Member Info for alex1621

It’s impossible to say what reaction we will see tomorrow. I’ve seen updates that I thought were positive lead to steep SP falls and updates that were not so great lead to a SP surges. I’m looking for an improving forward outlook, some green shoots regarding the variables that have been a drag on performance … freight costs, material pricing, returns trends, etc. Also, the avoidance of self inflicted banana skins … like Leicester, ESG, etc. Good news on US distribution would be welcome. I expect 2023 to be a tough year with some positive trends, with 2024 being a break out year. An end to war in Ukraine would be a big positive, as well as a collapse in inflation and the avoidance of a serious recession. Amen.

Yes. Correct … let’s see what Thursday brings?

Shorts only disclose when they breach a % threshold. Which means that there may be many more shorts in undisclosed positions. They will only reduce materially if the business begins to show that it is turning a corner … hopefully some green shoots reported tomorrow.

The point about “the market” is that it doesn’t reflect anything for small company shares, which can be easily manipulated by hedge fund and professional shorters. Unfortunately these shares can be gamed, and everyone who works in those circles knows it.

Have a look at the documentary “Gaming Wall St” that was shown earlier in 2022. It described the illegal naked shorting that took down Game Stop. A former professional stated on camera that he’d been doing this every day in the market throughout his career. It is a common place practice. So please don’t accuse anyone of being “conspiracy theorists” as this is going on, and worse.

On journalism. When I was a small kid a journalist and photographer came to our town during the Summer and took some photographs of a few kids around a shopping trolley. The story was that kids were occupying there time pushing each other on the trolley. The kids, who I knew, where quoted. The article ended up on the national newspaper … the story was completely bogus and the quotes made up! A slow news summer. No harm done but tells you all you need to know about journalistic integrity.

I wonder how Boo Hoo warehouse compares to any other fulfilment centre? I’ve seen similar reports on Amazon and Sports Direct … a job like that is for people who are physically fit. It’s not as tough as working in the fields or down the mines. This is a manufactured hit piece, coordinated with short hedge funds. You only have to look at recent SP activity prior to the drop to understand that.

As we get through 2023 and we see inflation falling it will become increasingly more difficult to push this agenda. When these type of companies (targeted and shorted in an organised and coordinated way) turn they do so violently and quickly. I’d love the doom mongers to hang around but experience of bulletin boards tells me they will be nowhere to be seen. All the management can do is focus on the business and get it ready for better times.

The source was @GRDecter … accompanied with a graph. Apologies, I’ve no idea how to dump the graph on here … but can be found on Twitter. Looks legitimate and is consistent with previous reports indicating the rates were falling.

The “article” is a manufactured hit piece. Frasers Group, when Sports Direct, got the same treatment a few years back. If you really did hold at £2 and decided now to sell you have been duped? Of course, we will never really know … as claims made on here can never be verified.

Just viewed a tweet saying container shipping costs back to pre pandemic levels. One of the big issues from 2021. When inflation starts to fall it will do so rapidly, another negative dealt with. If news gets progressively better these manufactured “scandals” will be harder to pull off. And when the economy turns there will be a scramble for the fire door … for longer term holders the outlook is not so bleak.

I subscribe to the Times and receive a business briefing every day in my email. Today Boo Hoo popped up in the briefing … said “shares will be in sharp focus”. Given the pre publication shorting activity it looks once again like a coordinated event between hedge funds and a newspaper.

You’ll never see an article highlighting short side malpractices for the simple reason that they are in collusion with Hedge Funds, who provide them with sources for stories. Dan McCrum won a prestigous award for his book and articles on Wirecard. His original source material came from hedge funds.

Market manipulation aided and abetted by journalists.

The warehouse story is a light version of the campaign waged against Sports Direct a few years back … the SD (now Frasers) SP has recovered strongly since then. Warehouse work is a hard physical job and not for everybody. The ****** charges, given that the major shareholders have Asian ancestry, seems fanciful. Once again we see media stories and heavy shorting … the same story could have been written about any fulfilment warehouse anywhere in the world.

Samb69 … in calm markets SP generally reflect value, but not in markets that are fearful. Keynes said the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent … a true statement.

If an announcement went out about M&A “talks”, what would happen to the SP 1 minute later? It would soar like an elastic band stretched to its limit. So was the true value the SP before the announcement, or 1 minute after?

Have you seen Fira's brokerage account? How do you know he isn't short? I might be uncharitable, but I'm a little suspicious of anyone who claims to own yet celebrates every fall in the SP?

I'm no fan of rampers either for that matter. The "it will be 80p by Friday" posts.

I'm coming to the view that everyone who posts on a bulletin board should use their real name and be verified ... it would make for more honest boards.

What would cause them to do that? A few weeks back a Twitter rumour about M&A sent the SP soaring. And that was just an unconfirmed rumour. Any news that would suggest the war is coming or is close to an end. The minute inflation starts a downward trend. If Boo Hoo publish and RNS that is better than expected. Any major purchase of shares by an insider. Any major investments by large institutional investors.

Apart from that, nothing. Nothing can ever go wrong for shorters. Except the likes of GameStop. Volkswagen, Ocado, Sports Direct … and many many others. The lower it gets the higher the risks. And the higher the short position, the more violent the snap back.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Boo going private, not in the least. And yes that would mean losses for many private investors. Any hint of that would see short side heading quickly for the exit.

The lowest of the low are those that claim to be long, are actually short (or have no interest), and subtly drip poison on the board every day, attacking anyone that hasn’t bought into the short side narratives.

I looked at CINE before the pandemic. The debt on the balance sheet was incredible. And they went and engaged in more M&A … they were never going to get through the pandemic. High debt is toxic during downturns. Boo Hoo is not debt laden. Which means it can increase its debt load if required to get through a tough trading environment. They are not twins.

Sure, it’s not all shorting, but there’s no doubt the drops have been exacerbated significantly by a massive organised and coordinated shorting operation. That’s undeniable.

Fira ... let's hope you get out of your short on time.

inve5t ... yes, I'm not one for advice, more on here for debate and perhaps to counter nonsense. But if I wasn't invested I'd wait until the results indicate that trading is positive. On that day the SP will move violently, as there is a lot who will want to close short positions. We all remember the panic when a takeover rumour was posted on Twitter! So that's my signal for buying more. That could be the start of a very good run over months, and perhaps years.