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ShareSoc Blog

This blog gives you the latest topical news plus some informal comments on them from ShareSoc’s directors and other contributors. These are the personal comments of the authors and not necessarily the considered views of ShareSoc. The writers may hold shares in the companies mentioned. You can add your own comments on the blog posts, but note that ShareSoc reserves the right to remove or edit comments where they are inappropriate or defamatory.

There is more news given in the News page of our web site and more analysis of news is provided in our monthly newsletter for members – see the Newsletters page.

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FRC’s consultation on non-financial reporting guidance.

ShareSoc's response to the FRC’s consultation on non-financial reporting guidance is in this document: FRC Strategic Report Consultation Response

On-Line AGMs and City of London IT

I mentioned in a previous article the growing concerns about the use of “virtual” Annual General Meetings (AGMs) in the USA. There are not many on-line AGMs yet in the UK but yesterday there was a good example at the City of London Investment Trust (CTY). I actually had to complain to the company last year about the defects when I attempted to attend it on-line rather than in person – it did not work on the day, plus a later ...

ShareSoc and UKSA’s joint response to the FRC’s consultation on non-financial reporting guidance

ShareSoc and UKSA’s joint response to the FRC’s consultation on non-financial reporting guidance. Click here for our response

Lloyds Case Impressions, Ideagen AGM and Return on Capital

Yesterday I attended the Annual General Meeting of Ideagen (IDEA) at 12.00 noon in the City of London – see below – and afterwards spent an hour in the High Court listening to one of the witnesses being cross-examined in the Lloyds Banking Group case. What follows is just an impression of the scene because the whole case is running for months so in no way can this be considered a comprehensive report. I have covered some more details of the ...

City of London Group – exemplary transparency, exemplary culture

DISCLOSURE - I hold shares in CLIG and you should consider my comments in that light and with appropriate scepticism – DYOR! On 23rd October I attended CLIG's AGM and Investor Afternoon. These were well advertised, at convenient times and locations and open to all investors - as ShareSoc encourages all businesses to do. Roger Lawson and UKSA's Gerald Roberts joined me at the AGM, and Gerald for the Investor afternoon. A key issue which I raised at the AGM was succession planning, ...

Why I Still Won’t Invest in Banks

I do not hold any bank shares at present, and have no plans to change that policy. But I thought it would be worthwhile to look at the results announced by Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) yesterday for the third quarter. That particularly is so now that the revelations about the HBOS takeover are coming out on a daily basis. The announced results were positive. The prospective dividend yield on Lloyds is now near 6% and the p/e is about 9, which is ...

ShareSoc Open Letter to the board of RBS Group

Press Release 98 – ShareSoc Open Letter to the board of RBS Group For immediate release: ShareSoc has written an open letter to the Board of the RBS Group addressing unresolved issues that continue to concern individual shareholders. Please see below and contact Cliff Weight on cliff.weight@sharesoc.org for more information. SHARESOC OPEN LETTER October 2017 TO THE BOARD OF RBS GROUP Shareholder Resolutions for 2018 AGM Since ShareSoc first engaged with you on 12 December 2016 there have been several positive developments which we recognise and ...

ADVFN Results and More on Lloyds

ADVFN Plc (AFN) published their results for the year to June yesterday. I have a very small holding in the company (acquired for reasons I won’t go into). ADVFN are information providers on the stock market, primarily to private investors. Many people monitor their bulletin boards although like many such boards frequented by private investors, they are somewhat of a curate’s egg so far as serious or sophisticated investors are concerned. But they certainly have a large following – they say they ...

Lloyds Litigation, Collective Redress, and CLIG AGM

I went to the High Court in London this morning to hear the grilling of witnesses in the case brought by shareholders over the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds. But I was disappointed to find when I got there that the first session was to be held in private – presumably the judge wants to discuss some legal issues with counsel for both sides. So I went to the AGM of City of London Investment Group (CLIG) instead where I hold ...

Rbs Snub to Chris Philp MP and Next Steps

Gavin Palmer was at the Tory Party Conference and in discussion with Chris Philp, MP, where it emerged that Chris had written three times to RBS asking Sir Howard Davies, RBS Chairman why they were objecting to our shareholder resolution for a Shareholder Committee. Regular readers will be aware that it was Chris who wrote an excellent paper covering Shareholder Committees in September 2016 which received wide publicity. See http://highpaycentre.org/files/HPC_42_WEB_amend_-_Restoring_Responsible_Ownership.pdf Despite Chris’ best efforts, RBS rebuffed his questions and refused to share their legal ...
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