7/28/2012

A lot of ZigZag - nothing changed ... ? ... ! .... ??

What did we see in the last week? A lot of action.
  •  DAX30 did break out upwards last week, just to fall back violently
  • European PIGS countries bond rates climbed fast
  • Core countries like Germany and Austria still with negative bond rates
  • EUR recovered vs. the USD
  • GOLD jumped over 1.600 USD
  • DAX30 recovered strongly on Thursday and Friday
This is the 'perfect' environment to trade. Violent moves up or down. Technical levels taken out for 2 days. Fast reversals afterwards. I was shaken out on the upwards move (gave up my equity protection) and on the downward move (sold most of my European equity positions entered last week; sold 50 % of  Gold miners).
Trading was too fast for me to re-enter the market - so I missed the rally of the last 2 days.

Psychologically, what happened to me? I could clearly see the set-ups a week ago. DOW30 and DAX30 with many stocks breaking out upwards or hitting new highs. Hard to understand, as the economic outlook seems to be deteriorating everywhere. Still this was looking really strong, especially for US stocks with an EUR loosing more and more value. Why fight the market? So I entered a few positions and exited protection.

Once the European stocks and gold miners did break down, I was really fast in exiting positions. My overall sentiment is still bearish, so I pulled the trigger. Too fast - maybe. But the move seemed to make sense - the market finally getting the message. In addition, at this point, the support levels for GLD and SLV looked vulnerable. Exiting positions made sense to me, as a drop from support levels would be violent and deep.
Then came Draghi with his 'ready to do whatever it takes'. And the market jumped upwards and the EUR regained strength.GOLD jumped over 1.600 USD and DOW30, SPY500 and DAX30 are giving clear positive signals.

Lets lean back for a moment:
  • economic outlook did not improve - latest data from the US confirms this
  • solution to the EUR crisis is not any closer than it was a month before
  • over the weekend, first voices remind the EZB it has no mandate to buy bonds of Spain or Italy 
  • German politicians in second line voice warnings to the EZB
  • GOLD looks more of a protections in this situation then ever
  • top gold miners had weak Q2 performance (Barrick, Newmont, GoldCorp) doing further damage to gold stock
So, what to do? Guess I will lean back another 24 hours to evaluate the picture and do ... nothing!

7/23/2012

Swiss National Bank monthly statistics

In my pursuit to understand a little bit more about the way the SNB (Swiss National Bank) succeeds in keeping the CHF at a rate of 1.2 vs. the EUR, I found lots of statistical data on their web-page. Look out for the Monthly Statistical Bulletin:

Balance Sheet - Active:
- foreign currency investments increased by CHF 50 bn in May 2012
- up 300 % since 2009

Balance Sheet - Passive: 
- sight deposits of domestic banks increased by CHF 35 bn in May 2012
- liabilities towards the Swiss Confederation are increasing

Banknotes and coins in circulation are stable (CHF 56 bn)

Reserve assets CHF 372 bn, thereof securities CHF 232 bn - deposits at other central banks CHF 75 bn - gold CHF 51 bn; more than 90 % in USD, EUR, GBP and JPY

Monetary base increased from a slightly increasing level or CHF 40 to 50 bn from 2003 to 2008 to CHF 80 bn in Q3'11 and further to CHF 275 (sic!) bn mid of 2012, with the latest jump from May to June 2012 from CHF 217 bn (sic! sic!).

M1 increases at a rate of >10 %, M2 at  ~10 %, M3 at ~8%

Detailed figures on transactions, transactions by size, number or credit cards, credit card transactions, ATM transactions ... interesting how much information is evaluated.

Interest rates, public finances on Confederation/Cantons/Municipality level, trade balance, construction activities (public, private), employees by economic activity, .... consumer prices, raw material prices, real estate prices ...

GDP is around CHF 150 bn a quarter ... look back up on the foreign currency investments compared to this number.

228 pages of statistical information ... two thoughts come up:
1) are all central banks providing such detailed data?
2) is somebody creating a library, so that he can place the 'forbidden' book somewhere it will not be easy to find?

7/22/2012

Thought-Provoking Information Snippets from the Weekend

Well, while the weather was so frightening, we cancelled our weekend trip, I still could put in some hours on the bicycle. And with falling rain drops, I was able to catch up with some reading. I ended up with some note I wanted to share with you:

  1. Gold is close to its high. Well, not in USD, but with the recent EUR weakness in the currency I pay my bills with. Its around 1.300 EUR now - very close to the peak.
  2. EUR vs. USD looks really ugly from a technical / chart perspective. A little more downward movement of the EUR could trigger a stampede of chart traders to get out of it.
  3. Remaining with FX topics, I did hear on a podcast, that the Swiss National Bank had to sell CHF close to 10 % of Swiss GDP in the last 2 months in order to keep the rate to the EUR at a level close to 1,20. As you will remember, the SNB announced it will tie the CHF to the EUR at this level - a move to avoid further currency appreciation as money was fleeing the the save haven of the Swiss Alps. Question that comes to mind: what are they buying with all that paper money? Guess I will try to investigate on this topic in the next days.
  4. German Wirtschaftswoche did a list of stocks called: 'Five for Eternity'. BASF, China Mobile, Coca-Cola, Altria, Royal Dutch Shell. I own four of them!!
  5. And a couple of pages further: 'Five in Megatrend Ag'. Potash, Syngenta, CF Industries, Bunge, KWS-Saat. I own none of them!?? 
  6. Have you ever heard about Li Ning? Why not? And if so - tried to invest in it? Why do I still know so little about Chinese companies?
  7. Outlook is muddy. Stocks performed quite well in the last week and especially blue-chips looked like they would break up. I liked US ones, as I would guess that the EUR remains week. Still, Friday news from Spain did put pressure on the indices and with Murcia following Valencia in demanding help from central government, I fear the next days will show some more downward pressure.
  8. Several Californian cities declared bankruptcy in the last days: Stockton, San Bernardino, Mammoth Lakes.
  9. EURIBOR dropped to 0.451 % now. Adding 0.7 %, our mortgage would be adjusted to 1.151 % at the end of the quarter - should the rate stay that low. Denmark 'pays' negative interest of -0.2 % now as target rate. Germany, Netherlands, Austria and some others are also at negative bond rates now. And Spain moved above 7 % and has close to EUR 80 bn to refinance this year.
Crazy stuff ...

7/15/2012

DOW30 Outlook

You know the trick by now - same procedure as with DAX30. Just noticed, that the stocks I had noted as DOW30 in my charting tool, are not all really within the index any longer. Therefore this is more than 30 equities - you might want to disregard the () ones.


3M (87,59 USD): moving sideways - break-out above 90 would be a buy signal - stay neutral
Alcoa (8,42 USD): consolidating within a down trend. still would see it as neutral.
 

(Altria (35,62): perfect up-trend; did run a little bit too far - overbought; still a long term buy as its a dividend play, too)
American Express (57,93): somewhat interesting; looks like 54 was a catalyst. buts its not trending up.
(AIG (31,44):
no clear picture here - looks like a sideways trend. neutral)
AT&T (35,35): looks like consolidating in a trading range, but in an upwards trend;
BofA (7,82): neutral - did find kind of a support, but not trending
Boing (73,51): 76 USD is the interesting level here; trading between mva200 and the 76. this will count for another neutral one.
 

Cat (82,07): clear downtrend despite the index doing good; short with S/L 87
Chevron (106,01): upper resistance at 110; wait for a break-out - moves side-ways since mid 2011; MVA200 approaching resistance
(Citi (26,65): kind of sideways after being week like bank stocks lately; hold support at 26 currently. neutral)
Cisco (16,31): wild fluctuation - huge gaps at Q-results? keep away from it
CocaCola (77,28):
nice long-term upwards trend; could be fine down to S/L of 74. close to ten year high
 

Disney (48,19): upward trend since Q3'11; could prepare for just the next spike up as it consolidated a little.
DuPont (47,63):
trending down; just crossed the MVA200 downwards; short play til it comes back up at least.
Exxon (85,47): interesting plateau at 88 USD, which it is approaching again. until that - neutral.
GE (19,77): false break-out above 20,3; we should wait to see that level again
HP (18,98):
long term down trend: little bit extended at the moment; still you could try to ride it. S/L at 22? 

Home Depot (52.09): upper resistance at 53 and change; mutli-year-high; if you enter, palce a S/L at 50; maybe wait for the break-out
(Honeywell (54,58): downtrending, maybe forming a bottom at 53; MVA200 almost flat at similar level - neutral)
Intel (25,25): moving downwards at the moment; look like the ASML announcement did not help the stock price; 25 USD is the important level to hold; looks like a neutral lookout so far
IBM (186,01): looks like the climb up has been stopped for now; feels rather bearish; but maybe nothing to short, as 180 seems to provide some support.
 

J&J (68,61): i had clear trend channel (63 to 66); now it jumped above 2011 multi-year-high of 68 USD; enter with S/L at 66
JPM Chase (36,07): highly volatile going nowhere for 10 years; huge trading possibilities, but not from the chart-side; stay away
 

McD (92,29): was at multi-year high at beginning of 2012; could be just at a trend reversal; 91 is important; 95 would be a clear break-out level; S/L at 86;
Merck (43,47): missed the break-out at 39 / 39,5; looks very overextended now. Hardly tradeable
Microsoft (29,39): neutral; peaked at 33 earlier the year; is supported by MVA200 now; but I would not touch it now
Pfizer (22,81): resistance at 23 USD; closing in on it; supported by up-moving MVA200
P&G (65,09): big mulit-year trading range (60 - 68); very volatile between that; neutral
United Tech (73,59): pretty neutral; nothing trade-able
 

Verizon (45,21): strong upward move; apporaching 2007 high at 46; you need a wide S/L here though; not a perfect set up ...
Wal-Mart (73,18):
looks like a pole heading north ... break out level was 65; never stopped on the way up - no S/L level; U could just use a money management stop

DAX Outlook

Despite the weak economic outlook for Europe, the US moving towards a recession again and slowing growth in China, the DAX climbed from 6.000 to almost 6.600 during the last weeks. I want to make a quick run through the Index and the 30 stocks, give a few comments and a possible trading approach for all them. 
(Be aware this is earnings season. Unexpected results or outlooks can lead to drastic price moves even  against the trend. Read the text with the charts alongside your screen (2-3 years, logarithmic scale)

You could use the list to:
- check the quality of my ideas in a few weeks
- maybe use my long suggestions if you really like the specific stock and wanted to buy it anyways
- build a position according to your market sentiment (more short positions, more long ones or maybe balanced)

DAX 30 (6557): 6.600 was an important support in Q2 - this time we approach in an upward move. I see little economic reason, why the index shall climb much further, but we are for sure in an upward trend. Enter if 6.600 is taken out at day end, use that also as S/L limit. Alternatively enter now and use the 200 day MA as S/L (currently at 6.340).
Addidas (57,9):  Moving sideways. I would stay neutral on this one, at least as we have no break down below 56. Then we would also fall below the MVA200 (200-day-moving-average). Upwards you could play a breakout above 60 - but I consider that a weaker signal than the short play.
Allianz (79,06): Trending up again and approaching the MVA200, which also turned up again. The move up started at 69, and has lost some momentum in the last days. I have no strong opinion here - rather up, but use a tight S/L.
BASF (55,96): High quality paper with good dividends. Did not perform as good as the market during the pat couple of weeks. I see no clear trend here at the moment. Stay away until we break upwards above 58. 
Bayer (58,3): Had a strong run from 48 to 58, but consolidating at this level now. Around 59 is the multi-year high. I would rather play thin on the long side - sure. If we can get to 60, much more is possible. Critical point is to find a S/L limit currently. Either enter with a small amount and a wide stop - eg. around MVA200 of 51. or MVA50 at 53. Or place a little bit more money on the table, with a tight stop at 56. Or wait for the breakout above pat highs and use them as S/L.
BMW (57,77): Was in a clear down trend and did stabilize here. I would stay neutral until a solid trend develops here or we fall back to 54.
Beiersdorf (53,48): Clearly moving upwards and close to 10-year-highs. I have heard little new take-over rumors lately, but something did drive the stock upwards sinde Q4'11. It also acted strong in the last correction. Go long with a S/L around 50. 
Commerzbank (1,24): Clear down-trend, close to the lows of 2011/12. A clear short candidate. I also see no positive news ahead for CB. CB is to big to fail in Germany, but why should it not drop out of the DAX pushing the stock down further? S/L at 1,4 maybe.
Daimler (36.4): Same as BMW - stay neutral.
Deutsche Bank (25,6): Downward trend you could try to ride with a short position. It looks oversold at the moment, so maybe it will come back a little in the next days. Only a move above 30 would be a trend reversal in my eyes. 
Dt. Börse (42,11): I would stay neutral here, as the stock recovered from the low at 36,5 and is back within the 44 / 38 borders. Breaking out of those limits, you could open a position.
Lufthansa (9.745): Must have missed some news here. Moves upwards strongly - maybe a little overbought. Still I would enter long here, giving the stock 1 EUR room to fluctuate.
Dt. Post (14,35):  Moves along the general market and is back above a multi-year important upper price resistance at 13,80 to 14,00. As a more conservative approach, I would rather stay neutral at the moment and enter only, if the 2012 highs close to 15 are broken. Then use 13,80 as S/L.
Dt. Telekom (9,18): Made a huge jump upwards on Friday (news?). This is a little unfortunate, as i likte the stock currently. This is a nice dividend play earning almost 7 %. And now with the downward trend broken and the MVA200 behind us, I would be willing to enter here. Doing so at 8,80 would have felt better, though. Place S/L at MVA200 (currently 8.80).
EON (17.645): Another interesting dividend play that recovered to the upper end of its 2011/12 trading range (16 - 18). I would try to play a multi-day break-out of that range with the borders becoming the S/L. Currently a move upwards seems more likely, but who knows. Stay neutral for the time being.
FMC (57,05): Long term upwards trend and just jumped above the 55 resistance for several days. Looks like a buy with the resistance level becoming the new S/L. 
Fresenius (85,62):  Same story of course ... here the important price level is 80.
Heidelberger (37,12): No clear trend to see here - stay neutral.
Henkel (55,12): Good upward trend since October 2011. Recovered almost to 2012 highs - and thus to multi-year highs. Long play with stop at the recent lows (around 50).
Infineon (5,23): Ugly chart - price falling despite the overall positive movement in the last weeks. Current prices are around support levels of 2002, 2008, 2011 and resistance 2010. Short this one - next target maybe 4 EUR. S/L at 5,60. 
K+S (37,95): One of my long time favourites, but a dropping stone since mid 2011. Recovered nicely fom 30 since mid-June and just made it above the falling MVA200. Overbought currently. Next important resistance level is 40. Either wait for 40 to be broken or use a tight S/L.
Linde (117,5): Several lower highs and lows since mid 2012. I would consider the downward trend in place until 120 is taken out (this is also were the MVA200 is located now). Maybe the new release regarding Lincare acquisition and the private offering of new shares will change the trend. Until this is proven, stay neural.
MAN (80,75): This is one of the palygrounds of Mr. Piech / VW - I would be especially carefull here. We see a clear support at 78 with the MVA 200 also just there. You could stay long as long as we hold that level (hoping for purchases from VW) or you could go short once we fall below that level. I prefer to wait and see here and would maybe enter if the DAX remains strong and the share moves up above 85.
Merck (78,10): Also a neutral one - it recovered from the June lows at 72, but there is still way to go to the  2012 and multi-year high at 86. Recent days have been sideways. 
Metro AG (20,415): A short play since end 2010. With the sharp price drop at early July clearly oversold. Maybe not the perfect time to enter, Options for a S/L at 22, 24 or 27 EUR - so Metro could move up quite a bit with the bear trend still intact. 
Munich RE (114,10): Also a nice dividend stock with 5+ % yield. It recovered to the upper limit of a trading range (100 - 116). So a neutral one currently.
RWE (34,06): As Munich Re a +5% yield play. This one dropped from 100 EUR over the past 5 years to 22 in 2011 and is now back at 34. Currently the trend is up - S/L at MVA200 (30,8).
SAP (48,90): If you missed the multi-year rise, maybe this is an entry level. 44 seems to be an important level for SAP, so somewhat below seems to be a natural palce for a S/L. 2012 peak was at 55 - a 10 year high. 
Siemens (68.03): I would stay away from Siemens. I don't like the news, i think wind energy will be a big downside surprise over the years. MVA200 at 72 - the stock should break at least that one before you enter. Not taking out the support/resistance level at 68 clearly could even be a downwards indicator in the next days.
Thyssenkrupp (14,5): You could try to play a long term trend reversal here, with the recent lows at 11,70 as S/L. Outlook is rather bleak for TK, but maybe all the bad news are out already. Normally steel is very sensitive to growth ... I would rather stay away until a bearish chart pattern develops.
VW (137,1): Chart looks bullish to me - next resistance maybe between 142 and 145 (lower tops in 2011 and 2012). Either enter now with a S/L at MVA200 of 127 - or wait for a new 2012 high.

7/11/2012

Most fun I had this week ...

... NASCAR

I must admit, this is somewhat off topic. But I really enjoyed watching the 2012 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Daytona Coke Zero 400 this week (sorry for the advertisement, but i plan to buy some Coke shares).

If you want to get a grip on it, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq_aK3fnPuM  (Part 1 of 4)
http://www.youtube.com/user/LuisAlbertoPerez2008 (Part 2 of 4)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3elHAA1vPI (Part 3 of 4)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzdGV8oLBtA (Part 4 of 4)

This is 3plus hours of racing action. No shortcuts. If you want to gain understanding, you have to sit through. You cannot grasp the feeling I got doing short-cuts.

And its about real life:
- long prelude, before the action starts
- excitement at the beginning, but routine sets in 
- fall back where it is safe, no need to be aggressive at the beginning
- fall back really fast to get to a lookout-positions, hey, you demonstrate confidence into yourself
- looks like nobody can get ahead to No 1? Really?
- you do not look on the guy ahead only, but the guys behind you and how fast they advance towards you, put pressure on you
- you wanna be on the outside lane to get ahead? or U wanna be the smart guy inside teaming up?
- dull phases, where the ones prepared best gain positions (17)
- are you risking to fall behind the pack and loose the (aero) draft?
- little action at all, but still you have to improve (14)
- key issue to be successful: communication - did you loose your radio?
- keep your powder try till the battle starts to rage (  )
- guys wanting to short-cut on their way up (18)
- sometime they get punished for that, sometimes not ... 
- bad luck you can do nothing against, being hit just in the middle of your dreams (24)
- the game not ending til it ends
- and in the end it might be bloody
- and pushing the pedal to the metal works out somewhat fine (24)
- and even if it looks like luck, quality proves true (14)

 This was hard for me, as I am a big fan of one of the numbers mentioned above - and it is not the winning one. Still, when you think about driving one of those cars, how can you not be .... up and above.

- the world crumbling in front of you, smoke all about, no way to go, just a white, invisible wall in front of you - you ever felt like that? Stay on your course, head straight on, accelerate, ... and maybe U R fine
- something hits you from the back? no idea where it come from?    -   Shit!   -   Still look forward, maybe on the next big event you will come out heads up.
- DNF (did not finish): U will not be talked about with that result. So stay alive and enjoy your life.
- U look tired at the end of the day? U did not finish 1st? Only .... 12th???? 12th can feel quite good - define your goals yourself!

Guess I cannot talk you into liking it .... Just give it a try!









7/09/2012

The road not to take ...

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both 
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
                  Robert Frost, 1875 - The Road Not Taken




That's how I currently feel about the USD/EUR development. The EUR got weak during the last weeks. Currently we are trading around 1.225 to 1.235 - long-time lows. The charts start to look really horrible, as any further fall takes out major support levels. Once we fall below 1.20 or even 1.18 there seems to be no stop. Only the all-time-lows at 0.85 would provide any support then

(see chart)

Which road will we take?

EURO falls to 0.85
There are several points that could lead to a sharp drop in the EURO. The European debt crisis is not solved so far. Crazy thing is: whatever news coming out of Europe, they can harm the EURO. A 'solution'  or 'kick of the can down the road' (QE in Europe, Euro bonds, EZB and its instruments supporting the PIGS-countries even stronger, ...) would for sure mean a weaker EURO. The German way of financial austerity could also mean a weaker EURO, as it could lead to mid term depression.

As long as you do look on the EURO only, I can hardly see a scenario that would lead to a strengthening of the currency. What good can French new politics do? Do we expect any positive surprise on German economic figures? Will the EZB raise interest rates?

EURO holds ground and rises afterwards
Once you step back a little, once you take a look at the whole picture - not the EURO only - CHANGE. US economic numbers are bad - the 'recovery' creates almost no jobs. We have no budget in the US since years. The US approaches the debt ceiling rapidly. Tax burden will jump up with the change of the year, costs of Obama-Care will hit the economy. These topics are all not in focus of the world media today. But they will become once the elections for the most powerful job in the world heat up.

Once the EURO is not looked at so closely and the attention moves to the US problems (which are as big as the European ones or even bigger), it could actually rise.

So which road to take?
Let me look down as far as I can. I can see some unfavorable, political developments in Europe, with the EUR dropping to 1.18 and then falling below 1.0 quick once the technical support is all gone. I think, from that point it would be more like a sudden, fast movement. Most likely, European banks would not intervene first. US would be pleased to see the USD move up and I guess the Japanes would also stand on the side-lines.
Given the EUR holds up for some weeks, the opposite could happen. With US problems in focus, the EUR could rise quickly to 1.40. Hm ....

Who says, we have to take a road here? Why not just open a camp, light a fire,  get defensive, prepare for any travelers passing by. And once - but only once - the charts tell us which road to take - do so!







7/03/2012

Your Private Inflation

Yesterday I started to declutter the hundreds of items in the small office room from which I am currently writing these lines. (I do not want to read any comments about how desperate somebody must be to start such a process without his girlfriend pushing him or a visit of Mom on the timetable.)

One of the things I managed to get rid of (breaking up is never easy) are old bank account statements. Actually, those were the last statements I had on paper - print-outs of the the first online banking statement I received as a PDF file. Since then, I have always stored them electronically, transferred them from PC to PC, from hard-drive to hard-drive. 
What these statements allow me now is to look back on December 2001.Things changed ...

Roughly ten years ago you could find most numbers on the statements in EUR and DEM (Deutsch Mark). The conversion factor (1.95583) was clearly stated - today all references to DEM have gone.

The more money you had on your call money account (Tagesgeldkonto), the higher the interest rate was in the past - ranging from 1,4 % to 1.75 % for sums exceeding 25,000 EUR. For six month fixed deposits you got 2.75 % - for 5 years 3.5 %.
Today you have teaser rates on call money - 1.75 % for up to 10,000 EUR and then dropping to 0.5 % for sums above 50,000 EUR. (Note the difference in value of the last limit where conditions change). The teaser rates are designed to attract new customers, as it's hard to get any interest on money today. The more money you put into the account the more the rate drops, as the banks cannot match the teaser rates when lending out the money. Fixed deposits yield 0.5 % ranging form 1 to 3 months. Longer periods are not available. Above 50,000 EUR and for a 3 months period you get astonishing 0.9 %. 

Interest to be paid on your giro / checking account within your credit line is 9.9 % - if you exceed it, interest rises to 14.4 %.  This has not changed much as it was 10.0 % and 13.0 % in the past. But the spreads ... tremendous. 

Now for the 'private inflation':
Filling up at the gas station cost around 25 EUR back then. Ten years later we are at 76 EUR. Well, my car got bigger, too - so when this was close to 40 or 45 liters in the past (do you remember how big your tank was 10 years ago?), it's close to 55 liters now - Diesel in both cases. When I do the math, I come close to a 9 % increase of diesel prices every year.

My monthly telephone fee  (fixed line with ISDN internet) was around 70 EUR - today its more like 100 EUR, but of course with much more bandwidth and monthly software features. No inflation here I would say. 

My spending habits also changed: while I did withdraw  a couple of 100 DEM back then every fortnight, the line items have increased. From the crate of beer to the box office ticket - everything is paid via debit card today. The old statements provide much less information.

Monthly down-payment on electricity/water was 22 EUR (living single) - it's 76 for electricity only now (with a flat double the size, and 3 people). Rent you cannot really compare at all - I moved 100 km closer to Munich. 
Participation fee for the half marathon in Altötting was 15 EUR back then - it would be 31 today. And 6 months of fee for the weekly paper "Wirtschaftswoche" increased from 125 DEM to roughly 100 EUR.

My after-tax salary increased by 150 % within this time frame. But it's not the same job any more; I head a small team now; responsibilities have increased; my experience; and this is after some optimization regarding healthcare fees. What the increase was before tax I was not able to figure out so quickly - but I assume it was a little lower, as tax rates declined somewhat. (But gut feeling could really trick you there ....)

So, roughly speaking, expenses have doubled in 10 years?  Roughly a 7 % private inflation rate? But I was lucky - as I could advance my income faster. Will I be able to keep this up? What happens once I retire? Will inflation increase over the next years - given the EURO-crisis? I don't want to discuss this here and now. Just a final statement: I will not throw away my paper files, as I could really gain some insight (and even entertainment) going through them. Let's do it again in 2022.