November saw my net worth increase by 1.1%. Investments were pretty flat but i increased my property value and had some savings despite higher expenses.
The value of my investment portfolio was up 0.6%. There is still a fair amount of volatility in the markets but over the course of a month it ended up fairly flat. It was a decent month for dividends, although there were no new investments.
Pension unit prices were also fairly flat for the month.
Rental income on both properties was paid in full & although one was slightly late. This is the first time i've had a late rental payment but it looks like an innocent mistake. I increased the recorded value of one of my properties following continual increases in the local market. The new value is still around 8-10% lower than the supposed 'market value' but i prefer to lag market trends and also like to keep the value at a slight discount, reflecting likely costs associated with any future sale.
Cash balances were higher although savings were lower than average following some travel.
Year to date net worth growth: 17%
Year to date savings rate: 66%
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Friday, 30 October 2015
October 2015 Review
October saw my net worth increase by 1.7%, with a rebound in equities and pension fund values along with a good level of savings.
The value of my investment portfolio was up over 2.5%, with increases across most markets, albeit with a slight pull back at the end of the month. There were also a lot of dividends received during the month, but no major investments.
Pension unit prices increased by close to 4%, following global equities markets higher.
Rental income on both properties was paid in full & on time with one small maintenance bill.
Cash balances were higher with good savings and no major investments or expenses.
Year to date net worth growth: 16%
Year to date savings rate: 67%
The value of my investment portfolio was up over 2.5%, with increases across most markets, albeit with a slight pull back at the end of the month. There were also a lot of dividends received during the month, but no major investments.
Pension unit prices increased by close to 4%, following global equities markets higher.
Rental income on both properties was paid in full & on time with one small maintenance bill.
Cash balances were higher with good savings and no major investments or expenses.
Year to date net worth growth: 16%
Year to date savings rate: 67%
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
September 2015 Review
September saw my net worth increase by 0.3%, once again most of my savings for the month were wiped out by falls in investment and pension values.
The value of my investment portfolio was down over 1%. Again it was a volatile month with falls across most markets. I made a couple of small additions to existing HK & UK index ETFs. Dividends were strong and seemingly not affected by price volatility, which is reassuring given this is predominantly a buy and hold dividend portfolio.
Pension unit prices fell by over 1% , the falls were broadly in line with wider markets although one fund is more heavily exposed to HK.
Rental income on both properties was paid in full & on time. I've just renewed the lease on my older property at slightly higher rent.
Cash balances were slightly higher as savings from income slightly exceeded new investments. Expenses were about average, including some planned travel.
Year to date net worth growth: 14.1%
Year to date savings rate: 68%
The value of my investment portfolio was down over 1%. Again it was a volatile month with falls across most markets. I made a couple of small additions to existing HK & UK index ETFs. Dividends were strong and seemingly not affected by price volatility, which is reassuring given this is predominantly a buy and hold dividend portfolio.
Pension unit prices fell by over 1% , the falls were broadly in line with wider markets although one fund is more heavily exposed to HK.
Rental income on both properties was paid in full & on time. I've just renewed the lease on my older property at slightly higher rent.
Cash balances were slightly higher as savings from income slightly exceeded new investments. Expenses were about average, including some planned travel.
Year to date net worth growth: 14.1%
Year to date savings rate: 68%
Monday, 31 August 2015
August 2015 Review
August saw my net worth fall by 1%, with a terrible month in the equities markets resulting in falls in my investment portfolio and pension funds. This was my worst month on record, with the poor investment performance more than offsetting monthly savings. However i get some comfort in knowing it could have been a lot worse. With roughly two thirds of my assets in property and cash i'm somewhat protected from the recent volatility, and if anything, view it more as a buying opportunity.
The value of my investment portfolio was down over 4%, and over the last 3 months it has fallen by over 9%. Again it was a volatile month, but generally emerging markets and asia performed very badly, which then spread to global markets. I increased my holdings of a global high yield ETF (VHYL) along with some HK & UK based equities. I also subscribed to the latest HK ibond, albeit only receiving a small allotment. The markets picked up a bit in the last week of August, but still look quite vulnerable.
Pension unit prices fell by over 6% and are now firmly negative for the year. The falls were broadly in line with wider markets although one fund is more heavily exposed to HK.
Property rental income was paid in full & on time. I received my first monthly rent from the new property although much of this was offset by expected start up costs.
Cash balances were lower as i tried to add to the investment portfolio as the markets fell. Expenses were broadly in line with expectations.
Year to date net worth growth: 13.8%
Year to date savings rate: 69%
The value of my investment portfolio was down over 4%, and over the last 3 months it has fallen by over 9%. Again it was a volatile month, but generally emerging markets and asia performed very badly, which then spread to global markets. I increased my holdings of a global high yield ETF (VHYL) along with some HK & UK based equities. I also subscribed to the latest HK ibond, albeit only receiving a small allotment. The markets picked up a bit in the last week of August, but still look quite vulnerable.
Pension unit prices fell by over 6% and are now firmly negative for the year. The falls were broadly in line with wider markets although one fund is more heavily exposed to HK.
Property rental income was paid in full & on time. I received my first monthly rent from the new property although much of this was offset by expected start up costs.
Cash balances were lower as i tried to add to the investment portfolio as the markets fell. Expenses were broadly in line with expectations.
Year to date net worth growth: 13.8%
Year to date savings rate: 69%
Saturday, 29 August 2015
Market volatility
After a fairly soft June & July in the markets, August has been pretty awful. Concerns have shifted from Greece to China and emerging markets in general, with significant falls in currencies (verses the us dollar) and equities.
Whilst it is pretty depressing to see my investment portfolio and pension funds fall in value, i'm trying to see the positive side of recent events. My investment strategy continues to be buy & hold well diversified ETFs with a focus on yield. I have no intention so sell anything and as such should not realise any actual losses. If anything, i'm viewing the falling markets as an opportunity to add to the portfolio whilst prices are low.
In recent months i've been adding to emerging markets and asian focused ETFs, which have been the hardest hit. Whilst it is tempting to keep on buying these at low prices, i'm instead focusing my attention at the moment more on the UK, US & Europe equities, which have also been dragged lower by the general concerns about China and the global economy, but in my opinion remain fairly healthy.
The main thing holding me back from some more significant additions to the investment portfolio is a lack of cashflow. After recently completing a property purchase my cash reserves are relatively low and much is tied up in longer tenor time deposits to boost yield. This is forcing me to take a slow and steady approach to investing, which is not a bad thing with such volatility and uncertainty in the markets.
Whilst it is pretty depressing to see my investment portfolio and pension funds fall in value, i'm trying to see the positive side of recent events. My investment strategy continues to be buy & hold well diversified ETFs with a focus on yield. I have no intention so sell anything and as such should not realise any actual losses. If anything, i'm viewing the falling markets as an opportunity to add to the portfolio whilst prices are low.
In recent months i've been adding to emerging markets and asian focused ETFs, which have been the hardest hit. Whilst it is tempting to keep on buying these at low prices, i'm instead focusing my attention at the moment more on the UK, US & Europe equities, which have also been dragged lower by the general concerns about China and the global economy, but in my opinion remain fairly healthy.
The main thing holding me back from some more significant additions to the investment portfolio is a lack of cashflow. After recently completing a property purchase my cash reserves are relatively low and much is tied up in longer tenor time deposits to boost yield. This is forcing me to take a slow and steady approach to investing, which is not a bad thing with such volatility and uncertainty in the markets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)