We’ve gone and added another Chinese AIM company to the Investor Trader Radar, West China Cement. To be honest I’ve made a few pennies out of West China Cement in early to mid ‘07, when everyone was clambering on board the Chinese Investment Express. Since then, it has risen to levels nearing three quid and plumbed the depths at below 50 pence and now sits somewhere roughly in be...

If you’ve fancied a flutter on the stock market but have never had the bottle or the financial freedom, why not test your skills with a practice portfolio? They’re free, simple to set up and you can be up and running in a matter of minutes. To get a feel for market machinations and to test your stock picking skills there’s probably no better way than jumping on in. You’ll b...

So on the back of a triple-digit drop in the FTSE it was another day of low expectations. And low expectations delivered! Eros International delivered some final results, highlights as follows: Group turnover up 38.7% to US$ 156.7m (2008:US$ 113.0m) Gross Profit up 13.4% to US$ 71.5m (2008: US$ 63.0m) EBITDA up 41% to US$ 109.5 m (2008:US$ 77.9 m) with 62% of EBITDA converted to cash Profit befor...

Last October I spent 30 days on a freighter ship as a passenger travelling from Melbourne, Australia to La Spezia in Italy. One whole month without Internet, with only the most fundamental of financial headlines via a copy of the ship’s faxed daily world news summary from its head office. Despite 48 hours of fearing for my life rounding the Gulf of Aden, that trip was one of the best financi...

I’ve got to admit, kicking off this little Investor Trader adventure has been a bit of a re-education process for me. I’ve suffered different levels of interest in investing in the UK equities market over the years but to devote my attention to the task of managing a portfolio on an almost daily basis over a prolonged period, is definitely a change in tack. So I figured it was time for...

No, it’s not a recommendation to go long on reindeer, just a quick note to let you all know I’m in Lapland (that’s in Finland, in the Arctic Circle) for a week so I won’t be updating my portfolio or where it’s at until the very end of the month. Thanks to those who’ve written and left comments in the past few days, I’ll get in touch on my return. As I type...

After adding Lyxor EFT India to the radar early this week, yesterday we took the plunge and added 100 shares at £5.6999 for a total outlay of £569.99 India’s economy has been more resilient than most following the recent global downturn and by investing in an Indian EFT, I’m basically staking a claim in the big caps of Indian Business. It’s a great way to spread the risk, prov...

We’ve laid a little money down a company by the name of Cosalt – a provider of safety products and services to the marine, industrial and offshore oil and gas markets. We’ve purchased 916 shares at £0.5437 for a total outlay of £498.03 Our reasons? Simply a case of a profitable, expanding company, who’ve experienced a hiccup or two of late, being undervalued by the market...

Thud! That’s the sound of the bottom falling out of our portfolio. There’s going to be days like that but you’ve got to remain philosophical. As long as the good days outnumber the bad days, we’ll get there in the end. I’m just not sure where there is! Clipper Windpower came back 6% on news and no volume after trading in the smallest of ranges for the past month whils...

I’ve long been bullish on the Indian economy and have watched it’s emergence as a burgeoning economic power with genuine interest over the past decade. Now, it’s time to put my money where my mouth is and what better way, than with an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). Exchange Traded Funds are index-linked funds that are tradeable just like normal equities. Their aim, simple, to closel...