Meeting:

Monthly Meeting - December 2003

 

Held at:

The Brocklebank, Crewe

Date:

19th December 2003

 

 

Time:

17:30 – 18:40

Prepared by

Dave G

 

Chairperson:

Adrian T

 

Present:

Adrian T

 

 

Richard W

 

 

Dave G

 

 

Simon B

 

 

Kit P

 

 

 

 

Apologies:

Chris B

 

 

 

Chairman’s Acceptance of Minutes

 


_____________________________________________


____ / _____ / ____

Signature

Date

 

 

 

1          NEXT MEETING

Friday 23rd January 2004.

Venue: The Brocklebank 17:00 – 18:30.

2          Minutes of previous meeting

Accepted.

3          ACTIONS FROM PREVIOUS MEETING

3.1      Actions Closed Since Last Meeting

Ref.

Description & Progress

Status

CB/0919/01

Provide an explanation of how the subs are represented in the monthly treasurer’s report (forward payments, etc.)

1022: No progress

1121: No progress

1219: Supplied by email – see section 4.2 below.

COMPLETED

DG/0919/03

Amend Club Strategy to clarify % composition calculation in section 5 and to add statement about a bid forcing a sell of a mechanical selection (in 12.5)

1022: No progress

1121: No progress

COMPLETED

CB/1121/01

Correct spelling of Atlantic Caspian in the treasurer’s report

COMPLETED

CB/1121/02

Notify club members of the information they need to provide in order to allow bank transfers from club account

COMPLETED

ALL/1121/03

Review proposal for relaxing filters  so that a mechanism can be agreed and incorporated into the strategy (see Appendix to these November minutes for Richard’s proposed mechanism)

COMPLETED

3.2      Actions Carried forward to Next Meeting                  

See end of these minutes.

4          Treasurer’s Report

4.1      Monthly Report Summary

See separate report for detail. 

Highlights/Lowlights  Unit value up from 399.055 to 402.916.  We have £5261.49 of non-mechanical cash. 

4.2      Matters Arising From Report

Chris had sent out an email describing how the application of subs and purchase of units is calculated.  All agreed with Chris’s approach with the exception of point 1 on the section on conversion.  The meeting believed that suspended shares should be valued at the discretion of the treasurer rather than defaulting to a zero valuation.  Dave G was asked to append Chris’s document (edited as above) to the club rules as an Appendix and to send out for review.

5          PORTFOlio Management

5.1      Monthly Money Management Checks

Non-mechanical cash was still in the “Too High” category and the Fundamental portfolio is in the “Too Low” category.  

Need to try to find another buy proposal for the fundamental portfolio.

5.2      Mechanical Portfolio

WH Smith was to be sold this month but see section 5.6 below.

Four stocks satisfied the selection criteria this month and Countryside Properties comes out top.  We are buying this stock for the second time, it being the first stock purchased for the mechanical portfolio.

Current holdings 

British Vita

HOLD until February 2004

Crest Nicholson

HOLD until April 2004

TDG

HOLD until June 2004

European Motor Holdings

HOLD until August 2004

Severfield Rowen

HOLD until October 2004

Countryside Properties

HOLD until December 2004

 

Brief discussion took place as to possible criteria for a second mechanical portfolio.  One suggestion was to adopt a similar approach to existing criteria but to apply them to a different market (e.g. US market) or different investment instruments.  Richard W to find out which instruments can be traded via our stockbroker.

 

 

5.3      Monthly Reports For Each Company in Fundamental Portfolio

CodaSciSys

HOLD – Review in May 2004 (see table in 5.5 below)

Mothercare

HOLD – not met stop loss (see table in 5.5 below)

ISG

HOLD – Not yet met sell criteria (see table in 5.5 below)

 

5.4      Speculative Portfolio

Parity

HOLD – not worth selling but we took up the rights offer.

Atlantic Caspian

HOLD (especially as it’s delisted !!)

Templeton Emerging

HOLD – not worth selling but look to sell if opportunity arises as the warrants expire next year

London Clubs International

HOLD – not breached trailing stop loss (see table in 5.5)

Cape

HOLD – not breached trailing stop loss (see table in 5.5)

Ashtead

HOLD – not breached trailing stop loss (see table in 5.5)

5.5      Stop Loss / Sell Criteria (as of date of treasurer’s report)

The following is the summary of sell criteria for each stock held within the Speculative or Fundamental portfolios (the Mechanical holdings are dealt with as part of section 5.2 above).  The stop loss is invoked against the “end of day” price, but the sell decision may wait for the opening price to avoid rogue trades at the end of day.

Stock

Reportee

“High” Price

Stop Loss (based on the “high”)

Exit Criteria

CSY

Richard

320

160p

Hold until at least May 04 and then review;

In addition, review following any trading or results statement that expects / reports a fall in either revenues or profits over the previous reporting period;

Trailing stop loss of 50% to start from purchase price (based on mid-price due to large spread).

MTC

Dave

340

289p

15% trailing stop loss

ISG

Richard

170

85p

Hold for 6 months (March 2004) then review.  Before then, run trailing stop loss of 50% to start from purchase price

CAPE

N/A (speculative)

68

54.4p

20% trailing stop loss

PTY

N/A (speculative)

88

22p

Revise on taking up the rights offer.  Existing criteria are “Start price 44p. Invoke 15% trailing stop loss once price has doubled, or sell if price falls 50% from purchase (unless not worth selling)”

ACA

N/A (speculative)

20.4

5p

Start price 10.2p. Invoke 15% trailing stop loss once price has doubled, or sell if price falls 50% from purchase (unless not worth selling)

TEMA

N/A (speculative)

57

14.25p

Look for opportunities to sell (though currently not worth selling) as the warrants expire within a year.

LCI

N/A (speculative)

84.75

72.0375

15% trailing stop loss

AHT

N/A (speculative)

29

7.25

Start price 14.5p. Invoke 15% trailing stop loss once price has doubled, or sell if price falls 50% from purchase (unless not worth selling)

 

5.6      New Buy Proposals

Richard W sent out a buy proposal for WH Smith.  As WH Smith was the stock being sold out of the mechanical portfolio, the proposal was to simply transfer it into the Fundamental portfolio.   All agreed with the proposal but revised the exit criteria from those suggested in the buy proposal form.  New exit criteria were to have a mandatory vote on reaching 250p on the downside and on reaching 350p on the upside. 

No transaction would be necessary to purchase these shares for the Fundamental portfolio but the Mechanical portfolio still needs to be managed as though the stock had been sold.  Richard W would calculate the proceeds that would have arisen from a sale of WH Smith and purchase the appropriate amount of Countryside Properties as a result.   In effect, this simply means that the ‘saved’ commission fees will be transferred from the mechanical portfolio to the non-mechanical cash.

6          Lucky Llama competition

Simon wins this month with a 4.5% rise in the month.   Current standings after three months are now…..

Simon   

£121,819.45

Dave    

£114,152.44

Richard 

£111,785.25

Kit     

£100,000.00

Chris

£93,238.40

Adrian  

£92,699.15

 

New selections put forward by Simon, Richard, Dave and Adrian. 

7.                         Competitions

Dave missed the entry again for December.  It was suggested that the Mirror competition details may well be posted up on the Mirror website.  All to look to see whether this is indeed the case.

[Post Meeting Note: Adrian T has identified that the competition details are on the “Mirror Money” section of the Mirror’s website which has the following link:-
http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/mirrormoney/page.cfm?objectid=13709499&method=full&siteid=50143 ]


Actions carried forward to next meeting

Ref.

Description & Progress

Target Date

SB/0716/01

Issue chairman’s annual statement via email

0820: No progress

0919: No progress

1022: No progress

1121: No progress

1219: No progress

23/01/2004

ALL/0716/04

Consider different mechanical selection criteria for a new mechanical portfolio

0820: Deferred to September meeting

0919: All still to consider

1022: No progress

1121: No progress – see Appendix to the minutes to help

1219: Still needs consideration

23/01/2004

DG&KP/0716/06

Contact Adrian B about the tape of the Radio Stoke appearance

0820: No progress

0919: DG has just sent mail to Adrian

1022: Adrian B has the tape – he has said that he will pass it on to Chris or Kit (though Dave has given him his home address so he could post it there)

1121: No progress – Dave to remind Adrian

1219: Kit thinks that Adrian may have given the tape to him – he will check

23/01/2004