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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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ShareSoc and the GDPR: help wanted!

As the director with responsibility for ShareSoc's IT systems, our board has asked me to look into the implications for ShareSoc of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation comes into force in May 2018, and there are severe penalties for non-compliance. GDPR completely overhauls the current Data Protection Act. I have had a preliminary look at the requirements for compliance and they seem rather onerous, even for a small organisation like ShareSoc. Considerable work is required to audit, document ...

Interesting AGMs, or not – Rosslyn and Dunelm

This morning I attended the AGM of Rosslyn Data Technologies (RDT) for the first time. I picked up some shares in a deeply discounted placing that qualified for EIS relief a few months back. One has limited time to research a company on offer when a placing comes up. It looked sound enough at the time although the historic financials did not impress. Prospects looked better after an acquisition although this company has been around a long time without becoming a ...

On-Line Estate Agents and Crowdfunding

I was watching the BBC television news last night when a story appeared on the wonders of a 19 year old who was already alleged to be worth £10 million after developing an on-line estate agency called Doorsteps. Yes, it was great free publicity for the company. Bearing in mind the continuing debate among investors about listed company Purplebricks (PURP) I thought it was worth a quick look. Purplebricks has a stock market valuation of £950 million despite rising losses. Will the ...

HBOS and Lloyds Legal Case

This week sees the start of the legal case in the High Court by investors in the Lloyds TSB over the acquisition of HBOS – opening submissions are on Wednesday and it’s scheduled to run through to March next year. Anyone can attend these hearings of course but I think it will take a very patient person to sit through all of it. I have submitted written evidence on behalf of the litigants (represented by Harcus Sinclair) but it seems I ...

Lifting the lid on the FRC – An Event for Retail Shareholders

ShareSoc has organised a special event for its members, in conjunction with the Financial Reporting Council (the FRC), to take place on 21st November 2017, 2pm -5pm. The FRC’s role is crucial to preserving your wealth. It is the organisation responsible for overseeing the quality of audit work carried out by an auditor. As such, it plays a crucial role in helping to protect your wealth. This is a unique opportunity, for UKSA and ShareSoc members only, for a direct dialogue with ...

ShareSoc fully supports the Better Finance Report on Pension Savings and its recommendations

ShareSoc is a member of the Pan-European organisation Better Finance and commented “This is an important report that highlights the harm that inadequate returns give to long term savers. High fees are also hurting returns. The UK Pensions Fund are valued at £3.8 trillion and are by far the largest in Europe. It is important that the UK lead the way in this area. The recent appointment by the FCA of Chris Sier to chair the panel on costs disclosure is another ...

Guidance for UK Boards on Stakeholders

Review and commentary by Cliff Weight ICSA: The Governance Institute and The Investment Association (IA) have launched guidance to help UK company boards ensure they understand and weigh up the interests of their stakeholders when making strategic decisions. Commentary: My view is • They have recommended 10 principles. Principle number 9 is important -“The board should report to its shareholders on how it has taken the impact on key stakeholders into account when making decisions.” - The Government will introduce legislation to this effect ...

Obituary – Steve Marshall

The Daily Telegraph ran a lengthy obituary on Steve Marshall today, who died recently at the young age of 60. It covered his financial career in a not particularly complimentary way although some might say he took on a lot of difficult positions. He first came to public prominence when he became CEO of Railtrack after Gerald Corbett was forced to resign, despite having minimal experience of the railway industry. Railtrack was part of the former British Rail that had been privatised ...

Accrol and Pricing Power

I won’t be the first to comment on the events at Accrol (Kate Burgess covered it well for example in yesterday's FT), but the suspension of the shares from AIM on the 8th October caught a lot of investors by surprise. The latest announcement this morning said: “The Directors believe that the current challenges facing the Company relate largely to FY18 and are likely to have less of an impact on the Company's trading performance in FY19. The Board are therefore ...

Abcam, Voting and Non-Executives

I am a long-standing holder of Abcam (ABC) and have been very happy with my investment – a compound annual return of 33% p.a. since I first purchased the shares in 2006 according to ShareScope. But the notice of this year’s AGM (to be held in Cambridge as normal) has made me unhappy for other reasons. Firstly, I tried to vote. Rather than use the paper proxy voting form (I am on the register so I get one) I thought it would ...
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