Is it really time to buy

I started buying NIKL a month ago as I believe this stock show a lot of promise. I like the fact that its price still holding at 6-ish level which is my buying price. I am sure this stock will fly when the market recover from its lumbering state. 

I am still holding my BLOOM (ouch!), COSCO and DMC. Banking for these stocks to help me live a good life when I retire (cross my fingers). 

With downing of Russian bomber by Turkish air force and inclusion of Chinese Yuan to the  major currency basket as approved by IMF - surely, the market is really in exciting state. I feel that the market still breathing 'dragon' as events affecting the market seems to be being controlled by economic countries not to become something that will really further weaken the market. Who knows, may be Mark Zukerberg giving away 99% of his wealth will help cheer up the sulking market!

Ang vs Gozon - The 1 Billion Questions

Now we know that Estafa is not only a crime of common people but also of Millionaires. I don't understand why would GMA not return the 1 billion to Ang. It's a huge sum of money and no one in his right mind would give it away. I would understand if it just a couple of millions - but billions? No way!

I think these two Millionaires should sit down to solve their differences. They are both well respected people on their respective industry and surely can come up with a win-win solution. 

Current Portfolio

Currently, I have COSCO, DMC, BLOOM and DD. Except DD, all of my other positions are in negative territory. It is expected as the market is not really doing so well. Europe has the Greek problem and China seems to be losing control of its economy. But the good thing of being in the stock market for a significant number of years is the experience gain during those years of market being in a roller coaster ride. I become more focus on my goal and not being bothered by stock market noise. I still buy when the price is within my buying price. But I am a little bit cautious now as market is a bit on the edge. 

As we know, election is fast approaching. Normally, stock market tend to be active since government use it to help win their candidates. Maybe, in a few months we can see a significant increase in PSE index.

Oh, one more thing... maybe the government can release DPWH funds during school vacation not during rainy season as road diggings causes traffic and floodings.

2015 Market Position

I still holding my BLOOM. The longest position I currently have. I bought COSCO with an average of 8-ish and DMC at 14-ish. So far, I have 3 greens and 1 red courtesy of COAL. I have around 7% fund allocated to COAL which I am really tempted to sell and re-position the fund to COSCO. But my 'blind' side still holding to a hope that someday it will fly and make me proud of myself.

The buy-back really pushed COSCO's share price. But even without buy-back, I will surely buy this stock as it has a bright future. Puregold is its main profit contributor. Of course, it earn from S&R, Liquid Gaz and its other companies. I think it is poised to follow the like of URC and other conglomerates. Lastly, the dividend that it is returning to investor really is an encouraging sign of being a good investment company - where my hard-earned money will grow.

DMC is a bit expensive at this point. But it is DMC! It gives dividend and has SCC to feel you a bit safer. Of course, Luneta will now become synonymous with DMC, right?

COAL? I don't have an idea what the hell is happening to this stock at this point. No news. No press release. Nothing. Feels like it really doesn't exist. Hopefully I can find some news that will cheer up the 'ant' in me.

PSEi at 8,400? I wish that the Analysts are right - eventhough I am a bit skeptical about it. I read we are few days from market crash! Damn!

Bull Market - Still?

It is still a bull market. My portfolio has only one red - COAL. This is what happen when you buy back a stock that you just sold for a profit. Fortunately - COAL is just 8 percent of my entire holding (ouch!).

DMC which I bought at 14 level is around 9% up, COSCO around 3% up and BLOOM around 20% up. I think I should stay for a bit longer to see my profit push further up North (or should I sell before the correction and buy again at the bottom? hhhmmm- risky, risky).

Xurpas is really an exciting stock. Its price is still jumping - and really jump high. Good luck to those who believed in this stock. Not my thing though - I am more of an Investor which piling up on experience and standing cool at the side.

We're Back

We're back at 7k but how long would it stay there?

The index plunge was scary but after a couple of days it's back to where it should belong (just for now). I sold FPH @91+ and bought DMC @ 14+. I also bought a couple of COAL - bad decision, as of today it's 1.09. 

I know a lot of Tsupiteros are smiling now. After seeing red on their portfolios. They're back in business. Gurus are now probably pumped up. Just be careful - do not just follow their recommendations. A some sort due diligence is a must. You know, 'been there done that' thing - or should I say, I was burned before.

I known DMC since its price is 4+. I lost the opportunity of having my 4 pesos turned into 78 pesos. Not this time. I surely will hold it a little longer - just what I am doing with my prized stock, BLOOM. Hopefully the Luneta controversy will not pull down its current valuation (just kidding).

Macbook Air for Java Development

I am a software Developer. My personal laptop is an Acer with i5 core processor and 4gb of RAM. It was a zip the first time I used it but after loads of Windows updates and installing couple of softwares I began to noticed that it started to 'crawl' - almost to the point that I wanted to throw it out of window or crumpled it and shoot it in a rubbish bin. In normal processing condition, my laptop used up almost 50% of RAM so it still has more than 50% available which I think still a lot and would not make the laptop a pain. But I guess it's not the memory but the problem running the OS made by Microsoft to the hardware made by Acer. Maybe the interface between the software and hardware is not optimised. Anyway, Acer startup process takes around 15-20 seconds and login around 30-40 seconds! A lot of time to spend to something productive!

Running an Eclipse, MySQL database and Tomcat server is a pain. I think the main problem is I am using DELL in the office with 8gb RAM and i7 processor and I am used to its speed. Using my Acer laptop, I can't do away of not comparing them. Waiting for 1 minute to be able to use my laptop is not something I can just ignore. I am not a patient person I guess.

So, I decided to try Apple laptop. On top of my list is a 13-inch Macbook Pro Retina as the specs really up to my liking. But the price is not within my budget - even the one with minimum specs. 64K is not really within my pocket can afford. So, the next in line is the Macbook Air 13-inch. I also checked the 11 inch model but the display is small and not recommended for software development. In terms of weight, there's just a small added weight in 13 inch model and really make a big difference in choosing between the two paper weight models.

There is already a refreshed Macbook Air 13-inch model available in the Philippines. I searched the Internet for Java Developer reviews and I was convinced that Macbook Air can handle memory and process hugging Java development environment. I bought 2013 model since there were no significant updates between this year's model and last year. Just a bump up processor and SSD interface. I was able to get one for 40K. It is brand new. Specs is 128gb with 4gb RAM. I wanted 8gb RAM but I can only buy that in Apple Philippines online store and it will take maximum of 1 month (according to those that I consulted). 8gb is a customised model and can only be bought from Apple store. So, my 4gb cannot be upgraded to 8gb as RAM is soldered directly to Macbook Air circuit board. The consolation of 2013 model I think is that SSD can be upgraded using third party hardware. Maybe I would try to upgrade my laptop in the future.

I still have my old Acer laptop which I use to watch rented movies since it already has HDMI interface (and Macbook Air doesn't!). It is also being use by my daughter to watch her favourite Youtube channels and play some flash games. One of its mouse pad button already gave up but I don't care since I already have my other 'favorite' laptop :-).

So far Macbook Air is living to its promises. Startup takes only around 3 seconds and login around 4 seconds! I installed Eclipse Luna and it opens for about 5 seconds! I wrote some sample code and running it is also a breeze! I think Macbook Air really uses its memory well and even if it used up its entire RAM - using SSD for memory paging is faster than using a hard disk. 

I also installed Spotify for my music streaming. The sound is far better from my aging Acer laptop (my Acer laptop uses Dolby surround sound). Although it is not deep in bass but for the laptop this thin I would not expect more than it could offer.

I also upgraded the OS to Maverick which added some bug fixes and new features. I installed Chrome browser which I rarely use now as Safari can do all of my browsing needs.

Battery - I think 2014 model has a better battery saving feature. But 2013 model can pass through a day's stay in Starbucks.

The only cons is when you are used to retina display or you are using a reading glass. The font is not as sharp as those in iPads. I read it is due to how Apple OS handle font. It retain the original font style. So, what you see is what the font will look like if you print it. My Acer laptop has lower display specs but look sharper due to how Windows handle font style. It changes the font to make it more sharper which is good if you are used to sharp displays.

My verdict - Macbook Air can be used for Java development. I would recommend 8gb RAM as sometimes 4gb is not enough when running multiple applications (but you don't lose too much in speed). But if you have budget for Retina Pro - Go for it instead!

17-Oct-2014:
I installed Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for VPN connection to my office network and Microsoft Remote Desktop and they are working flawlessly. So when I work-from-home, I use my Macbook Air instead of my Acer laptop.