Stock Picking for Profit

Simon Thompson  - Small Cap Journalist of the Year 2014, 2015 and 2016 supported by London Stock Exchange

The holy grail of investing is to be able to beat the market. Many market experts have tried, but very few have succeeded over the long-run. So it’s well worth taking note when someone not only manages to produce enviable results, but consistently too.

Simon Thompson has an outstanding record of stock picking. His 2012 annual bargain shares portfolio in Investors Chronicle produced a total return of 31.9 per cent, only marginally behind the return on Fidelity UK Smaller Caps Fund, the best-performing small-cap fund. In the final quarter of 2012, the 24 recommendations Simon made on shares, indices and traded options in Investors Chronicle produced an average gain of 16.6 per cent by mid-January 2013.

The advice to magazine readers to buy the UK housebuilding sector at the start of 2013 also proved an astute call: the sector rallied over 20 per cent in the following three months. Simon also follows overseas financial markets. His portfolio of US stocks increased in value by 19.4 per cent on an offer-to-bid basis between the end of September 2012 and late January 2013, handsomely rewarding readers who followed his advice.

In Stock Picking for Profit, Simon Thompson reveals in 20 detailed chapters the investment techniques he employs that have produced substantial financial gains for investors following his share recommendations in Investors Chronicle. In no fewer than 32 case studies, Simon provides a step-by-step guide to explain the rationale for making these winning investments and outlines the key lessons to learn so that you too can implement exactly the same techniques in your own stock picking.

Stock Picking for Profit is a book that offers the opportunity to learn valuable lessons from one of the most knowledgeable financial experts in the London stock markets.

“Long experience teaches me that there is no single magic approach to stock picking. Different techniques or valuation methods have different odds of success at different points in the stock market cycle. Stock Picking for Profit describes how a skilled stock picker performs his magic as market conditions change. It is an invaluable tool for investors seeking to improve their own performance.”

David Schwartz

Stock market historian and Financial Times columnist of the acclaimed Trader’s Diary 

Extract from the Introduction to Stock Picking for Profit

“It is fair to say that my investment style is that of a classic value investor. I look for companies being valued well below net asset value or where the sum-of-the-parts valuations reveal hidden value. But you have to know what to look out for to pick out the winners from the losers.

Another benefit of my balance-sheet-based approach to stock picking is that it uncovers investment opportunities that are also potential bid targets. In a chapter dedicated to Takeover targets and merger arbitrage, I reveal what to look for in bid targets and show how to play the merger arbitrage game profitably.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how lowly valued a company is, you need a spark for the share price to re-rate. That’s why it pays to know the important signals to look out for to identify early stage recovery plays. Moreover, when a company’s operational performance starts to gain momentum, significant gains can be made by riding on the coattails of an earnings upgrade cycle, but only if you know the tell-tale signs.”