August 2015 update ($298,404 +$ 8095 or +3%)

↑ Accumulated $4,000 USD as part of my annual saving goal for July

↑ Gazprom shares are up 1,320 USD

↑ Gazprom annual dividends   4,542 USD  (USD 0.225 per share).

↑ Rosneft annual  dividends  258 USD  ( USD 0.144 per share)

↑ Precisious metals are up by 733 USD as investors are seeking safe harbor.

↑ GBP is up to USD 2,420 USD

↑ EUR is up to USD 3,284 USD

Grand total additions: US$  16,557 USD

↓ Vanguard Emerging markets are down 5,115 USD

↓ Vanguard S&P 500 collapsed 2,540 USD

↓ Company shares down collectively 807 USD

  Grand total losses:  US$  8,462

 

Observations:

-         Reinvested my Gazprom dividends into the shares. Bought 1,000 Gazprom shares which is 4.1% in annual dividends (I have 24,000 shares and bought 1,000 with the dividends).

-         I also bought my first 100 shares in iShares Core DAX UCITS ETF, the index tracking   30 companies that are either domiciled in Germany or a minimum of 33% of their stock turnover is traded of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and they are domiciled in an EU or EFTA country.  Direct investment into the 30 largest and most traded companies in Germany (Bayer, Daimler, Siemens, BASF, Allianz, etc..). The fund has relatively low expense ration (0.16% total expense ratio). Current fund size about 10 bn USD. It pays dividends annually at about 2%  return.