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Something continually puzzles me. In the trades we often see entries like at 11:00 for a transaction volume of 50K shares at a price of 38.00, when the bid value is 36.00 and the ask is 37.50, yet it is "unknown" whether it is a buy or sell. Any ideas?

You could arguably say that MOST shares are undervalued and oversold, but shares are worth only what people are prepared to pay for them, and apparently that is not much.

@pop31 Most of my money is in Thungela - what is "spare money"?
If you find anywhere for diversification, let me know! Could be a use for the dividends, but I expect they will be landing back where they came from.

You own the shares because you believe the company will gain in value. What it does with that money is up to the board. Personally in theory I would rather they paid off debt, but that depends on what the interest is they pay on that. Debt is "good" if inflation is a bigger rate. Historically some companies have always paid high dividends, and like to keep that up for fear of losing traditional shareholders who want income rather than capital gain.

Assuming there is no other reason for price change, the price will go down by the value of the dividend, but it does not often do so exactly because of normal price fluctuation. You can't have your cake and eat it. You say "I've gained nothing", but you could put that new cash you have into buying additional shares in the same company.

Have switched my BP investment to this, looks more promising. Will add as cash available

Will they have much of an impact?

I won't believe it s going up until it hits 40p

"or the dizzy heights of £10 a share at some point I propose a meet up in a pub and I’m buying the first round" - OK, I'll take you up on that! Which pub?

Luckily this share is more than covering my other loses, as I have bought at various times and never sold, but, CM, I am one of those who steadfastly hangs on to some loss-making shares too, expecting then to come good. BEN in particular. If you believe it will, averaging down is a better investment than any other.

I appreciate your requesting clarifications, Sienna. I am in much the same situation myself.

> These sorts of shenanigans rarely profit the PIs.
I think I said that on this forum when I sold my GSK at the end of June for 1724.

I am not a deramper, just a permanent long term holder, buying more yesterday as well. If fairy godmother granted me a wish I would ban short term trading - maybe a compulsory 3 months "no purchase" after a sell.

@Datron : from my perusal of the LSE link it seems Atlantic Coal was a company doing well, plans to expand, then suddenly delisting to make PI's stranded with unsaleable and worthless shares. Is that about it? You see a parallel? Going private is not what we should be concerned about.

"Definitely keep them your ISA/SIPP though."
I don't think that makes a difference with respect to SA withholding tax. 20% is deducted in all cases. Nevertheless, any high dividend share is of course best held where you pay no additional tax, so SIPP or ISA, but to sell and rebuy different shares to move their location in a portfolio has costs too, and price movement risks.

I see this as good news. Moving from a contractor model to being an owner operator removes one of the downsides I mentioned a while back. It shows the company is determined to move forward, and do so more profitably.

Yes I would be upset if I was forced to part with my shares at today's low prices, but that can always happen and is a risk you take on with small companies (I was burned with Woodsmith). The counterbalance is that the company is definitely going places, as demonstrated by the RNS, and if I can go with it, I will do well. I am sticking.

Thanks, CloudyMountain. Sounds a place to keep your money at least until our war with Russia is abandoned.

FT readers will have read it, but for non-subscribers like me, can you give a synopsis?

****, to be clear, now not attempting to bypass the absurd thought police.

Brilliant! I read it as implying the collection, Kurdi, Packi, Afghani etc. Didn't realise the LSE site had gone fully woke.

pop31: yes your points are completely correct, it is much more controllable and more amenable to judgement. Once I took part in an office sweepstake and put £1 on the grand national, but have not gambled since. In the early days I was thinking that buying shares is an investment, but that is true only if you are in at the IPO which I never have been. When I buy shares it is buying second hand goods, discarded by someone else. I am "gambling" that my judgement is better than theirs.

"casino gambling with a stockmarket twist ."
Sound just like buying shares!