Your returns in 2016

[ragnarisapirate]

I lost more money in the market than I did working as an attorney!

 

how do you lose money working as an attorney?

;- )

 

I should have said that I lost more money in the market than I made working as an attorney.  The net result was that I poorer at the end of the year than at the beginning, DESPITE working hard as an attorney!

 

I would have done better financially by liquidating my positions...goofing off, and delivering pizza a couple of nights a week.

 

The latter doesn't seem like a bad life.  ;)

[finetrader]

~22%, FTP.db.a has been the big winners for me in 2016.

 

[valcont]

40% gross gain(that's what I selected here) because it includes wife's 401K in the target funds,child's 529 and cash for a new business venture. Money that I can't control.

 

70% gain on my retirement and our personal accounts.35% of that came just from FELP.  Picasso, my brother , thanks for hand holding me on this trade. I would have gotten out on a double but I tripled down instead. The rest came from DLNG,OCN, NSM ,BAC.

[Oreo]

Overall: +8% across multiple accounts. That's before fees, too.

I could list a bunch of reasons why it's this unimpressive but in the end, it is what it is.

 

Main detractors:

- went aggressively short the market at the absolute bottom (winter 2016).

- shorted a bunch of momo names that went parabolic and still have not crashed. If you put on a 3% short that goes up 3x, that's still a 6% loss, and that's before you account for the considerable cost of borrow. So even a 3% cost basis couldn't save me because the discipline to cut the loss was not there.

- was very long tech ahead of the election. Still am.

 

All self-inflicted, avoidable mistakes. I'm definitely not as skilled as I thought I am after 2015, at least not at shorting or varying my net & gross exposure "tactically".

[bearprowler6]

First congratulations to a number of the Board members. Some absolutely stunning returns this year.

 

For me---a disappointing year----4.7% overall return down from 9.3% in 2015 and compounded return for last five years (including 2016) of 10.3%.

 

Took a large hit on cxr (the baby Valeant). Also, a basically flat FFH (which is a very large position) did not help.

 

35% cash heading into 2017.

 

 

[Oreo]

Earlier in 2016 I remarked that I believe CoBF members on avg would outperform mutual and hedge fund managers.  I remember at the time someone expressed slight incredulity at that assertion.  I think the great returns here overall are testament to the quality of CoBF (occasional blowups like VRX/ZINC notwithstanding) and to much that is wrong with the institutional money management business.

[investor-man]

XIRR for 2016: 30.86%

 

It's one of my best years and also the year I made the least amount of trades with 7, which is more than I would have thought if I hadn't just counted them. I got into investing about half-way through 2013 and did pretty well that year, but I think I became overconfident and probably "over-interested" in investing through 2015. I paid altogether too much attention to my balance and read up on too many ideas, which caused me to bounce around from name to name. Hopefully I've kicked that habit a bit.

[jmp8822]

I picked the highest return choice this year. Last year, I never opened the thread because my results were bad.

[LC]

I will have to catch up on calculating my monthly returns...I used to do it religiously but have gotten lazy :D

[giofranchi]

The equity of my company has increased 16% this year. 12% from operating results + 4% from investments. I have also paid out a 1.5% dividend. Since 2010 the BV of my company has increased at a CAGR of 17.3% (dividends excluded).

 

2017 operating results should be solid: in 2016 we have signed a contract for monitoring the structures of hundreds of residential buildings in Northern Italy and the seismic retrofitting of a few. Last year we have signed a contract with Salini-Impregilo for some seismic analysis of the structures of the new metro in Lima (Peru), a relationship that has worked well this year and will go on in 2017. In 2016 we have also signed contracts with Autodesk and Oracle University to provide specializing courses that are very much sought after by engineers and architects: they should add meaningfully to both our top and bottom line in 2017. On a sour note a good contract with Italcementi will come to its end next year... Overall, though, I expect operating results to be quite satisfactory in 2017.

 

I invest the free cash of my company in the stock market (funds that I still have at my disposal after all the investments for growth in my company have been made): results in between 5% and 10% will be more than enough to achieve my goal of compounding BV at 15% annual for many years to come. Last year and this year have been disappointing.

 

Cheers,

 

Gio

[Jurgis]

Earlier in 2016 I remarked that I believe CoBF members on avg would outperform mutual and hedge fund managers.  I remember at the time someone expressed slight incredulity at that assertion.  I think the great returns here overall are testament to the quality of CoBF (occasional blowups like VRX/ZINC notwithstanding) and to much that is wrong with the institutional money management business.

 

Yeah, sure. More like self selection bias. CoBF members who don't do well, don't post, and come shouting to this thread about their returns. And even with that 35% of respondents trail the index. So no, not really.

[onyx1]

I picked the highest return choice this year. Last year, I never opened the thread because my results were bad.

 

Which is why I don't consider the posted returns a fair representation.  Survivorship bias drips from this thread.

[LC]

7.38% last year! woo I'm rich! :D

[Oreo]

I get that but given that we're (almost) all anons here, the bias is nowhere near as prevalent as elsewhere in life, at least to me. I've had remarkably frank conversations online with people I've never met who are anons and it would be difficult for me to recreate that if the veil of anonymity was lifted, online or IRL.

 

It's also much easier to cast a vote in a poll - the voter's choice cannot be traced to the voter.

[Uccmal]

I lost more money in the market than I did working as an attorney!

 

how do you lose money working as an attorney?

;- )

 

I should have said that I lost more money in the market than I made working as an attorney.  The net result was that I poorer at the end of the year than at the beginning, DESPITE working hard as an attorney!

 

I would have done better financially by liquidating my positions...goofing off, and delivering pizza a couple of nights a week.

 

I had one of those when I was still working.  Last yr. I had -20% return and paid 22,000 in capital gains taxes.  If it weren't so irritating, it would be like funny, sort of.... 

 

Not ready to post yet.  I am away from my detailed records until Tues. 

[SharperDingaan]

With minor adjustments, the rolling 5-year CoBF average return is probably representative of where a PM would be - were he/she able to invest without restriction. ie: todays 100% gain offsets part of last years 20% loss, etc. It really just gives an idea as to just how damaging the money management industry restrictions actually are, and what ordinary people can do on their own.   

 

SD

 

I get that but given that we're (almost) all anons here, the bias is nowhere near as prevalent as elsewhere in life, at least to me. I've had remarkably frank conversations online with people I've never met who are anons and it would be difficult for me to recreate that if the veil of anonymity was lifted, online or IRL.

 

It's also much easier to cast a vote in a poll - the voter's choice cannot be traced to the voter.

[giofranchi]

Another member of the FELP mafia, nice!

 

Picasso,

Is there a thread about FELP?

If so, I would like to read it and understand your reasonings about the company.

If not, where could I find more information?

 

Thank you!

 

Gio

[txitxo]

29.84%.

[Paarslaars]

Another member of the FELP mafia, nice!

 

Picasso,

Is there a thread about FELP?

If so, I would like to read it and understand your reasonings about the company.

If not, where could I find more information?

 

Thank you!

 

Gio

 

http://www.cornerofberkshireandfairfax.ca/forum/investment-ideas/foresight-energy-felp/

 

60 pages, I've been going through it again for educational purposes, makes me question why I considered it risk to go above 5% position.

I guess in hindsight anything that works out will look less risky. Still have much to learn, yet so little time :)

[james22]

Pretty happy with 15% returns from a real defensive portfolio (50% bonds/cash).

 

Helped out by precious metals and energy funds.

 

Other than monthly 401k bond buys, only one trade this year (bought BRK several times in Jan at $126).

 

Hoping 2017 will offer up a fat pitch or two.

 

 

[Guest longinvestor]

Pretty happy with 15% returns from a real defensive portfolio (50% bonds/cash).

 

Helped out by precious metals and energy funds.

 

Other than monthly 401k bond buys, only one trade this year (bought BRK several times in Jan at $126).

 

Hoping 2017 will offer up a fat pitch or two.

 

Also bought BRK several times at prices between $126 and 135. Other than that, in hibernation, like I've been for 5 or so years. Feels like a permanent habit now.

 

My 10 year return rate stands at 13% in my IRA,  the main account. Around 16% since 2009. Looking forward to reporting my 10 year performance come 2019.

[Hielko]

My return for the year: 43.6% and 5yr CAGR now 32%.

 

Pretty happy with this year. Had only two big losers AIX (Chinese merger arb, blocked by Obama) and Conduril (not really sure why it's down so big this year).

[Patmo]

I dont want to talk about specific % because if I had a bad year, I would be hiding under a rock, so its not exactly fair. But I did have a very good year, thanks in large part to coal investments and matetially affected by a donut in $ESI. Luckily I was heavily weighted in coal companies, which juiced up my year pretty hard.

[racemize]

I dont want to talk about specific % because if I had a bad year, I would be hiding under a rock, so its not exactly fair. But I did have a very good year, thanks in large part to coal investments and matetially affected by a donut in $ESI. Luckily I was heavily weighted in coal companies, which juiced up my year pretty hard.

 

well this can be fixed by 1) always reporting and/or 2) putting long term results and length of record with the post.  Single year returns are mostly meaningless without it.

[no_free_lunch]

+14.5% in USD in main account.  I don't want to make excuses but for proper comparison I'm 20% international and 20% in bonds which really hurt performance.