A Rumored City
Living in Paradise
Lately I've been toying with the idea of retiring and moving to another country. One with a slower pace of life, interesting fauna/flora, beaches and high mountains. I haven't found such a place, although South Africa, Brazil and Slovenia are high on my list. I must also confess that I'm a high net-worth individual and it would be relatively easy to live the rest of my life on the money that I have stashed away. But what fun would that be? This made me think if it's possible to earn the sort of money that I'm used to, in early retirement, and live anywhere in the world. What sort of money are we talking about? I'd say about $20,000.00 per month.
Without getting into the rights and wrongs of the amount I have in mind I set out to try and earn that money from sources other than my normal income. Since I'm not a fan of doing anything illegal (why spend 20 years in Jail with Petters for company when I could be on a beach in Africa?) the only option is to resurrect something I used to do in the 90s: day trading.
You can follow my trades here and see if I make my goal of 20K by May 12th as I did my first trade on April 12th. The rules are pretty simple. Every trade has to be exited either on the same day or if executed in the afternoon then before the end of market close on the next business day. No single trade is to exceed $100,000.00. I'll be ignoring broker fees for now but will post a cumulative fee amount at the end. If you're going to trade with me realize that I'm not a registered broker and can't offer any advise on investments. Please consult with your own financial advisers before you act on anything that I do here.
I'll be updating this daily as I make my trades. So without further ado here's what's happened so far:
Date Trade Type Exit Gain/Loss
April 12th, 2010 8:40 AM 1000 Shares CVX @ $79.70 Long 1000 @ $80.70 $1000.00
April 12th, 2010 2:50 PM 5000 Shares LCC @ $7.60 Short
April 13th, 2010 11:30 AM Above Trade Covered 5000 @ $7.40 $1000.00
April 13th, 2010 12:10 PM 1000 Shares INTC @ $22.58 Long
April 14th, 2010 8:40 AM 2000 Shares UAUA @ $22.30 Short
April 14th, 2010 2:26 PM Above INTC trade 1000 @ $23.46 $880.00
April 15th, 2010 3:00 PM Above UAUA covered 2000 @ $22.43 <$260.00>
April 16th, 2010 11:30 AM 4000 Shares of C @ $4.63 Long
April 19th, 2010 10:00 AM Above C trade 4000 @ $4.81 $720.00
April 19th, 2010 1:00 PM 1000 Shares of IBM @ $131.83
The last two trades are open (INTC now closed 2:25 PM CST April 14th). And their couldn't be a bigger contrast. INTC (Intel) had a stellar quarter, met or exceeded every analyst expectations yet the stock's up only 3%.So I'm still in the money there but UAUA (United Airlines) has rocketed up over 5% today (closed as of April 15th). There's no rhyme or reason for this increase, It's in a fundamentally weak business and the recent run up in stock price is crying for a correction, But it looks like this is going to be the first trade that;s going to lose me some money. I will post my exit results after the market closes tonight for INTC (Intel) but may hold onto UAUA (United Airlines) until EOD tomorrow.
April 14th. 2:47 PM CST: As the market approaches a close I see that UAUA (United Airline) has dropped to my short price. So there's some sense among the investors.
April 15th, 10:00 AM CST: UAUA opened lower but has since gone up about 0.75%. I will hold this position until just before the market close and then cover the short. This could be my first loosing trade. Is there no God? Why would anyone buy United Airlines!
April 19th, 2:58 PM CST: My UAUA hunch was correct if I had held on to my short position I would have been up about $1,200.00. But rules are rules. Now hoping for a strong earnings report from IBM
Posted at 12:57PM Apr 14, 2010 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
A Look Around the Estate
Can our lives be redeemed in old age...?
[Read More]Posted at 01:25PM Aug 27, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
Run Through the Jungle (or Cornfields)
The lonely thoughts at night on The Great River Race From Winona, MN to Minneapolis, MN by way of Wisconsin.
[Read More]Posted at 02:50PM Aug 24, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
The Dresser, a 1983 Film, Starring Albert Finney & Tom Courtney
An aging Shakespearean actor, on the verge of a final nervous breakdown, gives a monumental performance of King Lear, as the bombs of the blitz fall around him. His relationship with his dresser is as complicated as Lear's with his fool.
[Read More]Posted at 11:36AM Aug 11, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
Thirty years on when I read about Blackwater (or whatever they're now
called) somehow the allure and mystique is lost. I wonder if a hundred
years from now when a bookish, shy thirteen year old reads about the
exploits of Blackwater, will his heart swell and fill with longing as mine did all those years ago?
Posted at 10:39AM Jun 03, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
A Correspondance with NWA/Delta or What can be more Futile?
An uneven and unfair reservation system
[Read More]Posted at 09:00PM May 06, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
Orbitz is a Nightmare
When you make a reservation with Orbitz be very careful
[Read More]Posted at 11:53PM May 04, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
The Sacrifice Andrei Tarkovski 1986 Swedish 4 Hours 6 Minutes
This is Alexandar's big day but will the world end today?
[Read More]Posted at 09:41PM Apr 27, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
Some of us Still Live in the Land of Milk & Honey
The Black Card the World's most prestigious and versatile credit card.
[Read More]Posted at 09:36PM Apr 26, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
The Scandal at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (MSP)
Make sure you get the price of a drink before you order it at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
[Read More]Posted at 12:41PM Apr 26, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]
The Eight Hundred Pound Gorilla
Why is our health-care so expensive? What are we going to do about it?
[Read More]Posted at 06:18PM Apr 25, 2009 by Horatio in General | Comments[0]