Well, 2023 obviously proved (once again) that nobody knows anything, so let’s skip the waffle & jump right in – my FY-2023 Benchmark Return is still a simple average of the four main indices that best represent my portfolio, which produced a benchmark +16.0% gain: The respective index rankings for the year were actually pretty typical. The S&P 500 was the clear winner, obviously driven by the Magnificent Seven & a general recovery in technology stocks (from a bear market that stretched as far back as early-2021), as confirmed by a spectacular +44% gain in the Nasdaq. Both the ISEQ ..read more

At this point, maybe you’re done with 2021 – right?! But face it, we gotta look back to figure out how we arrived…in this mess today! And hopefully recall & reinforce any lessons learned. ‘Cos sure, there’s plenty of good & bad luck involved, but outcomes for both nations & investors are ultimately a result of our (cumulative) decisions & actions, often stretching back years. And last year, as the pandemic dragged on, our drinking problem got a wee bit out of control & we enjoyed that punchbowl just a little too long. And now it feels like the inevitable hangover’s finally ..read more

Looking back, I must admit I never imagined reaching this kind of anniversary…but yeah, the Wexboy blog turned 10 years-old earlier this month! A journey that kicked off with this Sirius Real Estate buy (at an astonishing 0.31 P/B!) in Nov-2011. Which was obviously a stock-picking tour de force – noting SRE‘s been a 7-BAGGER+ since. Well, except I somehow managed to distract/scare myself out of the position two years later…for a mere double-digit gain! And maybe that’s where this post should abruptly end, because: The one BIG lesson most investors still need to learn is how to HODL! But let me ..read more

Time to celebrate – we made it through the #pandemic! Well, almost… Vaccine roll-outs continue, some fast some slow, but crossing the actual finish line remains maddeningly elusive here. Unfortunately, as so often proves the case, the loudest & craziest perspectives tend to control the narrative. On one side, we have the #antivaxx nutters & their ever-expanding conspiracy theory complex to debate – you may as well wrestle a pig (you both get dirty & the pig likes it!), so the sooner we abandon them to herd immunity & their Darwinian fate the better. And on the other side, we’ve ..read more

With the dust hopefully having settled here, it finally seemed like the right time to give this post one last polish & get it out! Maybe now, readers are  in the mood again to actually contemplate a potential new buy or two? As for me, almost inevitably, my top holdings tend to be my favourite buys… Okay, maybe that’s not strictly true – each & every day, I’m still distracted by siren stocks I pine to own! But buying a new stock is equally about selling an existing holding*, one you (should) already know far more intimately. [*Unless you’re hoarding piles of cash…wh ..read more

My main 2020 investment thesis is the assumption this #pandemic does not herald new & permanent societal change. But it will reinforce & accelerate existing trends, with #cryptocurrency/#blockchain innovation, development & adoption poised to benefit hugely. It’s just three years since my first & last crypto post (& Bitcoin‘s only twelve years old!), but its progress since has been astonishing… We kicked off with a spectacular crypto-bubble in late-2017, with the launch of Bitcoin futures triggering the devastating early-2018 collapse…which fortunately played out in le ..read more

So yeah…quite the bloody year, eh?! I hope you & yours have kept safe & well during this #COVIDcrisis – even if you’re not exactly sheltering-in-place anymore, I presume you’re still a conscientious mask-wearer (as needed) in public? All else being equal, it’s disappointing the weather (apparently) isn’t a sure-fire virus-killer – remember when we all assumed, at worst, the summer would offer a welcome & effective respite? You know, meeting people, I used to joke investing was simply the ‘job’ I invented to keep me off the mean streets…I never imagined it would literally turn out l ..read more

It’s still January…so by now, I’m sweating to wrap this up by month-end (at the very latest!), while you’re probably feeling besieged (& bamboozled) by the media’s parade of talking heads who seamlessly re-write their broken #2019 narratives & still pitch their #2020 market prognostications with undaunted confidence. Which is a tad discouraging when I’m busy trying to come up with my own unique version & perspective…albeit, in the wake of a fantastic year (talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth!). Seriously…name a market/asset class that actually declined!? But rewind a year ..read more

Cpl Resources plc (CPL:ID) (CPS:LN, sterling quote) (DQ5, its actual ISE/Euronext ticker) is Ireland’s leading recruitment firm – founded 30 years ago by CEO Anne Heraty, it’s been listed since its 1999 IPO. It provides talent & workforce solutions, via 13,000+ recruiters/contractors/temporary staff in 47 offices across 9 countries, focused primarily on Ireland, the UK, and Central & Eastern Europe. It operates via distinct specialist brands in sectors including technology, healthcare, pharmaceutical & life sciences, engineering, light industrial, finance & accounting,  human r ..read more

And once more…into battle! Before the month is out, it’s time I look back & share a H1 portfolio update. Of course, in the wake of last year’s Q4 carnage, it wasn’t all that surprising to see markets chalking up a near-perfect YTD performance across the board. Equally unsurprising was the US market’s continued leadership…which seems like an inevitability these days, to the chagrin of long-suffering European & value investors. [Um, aren’t they synonymous?!] So here’s the scoreboard – as usual, my H1-2019 Benchmark Return is a simple average of the four main indices which represent the m ..read more