"The Tiger Trade app is great because it’s easy to navigate now that I am familiar with it, but also possibly has more data than any other NZ platforms. There is some really good analysis available on the Tiger Trade app and I spend a bit of time looking at, such as the historical market price and profitability to make informed decisions"
@ kevlarn
I am 38 and the director of an import distribution business. I have worked in this industry for about 15 years.
What is your background story? when did you first start trading?
Investing in general has been a topic of interest for some time, whether it’s investing in the stock market or any other form (property etc). When you look at the last 30 years, people have built a lot of wealth on the back of property and the stock market. Some have made a living from it; others have amassed extreme wealth. To be honest, I had never really dwelled on the stock market until very recently. I formed a bit of interest in crypto 18 or so months ago, it became a very hot topic, so it prompted me to investigate it.
Where did you hear about Tiger Trade?
It came about during a discussion with friends and family about investment platforms, Tiger Brokers featured in that conversation. From there I did my own online research, compared various options and just formulated my own position - that resulted in giving Tiger Brokers a go.
What is your Tiger portfolio size?
At present it’s around USD2,500. I am just dipping my toes and spending some time learning before I jump further into it. Like many things in life, if you don't spend enough time understanding them, it can end up being like gambling. I think it is prudent to understand the share market, at least at some level, before jumping into it.
What's in your Tiger Trade portfolio right now? and why did you invest in these specific companies?
For me, it starts with what is fundamentally going on with the business. Is it a profitable company - this is an important selection criterion for me personally. There are an enormous amount of listed companies that have huge market caps, but when you actually look at their underlying profits there aren’t any! I've also looked at companies that have a great market presence and some unique points of difference. Ultimately, the things I've got in my portfolio are global business that have strong profits across a few different industries. There is a good selection of analysis available on the Tiger Trade app, I spend a bit of time looking at the historical market price and profitability to make informed decisions. I admittedly do focus on some of the popular companies like Facebook/Meta. Using general research, past knowledge, as well as the tools on the Tiger Trade app I try to amalgamate all this data to make informed decisions.
Do you have any comments on the Tiger Trade app? Do you think it is easy to use and learn?
I personally found it easy to become familiar with the app. I like each of the different tabs, whether is the Home tab, Community or Portfolio tabs. Each of the different tabs is quite intuitive but like anything, when you open it for the very first time, you have to find your way around. I think the Tiger Trade app is a balance between a platform that is relatively easy to use but also very useful. Sometimes you get apps that look amazing and are super easy to navigate but they are limited in the amount of information or functionality you get. The trick is to find a balance and I think Tiger Trade has done a good job with this. I have not used all the other platforms, but my impression (from the reading I did) is that Tiger Trade may offer more data than other NZ platforms.
What are your favourite functions of the Tiger Trade app?
I quite like the 4 different tabs you have on the stock page, you have an Overview, Options, Analysis and Company tab. That to me is great because I can see a quick snapshot of some of the key details of the business, then I can jump into the analysis tab and look at a bunch of other data and metrics. What I find quite useful too is a chart in the analysis tab that gives a breakdown of whether a company is overvalued or undervalued, segmenting the stock price into 3 colour coded bands.
What are your investing styles or strategies?
I am reasonably new to share trading so I don’t have any investing strategies in particular. I am looking for companies that have good underlying profits and I am focussed on investment for the medium to long term. I am not a day trader and prefer trading in companies with solid fundamentals.
How are your returns so far?
The market has been on a downward trend lately, I am less focussed on the short term returns and more focussed on entering the market with a good average cost position. I have taken positions in a few companies that I believe will provide good benefits in the long term.
If you could go back to when you were younger, what would you tell yourself about investing?
I would encourage myself to take a position in the global markets at a much earlier age. Even if it was a small amount of say $50 or $100 on a frequent basis from my early 20s or even prior. When you look at the value of most solid global businesses over time, it would be rare to look at a company like Apple (as an example) and say it was a bad decision to invest in it 20 years ago. I would tell my younger self to invest early, but don't go crazy, you don’t want to gamble – just start investing in solid companies on a small scale but frequently over time.
What stocks or options are you watching right now? Why?
I’ve got a series of companies in my watchlist from mining, tech, retail and pharmacy - I'm currently focused on 4 to 5 segments. The market is on somewhat of a downward spiral at present, when the market is going down I think it‘s important to be prudent about the decisions you are making. Right now, I feel the smartest thing for me to do is just keep adding small positions into businesses that have good fundamentals. Even if the market is trending down, adding a small position on a frequent basis will give you a good average cost.
What are your opinions on global stocks in the next few months?
My gut feeling is that it will be a rocky road over the next couple of months with potential downside.
Are there any memorable achievements that you have made in your investing journey? What did you learn from them?
I am very new to the market overall so my biggest learning is that there is no need to rush, stay focussed on companies with good fundamentals and try to create a good average cost position in your portfolio. You can get involved slowly by making small investments over time, that's one of the best things I've been advised by friends and family.
Would you recommend Tiger Brokers to anyone?
Yes for sure, I find it really useful and I will recommend it to others.
This information only represents the interviewee's opinion and experience and should not be regarded neither as advice on acquiring or disposing of financial products nor an endorsement of Tiger Broker’s products or services. Some of the information being published here may involve paid or sponsored content by Tiger Brokers, its affiliates or business partners. The information presented should be only for your reference. Tiger Brokers assumes no warranty or responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information. Investing carries risks, including the risk of losing an amount in excess of your initial investment. Investors should do their own research and seek professional advice before using the services of Tiger Brokers and making investment decisions. Published by Tiger Fintech (NZ) Limited.