This year it's going to be Matabele Gumbo Bean futures. Nothing else I have any confidence in.

And now:

"£30bn wiped off FTSE on first trading day of 2016 as China fears haunt markets"

"Britain’s benchmark index began its first trading session of 2016 with a sharp fall after a 7pc slump on China's stock exchange and heightened tension in the Middle East weighed on financial markets around the world.
After suffering its worst year since 2011, the FTSE 100 tumbled by more than 2pc to 6,113.88 in early trade."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/ftse100/12079938/china-stock-market-fall-ftse-100-shares-down.html

Still, Matabele Gumbo Beans are up.

After the small pullback of a few % and China removing its circuit breakers I decided to re-input the order on Friday. Think we're in for a bumpy ride short term, but long term I'm very comfortable with Neil Woodford managing money, so was nice to pick up a little cheaper.

Later in the year I think there could be some opportunities around resource stocks and emerging markets, but will wait and see before commiting any more money there just yet.

So far has been a quiet year/ first quarter for me in terms of buys/ sells, particularly by value. In addition to the above have also:

Sold some of my older holdings in UOB Good Corporate Governance. Simply to buy back more in the same fund and get the LTF tax relief. No significant change in overall exposure as I've enough Thai equities.

Added some TMB Property Income Fund RMF - For the tax relief and property exposure

Added a little JRS:LN - JP Morgan Russian Securities as I liked Russia for longer term after having been beaten up.

Sold a little of AHYGS:SN Asia High Yield Bond ETF. Although I'd like to add to my fixed income holdings, and still think it's Ok with around 7% yield, I just preferred to take some risk off the table and convert to cash.

Nothing exciting really.

Anyone else bought anything interesting?

I've also topped up TMBAM Property Income Plus Fund.  The intention is eventually to take it to 3% of my portfolio.  However, I really hate selling other investments to raise cash since I get emotionally attached to them, so this will take a few more months.  At the moment I'd like nothing more than a massive windfall so I could invest in the dozen or so potential investments that look attractive to me.

I've opened two new positions this year.  One is City Financial Absolute Equity.  It's a long/short equity fund and I buy it with trepidation.  I've had a lot of bad experience with the hedge fund/absolute return space and did say I'd never return.  (I'm generally not in favour of the death penalty, but for Magnus Peterson I'd gladly make an exception.  The lying bastard cost me a lot.) However, I like its almost zero correlation with equity returns, and the fund manager does appear to add a lot of value.  I rather suspect that in a handful of years I'm going to regret this one, but I'm going to stick with it (and, indeed, top it up next week).  Factsheet:  www.cityfinancial.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/fs/cfic_ae_fs.pdf

The other is an investment trust, Henderson Diversified Income.  I researched it for the portfolio of the elderly lady I'm trying to help with her investments.  The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.  It has a very flexible mandate and appears to be run well.  It replaces a bond fund - also with a very flexible mandate - I sold out of.  As I've written a few times before, I don't like regular bonds generally as an asset class (though do like indexed linkers and emerging markets bonds).  I only hold this (and the previously held  fund) for diversification purposes and don't expect it to add a lot to absolute performance.  Factsheet:  az768132.vo.msecnd.net/documents/6478_2016_03_17_03_32_36_280.gzip.pdf

This has taken me over my self-imposed 30 investment limit.  However, the frontier markets investment trust I invest in (Advance Frontier Markets Fund) is in the process of being taken over by Aberdeen.  I understand this will give me the opportunity to sell out at close to NAV, which I will do.  I now think I wasn't thinking clearly when I bought into it.  Yes, frontier markets have great potential.  However, it's not all frontier markets that will do well, all at the same time.  My thinking now is that the laggards will dull performance to the level where it's simply not worthwhile investing in this asset class.

Apart from that it's been minor portfolio rebalancing, which I do each year in March as part of raising my annual pension payment, and in April, post payment.

Just reread this rgs. Trust the holiday is going/ went well.

Having cash recently seems no bad thing

So where you thinking of parking it now?