What Did You Buy Today?

[EricL]

(12-08-2020, 10:38 AM)kblake Wrote:

(12-07-2020, 11:56 PM)EricL Wrote: Just had our bi-monthly investor club meeting.

We decided to sell our GIS and THO to open new positions in TWLO, PLTR, and CRWD and we are also making add-on purchases in ETSY and BA.

A little late to the party aren't you 

The tech bubble has officially started lol. 

BA a good buy as I added more as well this morning. 

CRWD and TWLO have been monster stocks, but they were on sale a month ago.  TWLO from $266 to $315 and CRWD FROM $126 to $177 

I see all these tech being bought up but the real winners will be MSFT, AMZN and FB which are all basing right now

NOW a good one as well as TTWO 

Eric is not like you to chase stocks 

We only meet every two months, and this won't be the last buy we make in any of them. The total investment between the three is less than 3% of our holdings, so it's not a huge bet. Just getting our foot in the door, if one out of three hits it big, we'll do okay.

[fenders53]

(12-08-2020, 10:58 AM)divmenow Wrote:

(12-08-2020, 10:39 AM)kblake Wrote: Added COST, HD, NEE and BA

No tech until a 12-15% decline lol

I agree that tech needs to come down. I wont chase those names either with those rocket ships lol

But there is opportunity in the tech space. I recently been adding to CRM, BABA and today SPLK 

AAPL, PYPL and AVGO also added last month so they have done well. Everyone wants tech but a certain point you just cant buy because everyone else is   Patience is hard to come by in this space.

Buy the good ones when they are down 

But if its just 1-2 shares here and there and you average in you will be fine!!

That is probably the sanest guidance you'll read here today.  I started that growthy port in OCT and now I have one or three shares of a bunch of stocks up $20-50 bucks.  So now what with new money lol?  Just keep nibbling whatever decent quality is dipping is all I can think of. 

[vbin]

what a day, T and XOM both up 3%. Started position in BA.

[fenders53]

(12-08-2020, 01:36 PM)vbin Wrote: what a day, T and XOM both up 3%. Started position in BA.

Glad you had a good day.  The market seems like it is just randomly cycling through a list of tickers/sectors and everything gets at least a couple real good days every week or so, even if the overall market doesn't.  Of course markets just go up and down, but my port seems more unpredictable than usual and it's been going on for awhile now.  

I bought back some DEC T puts today for two cents.  I don't even remember the details but obviously positions I rolled forward during the freefall because I don't buy and sell T puts for $3-$4 a contract for no reason. Probably made $50/contract in reality but I'll just be happy.  

[fenders53]

(12-08-2020, 12:24 AM)Longacres Finance Wrote: PLTR has performed nicely. I picked up 150 shares right after they went public for $10. Unfortunately I sold too early and only locked in a modest profit. Still on the fence about purchasing AirBNB and Doordash, I may initiate small positions based on the open price. Also Robinhood is expected to go public next year which may be an interesting play.


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Doordash just settled on their opening share price.  I've been careful not to compare to the tech bubble too soon but the IPOs are getting there.  They are going to open the show with the market cap of a well established national restaurant chain.  Maybe delivery service is worth more than the restaurants but the logic escapes me.

[vbin]

Not touching door dash. Will buy airbnb.

[fenders53]

(12-08-2020, 10:39 PM)vbin Wrote: Not touching door dash. Will buy airbnb.

I won't be surprised if Doordash pops for awhile, but airbnb seems like a more lasting story.  Air has very little market saturation in the US, at least where I have traveled.  Restaurant delivery makes sense right now of course, and consumers are OK with paying extra plus tips, but this will pass.  I see no lasting MOAT at all for a menu app and gig worker dispatching service.  Perhaps it will work out in some major cities but I don't see how?  Taking a 30% cut from restaurants and not profitable during a pandemic?

[crimsonghost747]

The airbnb IPO might be a good short term trade. The way the market is now, anything tech or even tech related is bound do double for no reason.

But long term? meh.
I used to stay at airbnb's all the time around 5 years ago. It was a refreshing change. It was cheap. And you know the money you paid was fair and went towards the host's rent or mortgage. You were essentially using someone elses home and helping them cover the costs while they weren't using it themselves. Great concept.

Now? It feels much more like a fully commercial thing. Except that it's more hassle than hotels. The prices, especially for short stays, usually come out more expensive than a hotel in the same area. And you can bet that the majority of those who run a professional accomodation business through airbnb don't go through the same regulation and taxes, fees, etc. that hotels do. Which is quite unfair since you are offering the same service. (and some cities are starting to look into enforcing these rules for professional airbnb hosts too)

Long story short. I travel a lot. All over the planet. 5 years ago airbnb was my default option. Now? I might use airbnb a couple of times a year. My rough estimate would be 90% hotels and 10% airbnb.

[fenders53]

I was curious to hear from others that had used them often. I only have once and it was a good experience but it did feel odd as the host stayed in the upper floor at night. It was a very nice newish and large home. The rate was about 10% less than a cheap hotel and there was no other airbnb competition yet. I booked it just the same as I would online for a regular hotel. I have not dug deep enough to understand about the airbnb fee structure. I am inclined to think they will do well for a time, until the concept is more widespread in the US. I suspect most of the savings may dissipate when airbnb is pressed to grow profits and inevitably raises fees in a few years. Zoning could become a issue at some point as well. Cities will want their money if they lose much hotel tax to airbnb.

[Otter]

(12-09-2020, 06:31 AM)crimsonghost747 Wrote: The airbnb IPO might be a good short term trade. The way the market is now, anything tech  or even tech related is bound do double for no reason.

But long term? meh.
I used to stay at airbnb's all the time around 5 years ago. It was a refreshing change. It was cheap. And you know the money you paid was fair and went towards the host's rent or mortgage. You were essentially using someone elses home and helping them cover the costs while they weren't using it themselves. Great concept.

Now? It feels much more like a fully commercial thing. Except that it's more hassle than hotels. The prices, especially for short stays, usually come out more expensive than a hotel in the same area. And you can bet that the majority of those who run a professional accomodation business through airbnb don't go through the same regulation and taxes, fees, etc. that hotels do. Which is quite unfair since you are offering the same service. (and some cities are starting to look into enforcing these rules for professional airbnb hosts too)

Long story short. I travel a lot. All over the planet. 5 years ago airbnb was my default option. Now? I might use airbnb a couple of times a year. My rough estimate would be 90% hotels and 10% airbnb.

What we (me, wife, friends we travel with during non-pandemic years) like about Airbnb is the broad geographic footprint, the filters that allow us to customize what we want in accommodations (hot tub, parking, laundry facilities, etc.), and the fact that it is not a hotel. 

For example, on the geographic footprint point, there are no major hotel chains that have franchisees across areas where we typically like to travel. Want to stay in parts of The Azores that aren't just Sao Miguel? Akureyri, Iceland? Franschhoek, South Africa? Chile's Lake District? Nevada's Ruby Mountains? Ecuador's altiplano? Good luck finding a hotel chain that covers all those bases (there aren't any). So, at best, you'll be selecting small local chains or mixing up hotel chains. That can be fine, and we sometimes book hotels when it makes sense (proximity to an airport for an early morning departure, or a place with a particular appeal or local hook, like its restaurant or a built-in museum). But, unlike the business travel I used to undertake, which tended to be to major markets with chain hotel loyalty programs (upgrades, free breakfast, gym, business center), the vacation travel doesn't fit into that mold. The benefits of major hotel chains, to me, are not outweighed by the drawbacks (limited locations, huge numbers of other people sharing the space). I am ok with Airbnbs being commercial in nature, and offering a a slightly different stay experience than typical hotels.

As to the stay experience/customization, we can typically pick the exact neighborhood we want to stay in. Mexico City has tons of luxury hotels in Polanco, which is a great neighborhood. However, if our group wants to focus more on foodie stops in La Roma, or spending a day on the lake in Xochimilco, hotel options are either limited or nonexistent. Airbnb has tons of properties to choose from. Also, we can filter accommodation listings by exactly what we want. Rather than share a hotel pool or hot tub with hundreds of other guests, we can enjoy our own by ensuring that we look at only listings with that option. Having a kitchen is also a fantastic element to the stay, as we like to cook. Also, our travel group is typically 3-4 couples, so when splitting the price of a 4BR+ home, the pricing is typically similar per couple to a decent hotel room, with a large and spacious home (with all the amenities that entails) to show for it. Most hotels cannot replicate that (suites typically top out at 2BR, and those are exorbitantly expensive). The hotels that do have similar 3BR+ villas (Aman Resorts come to mind) are astronomically expensive, and tend to have a very limited geographic footprint (beach destinations, which are fine, but not our primary interest). 

Our travel group has gotten heavy into Airbnb in the past five years, and it really works for how we like to vacation, due to the high degree of customization that is possible.

Edited to add - just a few examples of the types of properties that Airbnb can offer, that I don't think publicly traded hotel chains are well placed to match:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12784435 (villa in the Ecuadorean highlands near Cotopaxi National Park);

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23190006 (villa on the shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala);

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/35612283 (a yurt nearly 10,000ft up in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada);

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4977248 (house on a Faroese Fjord near a Michelin-starred restaurant).

[divmenow]

I am staying clear on the airbnb and Door Dash IPO's . No way in hell would I pay that kind of premium to get in. Let it come down from all the hype. I can give you 200 names I would buy before I put any money into those names. Sure it may go up and you make $$. But I have to stick to my formula and I don't buy stocks that every Dick and Larry are saying buy, buy, buy lol

Now if Chick fil A ever came out IPO I would pay 20X lol

[Otter]

(12-09-2020, 09:09 AM)divmenow Wrote: I am staying clear on the airbnb and Door Dash IPO's . No way in hell would I pay that kind of premium to get in. Let it come down from all the hype. I can give you 200 names I would buy before I put any money into those names. Sure it may go up and you make $$. But I have to stick to my formula and I don't buy stocks that every Dick and Larry are saying buy, buy, buy lol

Now if Chick fil A ever came out IPO I would pay 20X lol

With the exception of PLTR, and now ABNB, I have avoided IPOs in 2020. Sometimes, a company is attractive because you are familiar with it (like your Chick fil A example). Have been following ABNB's path towards IPO especially closely, as I like their product and wanted to invest. So, over the past 18 months or so I set aside sufficient funds to open up a full position when it goes public. 

95% of my other holdings will remain boring dividend champions/contenders with solid balance sheets and a history of growing their payout even through the insanity of 2020. Sometimes, though, I let gut feeling pick a stock or two.