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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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SIGnet Launches New US Small Cap Group

  SIGnet is excited to announce the launch of a new online group for those who are interested in investing in US small caps. Investors of all levels of experience are welcome to join. The Convener for the Group will be Matt Plummer. Matt is an experienced investor with a concentrated portfolio focussed on small caps; recently he has invested more in US small caps. Matt looks for companies growing quickly, where the market is underestimating the impact of the growth on the ...

RGL Woodford Group Litigation Claim vs Hargreaves could reach £1 billion

The RGL Woodford Group Litigation against Hargreaves Lansdown so far comprises some 7,000 claimants with more being added every day. RGL has informed us that the average claimant had approximately £20,000 invested and that the average claim value (including the opportunity loss) is also in the region of £20,000. 133,000 Hargreaves clients had £1billion+ invested in Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF) at the point of suspension on 19th June 2019, so the potential value of the group claim is substantially larger than ...

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 ...

Press Release 131 – ShareSoc Endorses RGL Claim

ShareSoc, the UK’s premier individual investor association, has endorsed the RGL Woodford Group Litigation against Hargreaves Lansdown. The RGL Woodford Group Litigation alleges that Hargreaves Lansdown continued to recommend investing in the Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF) even after they apparently knew of liquidity issues in the fund from November 2017 Over 133,000 potential claimants held WEIF via the Hargreaves Lansdown platform The RGL Woodford Group now comprises over 5,000 claimants, with a combined claim of approximately £140 million The RGL ...

SIGnet Launches New Farnham Group in Surrey

SIGnet is excited to announce the launch of a new in-person group based in Farnham, Surrey. Investors of all levels of experience are welcome to join. The Convener of the Group will be David Stredder, who will be known to many of you as the founder of Mello, organiser of in person investment conferences and virtual Mello Mondays. David is also a director at ShareSoc and has been investing in quoted shares since the 1980s, with a focus on UK small caps. ...

Woodford Campaign Update 17 – ShareSoc Endorses the RGL Woodford Group Litigation

  ShareSoc believes that the potential benefits of the RGL Woodford Group Litigation against Hargreaves Lansdown outweigh the identified risks for the vast majority of claimants, and that it is in the interest of affected investors to participate. On this basis, ShareSoc has chosen to endorse the claim. The RGL Woodford Group’s legal team has commenced proceedings against Hargreaves Lansdown, alleging that HL continued to recommend the Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF) despite apparently being aware of its liquidity issues from November 2017. ...

Hartley – the story so far

ShareSoc director Mark Bentley has been working hard behind the scenes to support Hartley pension clients.  In July 2022, Hartley entered administration. In February 2023, as part of our ongoing work to represent individual shareholder rights, ShareSoc director Mark Bentley joined an informal client committee to help represent the interests of Hartley clients.   Despite significant obstacles, we assisted in obtaining the agreement of the FSCS in early 2024 to cover the costs of the administration process. This was a huge win.  ShareSoc also formed ...

Funds should not be judge and jury of their benchmarks

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Royal London marketing email re profit sharing prompts Cliff Weight to investigate the real investor costs and compare/contrast them to actual performance Vs. standard benchmarks (always key). As Royal London is a mutual, without the need to make large profits and pay dividends to shareholders, one might be tempted to think they might have lower fees and, net of fees, might outperform other fund managers. When I received ...

Digital 9 Infrastructure – Catastrophic Performance Harms Shareholders

ShareSoc has considered the DGI9 case carefully and has approached the FCA.  ShareSoc member Paul de Gruchy has written previously about disturbing revelations at DGI9. Further research by Paul has revealed apparent failures by TriplePoint, the fund’s former Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) to comply with the investment policies set out in the fund’s prospectus, contributing to a collapse in DGI9’s NAV and in its share price.  The case has been considered by ShareSoc’s policy committee which decided to approach the FCA with ...

ShareSoc Evidence to Lords on FCA Enforcement

ShareSoc has submitted an evidence statement to the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee regarding their consultation on the Financial Conduct Authority’s enforcement guidance proposals.  We reported here that we support the FCA’s proposals to improve the transparency of their enforcement actions.   The need for change was further underlined at a meeting between ShareSoc and the FCA on 14th November, at which we expressed concerns about a specific case.   Under the current regime, the FCA will not disclose whether it is taking, or ...
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