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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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Scrapping Share Certificates and Clive Sinclair Obituary

This article represents the views of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc The Government is to push ahead with the scrapping of paper share certificates. An announcement yesterday by Lord Frost included this in a bonfire of regulations which also included plans to scrap driving licences (i.e. making them digital only). The dematerialisation of shares was long ago committed to by an EU directive with no new paper certificates to be issued by 2023 and all existing ones replaced by ...

Dematerialisation of Shares – Certificates to be Abolished

There are in excess of 10 million investors who hold their shares in paper certificated form. So today's announcement by the Government is of interest. Lord Frost set out the below points about getting rid of paper share certificates today as part of a Brexit regulatory review. Dematerialisation of shares - Although the majority of shares are held in electronic form, a minority are held in paper form. It is more expensive and takes longer for holders of paper shares to trade them and there is ...

SPECIAL OFFER TO FULL MEMBERS – FREE COPY OF THE 3RD EDITION OF “THE DIY INVESTOR” BY ANDY BELL

Andy Bell - founder of AJBell Youinvest - has generously offered ShareSoc a large number of copies of the latest edition of his classic book "The DIY Investor" issued in May this year.  We are offering these e-books FREE (worth over £12) to all full members of ShareSoc on a first come first served basis until supplies are exhausted.  If you want to download a copy* then please login to the ShareSoc website and go to the "Member Offers" page here - https://www.sharesoc.org/members-area/member-special-offers/special-offer-details/- to click ...

Stock Market Investment Needs More TV Promotion

ShareSoc Patron Lord Lee is continuing his high profile campaign to get more mainstream coverage of investments and better financial education. The FT has a large article about these issues written by John Lee himself, see https://www.ft.com/content/2445a940-da11-4d08-8e4c-e5ad70d6b583 headed- Stock market investment needs more television promotion - Onerous rules limit broadcasters and hamper financial education John writes: There is widespread agreement that financial education in this country is lamentable. This manifests itself in so many ways, from the fact that many people just leave significant cash deposits ...

Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Proposes Name Change – Roger Lawson says Vote Against!

This article represents the views of its author, not necessarily those of ShareSoc. The Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust (SLS) is proposing to change its name. The managers are currently Aberdeen Standard Fund Managers Limited but the name “Standard Life” has been sold to Phoenix Group so a change of name is not unreasonable. Of course this is the kind of problem that arises when a trust is named after the fund manager. It also causes problems if the board of directors ...

Daily Mail, 26 August 2021, Fury at £100m bonus for the Sports Direct prince

Mike Ashley does it again: stirring up controversy over a proposed bonus scheme for his future son-in-law. ShareSoc director (and former remuneration consultant) Cliff Weight is quoted in this article in the Daily Mail: Cliff Weight, of small shareholders campaign group Sharesoc, also questioned why Murray was worth his enormous pay package. He raised concerns that Ashley would be able to ram the proposal through at an annual general meeting next month even if other investors resist. 'This is clearly a case of a 60 ...

The Times , 23 August 2021, Ludicrous rules prevent TV educating viewers about stock markets, says Lord Lee

ShareSoc Patron Lord Lee is quoted in the The Times, 23 August 2021, in an article about the ludicrous rules that prevent TV from educating viewers about stock markets. Lord Lee is urging the government to look at financial and broadcasting regulations that effectively restrict mainstream television from producing valuable educational and informative programmes about investment. Lord Lee has tabled a parliamentary question.  “To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will meet (1) representatives of the major television channels, (2) the Financial Conduct Authority, and ...

Press Release 120:
ShareSoc calls for better Financial Education re investing in shares

ShareSoc calls for improved Financial Education: ShareSoc Patron Lord Lee has asked a Parliamentary Question about the obstacles that prevent the creation and broadcasting of more educational TV programmes on the subject of investing. Investing requires a base level of financial knowledge, but the subject is not covered by the school curriculum and is not easily learnt subsequently. Most of the available educational information about investing is produced by parties that are not independent. Too many websites ...

ShareSoc Upgrades Website Navigation Menus

We have now introduced improved navigation menus on the ShareSoc website. These make it much easier to find your way around, and you can reach the information you need with fewer clicks. We hope you will give it a try and discover more of the valuable resources available to members. Let us know what you think by using the Feedback tab at the bottom of the screen or by contacting us. Happy surfing! Mark Bentley, Director, ShareSoc

IPCC Report – The Implications for Investors

This post represents the opinion of its author and not that of ShareSoc The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have published a report that predicts in stark terms both the historic and predicted changes to the earth’s climate from human activities. This is what they say in the accompanying press release: “Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, released today. ...
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