Say you had £10-£20k to invest?

[Contigo]

As at 4th Jan 2019 With 5K in PHE, 2K WSBN, 2K VAST, 5K SXX, 5k HUR

 

[Ewan]

It's a Maserati forum, so, save just a tad more, then invest in a decent GranSport. I'm convinced this'll be the car that Maser fans will want most as a their affordable, normally aspirated, V8 engined, medium-sized, fun, weekend sports car. Safe medium term bet.

 

[Ewan]

Though talking of shares (if we must), and thinking of Pharma, my Hikma shares did well last year - up about 50%.

 

[daverichardson]

They bounced back after a dip didn't they and I got out at something like 15% up

 

[Ewan]

Yep. I got mine in the spring, so good timing. In fact, looking now, they're up about 80% from when I got them. They are a "hold" for me now.

 

[cheshiremaserati]

Pharma tends to be a fairly reliable pottfolio. But when its a diffused asset company such as GSK or Pfizer then risks of long term growth multiply as better margin pharma business is dragged down by poorer margin consumer or medical devices business units that soak up cash that might have brought a better return if spent on pharma.

Generics (cheap as chips copies of original R&D products) like Hikma can succeed if they can crack the US and Western Europe. Otherwise HIKMA is a Jordanian generics company that is essentially a Middle Eastern player (need to see their global sales breakdown outside of ME Region). Right now, big Pharma (which is where i worked) is struggling on pipeline to find the next blockbuster. And when they do, Governments don't want to pay a decent price (witness NICE in UK's refusal to fund some breakthroughs in cancer and some CCG's refusing to fund despite despite NICE approval).

 

[O37]

UK equities accounts are easy to set up, but buying advice is more difficult, especially if not overly familiar, if the OP wants a lower risk of capital erosion, consider splitting between (five) stocks in the FTSE100, check dividend yield, plenty of websites will provide detailed ex-divi, yield rates etc. I'd consider a split between defensive (BP. GLEN. SHELL) and those currently trading in their historical lows (BARC. LLOYDS, VOD. etc). They are trading there for good reason, as uncertainty continues but none of these companies are any worse than before this debacle started, many with exceptional P/E ratios, providing unique opportunities for (the savvy & patient) investor. With regards timings of investments, look for the company financial calendars where results dates invariably (drive a bounce) following interest of both funds and the masses.
Caveat emperor and good luck if you go down this root! Definitely worth spending time to understand how markets work, as familiarity provides opportunities (sometimes).

 

[3leftovercrest]

Day trading equities.....

You can make 0.5 - 1% daily after stamp duty and 2X transaction fees.

Take the last 2 days ok UK equities. Yesterday was very good as the market was down at the start and ended up just up, but the movement from the morning bottom to top was 3% for some 100 shares....

Today was up all over...

Look for shares with a 10d average traded volume of >400k and spreads less than 50. You have maximum liquidity then...

I stick to mid and large cap and there are more than enough to eat from

 

[GeoffCapes]

Day trading equities.....

You can make 0.5 - 1% daily after stamp duty and 2X transaction fees.

Take the last 2 days ok UK equities. Yesterday was very good as the market was down at the start and ended up just up, but the movement from the morning bottom to top was 3% for some 100 shares....

Today was up all over...

Look for shares with a 10d average traded volume of >400k and spreads less than 50. You have maximum liquidity then...

I stick to mid and large cap and there are more than enough to eat from

If you’re day trading you’re better off using spreadbets or CFD’s. IMHO of course so dyor.

 

[conaero]

Buy a commercial property and rent it.

 

[RSM Masser]

Buy a boat and start people smuggling from Europe.
It can’t be that hard - the Royal Navy have sent a scouse boat to the channel, they are all crooks so. Few back hangers and it’s quids in

 

[dgmx5]

But with one difference, I spent 30 years in pharmaceuticals...

On the basis of your location and time in the industry, i am guessing you were with ICI that became Zeneca and Astra Zeneca. I spent 11 years at Pfizer working with Andrew's brother, Mike, before changing careers.

 

[bigbob]

On the basis of your location and time in the industry, i am guessing you were with ICI that became Zeneca and Astra Zeneca. I spent 11 years at Pfizer working with Andrew's brother, Mike, before changing careers.

I thought that too and then he didn’t fancy relocating to Cambridge.

 

[dgmx5]

Buy a commercial property and rent it.

Genuine question, it seems to me that returns are not that great and lots of businesses are going out of business. What kind of commercial premises are you thinking?

 

[cheshiremaserati]

On the basis of your location and time in the industry, i am guessing you were with ICI that became Zeneca and Astra Zeneca. I spent 11 years at Pfizer working with Andrew's brother, Mike, before changing careers.

That is correct. Andrew Witty was a guy who really got GSK in a mess with a pricing model for LDC's. AZ had Dave Brennan, and now has Pascal Soriot and doesnt look like he'll survive in 2019.

I met Jon Symonds (CFO at AZ when I was there and Dave Brennan was CEO) in an immigration queue at San Francisco Airport. I remarked about the MedImmune acquisition that Brennan paid way over the top for to get AZ into biologics but put AZ from cash surplus of billions to a gearing position of debt and he just smiled as we exchanged memories of how it was.

 

[Lozzer]

Buy a boat and start people smuggling from Europe.
It can’t be that hard - the Royal Navy have sent a scouse boat to the channel, they are all crooks so. Few back hangers and it’s quids in

That's because of the great divide, the South want to control everything, "everything lands on these shores through the South and we shall distribute the wealth accordingly" it would give me great joy to physically cut the South East of this country off, you can keep it , including the immigrants....

 

[Lozzer]

That is correct. Andrew Witty was a guy who really got GSK in a mess with a pricing model for LDC's (Least Developed Countries) at no more thsn 25% of the price for Developed Countries but had no common sense to realise the relationship between price, margin and volume. He failed to raise volume to offset the lower margin and in an astonishing move raised his costs by building local manufacturing assets across markets when AZ reduced their costs by cutting down manufacturing sites! Stupid man. At AZ he was the laughing stock among us seniors - a guy without a f+cking clue about how to run a business. And sadly there are loads more like him within and without pharma as I have seen consulting for global top 50 MNC pharma. The calibre of seniors at the stratrgic apex (top of the corporate pyram7d) is naff. AZ had Dave Brennan, and now has Pascal Soriot - French guy that sold off assets a la Roche (from where he came/booted out from) and doesnt look like he'll survive in 2019.

I met Jon Symonds (CFO at AZ when I was there and Dave Brennan was CEO) in an immigration queue at San Francisco Airport. I remarked what a tw*t Brennan the Yankee was paying too much for the MedImmune acquisition and taking the company from a cash surplus of Billions to a gearing position of $16Bn and he just smiled as we exchanged memories of how it was and a project on which he was sponsor and I was Director laying off people to maintain financial performance.

Hey up! Masserraaaattttaaaaeehhhhh!!!!

 

[cheshiremaserati]

Genuine question, it seems to me that returns are not that great and lots of businesses are going out of business. What kind of commercial premises are you thinking?

You are correct. Commercial property is not where I'd be putting my money. The out-of-town complexes are owned by PE/VC's. The High Street commercial properties are contracting.

 

[Goodfella]

it would give me great joy to physically cut the South East of this country off

Nice.

 

[cheshiremaserati]

Hey up! Masserraaaattttaaaaeehhhhh!!!!

Honestly, pharma is a business. It is nothing to do with solely providing new treatments. Thats why rare diseases have shortage of innovation. Pharma is not developing new antibiotics to fight resistant bugs despite Governments (who pay for medicines) crying out for innovation. Thats because the authorities here and elsewhere dont want to pay decent money to suppliers - so they can research their own innovations and take all the risks.