2016 Full Year Trading Performance

This is not totally bad.

I am now trying to consolidate as much of my trading activity into one account.

Saxo Capital Markets does that perfectly by giving me a very good and comprehensive performance report.

My other investment activities, particularly the buy and hold stuff are housed elsewhere.

It has been a good year by my standards.

This is after a terrible first half, straightening out what I really wanted to do and how I really wanted to trade, and eventually coming back strong. This is also considering that my last three years have generated negative returns as well. Hopefully this is the start of something beautiful.

Onwards and upwards.

When The Ice Cream Truck Rolls Into The Office

$1,000 for 100 cups of Llao Llao for all employees, in he office premises!

Considering so many people were OOO, everyone around in office needed to eat at least 2 cups!

Was it worth it? 

Definitely. 

A once a year publicity stunt and staff welfare like this sure brought smiles and envy across social media and internally. It lifted employee spirits and gave employees valuable Christmas cheer. This is how to motivate an existing high performing workforce.

Market Is Looking Irrational

The market is looking irrational.

Since Donald Trump's victory during the US Elections, the market has been on an almost-straight line trajectory upwards, defying most analysts expectations of doom and gloom.

The USD has also been soaring, appreciating against just about every other currency.

A large part of this is due to his victory speeches calling for rebuilding of infrastructure and protectionism rhetoric.

Yet there are some serious points to consider:

1) How is he going to pay for renewed spending? Print more money? Then why is USD appreciating?

2) How clear are his policies? No one really knows for sure what he wants to do globally and how he intends to execute his plans. Probably only he himself does.

3) Just prior to the elections, the markets were all consolidating or contracting on the back of poorer and poorer numbers. Oil was crashing and commodities were dying. How has the world situation changed to be so positive now?

4) Case in point, DBS is close to hitting $18, a higher never seen in more than 10+years. Yet the external scenario of falling oil prices, reducing bank margins and failing O&G sector keeps DBS exposed to plentiful risks. 

5) Today's supposed biggie event, the Italian Referendum delivered a crushing defeat that forced the Italian Prime Minister to resign. The markets took a slight jolt downwards, and then by mid noon started heading up again. What gives?

There are plenty more scenarios to illustrate that seem to beg at irrationality.

Are we at the crux of an impending reversal?

Here's a very good pessimist's guide to 2017 :)