gerry53

Took me about 2 hrs 15 min today. I started in the afternoon. So while waiting I had a beer by the beach and then a cuppa (only 30 baht) at Simple Simon's on the same soi, near J Beach Rd. Looks like decent food there.

The line moves about 25 people an hour. I had 51 in front of me, though initially the girl at the ticket desk told me 100 people.

I estimate desk 1 & 2 must be finished the 100 per day entries cutoff number by 12 noon. I wonder if they give them the rest of the day off, have them round up illegal workers or provide extra services for the visa companies who seem to be able to do their business with immigration whenever they want.

As I said gold is off it's highs. I had 100% gold stocks 3 years again and now I have none, I made great money on the runup and lost a small portion on the slide before exiting. I never suggested buying gold stocks at this point and if the bullion price goes down of course the stocks will get decimated further (they already have been).

I agree it's the currency that fluctuates but it's difficult to pay at Tesco or the bar in bullion?

Everybody makes money when the markets are going up. Don't tell me about returns since August 2011, tell me about returns since August 2007. The Thai economy is booming, while the trade balance is worsening. Yes, Thailand is in a sweet spot for at least the next 10 years. No, this rally in Thai stocks is not sustainable. It's not a time to buy Thai stocks, it's a time to take some profits and park them - for example - in gold.

If as you say Thailand is in a "sweet spot" or bull market run for at least the next 10 years then shouldn't they be buying into the market. I always like the idea of taking profits off the table though and leaving the principal in - you never get burned that way and you only lose potential increases. I'll pass on that gold until it goes considerably lower, as with the SET gold is very expensive even if it is off it's highs. Gold stocks on the other hand have been hammered for the last 2 1/2 years inspite of high bullion prices.

There is a phillopino lady with an office outside on the left, i think she can do most types of visa's for you - drop off all the paperwork, she calls you when it's done, it removes ALL the ball ache!

I think thats what the visa outfits and immigration wants. What is the fee for this service, I know they have payments to make?

Just under 3 hours for me inspite of being there at 7:45 am to avoid the rush. Some of the departments (desks) went quickly - the 1 & 2 desks were painfully slow. You would think if a person was going to pay 3,800 baht for the privilege of leaving the country they would increase the efficiency somewhat? They claimed they only do 100 a day and I got ticket 40 at 8:07 am?. Get in early or leave dissappointed for re entry visas.

I'll bet the visa assistance companies are happy .

How about "living well in Thailand from gambling?". Day trading is not work. It is speculation. Your gain is someone else's loss. Bad karma. You live well from helping other people not from praying on them.

I am not a day trader but I don't agree with your statement. If you play the game you take your chances willingly - nothing personal and you don't have to pry the money out of his hands. It's civilized and done through brokerages. That's almost like saying if you took someones job because they got fired you would get bad karma???

There are winners and losers in real estate transactions, employment, divorces, relationships - that's life.

You are entitled to have a different opinion gerry 53 and I'm glad that you are not a day trader. I'm sure lot's of other people on this thread wouldn't agree with me either. They are all entangled in a very "civilized" but unsustainable culture of gambling and cherishing money as King. Most of bankers are in it. Most politicians are. That is this culture that brought the world to the place it is in now and nothing indicates that it's going to get any better as the populations and expectations are ever rising and the natural resources are drying up.

I don't see any relevance in your comparison with replacing somebody who lost a job. Day-trading is the same as gambling and hence not work. It doesn't create anything useful. I know that people gamble willingly but they only do so out of greed. And greed is NOT good. It's very primitive and egotistic. It's like a disease and it's pushing human civilization towards extinction. Life doesn't have to be like a game of "winners and losers" and I am sure it is not for many who may agree with me.

Hi Notime - Yes we do disagree but that's OK. I may not be a day trader but I have shorted stocks in the past where I am betting the price will go down. There is definitely a loser on the other side of the equation - the guy who invested hoping the stock increased in value. Nobody twisted anyones arm to invest or as you say gamble. I have been on both sides and again - that's life and reality. An true investor is not a gambler - I never gamble, I can't afford to and the money was difficult to acquire thru hard work! It also goes against my principles.

It was commerce (greed in your philosophy) that developed this planet from caveman times, trading routes of long ago and is still going on today. It is called progress. I agree it was not all civilized or sustainable and we need to work on that. Controlled growth, populations etc are all great ventures but realistically it will probably perform like nature always has, after it gets too big mortality increases thru disease or war. Extincton will come eventually, most likely from events we can not control like disease, meteor, solar flares etc - who knows but I am here for the duration!.

I must be primitive and egotistical (I forgot greedy) because I do plan to continue to invest and earn money. And yes - I strive to become a winner not a loser. In spite of my calignous nature I do pay my fair share of taxes to help others and spread my money around making other peoples lives better.

Good luck

Interesting thread. Another issue is the usage of motorcycles on public sidewalks. When they are racing towards me at least I can see them and have a fighting chance to get out of their way. When they charge up from behind you you don't know which way to run. In Bangkok when this happens I now just stand still hoping the driver and Buddha have it figured out rather than causing my own demise! I wish they would address this in the drivers manual.

My suggestion for hedging would be to have portfolios in your home country and some here also. When you need income you can cash in money in the investment that is doing best in terms of returns and currency rates. My Thai investments are doing great the last few years and I have been taking profits and buying things I want. I will let my home countries investments continue to grow while reorganizing it into a more tax efficient portfolio. When Thai stocks do badly I will re evaluate and probably take funds from my home countries portfolio and wire them over as needed.

I like this idea a lot, but it leads to another question. I am pretty knowledgeable & successful about investing in the States -- mostly individual stocks & stock options. I've been doing this for 8 years & I'm pretty confident, but I also subscribe to a newsletter (Motley Fool) and tend to follow their advice which has done quite well for me. I use a discount brokerage and do not take any advice from them at all.

How do I gain that same level of expertise in Thailand? I don't just wanna buy a mutual fund & hope for the best (although that might be part of my plan). How can I gain reliable information & get training about the Thai stock market? BTW, I'm not a day-trader by any means... I follow a buy-and-hold strategy & generally hope to own a given stock for years, if possible.

I admire your desire to jump into theThai stockmarket (SET). It took me years to get good at my Canadian stocks and in retirement I chose a great performing mutual fund anyways. Now I am retired it's nice not to have to closely monitor stocks and fret. In Thailand I personally am too lazy to get into researching individual stocks and politics in a country thats difficult to figure out how to drive safely or order dinner correctly! Besides that with a 46% return in 2012 on my Thai mutual fund (20% year to date) it ruined my incentive to work harder. I even started ordering San Miguel lite instead of a big Chang beer!

Sorry I couldn't help you on additional infomation and training.

wow that are great return ... so share it with us, or you think that will kill your olden goose eggs, which i doubt, so i doubt any of this bragging is real in the first place, or share to prove it to all

loooooooooool

It almost sounds like sour grapes? If Pinot got good returns in this bull market thats great. I think he is correct that QUALITY dividend and income producing funds often produce better results than ETFs. (do your own research)

Since 2008 many have hung onto low yielding investments giving returns lower than the inflation rate and then paying taxes on those dismal profits. They may be guaranteed but only to lose money in real terms - in my opinion they are making others rich.

My suggestion for hedging would be to have portfolios in your home country and some here also. When you need income you can cash in money in the investment that is doing best in terms of returns and currency rates. My Thai investments are doing great the last few years and I have been taking profits and buying things I want. I will let my home countries investments continue to grow while reorganizing it into a more tax efficient portfolio. When Thai stocks do badly I will re evaluate and probably take funds from my home countries portfolio and wire them over as needed.

If ExpatJ only made 10% in Thai stocks and the SET did 36% for 2012 then he shouldn't be picking stocks or day trading. Recieving 40+% in a headache free Thai mutual fund would seem a much better solution instead.

Can you mention the name of this fund that has been doing well for you ? Thanks

Certainly how241. It is Kasikorns K-Star mutual fund and the redemptions (similar to dividends) are given when the fund reaches set valuations. These redemptions are not subject to Thai taxes or witholding fees either.

Try searching kasikorn asset management then english and past performance for comparison data of their funds.

What are the HOURS of the Danmark's breakfast thingie?

JT they open until 12 noon so it's great for a brunch. After 1130 the food starts to wind down a bit IMO. I can't tell you an opening time.

How about "living well in Thailand from gambling?". Day trading is not work. It is speculation. Your gain is someone else's loss. Bad karma. You live well from helping other people not from praying on them.

I am not a day trader but I don't agree with your statement. If you play the game you take your chances willingly - nothing personal and you don't have to pry the money out of his hands. It's civilized and done through brokerages. That's almost like saying if you took someones job because they got fired you would get bad karma???

There are winners and losers in real estate transactions, employment, divorces, relationships - that's life.

I'm planning to invest in an Aberdeen mutual fund once there is a 10-15% pullback on the SET.

It could happen, did you hear something I didn't?

investors sell in may

and go away

what

in Thailand?

with all the mega projects and contracts being inked

i dont think Thailand is shutting up shop in May

I think the "go away in May" is more a western thing where there is less stock activity and reports in the summer months, plus nice weather and people taking time off. (kind of a low season)

I agree it shouldn't effect the present hot economy here, I know I won't be selling my funds in Thailand with a 20% year to date return for 2013.

I tried the Danmark and the Cowboy. Both are good but are quite different to each other. I find that I've been back to the Danmark more often than the Cowboy.

The coffee and juice have a lot in common at the Danmark: both of them are warm and weak. If they improved this they would do mankind a favour.

I actually like the Danmark coffee with their fresh milk but don't care for the cheap orange juice. I think the coffee is fresh brewed and is strong enough for my tastes. I like the yogurts, cereals and fresh fruit too, my lady likes their Thai food and soups. The chocolate milk in the upright cooler is rare in a buffet here! You guys made me hungry and I had breakfast there today!!!

After eating this "brunch" I only need a bit of fruit at supper time, I have "reserves"!

I'm planning to invest in an Aberdeen mutual fund once there is a 10-15% pullback on the SET.

It could happen, did you hear something I didn't?

investors sell in may

and go away

If I am holding quality dividend stocks or mutual funds I don't sell in May. If it was a highly speculative investment and sensitive to less trading activity or seasonal hiccups I might get out. Historically May to September are less profitable than Oct to May but usually make money also (albeit less). I usually lock in my years profits to offset this by removing 1 years cash supply before May to weather any storms. That being said last May was the largest loss in my home countries portfolio since 2008!!!

^ No, I just missed the huge run-up the last two years, and I think things are a little bit frothy right now. I want to get in on the next dip and hopefully ride it up some more.

I agree - but it has been a nice run even with a slow period around last summer. Good luck.

I'm planning to invest in an Aberdeen mutual fund once there is a 10-15% pullback on the SET.

It could happen, did you hear something I didn't?

Thats great for your friend, like you it's not for me either. If your friends calculated risk loses money in that few hours/day/week he could lose a pile if money depending where he puts his stop loss?

I have seen too many ex day traders trying to find cheap meals around Soi Buakhao while enjoying a cold beer from 7-11.

Since August 2011, I have been making, on average, 110,000 baht per month profit investing in Thai stocks- but i don't take this out as cash, i always put it back into my thai stocks portfolio.

It sounds like you are doing well but would be more meaningful to know your return on investment in percentage terms. If it was really up there it may be a good time to take SOME profits off the table and buy something of value and or enjoyment. Even though the SET is doing great now and in the foreseeable future I like to take excess (of whats needed) off the table to enjoy. Last year was a new bike, car and boat, later this year thinking of building a house here. Stocks seem to have the same laws of gravity and eventually will come down.

You need to clarify if you want to day trade Thai or foreign stocks. If you have experience day trading in your home countries markets you may want to give it a try in SET traded stocks. I have a hard time analysing stocks in my home country, never mind here in Thailand? For Thai stocks (20% of my portfolio) my solution was to utilize a mutual fund from a large Thai bank so I do not actively have to buy and sell - just monitor conditions. The returns tend to offset currency fluctuations. My Thai fund did well last year with over 40% return and was non taxable, this year it has continued gaining well.

I am not sure but I doubt they would require a work permit to invest money in their country and markets. As stated earlier living well for some people is 50K baht a month, for others that may only pay the bar bill!

I went to immigration last week and renewed my retirement visa - no problems and picked it up after 3 pm. They would not issue a multiple re entry that day. I came back the next working day again, the line up was long so I returned after 1:30 pm when things seemed calmer. The immigration said they can not do - only 100 re entries can be done a day come back next month???

Maybe they should only let 100 people a day enter at BKK airport who may need re entries. I know if I paid a bit extra thru a visa company this could have been "avoided". I guess plan B is to wait with the hordes and be one of the first 100 applicants to pay 3,800 baht for the priviledge of travelling outside of Thailand.

They need more staff in that department who can handle the workload without retirees paying "extra".

I personally would like to see some policy changes at this location and an increase in efficiency in certain departments.

I have 9 new red plastic pieces for a PCX 150 for sale. They can be used for a color change or to replace scuffed up or damaged pieces. 1,500 baht and I am in the Pattaya area. If interested please PM me.

Thanks

jbrain I took a drive by today, 1 block (possibly 2 but joined on lower floors) is rough built up to level 4. They are starting footings on another building also. There is definitely activity.<br /><br />This Maldives project is over a 1 km walk to the Rompho beer complex and market but to drive re 2nd road is about 3 km due to the concrete meridians and lack of u-turns on 2nd road. If you took the back road you are 2 km away and walking thru unlit areas. The back road takes you by the apparently abandoned Suan Sawarn Condos which is 300 metres from the new Laguna Beach II project which has not been started but has been fenced and a small showroom put up. I wander if they are using pre sales to fund other developements as others have?<br /><br />The Maldives advertisement that it is under 2 km to central Pattaya is false. It is that distance to Thappraya Road then at least another 5 km to Pattaya Tai. (which is at least closer to central Pattaya!) I also question the 900 metres to the beach in Jomtien.

Things seemed unclear to me so I took another drive this afternoon. What I thought was the Laguna Maldives was Laguna Beach Resort (#1 I assume). They had Laguna Maldive signs in front of it (and everywhere else in Jomtien?) The Maldives appears to have a separate building area about 500 metres further along then you turn left. It is somewhat fenced with another showroom sales office and not manned when I went there. It looks like it will be built on a swamp (small lake) if the sales office is any indication and a large amount of fill will be needed. They have already started with the fill but no footings have been started at this location.