Member Info for CHEQUEMATE

What's going on here then?, and still no news from the U.S pilot from last November!. Hmm. Congratulations to TRCS for winning the breakthrough 50 award too. Good luck all and regards CM

G-W, I saw your posts during the day but was unable to reply due to work. You may have felt you were talking to yourself but others were listening. A very good day out of the blue. I wasn't expecting any news until tomorrow, so was pleased to have a precursor to tomorrows results. What would be good to read is that the results "are ahead of market expectations". A distinct possibility of a further rise on the back of results, but let us not get ahead of ourselves and get greedy; slow and steady is the ECK way. I was half expecting this board to be a lot busier today, with folk jumping onboard after seeing ECK was one of the top risers early on and cottoning on why. I'm pleased to say we appear to have kept off most radars. When I see this board suddenly get busy with all and sundry then I will seriously think about jumping off. Perhaps ECK isn't exciting enough for many. One investor who is likely to have picked up on the RNS is Robbie Burns, the Naked Trader who I know from reading his book checks up on movers. I am not sure when his next blog is due but it will be interesting if he has taken a position (just a thought). Don't be surprised if there is some price correction/retrace in the near future. There usually if when/if a share price spikes. Good luck all CM

Although for the last 3 years the final results were released in early June or very late May, according to the latest pre-close trading update the results for this year will be released in July. We can expect a very healthy set of results from what has been disclosed and I am anticipating another rise in the dividend to perhaps 1.6p per share, although with more shares in issue the increase may not be quite so much. Should there be an increase it will be for the 5th. consecutive year. Still off many radars it would appear and a pleasantly quiet b. board. I would not be surprised to see another slight retrace in the share price from where we are at present. I agree with you BT regarding share movement during the year. The second half of the year does seem to be stronger. GBG got stuck around 100p during the first half of last year but closed nearer 150p. A significant rise happened whilst I was away in the Alps in September. I am planning a return (maybe) this September, so perhaps the same will happen again. If it does then I am open to offers to make more frequent visits!. Have a good week folks. Regards CM

Just a few lines from the latest N.T blog, released on Wednesday: Recent buys are all doing pretty well especially Hayward Tyler - looking to maybe buy some more of those as I think a statement due later this month could cause a further re-rating upwards. Good to see Robbie remaining positive. Have a good weekend folks. Unfortunately I have to work. Regards CM

Each day this week, throughout the day, the share price for GBG has been shown down at the bid price, when the mid price has been unchanged from the previous day. Come day end, each day, the share price has reverted to the mid price if not slightly above or below. The spread during the day has also been considerable and not representative of the trades carried out. Rather strange imo. Not sure it means anything in particular,. Infact, I am being offered 149.65 to sell and 152.988 to buy right now, making the mid price theoretically 151.25 or thereabouts. Day off, sun is shining, time to go out and play!. Regards and good luck CM

Numis Securities have raised their price target to 175p. Doesn't mean an awful lot folks, but better an upgrade than a downgrade. I only view such price targets as of interest and nothing else; certainly no reason to invest on. Regards CM

Hello Initforpips, good to hear from someone else. Robbie is Robbie Burns, the Naked Trader. He has written a very good, easy to read book for investors called "The Naked Trader, How anyone can make money from trading shares". RB says things as they are, no messing about and makes it easy to understand, no fancy words or formulas, no difficult charting and no financial jargon to confuse us, highly recommended. Another book by Jim Slater called "The Zulu Principle, how to make extraordinary profits from ordinary shares" is also a good read, although written in the early 1990s there is no mention of the internet. The zp is not such an easy read, but worth making the effort if you can get a copy. Taking the principles/criteria from the 2 books forms a very good starting point in research and making far wiser decisions than previous approaches of mine which could be summed up as more like throwing darts in the dark hoping that one may hit the dart board somewhere. Before, I was looking for the pretty much instant high reward share without thinking about the degree of risk (usually very high). Bit like crossing a motorway without looking both ways (I see no cars!). My investment performance has been transformed, but there is still a lot of discipline necessary and I am still prone to slip up and there are no dead certs regardless of the amount of research we do. Although I read the Naked Trader website and have read his book I do not follow him religiously; indeed he wouldn't want me to. Incidentally, what he mentions in his book very much goes against what many a poster, especially on the noisier boards here on LSE hold dear. And what PingPong states below is very true, it is usually the tortoise that wins the race. What is more, the tortoise is not exactly an exciting creature to look at either, rather boring. Give me boring when it comes to shares, the more yawns the easier I can sleep. Good luck with your investment(s) Inititforpips, Regards CM

Hello there PingPong, didn't know you were in here. Pretty quiet board here which is usually a good sign. Yes, RB did his report one day early, but won't complain about that. I am sure it had an effect on todays sp, it usually does. I have bought in twice here, once around 68p (I think), then added more at around 74p but sometime ago. I have found the progress a little frustrating at times, just as I have felt the sp was on a Northward trajectory it stumbles, sneezes and falls back again, seems like it keeps landing on a snake and rarely a ladder (am I showing my age here?, snakes and ladders?, what's that all about I hear some asking). I was going to say what I could do with now is for Robbie to take a look at CLL and/or ECK, but that would be undiplomatic, so I won't!................., but if you are looking in Robbie............oh, and I think your book is great!. Regards CM

Taken from the NT blog yesterday, but only seen this evening: Anything that gets bought between now and September HAS to be right and very few are tempting me. But I was tempted by Hayward Tyler (HAYT) live at the Monday seminar I bought 5,000 at 67.9 and some later in the week at 73. It's a very interesting one, an engineer with bright prospects. It's been named as one of the 50 recepients of the Government's £300m regional growth fund round so it says it doesn't need to raise any extra money. It's also winning contracts - one at a nuclear plant in Sweden. It looks reasonably cheap and the recent trading statement was very strong - I wonder if results at the end of June will give it a re-rating up to 100p. For now a lot of resistance for the price to go above 80 but in the 70s it looks a great tuckaway for an ISA. A good recommendation and always good to be in a company before Robbie Burns gets in. Could just do with him looking at some of my other holdings. Thanks for the last post JFT, appreciated. Regards CM

Good evening BT. Yes, a strange couple of days. I too have no idea why the sp dropped. I don't understand the ways of the market makers, how they decide to move the price particularly when volume and trades are low. The placing was well subscribed too and the directors took the opportunity to buy in which is good news. GBG continue to put out good news on their website, so no worries there. I think we are just in a period of eratic pricing, perhaps a little of "sell in May and go away". In his latest blog, Robbie Burns has said the following: While the FTSE's been doing okay the mid and small caps haven't and I am sure many of you have seen the value of your portfolios fall. Some of it appears to be due to a mass broker sell with the good sold along with the bad. Usually when this happens the good ones eventually bounce back. It's always hard seeing some profits eaten away. Even harder to know whether to stick or twist........ and Of course there is no right or wrong answers. Dealing with the market is like trying to reason with a ****ed alcoholic. And there is no way anyone can get in at the top and out at the bottom. I've found over the years while I make good money over time, at some points total values can sink but usually they rise again. It actually often works out holding onto the good one as their values eventually come out. Can't really add anything to what RB has said. Good luck with your investment(s). Regards CM

Here we go again: http://www.gbgplc.com/news/gb-news/the-bancorp-chooses-gbgroup-to-tackle-challenging-kyc-requirements Have a good day folks Regards CM

You are welcome. I too mix some of the Zulu Principle with Naked Trader, plus a little of my own thoughts (for what that is worth). You are right though, there are only a handful of shares that tick all of the boxes. In fact, it may be less than that!. And then there is no guarantee that things will work out; just a better chance. Incidentally, GBG was one of the companies that met most of the criteria when I invested at just over 60p a couple of years ago. Macro as well as micro economics will of course have an effect on most companies share price and market sentiment regardless of fundamentals, i.e tech stocks have taken somewhat of a hit lately and gold stocks when the price of gold started falling from a record or near record high. Care needs to be taken we don't jump on the band wagon just before the wheels start wobbling and coming off (easier said than done). Good luck with your trawling. Worth taking your time. A company worth investing in today will generally be worth investing in tomorrow. Regards CM

Zulu Principle (continued) Management shareholding - I would always want to see some holding and would be seriously concerned had any sold substantially especially the CEO, Chairman and F.D. Additionally, I will look at the company share price graph. Can I identify a trend, does it look healthy or ill?. Another very good read is the book by Robbie Burns, The Naked Trader "How anyone can make money trading shares". It is a much easier read and written for the everyday investor, not for the high brow professors who have a degree in financial language. He gets to the point in everyday language, says things as they are and no messing. Other books I have tried to read, emphasis on the word tried, have been like drawing teeth, found I have read the same paragraph 2 or 3 times before and still none the wiser. Perhaps controversially I am going to say, be very wary of the companies who have very active bulletin boards; they tend to be far more speculative and full of too much optimistic clap trap. Potentially I admit they may be high reward, but along with that goes high risk. They are also more prone to being shorted (a modern day curse!). And one thing I have realised as I have got older (and hopefully wiser) is that my risk appetite is far lower. Probably didn't need to tell you that of course!. Hope this helps. You can generally catch me on this board if I can be of use. Regards CM

Hello DD. I don't know about enlightening, but ok. The Zulu Principle comes from the book by Jim Slater - "The Zulu Principle - how to make extraordinary profits from ordinary shares". It was written in the early 90s so some of it is out of date since it is pre internet. However, most of it still applies. I would recommend you get yourself a copy, it has transformed by investing from rather hitting and generally missing, throwing darts in the dark to mostly (but not always) successful investing. Most ;of what is called the Zulu Principle is common sense. The more we can know about a company and research the better. The more research we can do into the "Zulus" the better informed we will be and can make better informed decisions. Not just hoping for the best or "taking a punt". It doesn't mean of course that we will always get it right, we can't possibly know what nasty events lie ahead but we can at least identify the nasty events behind which will have affected the share price to date. So, the criteria used in the ZP for selecting small dynamic growth shares are the following: 1. A positive growth rate in earnings per share in at least 4 of the last 5 years. 2. A low price earnings ratio relative to the growth rate. 3. An optimistic chairman's statement. 4. Strong liquidity,low borrowings and high cash flow. 5. A substantial competitive advantage. 6. Something new. 7. A small market capitalisation. 8. High relative strength to the shares. 9. A more than nominal dividend yield. 10. A reasonable asset position. 11,. Management should have a significant shareholding. Jim Slater (author) states that the first 5 points are mandatory, 6-8 are important and 9-11 are desirable. It is a very strict set of criteria and in truth it can be near impossible to identify almost any share that meet all of them. In my opinion we have to cut some slack and decide what criteria we want to concentrate on. Personally I would probably ease up a little on the 5 year record because there may have been general market set backs which will be reflected in the results and are not company specific. Something new?, hmm, that is probably very difficult to identify, most companies will have competitors in their market. Relative strength?, well, yes ideally and usually absolutely, but at present many companies have taken a kicking yet remain fundamentally very strong. I would usually look for a share price within 20% of its 52 week high, but wouldn't rule out completely a little below this, depending on the circumstances. At this point I may think about what sector the share is in because sectors come into and go out of favour and it could be swimming against the tide. Optimistic Chairman's statement, absolutely 100%!, anything negative is into the sin bin. Regarding the low PEG factor, Jim Slater would be looking for a PEG of 0.75 or lower. Some may want to raise that to nearer 1.0. (continued

Sorry folks, the article is from growthcompanyinvestor.com April 2014, not 2012. Should have proof read before posting. Regards CM

Article from growthcompanyinvestor.com April 2012: Utilitywise's bright future: With energy prices rocketing, managing them has never been of more importance to businesses, which can often find themselves stuck with hefty charges. In this space exist companies such as Utilitywise, which offers to manage companies' energy requirements, sorting out everything from identifying the cheapest supplier to installing energy saving equipment to help businesses cut their costs. The company joined the AIM market in 2012, in an IPO that raised £6.9 million. Utilitywise's services include "energy monitoring", which involves installing smart meters, fitting energy monitoring technology and providing software that analyses energy consumption. There are also its "energy reduction" offerings, which include providing staff on-site to monitor and advise on energy use, as well as carrying out detailed "energy audits" that examine every energy expense and how usage can best be minimised. If a business is interested in a "green" strategy, there are also services to cut its carbon footprint. Utilitywise can calculate a company's carbon footprint, and has a service to verify or analyse the footprints of airports. Other services include air conditioning inspections, water bill validations and legal assistance regarding dealing with European Union legislation relating to the environment and the requirements that are placed on companies. Its recent customers have included the likes of Devonport Management, which manages HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe. Utilitywise claims that, after undertaking its services, Devonport was able to save £1.65 million a year through a variety of changes that the company suggested. Another project was with the University of Bradford, where it says it worked on cutting costs for the university through a "behavioural change" programme that resulted in a 33 per cent reduction in energy costs. The chief executive is founder Geoff Thompson, who founded the company in 2006. Utilitywise is a family affair, with son Adrian holding the post of chief operating officer. Chairman Richard Feigen joined the group after a career in broking that led him to the position of managing director of Seymour Pierce. Utilitywise has already benefited from the dual effects of the increasing political pressure for local authorities and universities to present a "green" image and the rising price of energy that has made it worthwhile for businesses to seek out its services. It is hard to see either of these trends reversing in any significant manner. Buy. Growthcompanyinvestor.com is one of the sites I use to back up my research and sometimes start my research. Although not to be used on its own, GCI does have a decent record. Previously tipped on 9 October 2012 as a buy and 16 April 2013 as a hold. Regards CM

Too warm for the duvet Mogie, but I know how you feel. If it is of any comfort, my portfolio isn't doing too well today either. Getting out for a walk hasn't changed things much, although TRCS has risen a little whilst out. Hoping that things won't take a dive late on like yesterday. At least CLL is up........at the moment. Regards CM

Unexpected drop today; with a great deal of A trades, whatever they are about!. Have been hit on a number of share fronts today not just LOOK, including my strongest. Can't see any particular reason why, maybe just one of those bad days. Had wondered if the thought of a rise in interest rates although not until next year may have affected the market, but who knows. Perhaps a fall back in the general market indices isn't a surprise considering they were at or close to record hights. Hope others have had a better day. Regards CM

Thanks for your comments Mogie. Eye surgery went well. Quite something when I can get excited at going out and being able to read number plates and road signs......or perhaps sad!. Suddenly everything is far clearer and brighter, yo!. Good luck all and regards CM

Article from growthcompanyinvestor.com from March: Cambria's profit acceleration. Car dealer Cambria Automobiles is one company that is not attracting the attention of many small-cap investors. While car dealers as a whole have enjoyed rising share prices for the past 3 years, as British consumers return to making big-ticket purchases, they have not enjoyed the resultant attention that might have been expected, suffering from an "unglamorous" reputation shared by property developers and manufacturers of such exciting items as bin bags and industrial components. A number of brands fall under the Cambria umbrella. These include the Dove Group, an almost 90 year old business that began by selling Rovers and Jaguars but later expanded into becoming a Volvo specialist in 2006 after making a number of acquisitions and with outlets everywhere from Oldham to Croydon. Cambria's other brands include luxury dealer Grange, which has marques such as Aston Martin, Jensen and Lotus falling under its tree. Other companies that comprise Cambria's group include South London focused Ford dealer Dees, as well as Invicta Motors, which sells a range of lower value brands such as Honda and Mazda. There is also its Motorparks brand, which sells everything from budget brands to higher value Alfa Romeos. Cambria is led by chief executive Mark Lavery, who founded the company in 2006 having previously served as a director at Scottish car dealer Reg Vardy. The finance director is James Mullins, previously part of Grant Thornton's automotive team, while the chairman is Philip Swatman, who held positions at a number of investment banking firms including Rothschild, where he ascended to the role of vice chairman. Lavery's stake in the company stands at a hefty 40 per cent, while Mullins's stands at 2.5 per cent. Meanwhile, Swatman holds a mere 0.2 per cent. In results for the year to August, pre-tax profits rose from £2.7m to £4m on turnover that powered ahead from £352.5m to £395.8m. During the period, the group acquired Chelmsford based Vauxhall dealer County Motor Works for £4.1m. Net cash stood at £2.9m. A group operating a buy and build strategy, Cambria contains a mixture of luxury and everyday marques. The problem with highly acquisitive companies is tht they have a tendency to take on excessive leverage to generate increasing revenues - something it has to date avoided. While Cambria is not a groundbreaking business, it is a well run auto dealer with scope for further growth and a dividend. Long term buy. Regards CM