Okay. Alex belum sell.

It's been 5 months plus since I first traded on Bursa. Firstly I'd like to thank many i3forumers for providing some social contexts and helpful interactions thoughout my days of sitting in front of the LCD during the 'work day'. I'm thinking of mentioning names as special thanks but perhaps I'll do it next time.

Having a degree in accounting doesn't mean that you know all that stuff like mark-up inventories, current ratios, cash flows, and earning yield stuff. In fact, i3 makes it so simple that my daily browsing is between i3 portal, my maybank stock screen, and my excel sheet (well Alex cheapscake, Alex use Open Office). These are some real stuffs, real knowledge, full practicality and as some coined it, the 'business sence'. I certainly lack that sense and sometimes well deserved to be scolded. But I know you all love me la, if not won't correct me right? =)

Okay. Alex is happy with G stock, N stock, V stock, and got a lucky run from M stock. I used to view these as just counters as I started out playing Bursa with a punter mindset. Yes I missed that Huaat stock. I wanted to show my dad on the newspaper and said 'you see, the chart is vertical!' 'huat liao lo, tapi Alex tak beli'.

If there are things I can jot down for future reference, it would be

1) Optimism is very much needed to stay in the stock market.

I sold all my holding due to the MoaB few months ago. Then the market recovered. Well, there's no guarantee that the market will eventually recover, though history seems to be against it. No wonder Mr. Buffet now in his late 80s is still betting for a prosperous America. Maybe he's just lucky. And many who bet against America didn't win very long. 

2) Stock is the only asset class that yields the highest return

That was said by Lynch. Many would appose it, even Mr. Graham if he's here today. I listened to some podcasts, and read some archaic books while trying to emulate their investing strategies. Today I've tasted it. 20% gain in less than half a year. Sure that's not consistent, and I am just lucky, after all who didn't earn in 2017?

3) Risk management, money management, diversification etc

From my newbie post 'How to lose money', I derived some of these popularly taught, yet consistently under-practiced rules for trader and investor alike. I remembered coming here in early April wanting to take some shots and huat everyday. I did it in my first trade. I won RM7xx, only to quickly turned it over with subsequent losses, for the next 2 days. Thanks to some warnings I heeded earlier during my varsity, I insisted on a cash trading account, and urged my friends to do so (well I also help teaching 2 of my friends, and found that their remisier opened margin accounts for them by default).

So, I found that 'cut loss' is not a term favorably used in some counters here. Sometimes I trust my own figures and research, and that helped me to stay on (well that's the excuse a fundamental investor always give when his position is underwater). I'm glad to get used to ask some basic math questions prior to investing/trading any counter.

4) The Social factor

I understand that the forum is the last place to get an investing idea. Often times there's a feeling to check with the current sentiment of a counter, back testing with my noob TA, and relook some fundamental maths, reading reports, and finally come to that wonderful idea that 'this could work!'. So I go buy first, then promote at counter non-stop? I must say that I started to gain confidence in stock selection (this is a bad sign I guess, for I am still too young, not knowing what happens later). 

Btw, who is the owner of i3investor? I must thank them for creating a wonderful place for me to learn from many great sifus here. Many are sincere, as I can feel. Some just come for laughing, and no problem as well, because life is hard and we indeed need some room to breathe as well.

Thank you once again my friends. If my H stock huat, I will fly to KL and meet some of you, and thank you personally. I did not forget my promise to belanja you ice-cream.

Sincerely

Alex

p/s: after initial reading I think I need to be realistic as well. It's a tendency that we show the good and hide those ugly sides. Well, I was down near 10% in my portfolio during those initial months, and it is really trying. There's also no guarantee that my investment return will increase. 

Just treat it as a normal post from a newbie who are still learning.