Blog

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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Deferred Shares Report and Voting Trends Survey

Study shows low adoption of deferred share plans Tom Gosling, Partner, PwC | Executive Fellow, London Business School | Steering Committee Member, Purposeful Company Taskforce has written a good...

What Were the Real Returns from VCTs over 24 Years?

I wrote a previous blog article on the merits of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) but I thought it worthwhile to actually do some analysis of the capital and dividend...

ShareSoc – LSE AIM meeting

On 26 Sept 2019, four ShareSoc Directors (Northway, Bentley, Spencer Phillips and Weight) met Marcus Stuttard and 4 other senior executives of LSE AIM to discuss AIM regulation. This was a wide ranging meeting which both sides agreed was very useful. We updated the LSE on the UKSA-ShareSoc merger and the ShareSoc-SIGnet merger; then proceeded to discuss the Law Commission call for evidence re intermediated securities; Auditors, ARGA, Kingman, Brydon, CMA, etc.; Change of Auditors and the need for clear RNS about ...

GB Group, Patisserie Holdings, FRC Stewardship Code and Halma

The stock market seems to be in limbo as business waits to see the outcome of Brexit politics. In my portfolio, small cap companies are drifting down and even...

FRC New UK Stewardship Code and FCA response to DP19/1 Consultation

The UK Stewardship Code 2020 is (according to the FRC) “a substantial and ambitious revision” to the 2012 edition of the Code which takes effect from 1 January 2020. The FRC says “The new Code sets high expectations of those investing money on behalf of UK savers and pensioners. In particular, the new Code establishes a clear benchmark for stewardship as the responsible allocation, management and oversight of capital to create long-term value for clients and beneficiaries leading to sustainable benefits for the economy, ...

Woodford Fund and Trust News

The good news for investors in the Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) is that Schroders are taking over management of the portfolio.  The share price promptly jumped upwards on...

Law Commission Review of Intermediated Securities Consultation

I am writing to ask you to: Send me examples and evidence we can use in our submission; Consider making a personal submission yourself; and to Update you on this important issue. Submissions to The Law Commission Call for Evidence on the subject of dematerialisation, intermediated securities, shareholder rights and nominees/platforms must be made by 5 November. The Law Commission “scoping” study will provide an accessible account of the law. It will also identify the corporate governance and other legal issues associated with ...

Woodford, Buffett Bot and FRC Survey

There was a very good article in the FT on Saturday on the “rise and fall of a rock star fund manager”, i.e. Neil Woodford. Essential reading for those who...

Albion Venture Capital (AAVC) Update 4, 14 Oct 2019

AAVC Chairman Richard Glover invited ShareSoc to a meeting to discuss our concerns as part of his process to engage with Shareholders, following the 30% vote against the new management agreement voted on at the EGM in August 2019 and the very extensive questioning at the AGM (see the AGM write up by Tim Grattan https://www.sharesoc.org/agm-reports/albion-venture-vct-aavc-agm-2019/  and my own report https://www.sharesoc.org/blog/vcts/albion-venture-capital-vct-aavc-agm-result-and-actions/ . AAVC is engaging with a broad range of shareholders and has written to about 50% of the larger shareholders who ...

Woodford and Hargreaves Lansdown

To follow up on my previous blog post over the collapse of Woodford Investment Management and how to avoid dud managers, the focus has now turned in the national...
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