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IBP Special Administration and Thames Ventures VCT 1

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I have a very small holding in Thames Ventures VCT 1 (TV1). This is the remnant of holdings in other VCTs originally invested from 1997 onwards and which have generated a total return of minus 58% to date according to Sharescope, although I doubt that is accurate due to multiple consolidations and name changes. I would have sold the holding long ago if it were not for the roll-back ...

SJP and Hargreaves Shares Crash as FCA Consumer Duty begins to bite

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Shares in the FTSE 100 group SJP (St. James’s Place LSE: STJ) have shed more than 35 per cent since July, when SJP announced modest changes to fees in response to the rules. The shares were down 8 per cent in early trading on Friday. Investors’ concerns over its business model have intensified since the Financial Conduct Authority introduced its Consumer Duty in July, which forces financial services ...

M&S Shareholder Rights Petition: A Postmortem

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. With 4,292 signatures, the M&S petition failed to meet the threshold The M&S Shareholder Rights Petition, led by Archie Norman and supported by ShareSoc, UKSA, The QCA and Equiniti, has closed after failing to meet the threshold of 10,000 signatures for a government review and 100,000 signatures for a parliamentary debate. The petition aimed to help more investors engage with UK plcs by modernising the Companies Act, specifically: Giving beneficial ...

Burford and Woodford compared

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Different approaches from SEC and FCA The Burford and Woodford cases highlight different US and UK practices. In the US, the Judge explains the role of the litigation funder, justifies its role and why it should not affect his judgement. In the UK, the FCA, in the case of Woodford and Link, is attempting to work with Link to allow the plaintiff to settle all its compensation claims for what has ...

Musings on Audits

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. This is the first post from a new contributor to ShareSoc’s blog: “The Secret Auditor”. We hope that we can coax them to contribute more of their wisdom in the future. Why Problems With Audits Arise Repeatedly The fundamental problem of audit quality remains, the work is carried out by bright individuals fresh from university, they haven't been in industry for decades and seen what goes on, they haven't had ...