A post....at last

Well, I have decided to update this blog, which has been dormant since July.

So time for an update...

Well, lifewise 2009 has been dominated by my CFA exams. I failed level 1 in June, pretty badly to be honest, and took it again two weeks ago.
I did a lot better but I don't find out the results until January 27. If I could work on the exam full-time, it shouldn't be a problem. But having a full-time job means I don't really get that much time to study and when I do, I'm knackered.

Pokerwise I have played very very little. I don't think I played more than once between August and December. A SNG here and there, but no long sessions at all.

It is amazing what finishing an exam does to you – before every spare moment I felt guilty about not studying; now I can sit around in my pants watching crap TV guilt free.

So I played two sessions in the past week.

The first was a four-table SNG affair, one $12, one $6.50, one $3 (all 90-man) and a $50 Omaha H/L six-man cash game.

I lost $25 playing Omaha – logging off after ten minutes in a huff – busted out of the two of the three SNGs and winning the $6 for $150ish.

I then played four SNG/tourneys – a $24 + $2 tourney, $12, $6 SNGS (90-man) and a $2 tourney. Four-tabling is too much for me playing tourneys/SNG (cash is manageable) so next time I’ll stick to three.

I went past the hour in each, and at one stage was doing well in three out of the four…but predictably the one I did well in (4th) was the $2 tourney (512 entrants) for a $99 win.

I went mental a bit towards the end – and tried to bully my way to the win at the end. It was working and I had a big chip lead with four to go. But I then busted in two hands to the only other player to play back at me….sigh….should really have taken it down fro $275.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the sessions, which lasted around 3 to 4 hours which is a manageable time for me. The $200 profit was nice as well 

However this is the stuff I write for work…

Goldman Sachs 2010 Summary

GEM/Asia
Positive on Asia – forecasting 36% total return (!) for 2010
Korea, Taiwan, China 40% returns. Capacity utilisation in Asia higher than most believe
GDP growth in 2010 in EM countries 7.3%, 1.9% Developed
Bullish on commodities – due to demand from EM

Credit
Weak GDP, low inflation, low interest rates in developed world will magnify ‘search for yield’ among fixed income assets
Nervous of lower-rated, more cyclical names which could ‘soften disproportionately as prices revert to fundamental value’

Interest Rates
US 10-yr yields to fall back to 3% in 2010, Fed likely to keep rates on hold
Rate rises more likely in Norway, Canada, UK (!), Sweden – where output gap is closing faster than in the major blocs

A yawn-fest I know, but our funds are all first quartile (in the top 25%) for 2009, and I have been promised a decent bonus (hurrah!)

Poker is now definitely a secondary hobby for me, so my goal for 2010 is:

1) Turn my FT bankroll of $470 to $1500.
2) Errr…that’s it.

I know now my strengths, multi SNGs/tournies…so I’ll stick to these.

See ya!