29 May 2012
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.82 today
Labels: Live Trading Records
18 May 2012
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.84 today
Labels: Live Trading Records
17 May 2012
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.90 / 2.88 each yesterday and today
Labels: Live Trading Records
16 May 2012
Vanguard ETFs expense ratios are low
Vanguard reports expense ratio changes April 27, 2012
Because your investment costs directly affect your net returns, Vanguard believes it's important for you to be aware of your mutual funds' expense ratios—in essence, the portions of the funds' operating expenses passed on to you and other shareholders, expressed as a percentage of their total assets. A fund's expense ratio may change from year to year in response to changes in its assets and/or changes in the cost of managing it. For example, economies of scale resulting from an increase in assets due to market appreciation or investor cash flow can result in a reduction, while a decline in assets can cause the expense ratio to rise.
In April 2012, updated prospectuses for certain Vanguard mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reported expense ratio changes, as noted in the table below. Other funds reported no changes.
Vanguard fund Share class Old expense ratio New expense ratio* Effective date Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Investor 0.22% 0.20% 04/25/2012 Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral 0.11% 0.10% 04/25/2012 Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF 0.11% 0.10% 04/25/2012 Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral 0.06% 0.05% 04/26/2012 Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF 0.06% 0.05% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Admiral 0.16% 0.14% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund ETF 0.16% 0.14% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Investor 0.30% 0.28% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.17% 0.16% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.17% 0.16% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.31% 0.30% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF 0.23% 0.21% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund Investor 0.37% 0.35% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral 0.15% 0.12% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed International Fund Admiral 0.18% 0.12% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed Small-Cap Fund Admiral 0.18% 0.13% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral 0.07% 0.06% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF 0.07% 0.06% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 VVIF Balanced Portfolio — 0.30% 0.29% 04/27/2012 VVIF Capital Growth Portfolio — 0.44% 0.42% 04/27/2012 VVIF Conservative Allocation Portfolio — 0.20% 0.25% 04/27/2012 VVIF Diversified Value Portfolio — 0.40% 0.39% 04/27/2012 VVIF Equity Income Portfolio — 0.35% 0.33% 04/27/2012 VVIF Equity Index Portfolio — 0.19% 0.17% 04/27/2012 VVIF Mid-Cap Index Portfolio — 0.28% 0.26% 04/27/2012 VVIF REIT Index Portfolio — 0.30% 0.28% 04/27/2012 VVIF Total Stock Market Index Portfolio — 0.20% 0.18% 04/27/2012 Vanguard Market Neutral Fund Investor 1.80% 1.71% 04/27/2012 *As of the fund's most recent prospectus. What expense ratio changes mean for you It's fairly easy to determine how you're affected by changes like the ones we're reporting today. Each percentage point in an expense ratio represents an annual charge of $100 against every $10,000 you invest in that fund. A hypothetical fund with a 0.50% expense ratio charges its shareholders $50 for every $10,000 invested, so a reduction from 0.50% to 0.25% would represent a savings of $25 for every $10,000 you've invested. An increase from 0.25% to 0.35% would represent an additional charge of $10 for every $10,000 invested.
Because your investment costs directly affect your net returns, Vanguard believes it's important for you to be aware of your mutual funds' expense ratios—in essence, the portions of the funds' operating expenses passed on to you and other shareholders, expressed as a percentage of their total assets. A fund's expense ratio may change from year to year in response to changes in its assets and/or changes in the cost of managing it. For example, economies of scale resulting from an increase in assets due to market appreciation or investor cash flow can result in a reduction, while a decline in assets can cause the expense ratio to rise.
In April 2012, updated prospectuses for certain Vanguard mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reported expense ratio changes, as noted in the table below. Other funds reported no changes.
Vanguard fund Share class Old expense ratio New expense ratio* Effective date Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Investor 0.22% 0.20% 04/25/2012 Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral 0.11% 0.10% 04/25/2012 Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF 0.11% 0.10% 04/25/2012 Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral 0.06% 0.05% 04/26/2012 Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF 0.06% 0.05% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Admiral 0.16% 0.14% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund ETF 0.16% 0.14% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Investor 0.30% 0.28% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Admiral 0.17% 0.16% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF 0.17% 0.16% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Investor 0.31% 0.30% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF 0.23% 0.21% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund Investor 0.37% 0.35% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral 0.15% 0.12% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed International Fund Admiral 0.18% 0.12% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Tax-Managed Small-Cap Fund Admiral 0.18% 0.13% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral 0.07% 0.06% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF 0.07% 0.06% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund Admiral 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF 0.12% 0.10% 04/26/2012 Vanguard Value Index Fund Investor 0.26% 0.24% 04/26/2012 VVIF Balanced Portfolio — 0.30% 0.29% 04/27/2012 VVIF Capital Growth Portfolio — 0.44% 0.42% 04/27/2012 VVIF Conservative Allocation Portfolio — 0.20% 0.25% 04/27/2012 VVIF Diversified Value Portfolio — 0.40% 0.39% 04/27/2012 VVIF Equity Income Portfolio — 0.35% 0.33% 04/27/2012 VVIF Equity Index Portfolio — 0.19% 0.17% 04/27/2012 VVIF Mid-Cap Index Portfolio — 0.28% 0.26% 04/27/2012 VVIF REIT Index Portfolio — 0.30% 0.28% 04/27/2012 VVIF Total Stock Market Index Portfolio — 0.20% 0.18% 04/27/2012 Vanguard Market Neutral Fund Investor 1.80% 1.71% 04/27/2012 *As of the fund's most recent prospectus. What expense ratio changes mean for you It's fairly easy to determine how you're affected by changes like the ones we're reporting today. Each percentage point in an expense ratio represents an annual charge of $100 against every $10,000 you invest in that fund. A hypothetical fund with a 0.50% expense ratio charges its shareholders $50 for every $10,000 invested, so a reduction from 0.50% to 0.25% would represent a savings of $25 for every $10,000 you've invested. An increase from 0.25% to 0.35% would represent an additional charge of $10 for every $10,000 invested.
15 May 2012
VGK - How to Use ETFs to Win in Europe
By Will Ashworth, InvestorPlace Contributor On April 20, Morningstar ran an article about European ETFs that included several specific recommendations.
It reasoned that while European leaders have yet to address the root causes of the Continent’s financial crisis, the low valuations of European equities provides investors with remarkable opportunities. However, the story cautions that the turnaround in Europe will be measured in years, not months, so patience is essential. Here’s how you can use ETFs to win the European game.
The top pick of the Morningstar analysts is Vanguard’s MSCI Europe ETF (NYSE:VGK). It tracks the MSCI Europe Index, holds 457 stocks and has an expense ratio of just 0.14%. That’s cheaper than any other comparable European ETF. I don’t think you can go wrong with Vanguard. Its top 10 holdings account for just 21.3% of total assets, so diversification is not an issue. Morningstar does make the point that over the past 10 years, the S&P 500 was closely correlated (about 91%) with the MSCI Europe index. Nonetheless, Europe accounts for 25% of the world’s market capitalization. To avoid such a big part of the world’s stock markets is what they call “home-country bias,” and it can lead to long-term under performance.
An excellent way to make money with ETFs — which can also be done with stocks, though not as easily — is to buy an initial amount and then some more every 365 days. There’s a catch: Rather than practicing what’s essentially a form of dollar-cost averaging, you’ll buy more only if the price is lower than the previous year’s close. For example, let’s say you bought 100 shares of the Vanguard fund at the May 9 high of $43.01. If on May 8, 2013, it closes at $46.01, you would pass on buying more shares and wait until the following year. If, on the other hand, they were trading for $40.01, you’d buy. In 2014, you’d buy only if the shares were less than $40.01, and so on through the years. The reason this works better with ETFs than with stocks is specifically because of diversification.
While it’s possible to buy a dud stock and then catch a falling knife on each anniversary, that’s far less likely to happen with an entire market. The probabilities work for you, not against you. To illustrate how this would have worked in the past, I’ve gone back five years to test the results. First, let’s assume we bought 100 shares of VGK at the May 9, 2007, high of $75.80 for an initial investment of $7,580. In 2008, we bought another 100 shares for $72.16, a 100 more in 2009 for $39.75 a share and then we passed on buying in 2010 and 2011 because the share price on May 9 in both those years was higher than the year before. Here’s where the curve ball appears: On May 9, 2012, we bought 300 shares (three years times 100 shares) at $43.01 for an investment of $12,903. Since May 9, 2007, we bought a total of 600 shares of the ETF for an average price of $52.79 a share. Our return without dividends was -19.1%. If we bought just 100 shares in 2007, our return would be -43.7%. But there’s more. The ETF paid $2,654 in dividends on our 600 shares, with an additional $1,300 or so due in December. Including the December dividends, our loss is just 7.5%. When reversion to the mean kicks in, and it always does, you’ll be looking at some significant upside. While I’ve applied this ETF buying plan to a European strategy, the same principles apply to any equity ETF. Long term, very few markets stay stuck in reverse forever. Europe will be no exception.
It reasoned that while European leaders have yet to address the root causes of the Continent’s financial crisis, the low valuations of European equities provides investors with remarkable opportunities. However, the story cautions that the turnaround in Europe will be measured in years, not months, so patience is essential. Here’s how you can use ETFs to win the European game.
The top pick of the Morningstar analysts is Vanguard’s MSCI Europe ETF (NYSE:VGK). It tracks the MSCI Europe Index, holds 457 stocks and has an expense ratio of just 0.14%. That’s cheaper than any other comparable European ETF. I don’t think you can go wrong with Vanguard. Its top 10 holdings account for just 21.3% of total assets, so diversification is not an issue. Morningstar does make the point that over the past 10 years, the S&P 500 was closely correlated (about 91%) with the MSCI Europe index. Nonetheless, Europe accounts for 25% of the world’s market capitalization. To avoid such a big part of the world’s stock markets is what they call “home-country bias,” and it can lead to long-term under performance.
An excellent way to make money with ETFs — which can also be done with stocks, though not as easily — is to buy an initial amount and then some more every 365 days. There’s a catch: Rather than practicing what’s essentially a form of dollar-cost averaging, you’ll buy more only if the price is lower than the previous year’s close. For example, let’s say you bought 100 shares of the Vanguard fund at the May 9 high of $43.01. If on May 8, 2013, it closes at $46.01, you would pass on buying more shares and wait until the following year. If, on the other hand, they were trading for $40.01, you’d buy. In 2014, you’d buy only if the shares were less than $40.01, and so on through the years. The reason this works better with ETFs than with stocks is specifically because of diversification.
While it’s possible to buy a dud stock and then catch a falling knife on each anniversary, that’s far less likely to happen with an entire market. The probabilities work for you, not against you. To illustrate how this would have worked in the past, I’ve gone back five years to test the results. First, let’s assume we bought 100 shares of VGK at the May 9, 2007, high of $75.80 for an initial investment of $7,580. In 2008, we bought another 100 shares for $72.16, a 100 more in 2009 for $39.75 a share and then we passed on buying in 2010 and 2011 because the share price on May 9 in both those years was higher than the year before. Here’s where the curve ball appears: On May 9, 2012, we bought 300 shares (three years times 100 shares) at $43.01 for an investment of $12,903. Since May 9, 2007, we bought a total of 600 shares of the ETF for an average price of $52.79 a share. Our return without dividends was -19.1%. If we bought just 100 shares in 2007, our return would be -43.7%. But there’s more. The ETF paid $2,654 in dividends on our 600 shares, with an additional $1,300 or so due in December. Including the December dividends, our loss is just 7.5%. When reversion to the mean kicks in, and it always does, you’ll be looking at some significant upside. While I’ve applied this ETF buying plan to a European strategy, the same principles apply to any equity ETF. Long term, very few markets stay stuck in reverse forever. Europe will be no exception.
Labels: ETF, plan, Stock Trading System
14 May 2012
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.93 today
Labels: Live Trading Records
13 May 2012
Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D Major
Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wedding March
Felix Mendelssohn : Trio No. 2 in Do minore, Op. 66: Allegro energico e con fuoco
12 May 2012
Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mvt. 1
Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
Franz Schubert - March Militaire (Military March)
Schubert "Serenade"
Schubert - Ave Maria (Opera)
Franz Schubert - Ave Maria For Cello
Labels: Music
Mozart - Requiem
Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2 (Arthur Rubinstein)
Yundi Li plays Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2
Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube Waltz
Johann Strauss II, Persian March
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 - Andante
Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, organ
BEETHOVEN.ODE TO JOY
Piano Sonata No.8 Movement One "Pathetique" By Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.8 Movement 2 "Pathetique" By Beethoven
Swan Lake By Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 9 ~ Beethoven
Beethoven's 5th Symphony
叶丽仪 上海滩
邓丽君 但願人長久 1984 台北場
王菲 - 但願人長久
虞美人
11 May 2012
Leader / Midas / Sunpower
These three rubbish counters have been annoying me for a long time. Finally, I found a way to solve this problem - sold all of them at deep discounts to my purchase prices and I'm going to use the proceeds to buy Nikko AM STI ETF for long term investment, which by right should give me a better sleep at night, bearing in mind that some of these losses can be recovered through predictable retrun of this ETF in the long term. For a full recovery, this ETF will have to double at least from current price - what a daunting task! Have to wait for 10 years! Formula: (1+7.5%)^10 = 2.06
I plan to buy 100 units of this ETF every trading day until the proceeds deplete.
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.93 today.
I plan to buy 100 units of this ETF every trading day until the proceeds deplete.
Bought 100 units of Nikko Am STI ETF at 2.93 today.
Labels: Live Trading Records
10 May 2012
SembCorp
Stopped out at 4.74 with 1R loss.
Labels: Live Trading Records
09 May 2012
Nam Cheong
Bought at 0.185 @SMA50 since SMA50/100/200 bullish, stop loss to be at SMA200 @0.145
Labels: Live Trading Records
07 May 2012
Kep Corp
Stopped out at break even level 10.81 (adjusted for dividends of S$0.26 per share).
What a difficult market!
Labels: Live Trading Records
