Member Info for Colbee

Meanwhile, Israel launches new offensives in Lebanon tonight.

Doesn't sound like a peace deal is close after all, if Trump can't control Bibi.

JamTart - ¨Trump is the only one with any balls. Carry on President Trump.¨

Thankfully, Trump isn't listening to JT, he's just doing the usual bluster and taco routine.

Success ! Thanks, Roofer. Sorry for the slow acceptance speech, I was out last night. (Singing excerpts from Mary Poppins. In Italian. Please don't judge, everyone should have a hobby.)

The ¨strategy¨ was that I spotted going for the Friday closing price would have won a fortnight ago. And it won again. Shows what a boring stock Vod has become. But nothing wrong with that, if it climbs slowly from here. I also have some BP, which is never dull, sadly.

Hmm, do I try to preserve my 100% prediction record next week? Ex Div is a complication.

Have a good weekend all, and good luck to all Vod investors.

Having spotted a strategy that would have won last week, I'll try it out and go for 111.35.

Boo - ¨Worth noting that the cost of the entire 4.5C dividend is only 900 million Euros p.a .so a 25% div increase would only cost 225 million more.¨

Also worth noting that over the past year Vod has bought back about 7.4% of its shares, over 1.8 billion. The latest dividend (2.3625 cents) will cost about 43 million euros less due to the buybacks. The increase isn't all that generous. But if the extra cash is going to reduce debt, I'm happy to wait for the share price to rise.

Harmonica -¨I was more concerned that StanleyB repeatedly writes 'Keir' as "Kier" (sic).¨

Frankly, there are are more serious things in Stanley's posts that should cause you to be concerned.

Stanley - You can assume what you like. I prefer facts to assumptions.

Fordm - At least we know Stanley isn't a bot. Artificial Intelligence has, well, some.

Stanley - Even if Iran is pounded more than before, how will that achieve any of Trump's objectives? The regime will just continue to dig in and the Iranian people will suffer some more. And the price of oil will rise.

Have you ever made a prediction that has survived contact with reality?

Meoryou - I thought that rant had to be fake, but seems it isn't , here's another report

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/open-fcking-strait-you-bastrds-36971577

He's surely lost it, I can't even think what he's trying to do with this one.

I don't understand why Vod isn't using Treasury shares for the incentive schemes. It just cancelled a shed load, so why is it issuing new ones, does anybody know?

Chandley - I agree, it's surprising how widely it seems to be believed that buybacks are a payout to shareholders. The only immediate beneficiaries are those whose shares are bought back. The other shareholders just own slightly more of a slightly smaller company.

Dan - I'd try to explain the ¨basic maths¨ in terms you might understand, but this site doesn't let me write with crayons.

Thanks, Curtin. I agree with you, the decision to cancel shares is welcome. As you say, it takes them off the books.

OK, Dan, I'll take the bait. I realise this has been a quiet board, so you're back peddling the same old.

You say ¨If vod buy back shares at 1.08 & they are are cancelled at 1.10, they cancel more shares for the same cost. This is just simple maths .¨

It's not simple maths, it's a failure to understand what is happening. Vod cancel shares that became worthless when they bought them, the cancellation value is nil. In your example, the shares were bought at a good point in time, and would have cost more if bought later or the same money would have bought fewer. But as I've explained, repeatedly, vod are not buying shares for investment here.

Looks like Iranian missiles are starting to land much more regularly in Israel. Could it be a sign of missile defence stocks running low? Would up the pressure on the aggressors to make a deal, or at least get a pause.

JamTart - I don't believe history repeats itself, but be careful what you are wishing for if you do. One of the main causes of WW1 was the Kaiser believing he was a hotshot at international diplomacy, despite there being no evidence to support that. He totally misjudged what would happen when he attacked France, he expected Britain to remain neutral and the French to be defeated easily. So if you're looking for historical parallels, go figure....

Harmonica - Rosneft was a loss caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If the UK government proposes taxing BP for increased profits resulting from the Israeli/US attacks on Iran, I'm suggesting the UK Government should be asked to consider compensating for Rosneft. Both were war events BP had no control over. (I'm fully aware what the UK Government response is likely to be, of course !)

Stanley - Take a holiday. Cuba might be pleasant ....

David - ¨I think Trump needs to be connected to a lie detector, permanently....¨

Nah, just watch his lips. If they move, he's lying.