With the FTSE 100 up 14% in 2013 and the economy picking up well it could be another good year next year with so called "experts" saying it'll hit mid to late 7000's in 2014. I was going to buy another BTL property but think I'll hang on and enjoy the ride that goes with holding shares.

 

I would look at the German market if I were you, up nearly 24% in 2013 and forecast to do the same again in 2014.

 

I'm about 35% up this year on my shares. and that's with taking a loss on a few too.

I've invested in a couple companies that have the potential to multiply their share price several times over. Hopefully 2014 will be the year all their investment starts paying off.

 

The stock markets have become well decoupled from the real economy.

But nothing can be allowed to fail now of course with the central banks laxity with money coming to the rescue.

 

TDW, I would disagree. Most FTSE100 companies are doing OK, the share price is simply a reflection of that.

 

Facebook came good and even I thought I was a mug for buying that one.

 

Would been if I wasn't tied up in couple non movers

 

Bit like your Apple products?

 

Exactly. Initially people don't believe me, then after 6 months they wish they'd taken my advice.

 

Apple started the year at 549 and ended at 554.

 

Awesome.

 

Sorry that should be 561 not 554.

 

Maybe time to sell soon.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25547755

 

I like missing opportunities like this then pretending I meant to anyway.




DOH! I did think about chucking some cash in shares but didn't...

 

Maybe. Could be a great time to buy soon too.

 

Only time will tell.

 

Lloyds could go a lot further next year. Bought at 26p 2 years ago now just under 80. will see 120+p next year. (hopefully)

 

The real economy grew 14%?

 

Yes, real as in the one that matters to the capitalist pigs

 

This...

Good profits being made now.

PPI payouts more or less behind them, buy back of public shares underway and dividends due to be paid shortly you would expect.

Should see a good solid return next year.

 

 

I just started buying share in 2013, and bought Lloyds at 56p. If you look at all the Bank share prices before the crash, there is a very long way for the share prices to go. I bought some RBS shares too.

I'd ghost traded for a few years, and overall would have made some decent money. For some reason I was always a bit nervous about investing real money, but after years of earning pretty much nothing with cash sat in a Bank account, I decided to invest. Clad I did, just wish I'd got into it in 2008, as with all my Ghost shares, I'd be sat on Tens of Thousands of pounds

 

All the additional shares in issue post bailout mean that pre-crash prices can't really be compared to today's.

 

I hope they do continue to rise. The consensus by analysts seems to be between 10 and 20% increase for 2014. But that doesn't mean I believe in it. I just hope I can get what I can from it while the going is good.

 

I'm all cash now except for my pension which is a fund. I have traded equities in the past but in recent years have just held etf trackers. I've been cash for a few months because I want to have a deposit to buy a house.

I came to the realisation a while ago that I have NO special knowledge of the markets, and that I was probably kidding myself if I thought I could pick individual shares. Even holding index funds or etf's is only really a "well everyone is doing it" kind of justification, and a way to trade on having no special knowledge (rather than a positive kind of knowledge). Some very clever people run funds and stock pick and most don't beat the indexes. Do I think I know more than them?

 

Is there any companies that are actually worth investing in at this moment of time. I want to invest around 2k+. I currently do a shareshave scheme at travis perkins which is £150 a month at £8.80 and shares are curently at £18.70(ish) which I could buy the shares and sell straight away at that price or if they go higher or lower after the 3yr period. Very good investment, but I can't touch that anytime soon. what would be worth investing in that if I need to sell anytime I want I could make some gains on?

 

If anyone has a definitive answer to that then please PM me

Seriously though, who knows . The so called experts are very often wrong. Why not pick out a few shares you think are maybe going somewhere and set up a virtual portfolio on something like www.iii.co.uk or www.thisismoney.co.uk and follow them for a few months and see what others are saying about them in the discussion threads.

As for your sharesave keep doing it and if and when you can put in the max of £250/month as you cannot lose on these schemes. I started doing SS and SIP schemes 25 years ago and have made a small fortune from them. Obviously after buying the shares once the 3 or 5 years is up then they can rise, fall or totally crash to nothing so open a trading account and put a stop loss on them.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it.

I bought £4k of shares in one company about 10 years ago. They were 97p a share and after 12 months went to 200p. Having doubled my money and being advised to sell I thought I was being clever doubling my money. They subsequently went to £28 a share.

It's a good job you didn't buy lloyds in 2008 as they were about £5+ at the time, my Mrs had a SS scheme out then as well and we went and bought the shares

Hindsight

 

Cheers mate. Yeah with these schemes you can't lose. Even if they do go down you can have all your money back that you put in. Its basically like a savings account. One of my managers used to put in £75 a month and his was a five yr one and it finished this November gone. Total that he put in was £4500 and he bought and sold the shares straight away and got just over £22k! Now a bank don't pay that much interest! Lol

 

I came to the realisation a while ago that I have NO special knowledge .......

I could have told you that a long time ago.
You should have asked .