Company News

VEIL or VNH?

  Vietnam Enterprise Investments opportunity On 13 March I listened to a very interesting webinar on Vietnam “Vietnam Enterprise Investments | Kepler Trust Intelligence Ideas for your ISA”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO694HbHyVI&t=42s . I visited Vietnam in 2019 on holiday and found it fascinating, so put a bit of money into Vietnam Holdings (VNH), which has given me a very good return of 103% so far. I bought some VEIL after the webinar. VEIL is on a discount of 20% which looks too high to me, given ...

Aviva’s Preference Share Offer: A Reasonable Offer, But Could It Be Better?

Introduction: A Second Bite at the Cherry On March 11, 2025, Aviva PLC announced a tender offer and a proposed cancellation of its 8.375% and 8.75% Cumulative Irredeemable Preference Shares. This follows a similar, and highly controversial, attempt in 2018, which was ultimately withdrawn after significant investor backlash. While this new offer is structured differently, and is undoubtedly an improvement on the 2018 proposal, it still raises important questions for individual investors, particularly those who rely on these shares for income. ShareSoc has ...

GUSBOURNE Case Study

Sparkling Product, Sour Investment   Gusbourne PLC (GUS), an AIM-listed producer of English sparkling wine, is a case study in how minority shareholders in small-cap companies can be severely disadvantaged. While the product itself may garner acclaim, the company's recent trajectory has left a bitter taste for many individual investors. Lord Ashcroft, Gusbourne's majority shareholder and primary debt holder, is moving to take the company private, leaving smaller shareholders with severely limited and unpalatable options. Gusbourne Share Price Performance A Precipitous Decline in Value The timeline of ...

Nvidia might be the biggest name in AI right now, but here’s why you should know about ASML

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. If you are a technology investor or simply tech-curious, you have likely heard of Nvidia. The US giant has become synonymous with Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation, but there is another key player worth knowing: ASML, the Dutch company quietly revolutionising the technology landscape. Who is ASML? ASML Holding N.V. is a Dutch company founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, and is publicly traded on the Euronext Amsterdam ...

IBP Special Administration and Thames Ventures VCT 1

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I have a very small holding in Thames Ventures VCT 1 (TV1). This is the remnant of holdings in other VCTs originally invested from 1997 onwards and which have generated a total return of minus 58% to date according to Sharescope, although I doubt that is accurate due to multiple consolidations and name changes. I would have sold the holding long ago if it were not for the roll-back ...

RBS/NatWest: Has the leopard changed its spots?

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Farage Fiasco forces CEO’s resignation; governance concerns at NatWest Dame Alison Rose stood down in July over the closure of Nigel Farage’s account by Coutts & Co, and more specifically over her indiscrete communications with the BBC on the matter. Alison Rose clearly made a huge blunder in chatting to Simon Jack, the BBC news editor, about a customer’s personal financial information. I’m sure she will kick herself until the ...

BP Shareholder Meeting 19 April 2023 – Report

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I attended the BP shareholder meeting on 19 April, held at the BP Head Office 1 St James’s Square, along with about 60 - 70 other shareholders. The meeting was organised by UKSA and ShareSoc members were also invited to attend.   The case for investing in BP shares is clear. They plan to grow ROACE to 18% with careful and limited capex split 50/50 between transition (green) energy ...

The New Realities and Private Healthcare

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. The editorial in this week’s Investors' Chronicle was full of doom and gloom. Under the headline “Facing up to new realities” the editor said “The threats identified by the WEF (World Economic Forum at Davos) include climate change, the cost of living crisis, geopolitical confrontation, high debt levels, recession, low growth, social unrest and cyber crime. These crises are converging, it says, to shape a ...

Fundsmith Annual Investor Letter

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Terry Smith has published his thirteenth annual letter for investors in the Fundsmith Equity Fund (which I hold). As usual it’s a good mixture of sound analysis of market events and witticisms. I’ll cover a few significant points: The fund underperformed the MSCI World Index with a total return of minus 13.8%, which was better than my own portfolio. As he points out, the only way ...

Results from Intercede and Telecom Plus

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Two more sets of results from companies I hold in my portfolio came out on 23/11/2022. Recession? What recession? Telecom Plus (TEP) reported revenue up by 51.5% and adjusted profit up by 22.5% with dividends up to match in its interim results. Reading this company’s results helps you understand the impact of the energy crisis on household bills and the impact of government interventions to cap ...

Webinars Galore – Intercede + AB Dynamics + Augmentum

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I seem to be filling my days with webinars of late. Two today and one yesterday, partly because this is the season for half-year results announcements. I’ll cover the recent ones – all on the Investor Meet Company platform, but I’ll only give you some general impressions and highlight particular points as you can watch recordings of them for the detail: Intercede (IGP). Positive results and the ...

Market Trends, WeWork, Cryptocurrencies, Passive Saturation

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Note that it was written on 14th November, before the Chancellor's autumn statement. Last week was a remarkable one for my stock market portfolio. Share prices were up on almost all my holdings. This was no doubt sparked by good news; inflation seems to be under control in the USA with CPI falling to 7.7% and the war in Ukraine is looking up as Russia ...