Former stockbroker Hamish Calder. Handout
Name
Hamish Calder, 63
Occupation
Private investor
The portfolio
Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., Sirius Minerals PLC, Xcite Energy Ltd., Quadrise Fuels International PLC, Berkeley Mineral Resources PLC and AFC Energy PLC
The investor
Hamish Calder left his home in Scotland to work in Hong Kong and London as a stockbroker. In 2008, he moved to Halifax, where he now lives with his Canadian wife and three teenage children. He is currently active as a private investor.
How he invests
After trying various approaches, Mr. Calder settled on trading small growth companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market in London. "Because of my background, I prefer to invest in U.K. stocks rather than North American," he explains. "They can easily and quite cheaply be traded online in Canada."
Mr. Calder uses investment newsletters, broker reports and bulletin boards to find and research companies that have an exceptional resource or product with a short timeline to commercialization.
Gulf Keystone (13 billion barrels of oil in Kurdistan) and Xcite Energy (North Sea oil) are both on "the cusp of production." They are also candidates for "a quick takeover by, or joint venture with, a major energy company," he says.
Sirius Minerals has "a massive resource of superior-grade potash in England." The company is well positioned to obtain the permits and funding required for building their mine next year.
Quadrise Fuels is an emerging supplier of a low-cost alternative to heavy fuel oils. Their innovative product is being tested at several companies, including shipping company Maersk.
About his holdings, Mr. Calder remarks: "I expect them to return multiples of their current prices in the next few years. But they are very volatile and patience is required to see them fulfill their promise."
Worst move
In 2009, he lost the money set aside for trading futures contracts.
Best move
"During the Internet stock bubble from 1999 to 2000, I bought Baltimore Technologies and ARM Holdings PLC on the London market for gains of about 300 per cent."
Advice
"Don't be side-tracked, and use the Internet to gain the knowledge to have confidence in your investments."
Special to The Globe and Mail.
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