Member Info for BlahBlahDoh

Thanks jatw. I sometimes read cycling blogs, where there seems to be a similar aversion to the unmentionable word. Apparently you are only allowed to say "finale". I don't think it's technically illegal to say... that word, but they will frown in your general direction.

Seems to make sense for Jackson, and for China, and it would further focus the Pru. Jackson account for nearly as much operating profit as Asia though, so it seems like a bigger deal than spinning off M&G?

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-prudential-china-exclusive/exclusive-prudential-eyes-full-control-of-china-venture-considers-u-s-options-idUKKBN2001TU?rpc=401&

"That translated post should be saved by everyone on here"
Most people here read it weeks ago when Eskers found it. It's harder to find these things when the board is clogged up with repetitious hype, so well done to troublesome for finding it and reposting for the latecomers.

NN Crystal are a small company based around the studies of Professor Xiaogang Peng at Arkansas university. After many years he returned to China. Not clear where their financial backing comes from, but it seems likely his company now has links with the Chinese government.

Thanks Bazzaman, good link!
Looks like BMY are well positioned - generating enough cash to both pay a good dividend and also build a cash pile for acquisitions. Forecast annual div is 8.4p, which would give a Final Div of 7.39p (after subtracting the interim). Chinese JV adds excitement, and digital strategy looks like solid underpinning. Downside seems limited, and plenty of upside potential?

"most parents are worthless" Didn't Philip Larkin write that poem?
The Chinese are very proud of the fact they produce more patents than anyone else.
Like you, they judge them by quantity.

"The great Elon Musk reckons that less than 1 patent in a hundred is actually worth anything."
Sounds like a high hit rate. Was he talking about his own patents or just generally? China produces more patents then anyone, and nearly all of them are worthless. Every patent is unique by definition, so assessments based on quantity are almost completely meaningless.

Welcome to the board LOGGYBOG, and good luck!
I think most of us here are struggling with the technicalities ( :

Don't know why they called the proposed May dividend a "Second Interim Dividend" rather than a final dividend. Maybe this is just to denote the split nature of this payment to avoid false comparisons against previous ones.

The currency translation shouldn't affect the amount or payment, it is just for declaration purposes. Hopefully they will give us a conversion into sterling, or the exchange rate to be used for payment, so we can work it out.
At current rates 19.6p equates to about 25cents, or 5 nickels, pardner.

As I said, Pru have already told us what to expect. Not clear why you think they might do anything different:

" we have set out our expectations for the combined 2019 dividend across both Prudential plc and M&G plc, which subject to
financial performance and market conditions, are expected to total 51.82p pence per share. This represents a 5% increase on the 2018 dividend of 49.35 pence per share and is equivalent to a total cost of £1.345 billion across the two groups.
Of this amount, around £425 million represents the first interim dividend already declared in August 2019. Around £510 million is expected to be paid from Prudential plc and £410 million from M&G plc in May 2020. Now please bear in mind that the £510 million expected Prudential plc’s second interim dividend will be declared in US dollars and paid in May 2020.
This will be translated into US dollars using the 2019 year-end exchange rate. "
https://www.prudentialplc.com/~/media/Files/P/Prudential-V3/demerger-transaction-documents/investor-presentation-transcript.pdf

So the expected total figure for the year is 51.82p. We already know the interim dividend was 16.45p, and the expected M&G dividends are 11.92p and 3.85p. So the remainder of that total is the Pru final dividend = 19.6p (translated into US dollars).

" hope to crikey for all our sakes that
the corona virus turns out a damp squib."

Only 2 cases in the UK, and the incubation period is 14 days. China is bearing virtually all the brunt of this so far, and you have to feel for them. Apparently there is a reservoir of these viruses present in animals, so there is a constant risk of them jumping to humans - it happened with HIV and SARS, and now this (apparently this one originated in bats). We need more investment in virology, and perhaps it is something which should inform Pru's asset allocation, assuming they have a vested interest in keeping people alive!

"Will the Pru Divi this year be minus that of the M&G divi because of the split ?"

Sort of, gold5. Pru announces it's dividend on 10th March, I think, and M&G on 11th.
We've got a good idea about them already though, from presentations in September during the split.
Pru's final dividend was expected to be about 19.6p, if I recall correctly, but it will actually be expressed in US dollars so may deviate from that due to exchange rate movements.

"QD vision were in patent dispute with nanosystems , costing them $500.000 a month."

Interesting. Can't find anything online about that. Do you know the basis on which the cost was calculated, e.g. profit, lost earnings, or just legal fees! Also, what area of technology was the dispute about?

Nanosystems seem to be a good example of a nanotech company going in a slightly unexpected direction, compared to how they started out, and they appear to be doing OK under private ownership.

When QD Vision were bought, I think they were still in dispute with Nanosys over patents licensed from MIT? I don't think Nanoco are in dispute with anyone over patents?

In the case of Imagination, Apple didn't buy the company, it went to a Chinese firm. They did poach staff though, quite blatantly, and eventually replaced the technology with their own version. Given the amount of money Apple have, this was quite petty behaviour: perhaps Imagination's management upset them by drinking cider or something?! There may still be potential for a patent infringement case, if the Chinese are up for it, but it has probably already forgotten about. So far, I don't think there is any evidence of Apple taking on Nanoco staff, or ex-staff? This time last year Apple appeared to be interested in more than one material from Nanoco, so it is still quite shocking that they had completely changed their minds by June, but there is absolutely no sign of them changing their minds, and handing over the factory makes it seem like the decision was conclusive.

It's a pleasure to watch him work. Most Chairs you get to see maybe once or twice a year, CF is doing daily interviews!
Big pharmers need to get on the phone right now and arrange a meeting for a bit of craic and Guinness.

Good recovery over the last couple of days. Looks like the worst fears over coronavirus were overdone, as we suspected: numbers rising, of course, but not exponentially, and worldwide action seems to be effective as few new cases outside China. Chinese government admitted mistakes too, which is rare and very encouraging for the future.

This board wouldn't be the same with TBs daily mantra about QD Vision, with it's surprising variations on their name, and the introduction of wacky new characters like TV shop guy. Thrilling revelation today that Nanoco's patents are not just identical in price to QDVs (see what I did there?), they are worth ... wait for it... no, not less, more! Whodathunkit?
Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode of Vision on.

UPs was just explaining the meaning of the forms, the details were a bit sketchy.
Griffiths increase yesterday was £14,350 - simple maths. His recent purchases have got progressively smaller.
Peel Hunt is a broker, not an individual trader, presumably their numbers are an aggregate of clients. As I understand it, they are temporarily required to report as a result of the FSP. Not sure why this applies to them but not other brokers?

Thanks for the explanation CJ. Margins must be much lower in the US than in SK, to tempt agents into "monetising" the difference. Presumably there was an effective legal remedy, given their apparent confidence that it won't happen again.

Like you say though, the real issue is overall sales decline. If management are right, and this is mainly due to distribution problems, the decline should be reversed very quickly, as false sales are immediately eliminated and supply to the higher margin region returns to normal levels?

"this hysteria over the Coronavirus is ridiculous"
Too early to tell surely? Already worse than SARS, it could easily be just as devastating as flu, or worse, if not taken seriously. ORPH are incredibly lucky to now have not only quarantine facilities, but also, according to the prof, teams of specialist doctors and nurses: hopefully they will not be needed, but could be absolutely vital.

Good point Bronxville,
CF said in todays interview that nVivo had lots of data, including some genomic data which Treacy would be downloading.

I thought maybe the opposite is on the cards: sell off everything else but retain the databases?
CF has confirmed a quick sale many times, but often says "sell and start again". Databases seem like a longer term project: accumulating and defragmenting disparate data from multiple small sources to achieve a critical mass of value to a larger company? I think CF had started work on the databases even before reversing into Venn.