154 days ago
In today’s bearcast I discuss ShareStock, VSA Capital (VSA), Optiva, Strix (KETL), TrakM8 (TRAK) and BlueJay Mining (JAY)
1920 days ago
In today's bearcast recorded before my first training walk for Woodlarks I look at Sabien (SNT) and ask if CyanConnode (CYAN) misled ahead of its last bailout placing. I deal with the nature of fraud, the culpability of Luke Johnson (there is none) and Patisserie Holdings (C AKE) and then explain why I think Malcolm's stance on the bankers is bonkers
2167 days ago
First of all thanks to so many of you for your kind responses to yesterday's bearcast - I am now in a serious dialogue with the Police and I hope they will catch and prosecute the culprit. In today's podcast I look at the Sunday Times Rich List which is largely fiction, at Audioboom (BOOM), MySquar (MYSQ), Premaitha (NIPT - where we own shares and indeed have bought more - The People's Operator (TPOP) and Telit (TCM)
3318 days ago
A younger wife means that I have to attend parties, something a man of my age should be dodging. Cocoa, slippers and a quiet night watching Midsomer Murders with Oakley, that is what I want on a Saturday evening, not a trip up to London for a party.
At least it will be recognised that I am an older man so I will be offered a seat in the corner where I can fall asleep as the young folk stand, chat and do whatever young folk do. Texting? Drugs? I just don’t know.
The hosts are among the least mad of the friends of the Mrs.
3675 days ago
I have to flag up this piece from yesterday by my fave Tory Blogger Charlotte Argyle becuase it is a? very good and b) seems to have wound up a series of lefties. Well done on both counts Ms Argyle. The daughter of Thatcher writes...
I like Bankers..... There you go I said it. My guilty little secret is out. What I don’t like though, is the concept of an organisation being too big to fail.
3694 days ago
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has once again shown himself an utter moron with his plan to levy an extra tax on bankers’ bonuses and curb tax relief on pensions for higher earners to “end youth unemployment.” He is a moron because his plans will not work but he is at least playing well to the crowd.
In today’s Britain bankers are hated. So saying that you will tax them more heavily will win votes. Balls should go further and announce plans for windfall taxes on other groups who are almost universally despised, such as paedophiles, Piers Morgan or members of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary party. It would win votes but like his bankers tax plan such schemes would not work.
Why will it not work? Firstly bankers will find ways around it to move either their bonuses or indeed themselves offshore. If a Government interferes with market forces by penalising one section of society of whom it disapproves what next? A super-tax on accountants or lawyers working for Pinsent Masons (I quite like that one)? Mess with market forces and in a mobile global market you will lose out. Just look at what has happened in France
So the take on that will be less than Balls expects
3711 days ago
I have noted before that Oxfam is a charity not fit for purpose – it really does spout nonsense on a monumental scale. The latest clanger came on BBC Radio Oxford earlier this week – the link is here and the outbursts start at about even minutes in.
The Oxfam spokeswoman was one with two very stupid women – one from UKIP and a Lib Dem. Needless to say the Lib Dem woman agreed meekly with everything the Oxfam loony said. The UKIP old bag was again saying that the UK foreign aid budget should be diverted to help deal with UK floods. I have note before (HERE) how this is errant wolf-whistling economic claptrap. But her idiocy was easily surpassed by the Oxfam old trout.
She started by saying that the UK had plenty of cash to spend on the floods, after all Call Me Dave says “money is no object.” When a country has a deficit of £100 billion that is patently not true but if our PM (who is meant to be a conservative) is a Money Tree believer one cannot really be surprised that the deluded lefties of Oxfam are also Money Tree worshippers.
But then it got worse. Oxfam says that since 2008 UK bankers have received bonuses of £70 billion which is about £10 billion more than we have spent on foreign aid) so the UK bankers can afford to pay. Where to start
3801 days ago
A week ago I outlined the first step to ending crony capitalism (the transfer of wealth from the many – private investors – to the few – directors, advisers, and City insider investors) – namely forcing all companies on AIM to raise cash via rights issues. Now for step to in cleaning up the Cesspit – sending liars to prison.
