Thanks team, I appreciate the positive comments.Nothing special...

Thanks team, I appreciate the positive comments.
Nothing special here just a long and interesting learning curve. Did a business degree coupled with some commercial law and business psychology papers, all of which have helped. TaneNui, the legal papers have always made me look at words and meanings closely in their context.

When I started working I got into shares. Made all the usual mistakes and got hung out to dry from margin trading when I was going through a particularly greedy period.

In or around 2000 I had a fistfull of NOG options which did very well which made me look seriously at the oil/gas sector. Round the same time I read Elders book "Trading for a Living" which tied in the markets and psychology.

Between then and 2004 I ran a dummy oil portfolio while learning the peripherals components like sovereign risk, amateur petroleum geology/engineering, oil markets etc etc.

From my worst experiences I concluded brokers are saleaman that are all to keen to get you into stocks but rarely provide similar guidance at the right exit point. So I decided that from then on I would exclusively do my own research, apply my own methodology, make use of the superb resource of the web and above all else only blame myself for any mistakes along the way.

I am a treasure hunter at heart so bluechips or any mature company (inc oilers) that generally only have modest growth potential is a bore to me.

So from about 2003 I gave up employed work and I went exclusively junior oilers in a self employed capacity. Never once have I lost money, I have lost profits but have always exited with a healthy margin over entry.

Early companies included Amity (now Antares) Petsec (bit of a dog right now but it had wonderful trading movements to $3.30), ARQ, VOY, the infamous Hardman amongst many others.

It was interesting to read all the recent comments about how to do well in the oil sector. I see my chosen methodology in alot of peoples comments. Perhaps the only thing I can add is this , the need for patience and by all costs the avoidance of greed.

Greed was my undoing and really stung quite hard so much so I vowed to learn my lessons and apply them for the future...thats when I shifted accountability for research and methodoly purely to myself. I still use broker reports and industry papers as they can be a powerful peer review and like they say you never stop learning. (and I still make mistakes, just smaller these days)

I would also add, let your profits run. More money has been lost pulling out early than from genuine losses. Because forgone profit is invisible it somehow seems easier to ignore.

But when you let profits run be extra vigilant about greed...are you being astute or has greed taken over.

Don't try to get the absolute bottoms and tops, its hard to do and costs you time.

Sorry team enough rambling from me, everything I have said might be rubbish for others but it works for me.