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PatOfThePig

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Posts posted by PatOfThePig

  1.  

    The rationale I've heard from medical professionals for liquor stores staying open as "essential" is basically that they don't want alcoholics going through withdrawals straining medical resources, easier to just keep them open and not have that to worry about.

     

    You dont want that all alcoholics do a "delirium tremens" at the same time if they stop drinking.  The hospital will be full for that reason.

  2.  

    For those of you at 70% or 80% did you use leverage?  If not was your portfolio completely concentrated in one lucky stock, or two lucky stocks for the year?  How repeatable do you think the results are?

     

     

    Yes i use leverage.  My portfolio is not concentrate in 1 stock, i have 13 stocks in the portfolio i managed.  Those porfolios have equity in mid 7 figures. I managed portfolio for family, friend and for me.

     

    I started in summer of 2001 and since that my CARG in margin account is 24.6% and in the RRSP (no margin involved) 24,8% or 24,7% for both.  I use a lot more leverage a few years ago but now my objective is to have 1$ of equity for 1 $ of debt.  Now i am less leverage than that. 

     

    It's sure that 86% is not repeatable.  And i don't expect to repeat 24,7% for long term. It would be great if i repeat it but i know the probability are very low, near impossible.  Now i'am 40 years old and i will retired in march.

     

    I am not overconfident.  I got a near destruction of my margin account in the last historical crisis.  It's why my leveraged return are less that the RRSP (no leverage).

     

    Some of my best investment since 2001 was ATD.b.to (my biggerst position and a 17 baggers now) PRAA, MEQ.to, FFH.to, MTY.to, BAC, AIG, Marvel, DIS, GBT.a.to...  And GEAC, the fist one that i bought in 2001, i made 5x my money on this one.  It was very good for my confidence to start with GEAC.  At this time i start with 5000$ that i take on my credit card.

     

    My cimetary of bad stock is well garnish to with some name like FTP.to, FMD, Krispy Cream, RIM, Mega Brand post Fairfax, and  others i dont remember.

  3. The best thing to do is to make the conversion yourself with a stock listed both in Us and Cad $.  For example you can take BB/BBRY.

     

    Exemple:  If you want to convert can$ in US$, in your US$ account  you short 1000 shares of BBRY at 11.04$ in US$. In your can$ account you buy 1000 shares of BB at 12.12$ in Can$.  So you will have 11 040 US$ in your us$ account and -1000 shares.  In your can$ account you will have 1000 shares of BB and  -12 120 can$.  All you have to do is call your broker to tell him to move you BB shares in your us account, so your short will be cover and the results is a conversion of cash at very low price.  Usually when i do this, my convesion fee will be around 0,25% plus 2 commissions (2*6.95$) instead of 2 or 3 % at  bank.

     

    In my exemple the trade is at 91.09US$ for 1Can$.  The $can quate now at 91.28us$, so you pay 0.19¢ or .21%.

  4. This article is a little outdated (year 2007) but it contains the 25 best performing stocks over a 25 year period.

     

    http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/top25-stocks.htm

     

     

     

     

    It's very funny to read what they said about Countrywide:

     

     

    12Countrywide 24,160%

    This leading mortgage lender provided the fuel for the home-buying boom, which in turn was a boon for its bottom line. Its focus on first-time buyers with pristine credit has limited collateral damage from exposure to sub-prime lending.

  5. In french :

     

    http://www.lesaffaires.com/blogues/bernard-mooney/mooney-le-probleme-avec-prem-watsa/561730#.UkGe64bTt8E

     

    Mooney accusing Watsa of being arrogant and not able to recognize an error, in part due to past succes...

     

    Who the f**k is Bernard Mooney?!  ;D  How many companies has he turned around.  Cheers!

     

    He is one of the most respected writer in french about investing.  He is a good friend of Francois Rochon at Giverny Capital. He is one of my favorite.  Sometimes he is wrong but usually he is very good.  He always write what he think.

  6. You may be right, but there are disadvantages to scale as well.  My friend's stations are clean, wholesome and well managed.  I can't say that about large chains that are beyond the span of control of an owner/operator.

     

    In Canada, the store owned by Couche-Tard are all very clean and well managed.  Maybe not all big chain can do that but the one that can and get scale are doing very good.  Look at what have done the share of Couche-tard since 20 years...

  7. ...who has a chain of about two dozen stations ...  He has everything going for him: good locations including two truck stops at intersections of interstate highways, scale,

     

    Scale in this business come with hundred if not thousand stores.  Not with two dozen.

  8. The 125 000 probably doesnt include the salary of the owner and probably doesnt include the pay of the employees.  It's a cutthroat business and unless you want to work very very hard you cannot compete the big chain because you dont have scale.  And you have the cost associate with the tank and the decontamination of the land eventually.

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