrous. Not even Warren Buffett, seen by many as the world's greatest investor, has achieved such a feat. 3. Nobody calls the winner of a marathon a few miles into the race. Succesful investors are determined over decades; three-year performances tell you little.
5. Success comes from keeping to a share picking approach that suits your personality and circumstances, and will last the test of time. Changing your investment philosophy every time 'market conditions' change courts underperformance. What next? Down 30% in three years, what next for the Qualiport? Not a lot, really. The mantra remains the same: Buy great companies at attractive valuations and hold for the long term. For long-term investors at least, what the past few years should have emphasised is the importance of selecting businesses of a durable nature. Look for companies whose products, services and management have demonstrated their quality during troubled times before. Far too often, companies perform well during the good times, only to unravel when the competition bites or the economic clouds darken. Unfortunately, finding such durable, superior businesses on cheap valuations is not a straightforward task. But as the other strategies show, no matter how you pick your shares, success on the stock market has never been easy.
Buy great companies at attractive valuations and hold for the long term. However, MMT Computing (LSE: MMT), PizzaExpress (LSE: PIZ) and Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) have left the Qualiport 30% down in the last three years.
A value share is one that is selling unreasonably cheaper than other shares of a peer group, on the basis of some investment criteria. Although certain value followers have done well, not all short-term value shares have been doing the business since 2000. Railtrack, Independent Insurance and UK Coal (LSE: UKC), among many others, have performed poorly.
A passive, no-dabble strategy of holding a spread of blue chip shares that offer high dividend yields. At the last count, a High Yield Portfolio created in November 2000 was down 12%, with two constituents down 75%.
Encapsulated by the Rule Shaker, a portfolio that loved risky and expensive shares like Psion (LSE: PON), Autonomy (LSE: AU.) and ARM (LSE: ARM)(Nasdaq: ARMHY). Started out in September 1999; last seen in October, down 75%.
Beat The FTSE: Lost 35% in the five years to October 2002.
PEGs: Disappointing performances all round (especially SFI (LSE: SUF)).
Relative Strength: 'The results are extremely unpredictable'.
Investing in the stock market via a unit trust or OEIC. Including income, the average fund of a UK All Companies nature is down 28% since November 1999.