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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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Joint UKSA-ShareSoc Letter in the FT re Unilever Vote and UK Shareholder Disenfranchisement

  The letter, headed Complacency on Unilever vote may rebound on UK, said Sir, Neil Collins highlighted the importance of small investors in Unilever’s coming votes (Inside London, FT Weekend, September 22-23). A scheme of arrangement requires approval by at least 75 per cent in value of each class of the members or creditors who vote on the scheme, being also at least a majority in number of each class. The court’s permission is needed to convene the meetings of members and creditors to ...

ShareSoc and UKSA respond to the Interim Report of the FCA’s Investment Platforms Market Study

ShareSoc and UKSA respond to the Interim Report of the FCA’s Investment Platforms Market Study. See our joint press release

Response to FCA on Platforms Study Sep 2018

Press Release 106 - Joint Press Release from UKSA and ShareSoc on behalf of individual investors about the FCA Investment Platforms Market Study Interim Report In a hard-hitting response to the Financial Conduct Authority, UKSA-ShareSoc demand a more fundamental review of how investment ownership is recorded (i.e. share and fund registration systems) needs to be undertaken and legislation put in place to reform it. The present systems appear to have been devised for the primary benefit of the platform operators and not their clients, ...

Time to Consider your Cash Holdings?

It was obvious from a recent FCA review of “platforms” (i.e. stockbrokers), that many retail investors held large amounts of cash in their portfolios. When folks are feeling the stock market has had a rather long bull run, perhaps they feel it is wise to keep a high level of cash. Or perhaps it’s because they simply can’t be bothered to move it when their high-street bank is offering such trivial rates as 0.2% per annum on deposit accounts. Needless to ...

The Impact on Investors of Labour’s Plans

I commented briefly yesterday on the plans by John McDonnell of the Labour Party to give employees shares and possible future nationalisations – see: https://roliscon.blog/2018/09/24/labours-plans-for-confiscation-of-shares-and-rail-system-renationalisation/ More information is now available on the share scheme and the more one studies it the more one realises that whoever devised it does not understand much about business and the stock market. In other words they were typical politicians with no experience of the real world I would guess. The scheme would apparently operate by companies with ...

Time to open an account with AJ Bell?

Please note that ShareSoc does not recommend particular platforms, but aims to keep members aware of their relative merits. The Daily Mail reports  today https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/comment/article-6196807/JEFF-PRESTRIDGE-Investing-platform-sends-message-clear-Bell.html the good news that: "AJ Bell has decided that its customers should not be left out of the impending stock market party. Anyone who has an account with the platform when October 15 comes around will be eligible to apply for shares(minimum of £1,000). While AJ Bell is dwarfed by Hargreaves Lansdown – and probably always will be – the ...

Abcam, Pay and Voting

As a long-standing shareholder in Abcam (ABC), I have just received the Annual Report and I am not happy. Abcam rather surprised the market when they issued their preliminary results which showed a massive investment in a new Oracle IT system was in difficulties. Clearly the project is over-budget and over-schedule. Costs are ramping up in other areas also and the result was a lowered broker forecast and an instant collapse in the share price – down over 30% at one point ...

UKSA and ShareSoc Joint Recommendations for Voting re Unilever Resolutions

Unilever’s proposal to rationalise its share structure and move its HQ to the Netherlands Many members will be aware that Unilever is planning to simplify its share structure by scrapping its dual UK / Dutch structure and moving its headquarters to the Netherlands. UKSA and ShareSoc are very doubtful whether these changes will be in the best interests of most private shareholders. Unilever's plans will result in their plc shares being taken over by NV shares, which will be listed in Holland and ...

BHP Billiton Retail Shareholder Event 18 Sept 2018

BHP Chairman Ken MacKenzie presented to 60+ retail shareholders in a highly successful event organised by BHP, UKSA and ShareSoc. After a 20 minute presentation, Ken answered questions for...

Worldwide Healthcare Trust AGM – But No Proxy Voting Form

Today I attended the Annual General Meeting of Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) in London. This is an investment trust focused on a portfolio of worldwide pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. It has a very good long-term track record, consistently beating its benchmark and is the top performer of all UK investment trusts measured since formation. The fund manager is OrbiMed where Sam Isalay was the managing partner until recently when he departed under a cloud of sexual harassment claims. He also resigned from ...
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