Back to Our Winning Ways

Three out of four, thus far. That is how many times my stock portfolio has outperformed the S&P since I started this blog.

What I did Get Wrong

This week was not as rocky as I thought it might be. Trading volumes were low, as they normally are this time of the year, and some M&A activity was seen with E-Trade and TD Waterhouse apparently joining forces. I was wrong on my housing information. New home sales actually posted a better than expected report, with sales actually showing a gain. But I still do not hold much weight in the numbers. We really didn't see the news of a "credit crunch" until the end of July. I don't think we will be seeing an uptrend in sales August.

What I Got Right

The S&P gained 2.3% this week. My portfolio gained just a smidge more than 3%. My big winner this week...Barrick Gold (ABX) posted a solid gain of 8.5%. Las Vegas Sands (LVS) bounced back nicely with a gain of 7.9%. And even my dog, so far, Transocean (RIG) finally put together a nice week with a gain of 4.3%. RIG's gained was based partly on the fact that Hurricane Dean missed the companies equipment in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a good week for most of my picks. In fact, I only had one loser, PepsiCo (PEP) which posted a lost this week of 1.7%. Not too bad.

Personal Note

I promise this will be the last little note that I post for a while, since this is the third in two days. I started this blog a month ago, just hoping to find a voice and maybe get some traffic. I think I have finally hit a groove with how I want my blogs to read. I never expected to be asked to write on another site, such as when Nesteggr came and asked a week into my blogging experience. Full Disclosure: Nesteggr pays for my services. I also started a third blog, Mortgage Bullet, where I am giving advice on the home buying process. It's definitely a different blog structure. Check it out too. I am very excited with my progress and look forward to continue providing content here and on my other blogs. Thanks!