I hope you all had an Happy Thanksgiving investors! I spent mine in the beautiful New Brunswick and I had a nice time, look for yourself.
Magic mushrooms ;-)
Dinner is ready!
I saw a moose for the second time of my life. It was a female, as you can see, who quietly cross the road. When I saw her, I quickly got out of my dad truck and run to her, with my camera... And for a few seconds, the bitch look at me, I look at her, and it was like all the power of the woods was enveloping me. And trust me, I will need all the power available at my disposal to face the next coming days. It was a magical moment. Just look at me for a few seconds and left. On the other side of the road, a car was coming... But the moose was gone.
These days, the TSX is not exactly in good shape, and so is the NASDAQ. It's quite hard to be under the 16 000 points, and it's much harder when the TSX trade in the 15 500 points... The markets are facing some major sell-off because of some stupid, nervous investors. Please, don't be like them. This situation is disappointing, but it's not hopeless. And I am really proud to say that once again, this down market is not affecting me. My non-registered portfolio is trading at $173 847.89 (it's usually at 180k), my TFSA portfolio closed today session at $76 961.93 (it's usually at 80k), and my RRSP portfolio (stocks only), at $38 055.59 (it's usually at 40k). Yes, I am facing a major drop off, but it's not an excuse to panic, and there's always a bright side. For example, currently, Parkland Fuel Corp (PKI) is on an extraordinary gain. PKI gains today 5%, while the TSX as losing 2.12%. APH also made nice gain today.
Its always hard to invest when the market is down, but with time, the disturbance that comes with a down market is less and less (trust me), and deep inside, you'll find the courage to invest. Why? Because this is the time to make your money out of the stocks market. This is a good time to buy quality stocks at a cheap price. I built a big piece of my "fortune" by investing in stocks after the 2008 market crash and this is your opportunity to do exactly the same thing. BUT - invest using real cash, no margin. Don't know what to invest in? I am going to help you, just like usual. Right now, I am your best friend. Check out at the list of my really best stocks:
Canadian National Railway Co (CNR)
Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)
Methanex Corporation (MX)
Fortis Inc. (FTS)
Corby Distilleries Limited (CDL.A)
Premium Brands Holdings Corporation (PBH)
EnerCare Inc. (ECI)
TMX Group Inc. (X)
Savaria Corporation (SIS)
Emera Incorporated (EMA)
BCE Inc. (BCE)
Saputo Inc. (SAP)
CT Real Estate Investment Trust (CRT.UN)
Morneau Shepell Inc. (MSI)
Royal Bank of Canada (RY)
Andrew Peller Limited (ADW.A)
Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce (CM)
Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)
Boyd Group Income Fund (BYD.UN)
Lassonde Inc. (LAS.A)
Park Lawn Corporation (PLC)
Northview Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust (NVU.UN)
Morneau Shepell Inc. (MSI)
Toromont Industries Ltd (TIH)
Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAR.UN)
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)
Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (REF.UN)
WSP Global Inc. (WSP)
Jamieson Wellness Inc. (JWEL)
New Flyer Industries Inc. (NFI)
Parkland Fuel Corp (PKI)
CGI Group Inc. Class A Subordinate Voting Shares (GIB.A)
How to use this list? If you already hold to some bank stocks, go with something else, like PLC, or SIS. I also like TIH. I hold on to many great stocks in my portfolio, but this is a quick list to help you out. During those hard times, you can certainly count on the New Brunswicker that I am, but don't count on Jean-François Tardif and his JFT Strategies Fund (JFS.UN) to help you out, both the man and the fund are absolutely going nowhere.
While facing a down market, yes, your portfolio go down, but its part of the game. You need to be able to take that shit down and don't let the TSX get into to you and scare you. It's time to be strong like a warrior. And its also time to admire all the health built over the years. Personally, my PBH investment is still at +347%, my PPL, at +102%, etc... Because I started investing years ago, I am still in a good spot with my portfolio, but I am certainly not on top of my game right now.
While facing a big drop in your portfolio because of the TSX, you need to remain courageous. If you have some saving, invest in quality stocks. I have about 2k available, and your little favorite will do so, I just have to think about what I am going to invest in. And of course, I will let you know because right now, I am the best thing you got and you know it. I am like the little angel that is on earth to protect you and I just love you so much that you'll never know.
And this being said, it's important to keep busy during in a down market. Here are a few things that I do to keep busy that may help you as well:
-Check out your stuff, see what you don't use and put it on sell on Kijiji
-Clean your place
-Clean your closet, sell or give away the clothes you don't wear anymore
-Do your laundry
-Start a blog (so you can always try to beat me at my own game -we'll see what you can do)
-Cook a banana bread
-Go to the gym
-Listen to The Sopranos (I have a secret love crush on James Gandolfini, too bad he passed away a few years ago)
-Make a list of things you have to do
-Start thinking of your shopping for Christmas!
-If you have a smartphone, download Yahoo Finance and enter the stocks you own in your portfolio so you can give it a check while you are at a coffee shop
And I don't have any more ideas, for now, you get the picture. Just keep busy, and breathe. Now, I am really your best friend.