Member Info for Darth.Trader

All bets are off if comrades Trump & Vance decide that beach front is worth more than REM’s...., so buckle up….

DYOR

Solley....

In February 2025, Lloyds Banking Group unveiled a £1.7 billion share buyback programme, set to begin on 21 February 2025 and conclude by 31 December 2025. The initiative is designed to reduce the company’s ordinary share capital, enhancing shareholder value. Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc has been appointed to oversee the buyback, operating independently within predefined parameters.

This move highlights Lloyds’ strong capital position and ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders. In addition to the buyback, the bank announced a final ordinary dividend of 2.11 pence per share, bringing total capital returns for 2024 to £3.6 billion, equivalent to approximately 9% of the Group’s market capitalisation as of 14 February 2025.

Despite allocating an additional £700 million to address potential liabilities from an ongoing regulatory investigation into motor-finance commission arrangements, Lloyds reported robust financial performance. The bank posted a pre-tax profit of £824 million for Q4, with net income rising by 1% to £4.38 billion. These results underscore Lloyds’ resilience, demonstrating its ability to sustain strong shareholder returns amid regulatory uncertainties.

DYOR

A surge of tankers carrying Canadian fuel bound for the U.S. is now diverting to Europe as President Donald Trump’s tariffs spark uncertainty, disrupting energy flows across critical regions.rTrump has imposed 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada, with a reduced 10% duty on Canadian energy, citing both countries' alleged failure to curb the flow of fentanyl across the border.

Originally announced last month, this move poses a significant risk to the global oil market. It could redirect hydrocarbons that typically flow to the U.S. toward other regions, potentially driving up gasoline and heating oil prices in the U.S. Northeast and leading to higher fuel costs at gas stations across the Midwest.

DYOR

Strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED..

https://x.com/LiveSquawk/status/1898017706667917454

DYOR

Economy added 151,000 jobs in February, below expectations.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%.

DYOR

......Warren Buffett has recently been offloading substantial portions of his key stock holdings. In late 2024, he sold around $10 billion worth of Bank of America shares, cutting Berkshire Hathaway’s stake by approximately 23%. Earlier in the year, he also significantly trimmed Berkshire’s Apple holdings, reducing its position by nearly 60%..

DYOR

B_B Yes, despite his record high cash and bond holdings, Warren Buffett is still largely invested in equities with roughly 75% of Berkshire Hathaway’s assets in stocks. His portfolio remains heavily concentrated in major holdings.

However, the fact that 25% of Berkshire's assets are now in cash and bonds, higher than usual, suggests that Buffett is being cautious, likely due to high market valuations and economic uncertainty. This aligns with his historical approach of waiting for better buying opportunities during downturns.

By the second quarter of 2024, Berkshire Hathaway’s bond holdings had declined to 16 billion, down from 23 billion at the end of 2023. This drop stands out, considering the company’s significant cash and equity reserves. Berkshire’s investment in short-term U.S. Treasury bills surged, reaching 234.6 billion, exceeding the Federal Reserve’s Treasury bill holdings of 195.3 billion at that point.

D.

Correction: Berkshire currently holds just over $325 billion in cash, marking its highest level in years. However, the absolute dollar amount isn’t the key metric—the percentage of net assets it represents is far more telling.

As of January 2025, this cash pile accounts for approximately 25% of Berkshire’s total assets, a significant jump from its typical range of 14% to 16%.

With corporate earnings now exceeding 12% of the U.S. GDP, Buffett has even more reason to anticipate a stagnant market, much like he did in the past, justifying his record-high cash reserves.

DYOR

B_B, Buffett’s past decisions provides valuable insight into his current strategy. A notable example is a 1999 interview with CNN Business, where he explained his reluctance to invest due to what he saw as excessive market valuations.

At the time, critics argued that Buffett was missing out on the dot-com boom. However, Berkshire Hathaway shareholders later benefited when he used his cash reserves to secure exceptional deals during the subsequent market downturn.

Today, Buffett’s cautious approach is evident once again. In addition to holding substantial cash reserves, he now has more capital allocated to bonds than even the Federal Reserve—a move he typically makes when anticipating a prolonged period without significant stock purchases.

335bn in cash...

DYOR

B_B, As Warren Buffet stated

"“I try to invest in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.”"

Is it any wonder he's in cash.....as the uncertainty in USofA grows by the day...

https://www.newsweek.com/economist-worried-trump-causing-recession-2039842?utm_source=push_notification&utm_source=pushnami&utm_medium=Push_Notifications&utm_campaign=fullauto&utm=1741259253294

DYOR

Gunsup, some peacemaker trump is eh....

"in a Truth Social post, Trump ordered Hamas to release the remaining hostages captured in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and the bodies of the dead. He said if those demands were not met "it is OVER for you." Trump said he was sending Israel "everything it needs to finish the job.""

https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-trump-gaza-israel-hostages-palestinians-2040381?utm_source=push_notification&utm_source=pushnami&utm_medium=Push_Notifications&utm_campaign=fullauto&utm=1741251585127

For Trump It's all about Real Estate, and yet he criticises Zelenskyy, whilst trying to overthrow him.

I would not trust Trump with a bag of foreign coins..

DYOR

B_B,

"Four senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage have held secret discussions with some of Kyiv’s top political opponents to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just as Washington aligns with Moscow in seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job."

https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-allies-secret-talks-volodymyr-zelenskyy-opposition-ukraine-elections-yulia-tymoshenko-petro-poroshenko/

Trump had gone rogue, simple..

DYOR

B_B, seriously ..lol.

Nurse...he's out of bed again.

Darth...

B_B, "DT I'll keep that post and remind you of it in a year when the us is growing much quicker than the UK."

oh gawd, i'm being stalked lol, seriously, in a year anything could of happened...

D....

Https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/05/pension-savings-spent-rearming-britain-defence-push/

... savings to be spent on rearming Britain in defence push

City leaders are working with ministers to funnel retirement funds into the arms industry.

DYOR

Ant, you missed the guy who owns Twatter, sorry i mean X

DYOR

B_B "" Simple question is anyone on here stupid enough...... "

That's as far as i got.... simlly becuase there are

some who think in 6 weeks Donald had invented the wheel.. When in actual fact he's laying under

the vehicle whilst Vance is undoing the wheels... No jack, no axle stands and only using Musks 20 yr old apprentice to hold it up with a few USB pens, full of US citizens data...

DYOR

B_B "Amazing coincidence Darth 😂😂😂"

Not really, Trump knew about the deal sometime ago and used this in his regurgitating rhetoric...and sheeples fell for it, some will have macoronied the pants with excitement 😂.

Dealmaker strikes another great deal in his own mind.. 😂

Nurse, send in the next one....

Darth.

"Panama's president, Jose Raul Mulino, said Trump was "once again lying" in a post on X on Wednesday morning.

"The Panama Canal is not in the process of being reclaimed ... the Canal is Panamanian and will continue to be Panamanian!"

"I would like to stress that the transaction is purely commercial in nature and wholly unrelated to recent political news reports concerning the Panama Ports," CK Hutchison co-managing director Frank Sixt in a statement."

DYOR